Laemophloeus buenavista Thomas 2013, n.sp.
Creators: name: Thomas, Michael C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Laemophloeidae
Laemophloeus
Laemophloeus buenavista

description: Laemophloeus buenavista Thomas, n.sp.   
Fig. 8, 23-29  
 Types. Holotype, male, deposited in MNKM, with following label data: “ BOLIVIA: SANTA CRUZ Reserva Privada Potrerillos de Guendá; 17 o 40.26S 63 o 27.44W; 400m; 10/ 29-XI-2006; B.K. Dozier coll.” Allotype, female, deposited in MNKN, with following label data: “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 3.7km SSEBuena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna 405m., 5-15-XI-2001 17 o 29.949’S; 63 o 33.152’W M.C. Thomas & B.K. Dozier tropical transition forest”.   
 Diagnosis. The following combination of character states distinguish this species: antennal club composed of six antennomeres; dorsal color dark with well-defined, pale elytral maculae (Fig. 8); head microreticulate and in males with a deep, narrow excavation on the frons (Fig. 29); male genitalia as in Fig. 25-28. This species does resemble in coloration a new Bolivian species that will be described later, but that species has a three-segmented antennal club and other distinctive morphological characters.   
 Description. 2.4 mm long; elongate, rather parallel sided; dorsal surface piceous; mouthparts, legs, scutellum, and antennal flagellum reddish, antennal club infuscate; each elytron with a pale macula at about middle third extending from inner margin of second cell to humeral carina (Fig. 8); ventral surface completely reddish.   
 Head: twice as wide across eyes as long; epistome with emargination over clypeus moderate, mandibular emarginations rather deep, antennal emarginations barely indicated (Fig. 23); frontoclypeal suture obsolete; longitudinal line impressed, becoming deeper and broader anteriorly to form a narrow v-shaped excavation on frons (Fig. 23); moderately punctate, punctures much smaller than an eye facet and separated by 2-3 diameters, each subtending an inconspicuous seta about the length of a puncture diameter; disc of head heavily microreticulate, especially anteriorly. Mandibles moderate in length, robust. Eyes moderate, length 0.4 × that of head (Fig. 23). Antennae elongate, attaining about basal third of elytra; scape about 1.6 × longer than broad; pedicel quadrate, about 0.5 × length of scape; III elongate, 1.6 × longer than pedicel; IV-V globular, subequal in length; each 0.6 × length of III; club comprised of VI-XI, VI-X each slightly wider than long and subequal in length; XI about twice as long as X; olfactory sensilla of club segments not branched.   
 Thorax: pronotum transverse, widest at about apical fourth, 1.5 × wider than long; 1.2 × wider at apical fourth than across basal angles; anterior angles produced, narrowly, obtusely rounded; hind angles acute, produced; antebasal denticle distinct (Fig. 24); sublateral line with median fovea; punctation similar to head, punctures less deeply impressed than on head, each subtending an inconspicuous seta about the length of a puncture diameter; surface smooth and shiny between punctures, not microreticulate. Legs rather short; femora robust.   
 Elytra: 1.3 × longer than combined width; inner margin or cell 1 grooved only at apical third; inner margin of cell 2 complete; cell 3 complete; humeral carina well-marked, elytra laterally declivous and narrowly explanate; surface minutely punctate and inconspicuously pubescent.   
 Male genitalia: (Fig. 25-28) parameres attenuate apically, narrowly but completely separated; basal plates truncate basally and rounded apically; flagellum longer than basal strut, apically bifurcate, with microspinose processes; claspers rectangular with inner apical edge produced as a narrow process about equal in length to body of clasper.   
 Female allotype: 2.1 mm in length; head, 2.1 × wider than long; eye larger in proportion than in male, 0.6 × length of head; pronotum not as transverse, 1.3 × wider than long; elytra longer in proportion, 1.5 × longer than broad; antennae barely attaining basal fourth of elytra. Microsculpture of head not as pronounced as in male, frontal excavation absent, and frontoclypeal suture represented laterally by short lines.   
 Variation: Length of paratypes varies from 1.5-2.4 mm. A few small males lack the frontal fovea, but genitalia match other specimens.   
 Distribution. Southern Mexico south to Bolivia.   
 Paratypes. 46, from the following localities: 2, “ BOLIVIA: SANTA CRUZ Reserva Privada Potrerillos de Guenda; 17 o 40.26’S 63 o 27.44’W; 400m; 10/ 29-XI-2006; B.K. Dozier coll.”; 39, “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 3.7km SSEBuena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna 405m., 5-15-XI-2001 17 o 29.949’S; 63 o 33.152’W M.C. Thomas & B.K. Dozier tropical transition forest”; 1, “ BOLIVIA: SANTA CRUZ, 3.7km SSEBuena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna; 5-15-XI-2001 17 o 29’S; 63 o 33’W; 430m; 10/ 29-XI-2004; UV; B.K. Dozier ”; 1 “ MEXICO: Quintana Roo 19km N Carrillo Puerto 18-VI-1990 coll. M.C. Thomas ”; 2, “ CANAL ZONE, Barro Colorado Is., UV trap 1(3m high) 5 July 1977 H. Wolda ”; 2, “ PANAMA: Colon Prov. Fort Davis mv + bl, 15 May 1991 R. Turnbow”. Deposited in DEFS, MNKM, FSCA, BMNH, and USNM.   
 Etymology. This species is named for the village of Buena Vista in the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, near which most of the known specimens were collected. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition.   
 Discussion. This distinctive species was relatively abundant at lights during the night in Bolivia. This species, L. concinnus (described below) and L. sexarticulatus Kessel seem to form a natural group, united by their antennal club composed of six antennomeres, modified frons, microreticulate head, male genitalic structure, and general facies.
description: Published as part of Thomas, Michael C., 2013, A review of New World Laemophloeus Dejean (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae): 1. Species with antennal club of more than three antennomeres, pp. 1-23 in Insecta Mundi 2013 (294) on pages 4-6, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5175873