Falsocis brasiliensis Lopes-Andrade, 2007, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Ciidae
Falsocis
Falsocis brasiliensis

description: Falsocis brasiliensis sp. nov. (Figs 7–24)
Falsocis sp. in Lopes-Andrade (2002).
Etymology
The specific epithet refers to Brazil, terra typica of this species.
Diagnosis
The species may be distinguished from F. opacus by the smaller body length (2.8mm or less), pronotal punctation sparse, and epipleura large at base and tapering to basal third, then continuing as a narrow line. Males have the corners of the frontoclypeal ridge produced upwards to form a pair of lateral horns (Fig. 10), and apex of the anterior pronotal plate bearing a patch of long setae on either side (Figs 7, 9–11).
Description
Holotype. ♂, measurements in mm: TL 2.20; PL 0.90; PW 1.20; EL 1.30; EW 1.30; GD 1.15. Ratios: PL/ PW 0.75; EL/EW 1.00; EL/PL 1.44; GD/EW 0.88; TL/EW 1.69. Body oblong, strongly convex, reddish brown. Head concave on dorsum, with disc slightly convex; frontoclypeal ridge produced upwards, with corners forming lateral long horns produced upwards and slightly curved backwards (Figs 8, 10) and bearing two small, inconspicuous tubercles between them (Fig. 10). Antennae (Figs. 14, 17) with length of the antennomeres (in mm) as follows: 0.080; 0.048; 0.036; 0.031; 0.027; 0.022; 0.019; 0.055; 0.054; 0.087. Pronotum strongly convex, dorsum with irregular, distinct, single punctation; punctures broad, uniform in size, separated by a distance of one to three puncture widths; each puncture bearing a small and decumbent or a stout and erect yellowish seta; interstices between punctures smooth; lateral corners angulate and produced forwards (Fig. 8); antero-lateral margins (beyond lateral angles) curved upwards and bearing a row of small setae; anterior edge strongly developed forwards to form a plate that narrows towards a straight anterior edge, this edge bearing a tuft of long setae on either side (Figs 7–9). Scutellum triangular (Fig. 13), with punctures bearing suberect setae. Elytra strongly convex, sides (seen from above) slightly diverging for the first three quarters of their lengths, then converging towards their apices; disc with distinct, irregular and single punctation; punctures and their setae similar to those on pronotum; interstices between punctures smooth; lateral and apical margins not visible from above (Fig. 7), curving downwards (Fig. 9); epipleura tapering to basal third, then continuing as a narrow line until apex (Figs 9, 11, 16). Hindwings fully developed (Fig. 19). First abdominal ventrite with a margined setose patch (Fig. 16).
Male genitalia
Genitalia (Figs 20–22, paratypes) with ninth segment V-shaped; eighth sternite (Fig. 21) with corners angulate and slightly produced, leaving an anterior margin curved inwards; aedeagus (Figs 20, 22) subquadrate, twice as long as wide; basal piece not observed (therefore possibly membranous); tegmen four times as wide as median lobe, and apex bearing a V-shape emargination in ventral view (Fig. 20, arrow); median lobe (penis) cylindrical, slightly shorter than tegmen.
Females
Frontoclypeal ridge devoid of lateral horns, corners obtusely angulate. Pronotum (Fig. 12) with anterior edge just slightly produced forwards, bearing a row of small setae but without patches of long setae; anterior margin broadly rounded. First abdominal ventrite devoid of setose patch. Genitalia (Fig. 23) with a distinct pair of gonostyli at apex; gonocoxites transversely divided in four parts; basal gonocoxites with a pair of transversal baculi; gonostyli and gonocoxites around 0.65X the length of paraproct and proctiger together; both paraproct and proctiger with a pair of longitudinal baculi; spiculum ventrale smaller than gonostyli, gonocoxites and paraproct together.
Type series
Holotype. ♂ (MZSP), Brazil: labeled / BRASIL: MG Viçosa x.2000 leg. C. Lopes-Andrade [printed]/ Falsocis brasiliensis Lopes-Andrade HOLOTYPUS [printed in red paper]/. Paratypes. Brazil: 2♂♂, 2ΨΨ (LAPC), same data as holotype; 3♂♂, 1Ψ / BRASIL: MG Viçosa, Mata da Biologia 20.i.2002 leg C. Lopes- Andrade [printed]/; 3♂♂, 1Ψ (LAPC) / BRASIL: ES Venda Nova do Imigrante 31.v.2002 leg. R. Falqueto/; 3♂♂, 3Ψ (1Ψ completely dissected, LAPC; 1Ψ preserved for molecular analysis, SMTD; remaining specimens at LAPC) labeled / BRASIL: BA Jussari; “ RPPN Serra do Teimoso”; 23.iii a 17.iv.2005 leg. K. S. Furieri/. All paratypes with a second label / Falsocis brasiliensis Lopes-Andrade PARATYPUS [printed in yellow paper]/.
Variation
Males (n = 10. including the holotype), measurements in mm: TL 2.00–2.80 (2.26 ± 0.22); PL 0.80–1.15 (0.89 ± 0.11); PW 1.10–1.45 (1.24 ± 0.10); EL 1.25–1.65 (1.36 ± 0.11); EW 1.25–1.55 (1.37 ± 0.09); GD 1.05–1.25 (1.13 ± 0.06). Ratios: PL/PW 0.65–0.79 (0.72 ± 0.04); EL/EW 0.93–1.04 (0.99 ± 0.04); EL/PL 1.42–1.69 (1.54 ± 0.10); GD/EW 0.78–0.88 (0.83 ± 0.04); TL/EW 1.54–1.81 (1.65 ± 0.07).
Females (n = 5), measurements in mm: TL 2.00–2.35 (2.15 ± 0.15); PL 0.75–0.95 (0.81 ± 0.08); PW 1.15–1.25 (1.20 ± 0.05); EL 1.25–1.45 (1.33 ± 0.09); EW 1.25–1.40 (1.34 ± 0.05); GD 1.05–1.20 (1.11 ± 0.05). Ratios: PL/PW 0.65–0.76 (0.67 ± 0.06); EL/EW 0.93–1.07 (0.99 ± 0.05); EL/PL 1.47–1.93 (1.65 ± 0.17); GD/EW 0.78–0.88 (0.83 ± 0.04); TL/EW 1.48–1.68 (1.60 ± 0.08).
Specimens from Jussari are darker than the ones from Viçosa and Venda Nova do Imigrante. Their male genitalia are slightly smaller, but their general morphology is not sufficiently different to suggest that they comprise a distinct species or subspecies. When carefully compared, the external morphology and the morphology of male genitalia from the three known localities varies little among specimens.
Biology and Distribution
All known specimens were collected in basidiocarps of an unidentified species of Phellinus Quél. (Hymenochaetaceae). Live specimens were observed feeding on the dorsum of the basidiocarp, making convex excavations on its surface (pers. obs.). Other Ciidae species usually explore the basidiocarp from the ventral to the dorsal surface.
Falsocis brasiliensis sp. nov. was found just in three small Atlantic Forest remnants (Fig. 24), as follows: (i) “ Mata da Biologia” remnant (around 75ha), Viçosa county in the state of Minas Gerais (20º45’S, 42º52’W); (ii) valley of Lavrinhas, rural area of Venda Nova do Imigrante county in the state of Espírito Santo (20º20’S, 41º08’W); (iii) “ RPPN Serra do Teimoso”, Jussari county in the state of Bahia (Cocoa Coast; 15º11'S, 39º29'W), a small private protected area (around 200ha). In Viçosa, just eleven specimens (nine included in the type series) were collected, as a result of considerable collection effort between 1999 and 2006. In Jussari, specimens collected were bred in laboratory from April 2005 to August 2006, when the last live female was found. Including the remains of dead specimens and the six specimens included in the type series, around three generations succeeded in each of two basidiocarps collected in Jussari. In this case, generations were estimated as the number of dead couples found sequentially in the fungi from April 2005 up to August 2006.
description: Published as part of Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano, 2007, Notes on Falsocis Pic (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea: Ciidae), with the description of an endangered Brazilian species, pp. 41-58 in Zootaxa 1544 on pages 47-51, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.177945