Physodactylus flavifrons Rosa, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rosa, Simone Policena
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Elateridae
Physodactylus
Physodactylus flavifrons

description: Physodactylus flavifrons sp. nov.   
 (Figs. 20 A-G, 35F)   
 Etymology: From Latin, flavis = yellow; alluding to the orange head of this species.   
 Description (male, Fig. 35F): Integument bright; head entirely orange except for the black tips of mandible; antennomeres I-III, prothorax, ventral pterothorax and scutellum orange; leg orange with tibia dark brown; antennomeres IV-XI and ventral abdomen dark brown to black, elytra black with an orange spot a little narrower than elytra on anterior 1/5-1/3; pilosity yellow. Total length 10.0- 12.5 mm; elytral base 0.9-1.0 as wide as prothorax, elytra 3.2-3.3x longer than pronotum. Frons flattened, frontal carina not produced; antenna (Fig. 20A) reaching the posterior third of pronotum; antennomere IV 1.22x wider than long, V-VI 1.56 and 1.62x wider than long, VII-VIII 1.44x wider than long, IX-X 1.30-1.33x wider than long, XI oval 1.54x longer than wide. Maxilla (Fig. 20B) with galea covered with a few fine and spiniform setae. Pronotum (Fig. 20C) convex 1.40-1.46x wider than long with posterior 1/3-1/2 parallel, anterior part straight convergent to anterior margin; anteromedian margin produced anteriad; posterior angles short, convex, parallel; lateral carina complete strongly prominent on posterior 2/3, sinuous in lateral view (Fig. 20D), nearly entirely visible dorsally; disc with punctures heterogeneously or homogenously distributed 0.5-1.0 diameters apart, smaller and denser on anterior margin, denser on lateral border; prosternal process (Fig. 20D) without subapical tooth. Lamellae of pro- and mesotarsomeres I as large as those of tarsomeres II-III, small on metatarsomere I. Elytra parallel-sided on anterior 2/3 then tapering to apex; striae deeply impressed, with three rows of punctures, punctures glabrous on the median row, smaller and bearing a small seta on the lateral row; interstices convex, smooth and glabrous; apical striae with punctures smaller than those of pronotal lateral border and as large as those of elytral base. Abdomen with ventrites 2-4 concave, ventrite 1 evenly pilose with setae 1/3 as long as those of ventrite 2, ventrites 2-5 covered with very long semi-erect setae. Pregenitalic segments and aedeagus covered with stout yellow setae. Sternite VIII with posterior margin nearly straight, anterior sclerotization 0.55x the total width of sternite; sternite IX tapered to apex.   
 Aedeagus (Figs. 20F, G): Phallobase 0.44x the total length of aedeagus, 1.2x longer than wide, length ratio between lateroposterior and median parts 4.8; paramere with ventral surface nearly entirely sclerotized; penis with basal strut 0.24x its total length, articulated to the parameres by a strongly sclerotized process; ventral sclerite linear.   
 Holotype: [Fazenda Taperinha, prox. Santarém, PA, 01-11.II.1968, Exp. Perm. Amaz.] male, (MZUSP).   
 Paratypes: Same label as holotype, 2 exs. (MZUSP).   
 Distribution: BRAZIL. Pará: Santarém.   
 Remarks: Physodactylus flavifrons sp. nov. is diagnosable by the unique combination of characters: pilosity yellow, antenna reaching the anterior third of pronotum, prothorax 1.40-1.46x wider than long, lamellae of pro- and mesotarsomeres I as large as the other ones, elytra with striae deeply impressed and as wide as the interstices, abdominal ventrites 2-4 concave with very long setae. This species is most similar to P. sulcatus, P. patens sp. nov. and P. latithorax sp. nov. in shape of prothorax, antenna and elytral striae; however it can be promptly distinguished by its longer abdominal pilosity and ventrites 2-4 concave.
description: Published as part of Rosa, Simone Policena, 2014, Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of Physodactylinae (Coleoptera, Elateridae), pp. 217-292 in Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) (São Paulo) 54 (18) on pages 263-264, DOI: 10.1590/0031-1049.2014.54.18, http://zenodo.org/record/12641367