Discodon viridimontanum Biffi & Geiser 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Biffi, Gabriel
name: Geiser, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cantharidae
Discodon
Discodon viridimontanum

description: Discodon viridimontanum sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 07CD44CC-D82E-44B0-A547-97C1F392D997
Figs 4A, 6J, U, 7J, 8J, 9J, 10J, 13D–F, 15J
Diagnosis
Similar to D. vanini sp. nov. by the last antennomeres orangish (Fig. 4A), but differs by the antennae shorter with longitudinal lines on the antennomeres IX–XI (Fig. 6J, U), the pronotum with lateral margins not elevated (Figs 7J, 8J), by the elongate elytra (Fig. 4A), and by the shape of ventrite VII of males (Fig. 10J) and the aedeagus (Fig. 13D–F). The single known male specimen of D. viridimontanum sp. nov. was fixed with an everted internal sac, which exacerbates the morphological comparison with other species.
Etymology
The specific epithet viridimontanum refers to the type locality of the species, Monte Verde (Minas Gerais state, Brazil), which translates to ‘green hill’ from Portuguese.
Type material
Holotype BRAZIL • ♂; Minas Gerais, Monte Verde; 22 Feb. 1960; J. Halik leg.; MZSP 46483 (Fig 4A).
Paratype BRAZIL • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 2 Feb. 1970; MZSP 46484.
Description
Body length: 10.4 mm. Coloration (Fig. 4A): head pitch black, lustrous, except in lateral corners of clypeus, light brown; mandibles light brown, darker at base and tip; maxillary and labial palpi dark brown to black, light brown at apex of last palpomeres; antennae black, except antennomeres IX–XI and apex of VIII, orangish. Pronotum (Figs 7J, 8J) lustrous, partly translucent, with broad irregular black band from anterior to posterior margin, wider anteriorly and near posterior margin, and narrower near anterior half; background pale yellow with barely diffuse orange patches. Scutellum and elytra pitch black, slightly lustrous; at mid-length of each elytron, rounded whitish spot nearly reaching lateral borders but not meeting at suture. Thorax, legs and abdomen dark brown to black, tarsal claws brown.
Male (Fig. 4A)
Head short, nearly as long as wide, excluding eyes; integument smooth, densely covered with short and fine yellow setae; frons short, vertex flat, occipital region convex, broadly rounded behind eyes. Clypeus flat, anterior margin emarginate, slightly projected anteriorly with median incision. Eyes large, rounded, prominent. Mandibles falciform, acute, without accessory teeth. Last maxillary and labial palpomeres securiform. Antennae (Fig. 6J) short, slightly flattened dorsoventrally; antennomeres III– IX narrowing proximally, sub-serrate; antennomeres IX–XI with longitudinal lines dorsally. Pronotum (Fig. 7J) wide, about 1.4 times as wide as long; anterior margin and anterior angles arched; lateral margins slightly sinuate, with shallow notch at posterior third; anterior, posterior and lateral margins not elevated; integument smooth, densely covered with very fine yellow setae. Elytra very long, each elytron 5.7 times as long as wide, almost parallel; integument coriaceous, densely covered with short and fine decumbent setae, and much longer thick erect setae. Legs slender, densely pubescent, covered with long and thick setae; tarsi flattened dorsoventrally, fourth tarsomere with a transversal slit at base; anterior prothoracic tarsal claws (Fig. 9J) broadly lobed basally, lobe with very broad rounded margin; posterior claws on meso- and metathoracic tarsal claws apparently split at apex, with fine protruding tooth slightly shorter than claws. Abdomen weakly sclerotised, coriaceous, densely covered with long setae; ventrite VI notched at posterior margin; ventrite VII (Fig. 10J) with triangular lobes, inner margins nearly parallel, outer margins convergent posteriorly, apical margins rounded, with tip directed internally. Aedeagus (Fig. 13D–F): ventral wall of tegmen elongate, lateral margins convergent from apical third; apex forming a pair of short, rounded lobes with central acute tip curved ventrally; fringe of long setae along the lateral margins of tegmen dorsally; parameres very short, hidden between tegmen and median lobe; median lobe membranous, with numerous spine-like sclerites and tufts of thick pubescence.
Female
Similar to male; antennae (Fig. 6U) shorter; pronotum (Fig. 8J) wider, 1.5 times as wide as long, lateral margins sinuate, without notches; tarsal claws without basal lobe or apical slit; ventrite VII (Fig. 15J) with distal margin broadly arched, without projections or notches.
Distribution
Brazil (Minas Gerais state) (Fig. 16).
description: Published as part of Biffi, Gabriel & Geiser, Michael, 2022, A revision of Discodon tricolor (Guérin-Méneville) and its mimics from the Atlantic forests of Brazil (Coleoptera: Cantharidae), pp. 148-189 in European Journal of Taxonomy 834 (1) on pages 173-176, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.834.1907, http://zenodo.org/record/7017677