Triplonychus crassifemoris Rosa, 2011, sp. nov.

Triplonychus crassifemoris sp. nov.

(Figs. 15–33, 80–82, 92, 96, 102)

Etymology. From Latin, crassus = fat, femoris = femur, alluding to the widened and convex posterior femur of this species.

Diagnosis. Pronotum wider than long with rounded sides (Fig. 21); antennae surpassing the hind angles by one antennomere; mandibles large (Fig. 17, 102); metacoxal plate triangular with posterior margin acute (Fig. 25); tibiae widened apicad, metafemur and metatrochanter strongly widened dorsoventrally and convex (Figs. 80–82).

Description. Male (Fig. 102). Body convex, densely covered with fine and short setae; setae yellow to light brown and semidecumbent to erect on dorsal surface, yellow and decumbent on ventral surface. Integument bright; evenly brown or with dorsal surface light brown to brown and ventral surface and legs lighter. Pronotal and elytral punctures not or slightly darker than the surrounding area. Total length: 6.0–7.0 mm; elytra 2.5–2.7 times longer than prothorax; elytral base 1.1 as wide as prothorax.

Head (Fig. 20). Frons shallowly concave; anterior margin carinate, rounded and produced; frontoclypeal region steeply declivous to base of labrum and 2 times wider than long. Punctures smaller than those of pronotal disk, umbilicate 0.5–1.0 diameter apart. Antenna (Fig. 15) surpassing the hind angles of pronotum at antennomere 10; antennomere 3 1.7 times longer than 2, subequal to the 4. Dorsal index of eye prominence 0.4–0.5. Labrum (Fig. 16) semielliptical, strongly punctate, with long setae, anterior margin rounded or emarginated. Mandible (Fig. 17) long (distal half superimpose each other) unidentate, evenly arcuate, with rows of small setae on anteromesal margin, a longitudinal short and narrow carina dorsally and a stout and longer seta than the fine setae of the lateroventral margin. Maxilla with basistipe fused to medistipe (Fig. 18), with a long stout seta and a few fine short setae; galea triangular with outer angle strongly produced and sparsely covered with long stout setae, inner angle with a short rectangular lobe densely covered with fine short setae. Labium (Fig. 19) with mentum with one seta on posterior angles; prementum notched at anteromedian margin, lateroanterior angles rounded and produced; second labial palpomere with spiniform setae apically; apical maxillary and labial palpomeres securiform.

Thorax. Prothorax (Figs. 21–23) about 1.2 times wider than long, lateral margins rounded, carinate on the posterior 3/4. Pronotum convex; punctures on disk large 0.5–1.5 diameters apart, on anterior margin smaller 0.0–0.5 diameter apart, on posterior margin very small 0.5–1.0 diameter apart. Pronotal hind angles flat, short, obliquely truncate; posterior margin between hind angle and median line with a very small notch. Hypomera (Fig. 23) with punctation double; notosternal suture nearly straight. Prosternum (Fig. 23) 1.0–1.1 times wider than long, with punctures smaller than those of pronotal disk, umbilicate, 1–2 diameters apart. Prosternal process (Fig. 23) 2.5 times longer than coxal diameter with ventral surface of the posterior half flattened laterally, gradually declivous posteriorly to coxae then steeply sloping dorsad at apex (Fig. 22). Procoxal cavities closed. Scutellar shield (Fig. 96) pentagonal to cordiform with a short median notch on anterior margin, abruptly elevated above the level of mesoscutum. Mesoventrite (Fig. 24) with posterior region inclined 45o above the level of anterior region; lateral lobes narrow and elongate; mesoventral cavity widened up to anterior border of mesocoxae than abruptly convergent. Mesocoxal cavity oval, closed. Mesepisternum with a weak transverse carina near the anterior inner angle; anterior inner angle rounded. Meso-metaventral suture impressed. Metaventrite (Figs. 24, 25) with punctuation double; metacoxal plate triangular with posterior margin acute. Elytra (Fig. 92) slightly rounded or parallel-sided up to posterior 1/3 then tapering to apex; elytral striae with 2 rows of punctures predominantly paired; interstices 3, 5 and 7 strongly convex on apical region; convex on anterior region; interstice 9 carinate on posterior 2/3. Legs (Figs. 80–82). Pro- and mesofemur slightly widened dorsoventrally, metafemur and metatrochanter strongly widened dorsoventrally and convex. Tibiae widened apicad with rows of long spiniform setae on dorsal and apical margin, tibial spurs stout about 0.5–0.7 times as long as tarsomere 1; tarsomeres densely pilose with fine setae.

Abdomen (Fig. 27) with sides rounded, punctation double denser on lateral margin. First ventrite 3.4 times longer on lateral border than at middle, hind angles of ventrites 1–4 acute, last ventrite pentagonal. Tergite 8 (Fig. 28) evenly sclerotized, densely covered with microsetae, with a few long and stout setae on lateroposterior and posterior margins; anterior sclerotized border U-shaped emarginated. Sternite 8 (Fig. 29) pentagonal, evenly sclerotized, with short setae lateroposteriorly, apex wide emarginate at middle. Sternite 9 (Fig.31) with sides subparallel or divergent posteriorly, abruptly convergent at apex; lateral and posterior margins sclerotized, anterior and median region translucent, apex with short and elongate setae. Tergite 9 (Fig. 30) with anterior margin nearly straight, posterior lobes acute; tergite 10 (Fig. 30) semioval.

Aedeagus (Figs. 32, 33). Parameres with apex narrow, rounded and slightly convergent with one or two setae, articulated to penis by transparent membrane. Penis with a ventral sclerite elliptical about 6 times longer than wide; basal struts about 0.5 times as long as its total length, median region between basal struts without process, lateral margins tapered to rounded apex.

Type material. Holotype. [Igarapé Gurupi-Una, Aldeia Araçu, MA, 50 Km E de Canindé, II.1966, Malkin col.] male (MZUSP).

Paratypes. Same label as the holotype, 6 males (MZUSP).

Occurrence. BRAZIL. Maranhão state: 46o28’48”W, 2o33’36”S (Rocha & Cancello, 2007)

Discussion. Triplonychus cruspinosus sp. nov. and T. crassifemoris sp. nov. are similar to the species of the second group listed by Schwarz (1906) by their pronotum “not longer than wide” and also defined by Candèze (1860) as species with prothorax as wide as long. Both species have pronotum a little wider than long. T. cruspinosus sp. nov. is most similar to T. costatus Candèze, 1860, from Pará state, differing from it in its color pattern, longer antennae and elytral interstices 3, 5, and 7 convex, not carinate. Triplonychus crassifemoris sp. nov. has elytra similar to the T. cruspinosus but is distinguishable from it and other species in Schwarz’s second group by its longer mandible, convex and widened metatrochanter and metafemur and widened apicad tibiae. Both species bear a ventral sclerite on the penis and scutellar shield with a short median notch on anterior margin.