Saprolochus venezuelensis Minkina, Skelley, & Gama, 2025

Saprolochus venezuelensis Minkina, Skelley, & Gama View in CoL , new species

( Figs. 4–6 View FIGURES 4–6 , 11, 15 View FIGURES 10–16 , 18, 21, 24 View FIGURES 17–26 )

Type locality. Venezuela: Bolivar, 6 km S San Isidro.

Type material. Holotype, female: “ Venezuela: Bolivar / 6km S San Isidro ( 88km) / 25.vi.-11.vii.1987 / S. & J. Peck, lowland / rainforest, ex: f.i.t., 87–45” (in CMNC).

Description of holotype (female). Dorsum ( Fig. 6 View FIGURES 4–6 ). Body length 3.0 mm, elongate, robust, shiny, reddish brown, glabrous.

Head ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 10–16 ) relatively large, broad, trapezoidal, convex, in posterior half shiny, without microreticulation; in anterior half weakly shiny, with quite distinct microreticulation; additionally with relatively dense, low but distinct tubercles in anterior half. Clypeus with margin bordered, distinctly sinuate anteriorly, widely rounded laterally, not notched before genae, clypeal border without macrosetae. Genae obtuse, weakly exceeding eyes, without macrosetae. Frontal suture not noticeable, without gibbosity. Punctation of clypeus double in posterior half; larger punctures dense, irregularly distributed, variable in size, coarse; smaller punctures fine sparse, irregularly distributed; anterior half with punctation simple, fine, quite dense, irregularly distributed.

Epipharynx ( Fig. 15 View FIGURES 10–16 ) transverse, with sides rounded, anterior concavely arcuate, without corypha with two very short, thick celtes in the middle. Acanthopariae, acropariae, prophobae without chaetae. Chaetopariae with belt of dense, long, thick chaetae; adelochaetae similarly like chaetopariae but shorter; chaetopedia with dense belts of thick chaetae, as long as adelochaetae. Epitorma not observed. Tormae thin, quite long.

Pronotum transverse, posteriorly slightly narrower than base of elytra, widest at posterior lobe, convex, shiny, without microreticulation, with double punctation; larger punctures variable in size, four to six times larger than smaller punctures, dense, quite regularly distributed; smaller punctures dense, quite regularly distributed. All margins without macrosetae. Posterior margin bordered with a groove covered by belt of dense, coarse punctures; anterior margin not bordered; lateral margins anteriorly slightly explanate, entirely bordered with belt of dense, coarse, elongate punctures. Anterior and posterior angles weakly divergent; sides near posterior angles with distinct tooth anterior to emargination in addition to basal tooth; margin between teeth distinctly sinuate in dorsal and lateral view ( Figs. 21, 24 View FIGURES 17–26 ).

Scutellar shield small, triangular, without punctures, shiny, with weak microreticulation.

Elytra with complete, broad basal groove, elongate, convex, weakly widened posteriorly, quite shiny, with weak but distinct microreticulation, without macrosetae; without humeral denticles; with 10 striae and 10 intervals. Striae distinctly, quite densely punctate with medium sized, “8”-shaped punctures; punctures very gently indenting margins of intervals.All striae slightly shortened before apex, eighth and ninth shortened before base. Intervals shiny, evenly convex, with fine and simple punctation regularly distributed along the middle. Surface of the humeral callus ( Fig. 18 View FIGURES 17–26 ) matt, with distinct microreticulation, with sparse fine punctation, and sparsely distributed shiny tubercles.

Legs. Profemora bordered anteriorly and posteriorly, very weakly shiny, with dense, very irregularly distributed, sparse punctation; mesofemora and metafemora bordered only posteriorly, shiny, without microreticulation, finely and sparsely punctate. Protibiae distinctly tridentate laterally, basal tooth further from middle tooth than middle tooth is from apical tooth, edge not serrulate basally; dorsal surface smooth, shiny, with few fine punctures bearing quite long macrosetae; apical spur long, moderately broad, gently downwardly and outwardly bent, with acute apex. Mesotibiae and metatibiae without transverse carinae, fimbriate apically with row of short spinules of unequal length. Apex of metatibiae without accessory spine. Metatibiae superior apical spur sub-equal in length to basal metatarsomere, latter nearly as long as two of next metatarsomeres combined. Claws very small, short, thin, gently arcuate.

Macropterous.

Venter ( Fig. 5 View FIGURES 4–6 ). Metaventral plate shiny, flat, with distinct, deep, wide longitudinal medial line; surface with fine, sparse punctures, on sides with coarse punctures. Abdominal ventrites shiny, anterior margin distinctly fluted, without microreticulation, with belt of dense, coarse, mainly rounded punctures. Pygidium with posterior half matt, eroded, with very distinct microreticulation, additionally with distinct longitudinal, shiny median carina.

Etymology. Toponymic; an adjective derived from the name Venezuela, where the new species was collected.

Diagnosis. Saprolochus venezuelensis can be distinguished from all other known species by the combinations of characters: body length 3.0 mm; pronotum with lateral margin reduced posteriorly, emarginate with one or two small teeth; lateral border of pronotum with distinct row of punctures much larger than others; lateral pronotal margin with tooth anterior to basal emargination in addition to basal tooth; larger punctures of pronotum slightly larger posteriorly than anteriorly; humeral callus of elytra matt, rough with distinct microreticulation, with very sparse fine punctation, and sparsely distributed shiny tubercles; elytral striae increasingly wider and deeper toward sides, elytral intervals quite shiny, but with distinct microreticulation. Also see Discussion and Table 1.