Laemophloeus obeliscus, Bento & Rafael, 2025

Laemophloeus obeliscus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1D–F View FIGURE 1 ; 2C, F View FIGURE 2 ; 3G, H View FIGURE 3 ; 4D View FIGURE 4 )

Type material. Holotype male deposited at INPA, labeled ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 ): “ Brasil, AM, Manaus, ZF-2, BR / 174 , Km 14, 24.x.2021 / lençol, luz mista, M. Bento, / F. Xavier et al. (legs.)” (white, printed) // “HOLOTYPE / Laemophloeus / obeliscus sp. nov. / det. M. Bento, 2024” (red, handwritten and printed).

Diagnosis. Frontoclypeal suture deeply impressed, straight. Antennal emarginations of clypeus present. Male antennomeres 4–10 moniliform. Second elytral cell closed. Procoxal cavities closed. Male tarsal formula 5-5-4. Claspers with apex slightly deflected internally, weakly sickle-shaped. Parameres abruptly acute. Endophallus with a long, filament-shaped apical sclerite.

Description of holotype male. Length 1.5 mm, width at mid-elytra 0.59 mm. Body strongly flat dorsoventrally, robust, parallel sided with lateral margins slightly curved. Coloration. General color uniformly testaceous, with anterior region of head, antennae, and tarsi slightly darker. Head ( Fig. 2C, F View FIGURE 2 ) large, twice wider than long, slightly wider and slightly shorter than pronotum; surface moderately punctate, with punctures much smaller than eye facets, each bearing a minute seta; eyes laterally protruding, not excavated anteriad. Frontoclypeal suture complete, deeply impressed, laterally connected with lateral lines of head. Frons broad, with interocular width 5.3 times wider than transverse eye diameter; median longitudinal line barely defined. Clypeus with five distinct anterior emarginations: labral emargination broad, as wide as labrum; mandibular emarginations distinctly narrower than labral emargination, moderately deep, forming broadly rounded, obtuse outer tooth; antennal emarginations wide and shallow, not incised. Labrum large, as wide as median emargination of clypeus, with anterior margin rounded, not emargined; surface moderately setose, with long apical setae. Mandibles robust, moderately large, 0.6 times as long as head, conjunctly rounded in closed position. Pregular suture (dividing submentum and gula) extending laterally to genal processes, subgenal sutures absent. Genal processes weakly projected anteriorly, with narrowly rounded apex. Antennae long, as long as half the body length, moniliform; scape oblong, with posterior face flat, short, about 1.6 times longer than wide and shorter than antennomeres 2–3 combined; pedicel globose, about 0.4 times length of scape; flagellum gradually widened toward apex, with antennomeres weakly subglobose and narrower basally; antennomere 3 elongate, distinctly longer than antennomeres 4–8; club 3-segmented comprised of antennomeres 9–11; antennomeres 9 and 10 subglobose, with lateral sensillar fields; antennomere 11 large and elongate, 1.4 times longer than scape, with a broad sensillar field. Pronotum ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ) subtrapezoidal, 1.4 times wider than long, with anterior margin 1.1 times wider than posterior margin. Surface moderately punctate, not microreticulate; punctures small, each bearing a minute seta. Sublateral lines as a wide, deeply impressed groove, with minute, transverse setae. Lateral margins slightly curved, with a weak, shallow posterior notch forming a small antebasal denticle near posterior angle. Anterior angles not produced, narrowly rounded; posterior angles acute, slightly produced laterally. Elytra ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ) not maculate, 1.5 times longer than conjunctly wide. First cell basally open; second and third cells closed, well defined at base. Striae of cells 1–3 complete, well defined; stria of cell 1 (sutural stria) sparsely punctuated at mid-elytra. Humeral carina well marked. Lateral side external to humeral carina strongly declivous and weakly explanate, with surface moderately covered with minute pubescence. Epipleuron gradually narrowed and incomplete, narrower than lateral side of elytron. Thoracic venter ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ). Prosternal process broad, with apex expanded posteriad of procoxae, 3.2 times wider than procoxal diameter, with apical margin moderately setose. Procoxal cavities closed. Legs robust, with tibiae distinctly shorter than femurs. Femurs robust; metafemur enlarged, twice longer than wide. Pro-, meso-, and metatarsus shorter than respective tibiae, with inner surface moderately setose. Tarsal formula 5-5-4. Genitalia ( Figs. 3G, H View FIGURE 3 ; 4D View FIGURE 4 ). Claspers with two triangular, somewhat sickle-shaped lobes, with apex narrowly rounded and slightly deflected internally, bearing 4 large, thick setae; inner margin curved at apical third, with 2 large basal setae. Parameres narrowly triangular, not fused to basal piece and medially free from each other, with apex abruptly acute; each paramere with 7 large setal punctures at basal half. Median lobe with anterior strut extremely elongate, 3.4 times longer than tegmen; apex blunt. Endophallus bearing a long, filament-shaped sclerite enclosed by a large membranous pouch.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the Greek word “ obeliskos ”, the diminutive form of “ obelos ”, which means “spit, spear”. The term is applied in reference to the sharply pointed parameres of this species.

Type-locality. Brazil. Amazonas: Manaus.

Remarks. Among all the species within Laemophloeus (s. str.) possessing 3-segmented antennal club, Laemophloeus obeliscus sp. nov. is superficially similar to Laemophloeus capitesculptus Thomas, 2014 and Laemophloeus corporeflavus Thomas, 2014 ( Figs. 3C, D View FIGURE 3 ; 4B View FIGURE 4 ) because of their general appearance, dorsal color mostly testaceous, and clypeal emarginations shallow. However, the new species can be separated from both by: frontoclypeal suture complete, deeply impressed (laterally effaced, not complete in L. capitesculptus ; absent in L. corporeflavus ); antennal emarginations of clypeus present (absent in L. capitesculptus ; present in L. corporeflavus ); male antennomeres 4–10 moniliform (elongate); second elytral cell closed (open in L. capitesculptus and L. corporeflavus ); procoxal cavities closed (narrowly open L. capitesculptus and L. corporeflavus ); male tarsal formula 5-5-4 (5-5- 5 in L. capitesculptus ; 5-5- 4 in L. corporeflavus ); and endophallus with a long, filament-shaped apical sclerite (flat, hairy apical sclerite in L. capitesculptus ; shared with L. corporeflavus ).