Phaenonotum laterale, Deler-Hernández & Sýkora & Seidel & Cala-Riquelme & Fikáček, 2018

PHAENONOTUM LATERALE View in CoL SP. NOV.

( FIGS 4A, 5C, 6C, I, 7B)

Type locality: Dominican Republic, Barahona, Monumento Natural Miguel Domingo Fuerte ‘ Cachote’ 18°5.91′N 71°11.35′W, 1188 m GoogleMaps .

Type material: Holotype: male ( NMPC): ‘ Dominican Republic: Barahona, MN Domingo Fuerte “Cachote,” 18°5.91′N 71°11.35′W, 1188 m, 14.viii.2014, Deler, Fikáček, Gimmel DR 03/montane broadleaf cloud forest with numerous Cyathea : sifting of thin layer of wet leaf litter and mosses’ GoogleMaps . Paratypes: Dominican Republic: 10 spec. ( NMPC): same data as holotype (including molecular voucher MF1013) GoogleMaps ; 25 spec. ( CMN, NMPC, MNHNSD, NHMW): MN Domingo Fuerte ‘ Cachote’, 18°5.21′N 71°11.46′W, 1205 m, sparse montane cloud forest with ferns and mosses here and there, sifting of thin layer of leaf litter, 14.viii.2014, M.Fikáček lgt. (DR03a) GoogleMaps ; 49 spec. ( BMNH, DZRJ, MCZ, MNHNSD, NMPC, SBMN): MN Domingo Fuerte ‘ Cachote’, 18°4.48–5.37′N 71°11.03–11.54′W, 1188 m, 14.viii.2014, secondary montane broadleaf forest with sparse ferns and moss, sifting of leaf litter, Deler-Hernández, Fikáček & Gimmel lgt. (DR04) .

Description: Habitus as in Figure 5C. Body length 2.5–2.7 mm (holotype: 2.7 mm). Body oval, moderately convex, elytral suture slightly elevated posteriorly. Dorsum brown to dark brown, lateral margins of pronotum and lateral and sutural margins of elytra with distinct yellowish stripe; ventral surface brown to reddish brown; femora and tibiae reddish; antennae, maxillary palpi and tarsi yellowish. Head with sparse fine punctation, without microsculpture (except posteriorly on frons); eyes small, separated by 5.1× dorsal width of one eye ( Fig. 6C). Pronotum with very sparse and very fine punctures much smaller than on head, interstices with not very distinct mesh-like microsculpture. Elytral punctation sparse and moderately impressed, similar to that on head, much coarser than on pronotum; elytral interstices without microsculpture. Wings completely absent. Mesoventral elevation extremely narrow, as wide as metaventral process throughout, not narrowing anteriorly, without distinct anterior hood; metaventrite without deep pubescent pits at sides of metaventral process; metaventrite c. 5.0× wider than its length posterior of mesocoxae; median weakly elevated part of metaventrite narrow throughout ( Fig. 7B). Aedeagus 0.35 mm long ( Fig. 6I). Median lobe rather narrowly triangular, c. 2.1× longer along midline than wide; apex reaching apices of parameres; gonopore small, subapical; lateral struts simple, not expanded. Parameres indistinctly sinuate on lateral margin, not expanded subapically, widely meeting each other basally. Phallobase as long as wide.

Etymology: The species name refers to the conspicuous yellow stripe along lateral margins of pronotum and elytra characteristic of this species.

Diagnosis: Phaenonotum laterale may be distinguished from other Caribbean species, based on its brown-yellow coloration, obsolete pronotal punctation and extremely narrow meso-metaventral keel. See Identification Key for further diagnostic characters.

Distribution: Phaenonotum laterale sp. nov. is only known from a high altitude cloud forest region in the southwestern Dominican Republic, geologically situated on the southern paleoisland of Hispaniola ( Fig.4A).