Cantharis (Cantharis) sheraldi Steury

Cantharis (Cantharis) sheraldi Steury , new species

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( Figs. 1–6 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig )

Type Material. Holotype, male ( USNM), labeled “ VIRGINIA, Fairfax Co., GWMP, Turkey Run Park , 38° 57016.300 N, 77° 09017.800 W, powerline, Malaise trap, 15–30 May 2019, Brent Steury.” Paratype, dissected male ( USNM), same data as holotype ; GWMP, seven paratypes, 5 male and 1 female, same data as holotype ; 1 paratype male, same data as holotype except 30 May–17 June 2019 .

Description. Holotype male. Body length 7.0 mm. Head ( Fig. 2A View Fig ): Smooth, shiny, with small, widely spaced setose punctures; occiput black, vertex and frons yellow, clypeus yellow, slightly convex, notched at middle; maxillary and labial palpi yellow; terminal maxillary segment scalene, broadest near middle, the outer side straight, distal side convex, its length subequal to outer side, inner side one-third the length of the outer side; terminal labial segment triangular, broadest on distal side; eyes large and bulging, glabrous; gular sutures widely separated. Mandible ( Fig. 2B View Fig ) brown with pale base; straight edged and slightly curved at apex, untoothed. Antenna ( Fig. 3A View Fig ) black, pale ventrally on antennomeres 1–3; filiform, reaching to middle of elytra; with pale appressed setae, and longer, more erect, black setae scattered throughout, especially apically, all antennomeres subequal except 2 which is about one-third the length of the others; antennomeres 4–10 with white, glabrous fovea on the medial side about one-third from the apex. Pronotum ( Fig. 3B View Fig ): Smooth, shiny, with small, widely spaced, setose punctures, the setae longest on posterior corners; wider than long, widest just above posterior margin; lateral and posterior margins strongly reflexed, with two low, nearly confluent tubercles on both sides of middle of posterior half, lateral margins semi-transparent, gradating along high point of tubercles to white, brown, and finally black at center; the black central area not quite reaching the anterior and posterior edges, the brown area restricted to the lateral margins of the tubercles. Scutellar shield: Black, triangular, with rounded apex, smooth; punctures setose, more closely spaced than on head or pronotum. Elytra: Black, rugulose, with yellow sutural margin broadest at base and narrowing to apex, lateral margins yellow, broadest along humeral and anterior elytral epipleural margin, narrowing to apex; pubescence ( Fig. 4A View Fig ) pale, recumbent, with some erect, black hairs, especially at base and lateral margins. Prosternum and mesoventrite: Mostly pale. Metaventrite: Dark brown. Legs: Black dorsally with pale femoral joint; ventrally black with linear, pale blotch on femur; front and middle coxae pale, hind coxae pale anteriorly, brown posteriorly; tibiae slightly bowed, posterior more so than middle and anterior, with two, short, curved spines on ventral side, barely reaching tarsomere 1; anterior claw of all tarsi with broad triangular tooth ( Figs. 4B–D View Fig ); tarsomere 4 deeply bilobed, tarsomere 3 concave, all tarsomeres with plantar pad. Abdominal ventrites: Dark brown with pale posterior margin except on ventrite 7 which is all brown; caudal ventrite small and subtriangular with blunt apex ( Fig. 5A View Fig ). Male genitalia ( Figs. 6A–C View Fig ): Parameres long and straight, reaching to apex of lateral margins of dorsal plate, the tips entire and unexpanded; dorsal plate deeply notched; laterophyses pointing toward dorsal plate and slightly hooked at tip, shorter than parameres.

Allotype Female. Body length 8.0 mm. Dorsally identical to males (including antennomeres 4–10 with white, glabrous fovea on the medial side about one-third from the apex). Ventrally similar to males (including anterior claws of all tarsi with broad triangular tooth equally developed in both sexes); differing in the shape of the caudal abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 5B View Fig ), which is convex, sinuate, and notched at the apex, and by having a slightly wider pale posterior edge on each ventrite.

Diagnosis. Cantharis sheraldi is unlike all other native Cantharis in eastern North America in having toothed anterior claws (rather than simple claws) in both sexes. It can be further separated from all North American Cantharis by the foveate depressions (sometimes referred to as “pores” or “sensory grooves/pits”) on antennomeres 4–10 (in males and females) and its unique dorsal coloration.

Variation. This species shows very little color variation among males or between males and females. Male (n = 8) length is 6.1–7.0 mm, female (n = 1) is 8.0 mm. Differences in caudal abdominal ventrites are discussed above and shown in Figs. 5A–B View Fig .

Etymology. Cantharis sheraldi is named in honor of James Sherald, former Chief of Natural Resources of the National Capital Region, for his career-long devotion to the protection of the natural resources of the Potomac River Gorge.

Distribution and Natural History. Cantharis sheraldi is currently known from one female and eight male specimens collected from the Piedmont physiographic province of Virginia, USA. Adults were collected in Malaise traps operating between 15 May–17 June (n = 8 captured 15–30 May; n = 1 captured 30 May–17 June). Traps were deployed under a power line in linear, grassy, meadow-like habitat with abundant common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.), hemp-dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum L.), and goldenrod (Solidago L.) near eastern deciduous forest dominated by oaks (Quercus L.), hickory (Carya Nutt.), American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), and some Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.).