(Figs 88–95, 124, 130)

Type material examined. Holotype (Panama): ♂, “ PANAMA: Darién / Estacion Ambiental Cana, / Cerro Pirre, 1450 m / 7°45’20’’N, 77°41’6’’W / 6 VI 1996; R.Anderson / PAN2 A96 96-112A / ex: cloud forest litter” (KUNHM).

Diagnosis. Body circular and strongly convex, reddish brown; antennal club over twice as long as broad; anterior clypeal margin smooth; pronotum with distinct, sulciform lateral longitudinal impressions, lacking sublateral impressions; frons, vertex and pronotum lacking microreticulation, clypeus with isodiametric meshes; pronotum and elytra with very fine, inconspicuous punctures, but each elytron also with ~15 large punctures on side, arranged in two slightly irregular rows; prosternal carinae reaching middle of prosternum and bent mesad at right angle; mesoventral plate with evenly rounded anterior margin and submarginal carina interrupted at middle, lacking lateral carinae; elytral epipleura not narrowed at the level of metaventrite and extremely broad, near middle broader than width of mesofemur; metaventrite entirely impunctate; penis stout, in lateral view weakly curved; in ventral view with broadly, evenly rounded apex; tegmen short and broad, with slightly emarginate apex bearing three pairs of short setae.

Description. BL 1.33 mm; BL/EW 1.18. Body circular (Fig. 88) and in lateral view strongly convex (Fig. 90); pigmentation reddish brown, legs slightly lighter; dorsum very finely setose and with inconspicuous, fine and sparse punctures except for lateral elytral rows; cuticle strongly glossy, only clypeus finely microreticulate (Fig. 124).

Head (Fig. 124) 0.38 mm wide; vertex and frons weakly convex, with fine and sparse, inconspicuous punctures, lacking microreticulation, glossy; clypeus matt and finely microreticulate; eyes large, strongly convex, coarsely faceted. Antennal club over twice as long as broad.

Pronotum (Fig. 88, 130) strongly transverse, widest at base; PL 0.30 mm, PW 0.88 mm, PL/PW 0.34; lateral margins weakly rounded and very strongly convergent anterad, with narrow lateral carinae; mesal corners of antennal cavities distinctly projecting anterad; lateral longitudinal impressions distinct, broad and deep anteriorly and reducing in width and depth toward pronotal base, posteriorly convergent with lateral pronotal margins; sublateral longitudinal impressions lacking; anterior pronotal margin not swollen and with barely discernible marginal carina. Punctures on disc (Fig. 130) very fine, barely discernible, unevenly distributed, those on median area separated by spaces 2–5 times as wide as their diameters, large punctures lacking, surface of disc strongly glossy, lacking microreticulation.

Prosternum (Fig. 91) with distinct transverse microreticulation on anterior 1/3 and with fine, inconspicuous punctures; near middle with pair of small glandular openings; prosternal carinae long, anteriorly reaching middle of prosternum and just behind glandular openings abruptly bent mesad, each forming short transverse arm; notosternal carinae weakly sinuate, not reaching anterior prosternal margin, the latter with narrow marginal carina.

Elytra (Figs 88, 90) together oval, with strongly rounded sides, broadest distinctly in front of middle, EL 0.95 mm, EW 1.13 mm, EL/EW 0.84. Humerus lacking callus; each elytron largely impunctate except for side, which bears two slightly irregular rows of ~15 large punctures.

Hind wings reduced, narrow and about as long as elytra, unfunctional.

Mesoventral plate (Fig. 92) lacking lateral longitudinal carinae; anterior margin evenly rounded, with submarginal carina broadly obliterated at middle.

Metaventrite (Fig. 92) entirely impunctate. Discrimen externally not visible.

Tarsi with conspicuously long setae on tarsomeres 1–3 (Fig. 89).

Aedeagus (Figs 93–95) 0.75 mm long, conspicuously stout; penis in ventral view with broadly, evenly rounded apex, in lateral view weakly curved and very thick; tegmen with shallowly emarginate apex bearing 3 pairs of short setae (in Fig. 95 two setae broken off).

Distribution. Neotropical (Panama).

Etymology. Named after the country where it occurs.

Remarks. Murmidius panamanus has the aedeagus most similar to M. campbelli; see Remarks for the latter species.