Onorius sp.

Material examined

Female. ‘ Zamora Chinchipe Paquisha Alto Marzo 2008 Col. V. Carvajal ’ (CEMT).

Diagnosis

This species differs from O. inexpectatus in the sculpture of the body (Figure 1a): head is punctate with transversely elongate, sometimes adjoining punctures (punctures are round and relatively sparse in O. inexpectatus); pronotum with coarser ocellate punctures (punctures are smaller and not ocellate in O. inexpectatus); elytra with characteristic U- to V-shaped punctures each bearing a distinct yellowish seta posteriorly (punctures are round in O. inexpectatus; setae in the punctures are smaller, barely visible at the same magnification); proximal ileum has two large, symmetrical diverticula (Figure 2b).

Description

Female (Figures 1 and 2). Body length 9.0 mm, width of elytra 4.6 mm, width of pronotum 3.5 mm. Colour uniform brown with pronounced bronze tint.

Head densely punctate with transversely elongate punctures; some punctures fused near anterior margin of clypeus. Head without traces of medial horn or tubercle. Left mandible slightly protruding past clypeus in dorsal view; labrum not protruding past clypeus. Clypeus rounded anteriorly.

Pronotum 1.5 times wider than long, widest at basal 0.3 of its length. Anterior margin without border, basal and lateral margins bordered. Disc with shallow impression anteriorly and near base, without tubercles or deep fossae. Surface punctate with round ocellate punctures separated by 1 – 3 puncture diameters.

Scutellum triangular, narrowly rounded apically, about 1/15 length of elytra, coarsely punctate.

Elytra convex, with marked humeral and apical humps, without ridges or other elevated areas.Maximum width approximately at the middle. Striae indistinct. Elytra punctate with U- or V-shaped punctures; each puncture bears a short, yellow seta posteriorly. Base of elytra not bordered.

Wings fully developed.

Protibiae with 3 outer teeth, without smaller inner tooth. Lateral margin basad of outer teeth not crenulate. Apex and internal margin of tibia with a few slender setae. Protarsi well developed, about 2/3 length of protibiae. Claws 1/3 length of tarsomere 5. Tarsomere 5 as long as tarsomeres 2 – 4 combined. Tarsomere 1 as long as tarsomeres 2 – 4.

Hind and middle legs similar in shape; metafemora and metatibiae about 1.2 times longer than mesofemora and mesotibiae. Femora sparsely punctate with elongate punctures. Tibiae somewhat triangular, with 2 apical spurs. Upper tibial spur as long as tarsomeres 1 – 3; lower spur as long as or slightly longer than tarsomere 1. Claws 1/3 length of tarsomere 5. Tarsomere 5 relatively robust, as wide as the other tarsomeres, as long as tarsomeres 2 – 4 combined and as long as tarsomere 1.

Abdominal sternites punctate with elongate punctures. Sternite 8 about 2 times wider than sternites 4 – 7 medially.

Pygidium transverse, irregularly punctate, partly hidden under elytra.

Male unknown.

Distribution and habitat

The new species is known from only one locality, Alto Marzo in Zamora-Chinchipe province of Ecuador (Figure 1f), a place on the western side of the Cordillera del Cóndor, an elevated (over 2000m) enclave in the Amazonian hylaea that appears to present high endemicity. The exact habitat and collecting circumstances of the specimen are unknown. Considering the characters of the genus and complete absence of the soil contamination, normally found in all Aegidiini taxa except Onorius, we think that the new species is a canopy dweller similar to O. inexpectatus.