Cryptognatha reedi Crotch

9. Cryptognatha reedi Crotch

Cryptognatha reedi Crotch 1874: 207; Korschefsky 1931: 219, Blackwelder 1945: 449.

Description. Male. Length 2.0 mm, width 1.8 mm. Dorsal surface shiny, pronotum with faint trace of microsculpture. Color dark brown; head yellow; pronotum yellow; elytron black with apical 1/2, base, humeral angle narrowly reddish yellow (Fig. 49); venter reddish yellow except epipleuron brownish yellow; basal abdominal ventrite brownish yellow. Head without punctures; pronotal punctures small, separated by a diameter or less; elytral punctures as large as on pronotum, separated by less than a diameter to twice a diameter, becoming gradually larger toward lateral margin; prosternal punctures large, indistinct, separated by a diameter or less; mesosternal punctures larger than on prosternum, separated by less than a diameter, metasternal punctures large, separated by 2 or 3 times a diameter medially, entirely absent in lateral 1/3; basal abdominal ventrite with coarse punctures separated by about a diameter medially, lateral 1/3 of ventrite lacking punctation, ventrites 2–4 finely punctured, punctures separated by about a diameter, ventrite 5 with dense, fine punctation. Head with frons parallel-sided, medially depressed, twice as wide as eye, apex truncate medially, lateral 1/8 slightly retracted, angle acute (Fig. 50); eye canthus long, about 3/4 width of eye. Prosternum with lateral carina on each side extended from apex of intercoxal process nearly to apex of prosternum. Epipleuron moderately descending externally. Postcoxal line on basal abdominal ventrite evenly curved, extended 3/4 distance to rear margin of ventrite. Genitalia short, penis guide about 3/4 as long as paramere, oval, with apical 1/8 narrowed to abruptly rounded apex; paramere long, slender, apex rounded (Fig. 51, 52); penis long, robust (?), apical 1/8 attenuate; penis capsule with inner arm short, apex abrupt, outer arm short, large (Fig. 53).

Female. Similar to male except head weakly depressed; genitalia with spermathecal capsule short, wide, tapered from wide ramus to abruptly rounded ape of cornu, long portion of heavily sclerotized sperm duct present at base of ramus (Fig. 54).

Variation. Length 1.8 to 2.0 mm, width to 1.6 to 1.8 mm. Black area on elytron varies in size from typical to completely absent; metasternum black or medium brown.

Type locality. Bahia (Brazil).

Type material. UMCZ (holotype, Gordon 1987).

Geographical distribution. Brazil.

Specimens examined. 21. Brazil. Alagoas, Sao Miguel dos Campos; Bahia; Recife.

Remarks. Cryptognatha reedi is recognized by the distinctive, thus far unique, dorsal color pattern.