Epipedus rolstoni Lupoli, sp. nov.

Epipedus rolstoni Lupoli sp. nov.

(Figs. 1 G & 2C)

Etymology. Dedicated to Larry H. Rolston who suspected that this specimen might be a new species in the genus Epipedus.

Material examined (n: 1). Holotype ♀. Three labels are pinned on this specimen: a) Epipedus sp. det. L.H. Rolston "86", b) Calagasma margarita Berg. det. H. Ruckes, 1961, c) Northern Brazil. Below, red label: "HOLOTYPE— Epipedus rolstoni — Roland Lupoli, 2016". Deposited at the American Museum of Natural History of New York, USA (AMNH) (currently on loan to UFRGS). ♂ unknown.

Measurements. Total length: 10.0 mm; pronotum width: 6.2 mm; abdomen width: 7.2 mm; head length: 1.3 mm; head width across the eyes: 2.1 mm; pronotum length: 1.8 mm; antennomers I: 0.75 mm; II: 3.1 mm; other antennomers are missing.

Diagnosis. Body dorsal color greyish-yellow with some pink markings. Head completely rufous in color including clypeus and vertex. Clypeus as long as the mandibular plates. Antennomers I and II brownish yellow, antennomers III and IV missing. Distal tenth of segment II fuscous. Antennomers I surpassing apex of head. Anterolateral margins of the pronotum convex. Pronotum greyish yellow with black deep punctations uniformly distributed, except anterolateral margins pale yellow bordered by rufous impunctate bands. Distal margin slightly rufous with concolorous punctation. Scutellum flat, mostly greyish yellow with black deep punctations uniformly distributed as on the pronotum (except for the anterolateral margins). Impunctate brownish yellow macule covering most of the mesial half of the scutellar base, followed by a median diffuse rufous macule covering about 1/3 of the scutellum. Median brownish yellow impunctate carina extending from the basal rufous macule and disappearing before the apex. Corium mostly greyish yellow with black deep punctations almost uniformly distributed, except in a small impunctate pink area in central mesocorium, and in pale yellow impunctate anterolateral margin of exocorium, bordered by impunctate rufous band. Costal margin of each corium strongly reflexed basally, posterior margin sigmoid, costal angle acute. Connexivum greyish yellow, impunctate, broadly exposed, almost as broad as exocorium. Venter greyish yellow as well as legs. All tibiae broadly, shallowly sulcate apically otherwise cylindrical. Female genital plates with distal ends of the laterotergites 8 & 9 rounded (Fig. 2 C).

Comments. Rolston (1987) mentioned this female specimen in AMNH, determined by Ruckes as C. margarita, and wrote: “which conforms to the description of that species [E. histrio] except that the posterior slope of the scutellum tumescence is punctate. In this specimen the apices of the front tibiae are flattened above and triangular. The remainder of the front tibiae is cylindrical as are all of the middle and hind tibiae. The former divergence from the description may represent intraspecific variation and the latter an oversight by Bergroth. Alternatively, this specimen may represent a third species of Epipedus ”.

In agreement with Rolston, I believe that this specimen does not correspond to C. margarita, as Ruckes assumed. Moreover, I consider that this specimen is different from E. histrio (Fig. 1 C) and that it is not an intraspecific variation. Rather, it constitutes a second, different species, as probably realized by Rolston and it belongs to the same genus Epipedus on the basis of their similar body shapes and the proportions between the length and width of the body, oblong (not rounded as in the genus Calagasma), triangular tibiae at their apex, convex anterolateral pronotum margins and antennomers I that have lengths that exceed the apex of the head. Body patterns and colors seem to be stable characters in E. histrio since they are the same in specimens from MRSN (Fig. 1 B) and UFPR (Fig. 1 C). The laterotergites 8 & 9 are sufficiently different as are the designs and patterns of the dorsal surface, so E. rolstoni and E. histrio can be considered as two different species of the same genus Epipedus.

Distribution. Northern BRAZIL.