Phrynidius guatemalensis Noguera & Santos-Silva 2023, sp. nov.

Phrynidius guatemalensis sp. nov.

(Figs 42–45)

Type material. Holotype male from GUATEMALA, Baja Verapaz: Hotel Ranchitos del Quetzal, 15.407148 - 88.696255, 1690 m, 1.VI.2019, Skillman, Wappes & Monzón leg. (FSCA, formerly FWSC).

Diagnosis. Phrynidius guatemalensis sp. nov. is similar to P. echinus Bates, 1880, but differs as follows: antennal tubercles close to each other, with the area between them V-shaped; antennomere IV about half the length of III; and the apex of elytra has short, thick and erect setae. In P. echinus, the antennal tubercles are not very close to each other, with the area between them U-shaped, antennomere IV is longer than half the length of III, and the apex of elytra has no erect setae.

Description. Holotype male. Integument mostly black; pedicel, antennomeres III–XI, and trochanters mostly dark reddish brown.

Head. Frons coarsely punctate, surface not rugose; with short yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and short, squamiform whitish setae interspersed, especially laterally. Antennal tubercles with slight projection on apex of posterior region; minutely punctate, except smooth apex; pubescence and squamiform setae as on frons. Vertex sparsely, coarsely punctate; with pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser and shorter centrally. Area behind upper eye lobes coarsely punctate, punctures denser than on vertex; with pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Area behind lower eye lobes smooth close to eye, with longitudinal sulcus formed of anastomosed punctures between eye and prothorax (oblique to the axis of the lobe); with pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument close to eye, glabrous on remaining surface. Genae coarsely, shallowly punctate; 2.6 times width of lower eye lobe; pubescence and squamiform setae as on frons. Wide central area of postclypeus almost glabrous, with sparse, long, erect yellowish-brown setae close to anteclypeus. Labrum finely punctate, with a few coarser punctures interspersed; with sparse, short, decumbent yellowish-white setae posteriorly, and longer, more abundant yellowish-brown setae on anterior third, forming dense fringe on anterior margin. Eye lobes without ommatidia between them; distance between upper eye lobes 0.48 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.74 times distance between outer margins of eyes; lower eye lobes longer than wide (1.55 times). Antennae 1.25 times elytral length, almost reaching posterior third of elytra. Scape with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and short, decumbent, squamiform whitish setae interspersed dorsally and laterally. Pedicel elongate after the basal constriction; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Antennomere III almost straight; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence yellower basally, and short, decumbent, squamiform whitish setae interspersed throughout. Antennomeres IV–XI with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser toward XI. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.92; pedicel = 0.22; IV = 0.47; V = 0.29; VI = 0.26; VII = 0.23; VIII = 0.23; IX = 0.23; X = 0.23; XI = 0.37.

Thorax. Prothorax as long as wide; sides slightly divergent from anterolateral angles to posterior third, then distinctly narrowed and subparallel-sided to posterolateral angles. Pronotum coarsely punctate, with irregular surface; with slightly elevated, carina-shaped, longitudinal gibbosity centrally, from near anterior margin to posterior quarter, and one distinct gibbosity with rounded apex on each side of central region; with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument (apparently, most of the pubescence was lost). Sides of prothorax coarsely, somewhat rugose-punctate; pubescence as on pronotum. Prosternum coarsely punctate laterally, subsmooth centrally; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence. Prosternal process with margins of central area slightly sinuous; sparsely, coarsely punctate on basal half, smooth on posterior half; narrowest area 0.4 times procoxal width; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; metaventrite not coarsely punctate laterally. Elytra. Sub-ovoid; abundantly, coarsely, deeply punctate; with somewhat abundant, elevated tubercles with blunt apex on anterior 3/4, tubercles smaller on posterior quarter; with irregular spots of abundant yellowish-brown pubescence, pubescence shorter, distinctly sparser on remaining surface. Legs. Femora with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and short, squamiform yellowish-white setae interspersed. Tibiae with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous apical region, glabrous area larger laterally and ventrally on meso- and metatibiae, elongated on sides of protibiae, ventral apical third of protibiae with dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence, dorsal sulcus of mesotibiae with short, erect, abundant yellowish-brown setae, and dense fringe of yellowish-brown setae on apical margin of all tibiae; with short, arched, spatulate brownish setae interspersed, and squamiform yellowish-white setae interspersed.

Abdomen. Ventrites with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence, pubescence slightly longer on ventrites 2–4, yellower on posterior 2/3 of ventrite 5.

Dimensions in mm. Total length, 5.60; prothoracic length, 2.10; anterior prothoracic width, 1.20; posterior prothoracic width, 1.50; maximum prothoracic width, 1.60; humeral width, 1.60; elytral length, 3.55.

Etymology. The epithet “guatemalensis” refers to the country of the type-locality of the species.