Pericompsus (Eidocompsus) leucocarenus Erwin 1974

Pericompsus leucocarenus

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz, Mexico.

TYPE-SPECIMENS.—The holotype male and allotype are in USNM. Both were collected by D. R. Whitehead in 1963. Twenty-seven paratypes are listed below.

DESCRIPTION.—Form (Figure 41): Similar to P. immaculatus except pronotum wider and elytra slightly longer and narrower, but easily distinguished from members of that species by the larger, more coarse punctation of the elytra.

Color: Forebody and sides of elytra shiny rufotestaceous, venter and elytral cloud infuscated, appendages testaceous.

Head: Much narrower across eyes than width of pronotum; frontal furrows well impressed and evenly arcuate to posterior margin of eye; eyes large and prominent.

Pronotum (Figure 41): Broadly transverse, sides shallowly sinuate in basal half; base slightly lobed at middle; hind angles about right; side margins not reflexed; disc moderately convex.

Elytra: Each elytron with 5 punctate interneurs; punctures large and coarse, separated longitudinally by about their own diameter; rows 2–5 effaced in apical third, row 5 effaced in apical two-thirds, interneurs 6 and 7 entirely effaced externally, row 1 entire though less impressed apically, interneur 8 well impressed throughout, not foveate; humeral margin rounded and nearly straight to level of interneur 4, not connected to base of 4; side margin narrowly explanate, coarsely serrate-setulose in basal fourth; chaetotaxy as in P. brasiliensis; plica long and well developed externally.

Microsculpture: Effaced from dorsal surface.

Genitalia: Male (Figure 54) (3 examined); female characteristic of ephippiatus group (1 examined).

Size: Length, 2.20–2.48 mm; width, 0.84–1.04 mm; 10 specimens measured.

VARIATION.—With the exception of one “normal” specimen, those collected in Michoacan are darker than average, especially the forebody.

NATURAL HISTORY.—Specimens were collected in June, July, August, and October; none were teneral. Several specimens were collected at black light. The flight wings are fully developed; thus, it is probable that these beetles fly. One specimen from Tamaulipas is labeled “palm forest.”

ETYMOLOGY.—Greek adjective, leukos, meaning “white,” and noun, karenon, meaning “top of the head,” referring to my friend and colleague and the collector of the types, D. R. Whitehead.

DISTRIBUTION.—The range of this species extends from mid-Mexico to El Salvador and appears to be most abundant around the Transverse Volcanic Belt of mid-Mexico at lower elevations.

LOCALITY RECORDS (Figure 54).—I have seen 29 specimens from the following localities:

CENTRAL AMERICA: EL SALVADOR: Lake Ilopango (USNM).

MEXICO: MEXICO: Tejupilco to Temascaltepec (MCZ). MICHOACAN: 5.0 kilometers east of Morelia (RTBe); 5.0 kilometers west of Ciudad Hidalgo (MCZ). SAN LUIS POTOSI: 1.8 miles north of El Naranjo (UASM). TAMAULIPAS: 1.4 miles southeast of Chamal (UASM). VERACRUZ: Cuitlahuac (MCZ, UASM, USNM); Fortin de las Flores (UASM).