Pericompsus (Pericompsus) longulus Bates 1878

Pericompsus longulus Bates, 1878:601

DESCRIPTION.—Form (Figure 65): more elongate, narrow, and parallel sided than P. ephippiatus. Easily distinguished from all other members of the subgenus by body form and infuscated pronotum.

Color: Forebody dorsum rufopiceous, venter piceous, elytra and appendages testaceous, elytral cloud piceous.

Head: Across eyes slightly narrower than width of pronotum; frontal furrows deeply impressed, evenly arcuate to posterior margin of eye; eyes medium sized and prominent.

Pronotum (Figure 65): Transverse, sides sinuate in basal half; base slightly lobed at middle; hind angles about right; side margins moderately reflexed; disc slightly convex.

Elytra: Each elytron with 6 punctate interneurs; punctures medium sized, coarsely impressed, separated longitudinally by less than their own diameter; rows 2–6 effaced apically, row 1 entire, though less impressed apically, interneur 7 effaced externally throughout; interneur 8 well impressed and foveate just anterior to middle; fovea small, subequal in diameter to posterior fovea of humeral series; humeral margin strongly rounded at base, almost angulate, not quite connected to base of interneur 4; side margins minutely serrate-setulose in basal fourth; chaetotaxy as in P. ephippiatus; plica long and well developed externally.

Microsculpture: Feebly impressed, slighlty transverse reticulation on entire dorsum.

Genitalia: Male (Figure 81) (2 examined); female characteristic of ephippiatus group (1 examined).

Size: Length, 2.68–3.00 mm; width, 1.00–1.16 mm; 10 specimens measured.

VARIATION.—The small samples available are quite homogeneous.

NATURAL HISTORY.—Specimens were collected in May, June, and December; none were teneral. One specimen was collected at “black-light.” The flight wings are fully developed; thus, the beetles probably fly. All specimens seen were found at higher elevations on the Mexican “Altiplano” or in Oaxaca at 1700 meters elevation or higher, or in the Transverse Volcanic belt at 2300 meters. Ball and Whitehead collected these beetles on the shores of one of the eight playa-like lakes near San Juan Zitlaltepec.

LOCALITY RECORDS (Figure 87).—I have seen 21 specimens from the following localities:

MEXICO: DISTRITO FEDERAL: Creek at Lomas de Chapultepec (MCZ). DURANGO: 10.0 miles west of Durango (CNC, USNM). MEXICO: Lago Zumpango, near San Juan Zitlatepec (UASM, USNM); San Martin (USNM). OXACA: Oxaca (USNM).