Pericompsus (Pericompsus) univittatus (Jensen-Haarup 1910)

Pericompsus univittatus (Jensen-Haarup)

Tachys univittatus Jensen-Haarup, 1910:553. [Lectotype, here selected, a female, in ZMC. One female paralectotype also labeled by me in ZMC. Type-locality: Province Mendoza, Argentina.]

Leptotachys pallidus Jeannel, 1962:616. [Holotype, a male, in MHNP. New synonymy. Type-locality: Southern Chile (Pampas).]

DESCRIPTION.—Form (Figure 58): Elongate and narrow, depressed, and resembling members of Tachys sensu stricto more than other species of Pericompsus. Easily distinguished from all other Pericompsus sensu stricto by the presence on each elytron of seven well-impressed punctate interneurs.

Color: Testaceous, elytra near suture rufotestaceous.

Head: Narrower across eyes than width of pronotum; frontal furrows shallowly impressed and evenly arcuate, each extended to posterior margin of eye; eyes moderately large and slightly prominent.

Pronotum (Figure 58): Subcordate, sides strongly sinuate and constricted in basal half; base broadly lobed; hind angles slightly obtuse; side margins not reflexed; disc moderately convex.

Elytra: Each elytron with 7 punctate interneurs; punctures moderately small and more or less connected by a strial impression, all rows entire though shallower at apex; interneur 8 foveate just anterior to middle, fovea small, subequal in diameter to posterior fovea of humeral group; humeral margin moderately rounded at base, not connected to base of interneur 4; side margins narrowly explanate, minutely serrate-setulose in basal fourth; chaetotaxy as in P. ephippiatus; plica long and well developed externally.

Microsculpture: Shallowly impressed, nearly isodiametric reticulation on entire dorsal surface.

Genitalia: Male (Figure 53) (1 examined); female not dissected.

Size: Length, 2.28–2.44 mm; width, 0.80–0.88 mm; 3 specimens measured.

NATURAL HISTORY.—Unknown.

LOCALITY RECORDS (Figure 72).—I have seen only two specimens, one from Mendoza Province, Argentina, and the other from Pampas of southern Chile.

The ephippiatus group

The members of the ephippiatus group are characterized by overall habitus similarities and the presence of two setigerous pores in the third elytral interval, that is Ed–3a, 5b. The internal sac of the male genitalia is similar in all species of this group. This is also true for the styli of the female genitalia. Externally, the members of the ephippiatus group are characterized by the following combination of characteristics: large, prominent eyes; convex pronotum with two pairs of lateral setae, a coarsely punctate posterior transverse impression, a short sharp carina medial to each hind angle; elytra with five or six punctate interneurs, a deeply impressed interneur 8 (interneur 7 totally effaced externally) with a large, near the middle, fovea and one subhumeral fovea, and a chaetotaxy formula of Eo–1a, 2a, 3a, 5a, 6a, 7, 8b and Ed–1, 3a, 5b, 7b, 8. The flight wings are fully developed on all members of all species.

Besides the combination above, most members of the species of this group have bicolored or tricolored elytra.

There are 32 species presently representing this group, with a combined range extending from the northeastern United States through Arizona to Argentina.