A new species of Discopleurus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae), the first Stenosini from Brazil

S. ALOQUIO, G.E. FLORES, C. LOPES-ANDRADE

Praga

Simposio; V International Tenebrionoidea Symposium; 2018

Discopleurus Lacordaire consists of six described species distributed in the Neotropical and Andean regions and in the South American transition zone. The species exhibit short-range distributions, except for D. acuminatus Reitter, 1886, which has a disjunct distribution, with records in Chile and Venezuela. The new Brazilian species of Discopleurus was collected in a cave-rich area, with extensively mining activities, within the third most populated metropolitan area of Brazil. Our aims in this work is to describe this new species of Discopleurus, which constitutes the first report of the tribe Stenosini for Brazil. The new species most resembles D. acuminatus, differeing in the pedicelle twice as long as the funicule antenommeres, the subquadrate mentum, the more rounded head, the coarsely punctate metaventrite and in the shortest body (total length of 2.17 mm). The new Brazilian species and D. acuminatus differ from the other Discopleurus in the elytral keels equally elevated and the sutural area slightly elevated. Given the fact that the new species was found in a mining area, together with other important beetle species and the touristic potential of the cave system, efforts for the preservation of the area are being made.