Hypotelus insulanus Bierig 1934

Hypotelus insulanus Bierig, 1934 (Figs. 9, 52, 56, 61, 62, 76, 85, 86, 114) Hypotelus insulanus Bierig, 1934: 343 (original description, type locality: “Cuba; Aspiro (pie de la Sierra del Rosario)”); Blackwelder, 1943: 42 (review; distribution); Herman, 2001: 1785 (distribution); Peck, 2005: 65 (distribution). Type material. Hypotelus insulanus Bierig, 1934. Five syntypes deposited in FMNH. One male (photo, Fig. 9) with labels: (1) “ ♂ ” [white label, handwritten, together with the specimen]; (2) “ Coll. Alex.Bierig /Aspiro XI.1934 ” [old white, first line printed. Locality and date, handwritten]; (3) “ Prov.P. Río, CUBA ” [old white, printed. “ P. Río ”, handwritten]; (4) “ insulanus / Brg. ” [old white, handwritten]; (5) “ insulanus / Bier. [probably Cotype]/don. C.Koch ” [red label, handwritten]; (6) “ Chicago NHMus/ M.Bernhauer / Collection ” [white label, printed in black]; (7) “FMNHINS/0000 131 008” [white label, printed in black]; (8) “ Photographed / Kelsey Keaton 2014/ Emu Catalog ” [blue label, printed in black]; (9) “ SYNTYPE / Hypotelus insulanus / Bierig, 1934 /det. S. Bortoluzzi, 2016” [red label, printed in black]. One male, body glued on white card [damaged specimen: without right hind leg], dissected [labrum, mandibles, labium, left hind tarsus, abdominal segments 8 to 10 and aedeagus fixed on acetate plastic card and covered with Canada balsam], with labels: (1) “ Aspiro, 30.III.34. / Cuba ” [old white, handwritten]; (2) “ Field Mus. Nat. His. /1966/ A. Bierig Colln. / Acc. Z-13812” [white label, printed in black]; (3) “ SYNTYPE / Hypotelus insulanus / Bierig, 1934 /det. S. Bortoluzzi, 2016” [red label, printed in black]. One female, dissected [abdominal segments 8 to 10 and spermatheca fixed on acetate plastic card covered with Canada balsam], with labels: (1) “Aspiro, 30.III.34. / Cuba ” [old white, handwritten]; (2) “ Field Mus. Nat. His. /1966/ A. Bierig Colln. / Acc. Z-13812” [white label, printed in black]; (3) “ SYNTYPE / Hypotelus insulanus / Bierig, 1934 /det. S. Bortoluzzi, 2016” [red label, printed in black]. One specimen, sex undetermined, with labels: (1) “Aspiro, 30.III.34. / Cuba ” [old white, handwritten]; (2) “ Field Mus. Nat. His. /1966/ A. Bierig Colln. / Acc. Z-13812” [white label, printed in black]; (3) “ SYNTYPE / Hypotelus insulanus / Bierig, 1934 /det. S. Bortoluzzi, 2016” [red label, printed in black]. One specimen, sex undetermined, with labels: (1) “Rangel, 12.IV.34. / Cuba ” [old white, handwritten]; (2) “ TYPUS ” [black label, handwritten]; (3) “ Hypotelus / insulanus / Brg. ” [old white, handwritten]; (4) “ Field Mus. Nat. His. / 1966/ A. Bierig Colln. / Acc. Z-13812” [white label, printed in black]; (5) “ SYNTYPE / Hypotelus insulanus / Bierig, 1934 /det. S. Bortoluzzi, 2016” [red label, printed in black]. Note: We received five specimens from FMNH all of which we are considering as syntypes. However, we note here that all of them have different dates from Bierig (1934: p. 334, “ III. 28 de 1934”): three specimens of 30.III.34, one XI. 34 and one 12.IV.34. The last one is also from a different locality, “ Rangel ”. There are at least six provinces in Cuba with localities named as Rangel, but there is one of them named as “ El Pinar del Rangel ”, in Artemisa (t. l), which can be the locality written on that label (GeoNames 2016). Diagnosis. Hypotelus insulanus is similar to Hypotelus pusillus and differs in abdominal segment 8: tergite 8 of male with posterior margin somewhat truncate and sternite 8 of male with posterior margin weakly pigmented (Fig. 52), apex of median lobe of aedeagus straight in lateral view (Fig. 61); sternite 8 of female with posterior margin rounded (Fig. 76). Redescription. BL: 2.1–3.0 mm, BW: 0.5–0.7 mm. Body slightly convex; dorsal surface glossy; light brown to brown, except elytra yellowish; appendages lighter than body, except mandibles. Dorsal integument of head and pronotum entirely with fine punctures and undulate microstriae; elytra with dispersed fine punctures and only one longitudinal finely punctate stria close to elytral suture. Male. Head. Supra-antennal area slightly prominent. Antennae reaching half-length of elytra; antennomeres 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 with longest setae on inner face; scape with prominent tooth on inner face; antennomeres 2 and 3 of equal length, 5–11 gradually increasing in length toward antennal apex. Mandibles symmetrical. Mentum 1.6 times wider than long. Thorax. Pronotum wider than long (PW/PL=1.3); anterior angles rounded; apical half with somewhat parallel sides and basal half gradually narrowing toward the base; with complete internal mid-longitudinal ridge and slight longitudinal median sulcus only on basal half. Elytra somewhat longer than wide (EL/BW=1.1), covering partially or not abdominal tergite 3. Abdomen. Tergite 8 with posterior margin somewhat truncate; sternite 8 with posterior margin rounded and weakly pigmented (Fig. 52); tergite 9 with short ventral struts; sternite 9 with posterior margin truncate and with two pairs of long setae, the internal longest; tergite 10 at posterior margin emarginate, with short fringes and four setae on each side (Fig. 56). Median lobe of aedeagus with apex rounded in ventral view; curved shape and apex straight in lateral view (Figs. 61–62). Female. Similar to male except for: antennae shorter, scape without prominent tooth on inner face and without the longest setae on antennomeres 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11; abdominal tergite 8 with posterior margin rounded; sternite 8 with posterior margin regularly pigmented and with short setae on posterior margin (Fig. 76); tergite 9 without ventral struts; tergite 10 slightly rounded at apex (Fig. 85); bursa copulatrix as H. pusillus; ovipositor consisting of a pair of weakly pigmented hemisternites and a pair of more apical coxites, and with many long setae on apex; spermatheca as Fig. 86. Geographical records. In the current study, the species was examined from Cuba (Artemisa). Blackwelder (1943) also listed the species from Cuba (Cayamas), Jamaica (Saint Thomas and Santa Isabel), Hispaniola: Dominican Republic (La Vega) and Saint Vincent. Herman (2001) listed it from the West Indies [Caribbean islands]. Peck (2005) listed Cienfuegos “Ci” as a province of Cayamas (Cuba) and cited the province Pinar del Rio “PR” as the type locality of this species (Fig. 114). Biological notes. In the original description, Bierig (1934) commented that five specimens were found under the bark of fallen “almácigo”; according to this author, they were apparently preying on fly larvae but this behavior has not been confirmed. Blackwelder (1943) cited that the Cuban specimens were collected “on ceiba”; that is, on a silk cotton tree, presumably under the bark; the Jamaican specimens were taken from under bark of the silk cotton tree and tropic birch, as well as ‘flying at dusk’.

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