Pseudomorpha patagonia

Diagnosis
Color tone of dorsum alutaceous with head, pronotum and elytral suture paler; body rectangulate, lateral margins of elytra parallel, slightly tapering to an apically truncated and laterally slightly rounded apex; dorsum mostly glabrous with irregularly and wide-spaced short erect setae; pronotum with lateral margins broadly explanate, wider than elytra across humeri, disc markedly convex and medially planar; elytral interneurs minimally impressed yet easily visible under low magnification, 10 umbilicate setae present near lateral margin, dorsal edge of epipleuron lined with long laterally erect setae.

Description
This species is currently known from Arizona. Size: Medium for genus, ABL = 4.9 to 5.2 mm, SBL = 4.9 to 5.1 mm, TW = 4.0 to 4.2 mm. Preocular lobe-eye ratio: 0.3 to 0.39. Pronotum ratio (L/W): 0.29. Elytron ratio (L/W): 1.7. Color: Dorsum alutaceous with head, pronotum and elytral suture paler. Luster: Dorsum dull, slightly matte. Microsculpture: Small isodiametric sculpticells throughout dorsal surface.

Head: Genal lobe obsolete, rim posteriad and below eye bearing at least five robust setae directed perpendicular to head; preocular lobe distinct and slightly arching (Fig. 8); eye exceeding preocular lobe/gena boundary, shallowly arcuate; clypeus fused to frons with pigmented furrow entire and visible, bisetose, setae laterad on margin; labrum with four setae projecting anteriorly (Fig. 7); antennal flagellum markedly setose, antennomeres 1-3 bisetose.

Prothorax: Pronotum (Fig. 2) mostly glabrous with irregularly and wide-spaced short erect setae, apex slightly rounded medially and narrower than ocular boundary, disk markedly convex and medially planar, width coequal to or slightly wider than elytra across humeri, base and apex fringed with more or less evenly spaced setae, pigmented median line ending about ¾ before basal margin, lateral margins of pronotum with wide explanate sides, anterior angle 77.82°; prosternal apex fringed with short, evenly spaced setae. Pterothorax: Scutellum visible, small, triangulate with slightly rounded lateral margins; elytra smooth, interneurs very shallow, clearly visible under low magnification, markedly zig-zagged, intervals slightly convex on disc, lateral margin slightly sinuate at basal third or not, 10 umbilicate erect setae on the ventrally directed curvature of the elytral lateral portion (Fig. 2). Abdomen: All sterna sparsely setiferous, sternum III densely so; male sternum IV with broad median dense row of posteriorly decumbent setae, sternum VII with two pair of two setae each along posterior edge; female with 2 pairs of 4 setae on sternum, and numerous longer setae on sterna IV, V, and VI. Legs: Legs flattened, setiferous, tibia bearing fringed ring of setae on distal end, femur with distinct lateral sulcus, femora and tibiae sparsely setose. Male Genitalia: (Fig. 14) Basal orifice hooded by phallobase, orifice recessed and small, phalloshaft arching, shaft narrows toward apex and slightly constricted at apical third; parameres co-equal in length, with the left paramere only slightly longer than right, both asetose; apical orifice small, about 1/5 the length of shaft. Female Genitalia: Not investigated.

Holotype. USA. Arizona, Santa Cruz County, Patagonia Mountains, Harshaw Creek, 31.439°N, 110.696°W, 1577m, 1 August 1979 (S. McCleve) (UATC: ADP110694, male).

Distribution
Other specimens examined. USA, Arizona, Cochise County, Huachinera Mountains, Copper Canyon, 31.363°N, 110.300°W, 1882m, 16 July 1979 (S. McCleve) (UATC: ADP110736, male paratype).

Biology
Dispersal potential.These beetles are macropterous and have been recorded at lights, hence capable of flight; they are swift and agile runners. Accordingly, it is expected that this species be more broadly distributed across a wider geographical range than current records indicate.

Way of life.Adults are likely found in ant nests and the surrounding vicinity; females are ovoviviparous (Liebherr and Kavanaugh 1985); larvae are ant nest inquilines (Erwin 1981). Members of Pseudomorpha patagonia occur at upland altitudes in between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts on oak dominated slopes. See: http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=259631. Adults are active in July–August, very hot months in this area.