Aiyitioderus montanus, new species, here designated

Body narrow, moderately convex. Integument variably brown-infuscate. Pubescence short, pale. Front broadly arcuate, extended over clypeal remnant. Antennae reaching apex hind angles of pronotum or shorter; antennomere 2 shorter than 3, together 1.4x longer than antennomere 4. Pronotum shallowly convex, integument shining; sculpture of simple punctures, interstices with small oblong simple punctures; hind angles distinctly divergent, with single strong dorsal carina near to lateral margin; mesal incisures open. Pronotosternal suture simple, closed anteriorly. Scutellar shield longer than wide, strongly inclined anterad. Elytra lateral margins subparallel, narrowing in apical third. Mesoventral fossa narrow, U-shaped. Metacoxal plate with large strongly angled posterior lobe. Tarsomere 4 with large ventral membranous lobe. Pretarsal claw with single large ventral seta, 3 dorsolateral setae. Aedeagus with median lobe spatulate, subparallel at midlength in dorsal aspect, abruptly constricted and attenuate apically, basal portion forming lateral hoods over median lobe stem, margined internally with dark arcuate margin; paramere apex obtuse, spinose; venter of paramere expanded medially, encompassing median lobe stem. Ovipositor with sclerotized coxites and rods; bursa copulatrix tubular, membranous, internally set with pairs of sharp spines; accessory glands are long, thin, and tightly coiled.

The genus name is derived from “Aiyiti”, an old indigenous name for the island of Hispaniola and the suffix “-derus” derived from the Greek “deros” (Brown 1956) and used here to indicate a relationship to the Conoderus Eschscholtz species groups within the currently used Monocrepidius Eschscholtz complex of the Americas.

Holotype, male. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC • La Vega Prov., Ebano Verde, 1075 m, 19°01'59.67"N, 70°32'33.29"W, 11.v.2024, Leg. J. Pirkl, J. Hodeček (MCSN-VD).

Paratypes (n = 23). DOMINICAN REPUBLIC • Bahoruco Prov., RD-103 Rd to Majagual, Sierra de Neiba, 669 m, 18°32.340'N, 71°18.118'W, 25.iii.2003, D. Perez, R. Bastardo, B. Hierro (n) (1, MNHNSD); • Elías Piña Prov., RD-164 Trail to Loma de las Tayotas, Río Limpio, 19°13.333'N, 71°31.220'W, 844 m, 24.vii.2003, D. Perez, R. Bastardo, B. Hierro (n) (4, MNHNSD); • [La Vega Prov.], RD-177 El Arroyazo, Reserva Científica Ebano Verde, 25–26.xi.2003, D. Perez, R. Bastardo (1, MNHNSD); • Embalse Presa de Blanco, 18.8836150°N, 70.5653297°W, 7.v.2024, Leg. J. Pirkl, J. Hodeček (2, MCSN-VD); • [same data as holotype] [El Arroyazo] Ebano Verde, 1075 m, 19°01'59.67"N, 70°32'33.29"W, 11.v.2024, Leg. J. Pirkl, J. Hodeček (6, MCSN-VD; 1, PJJC); • 1 km NW Manabao, 5.vi.1994, coll. M. C. Thomas (2, FSCA); • 2 km E Manabao, 18.vii.1996, M. C. Thomas, R. Turnbow, ultraviolet and mercury vapor light (2, FSCA); • La Cienega de Manabao, Park Hdqts, 3000 ft elev., 3–5.vii.[19]99, R. E. Woodruff, blacklight (1, FSCA); • Monseñor Nouel Prov., Río Blanco, Vivero de Moscoso Puello, 11–13.v.2001, blacklight trap, R. E. Woodruff (2, FSCA); • [Puerto Plata Prov.], RD-184 Trail to peak and Centro SOECI, Pico Diego de Ocampo, 918 m, 5.xii.2003, D. Perez, R. Bastardo, A. Maremolejos (1, MNHNSD).

Aiyitioderus montanus is immediately recognized by its narrow body form, slightly longer than wide convex pronotum, strongly inclined and subpentagonal scutellar shield, hind angle outer dorsal carina close to the lateral margin, obsolescent mesal carina, distinct mesal incisures demarking the hind angles, the extended lightly sclerotized and truncate apical lobe of female ventrite 5, and the aedeagal, ovipositor, and bursa copulatrix characters described and illustrated.

Body (Figs 1, 2) elongate, narrow, lateral margins subparallel in dorsal silhouette. Length 6.8–8.9 mm, width 1.7–2.3 mm. Integument brown-infuscate, shining; pronotum disc infuscate, anterior and posterior angles brown; lateral margins of hypomeron and ventrite 5 partially brown; antennae and legs yellow-brown; punctation heterogenous dorsally and ventrally, except on elytra; setiferous, with dull pale decumbent hair-like setae.

Head. Evenly convex on vertex, frons with variable shallow paramedial impressions; frontal margin arcuate between eyes, narrowly projecting over clypeal remnant; sculpture of dense heterogenous simple punctures. Mandible stout, base with outer face excavate basally. Eyes bulging, hemispherical, coarsely faceted; ocular index 63–68. Antenna reaching pronotal posterior angle apex (female), to one antennomere beyond (male); antennomere 2 short, subcylindrical, antennomere 3 1.67× longer than antennomere 2, antennomeres 3–10 narrowly serrate; antennomere 2–11 length ratio 1.0:1.7:1.9:2.0:2.0:2.0:1.8:1.8:1.8:2.0. (male), 1.0:1.4:1.6:1.6:1.6:1.6:1.6:1.6:1.6:2.0 (female).

Pronotum. Median length 1.01× width at midlength, 0.4× elytral length, moderately convex, lateral margins widest at midlength, narrowing anteriorly, shallowly sinuate before slightly divergent posterior angles. Disc integument shining, with heterogenous subcircular to oblong, simple larger punctures separated by 1–4× own diameters, with 4–10 small punctures separated by 1.0–1.5× own diameters between larger punctures; setae long, 2–3× puncture diameter. Lateral margin of polished carina from anterior margin to posterior angle apex. Posterior declivity moderate. Hind angles divergent; flattened, oblique mesad of outer dorsal carina, narrowing to obtuse apex; demarked medially by short incisure; dorsally bicarinate, outer carina elevated, sharp, divergent from lateral margin, reaching 0.4× distance to anterior margin, 3× longer than fine mesal carina. Hypomeron narrowly rounded anteriorly, broad posteriorly; heterogenously punctate; mesal margin not carinate or polished; posterior margin with broad, angular lobe, then asymmetrically emarginate before hind angle apex; pronotosternal suture straight, closed anteriorly.

Scutellar shield. Strongly inclined; 1.4× longer than wide, subpentagonal, subtruncate anteriorly, shallowly emarginate sides, apex obtusely angulate; finely punctured.

Elytra. Moderately convex laterally to shallowly convex discally, length about 2.5× median length of pronotum, apices separately, narrowly rounded at interval 3; truncate to shallowly emarginate to sutural denticle; striae shallowly sulcate, subparallel to apices, serially punctured, each deep, elongate, asetose; intervals shallowly convex, finely scabrous, with 4–5 ranks of setiferous small shallow punctures; setae slightly shorter than pronotal setae.

Ventral thoracic sclerites. Prosternum with disc moderately convex, moderately-densely punctured; chin piece shallowly deflexed, densely punctured; intercoxal process shallowly deflexed post-coxal, attenuate, with strongly carinate coxal margins to midlength. Mesoventrite anterior portion moderately inclined, median fossa narrowly U-shaped, walls parallel; posterior portion planar with metaventrite at suture. Metaventrite heterogenously punctured, large punctures anterolaterally, small punctures medioposteriorly.

Legs. Femora and tibiae slender, finely punctured, setose; tibia with stout spinose setae dorsally along length. Tarsus subfiliform, densely pubescent ventrally, tarsomeres 1–4 sequentially shorter, length ratio 1.00:0.60:0.40:0.08:0.56 (male), 1.00:0.50:0.37:0.07:0.43 (female); tarsomere 4 deeply emarginate dorsally, ventral membranous lobe broad, 0.6× length of tarsomere 5; claw long, slender, acute, basal expansion with single large ventral seta, 3 dorsolateral setae.

Abdomen. Ventrites 1-5 densely, shallowly, setiferously punctured, heterogenous on ventrites 1–2, small on ventrites 3–5. Ventrite 5 apex normally broadly rounded (male), to an extended and truncate lightly sclerotized lobe with a shallow, ovoid, medial impression just anterad (female, Fig. 3).

Genitalia. Aedeagus (Figs 4, 5) length 1.25–1.30 mm. Median lobe narrow at midlength, spatulate apically, attenuate to narrowly obtuse apex, length 0.77× total length; shallowly convex dorsally, distal portion with ejaculatory duct orifice ventral before apex; ejaculatory duct with a narrow rod ventrally; basal portion of spatulate apex forming lateral hoods over median lobe stem, margined internally with dark arcuate margin. Paramere broad basally, narrowing in apical 0.25, length 0.6× total length; apex obtuse, subangulate mesally, rounded laterally apical area with long setae dorsally, ventrally, laterally; expanded ventromedially, encompassing median lobe stem, minute spines ventrally along mesal margin in apical third; long hair-like setae on ectal margin in apical third. Basal piece length 0.3× total length, subhexagonal, shallowly emarginate basal margin.

Ovipositor (Fig. 6) sclerites lightly sclerotized. Median tube mostly membranous, attenuate apically. Coxite with sclerotized ectal areas midlength and basally; apical quarter membranous, bulbous, lacking styli; laterally sparsely setose. Baculus each side, slender, 1.25× length of coxite. Bursa (Fig. 7) membranous, ventral pair of 2-spined sclerites near vaginal junction, dorsal single spurred sclerite midlength; anterior region twisted, tubular, with pair of saccate glands; anteriorly one tightly coiled tubular gland, one very long thin tubular gland forming tangle.

The species epithet “montanus” reflects the sampling sites and habitats of occurrence in the mid and upper elevations of Hispaniola. Grammatically the name is masculine in gender.

Hispaniola, Dominican Republic: Baoruco, Elías Piña, La Vega, Monseñor Nouel and Puerto Plata provinces.

Known specimens of A. montanus were collected between late March and early December, with most records concentrated in May–July, suggesting a prolonged adult activity period. The species is currently known (Fig. 8) only from mid-elevation and montane localities in the Dominican Republic, between about 669 and 1075 m, including the Cordillera Central, Sierra de Neiba, Río Limpio, and Pico Diego de Ocampo. These records place A. montanus in higher-elevation mesic broadleaf forest, including transitions to pine forest and lower cloud forest (Fig. 9).

The holotype of A. montanus was collected by light trap at 1075 m near the Centro de Visitantes de Reserva Científica Ebano Verde (RCEV). The RCEV is a protected mountainous area that lies within one of the wettest sectors of Hispaniola and is recognized as a biotically rich region of endemism (Cano-Ortiz et al. 2015, 2016; Dinerstein et al. 2017). The RCEV covers nearly 3000 ha, ranges from approximately 800 to 1565 m a.s.l., and is situated on predominantly volcanic substrates. Its documented flora exceeds the 686 species of vascular plants and includes numerous epiphytes and bryophytes noted by García et al. (1994). Vegetation at the collection site includes humid broadleaf forest mixed with the endemic pine Pinus occidentalis Sw., just below the cloud-forest belt (Cano Carmona et al. 2010; Cano-Ortiz et al. 2016, 2017). Taken together, the available records suggest that this is a montane species associated primarily with mesic to humid forest environments.