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Grace’s Elegant Canopy Beetle

Agra grace

Description:

The name Grace’s Elegant Canopy Beetle was proposed by T. Erwin and is an eponym, based on the given name of the Peruvian Ornithologist, Grace Servat, who has shared the bird-infested Amazon and Andes with him for years. Description of the specie by Dr. T. Erwin : "Size: Very small, ABL = 5.71 – 6.1 mm, SBL = 4.77 – 6.67 mm, TW = 1.44 – 1.66 mm. Color: Head and pronotum bright blue, body metallic blue; antennae and mouthparts piceous, scape and antennomeres 2 and 3 with slight metallic blue reflections. Luster: Shiny metallic, elytra somewhat matte. Head: (Fig. 1) Labrum moderately elongate and truncate apically. Frons medially raised and smooth, laterally depressed, unicarinate, not rugose. Gena slightly tapered with broadly rounded corners to constricted neck in both sexes. Occiput not punctate, some fine rugae present. Prothorax: Slightly broader medially, flared basally; surface with dense coarse punctures, some setiferous; lateral elongate callous with single row of punctures, along middle. Pterothorax: Elytron (Fig. 1) markedly convex, intervals slightly costate, interneurs of rows of somewhat laterally ovate punctures, apex truncate, barely oblique, apical dentation asymmetric, lateral tooth broad, obtuse, sutural apex not produced. Metasternum sparsely setiferous in both sexes. Legs: Normal. Abdomen: Abdominal sterna III to VII of both sexes moderately and bilaterally setiferous; sternum VII of both sexes barely emarginate, corners rounded. Male genitalia: Phallus (Fig. 4) elongate and narrow with ostium not elongate, extended to about 1/3 the length of phallus, apex a small rounded lobe. Parameres small, left twice the size of the right, both broadly rounded. Female ovipositor: Stylomere 2 as in Agra notpusilla." Reference : Erwin Terry L., "Agra, arboreal beetles of Neotropical forests: pusilla group and piranha group systematics and notes on their ways of life (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini, Agrina)", Zookeys 66: 1–28, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.66.684.

Habitat:

Amazon rainforest, Ecuador.

Notes:

Nocturnal in the Sumaco National Park, Ecuador; attracted by the lights in the lodge.

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3 Comments

GustavoMorejon
GustavoMorejon 10 years ago

After checking T. Erwin's description I have no doubts about the ID of this amazing carabid: it is in fact Agra grace.

Tom15
Tom15 10 years ago

This is a nice looking beetle, and I think it might be Agra grace. http://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult....

Tom15
Tom15 10 years ago

Looks like it might be a Carabidae (ground beetle) in the genus Agra.
http://www.alexanderwild.com/keyword/bee...

GustavoMorejon
Spotted by
GustavoMorejon

Provincia de Napo, Ecuador

Spotted on Apr 7, 2013
Submitted on Apr 19, 2013

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