Ecitonides splendidus Montanhini, Żyła & Biffi, 2026, sp. nov.

Ecitonides splendidus sp. nov. Figs 5, 9 B, I, 10 D, 13 D, E Type locality. Brazil • Maranhão: Mirador (Parque Estadual Mirador, Base da Geraldina), 06°37'25"S, 45°52'08"W, 12–20 Oct. 2012, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, L. S. Santos and C. F. Barros leg. Type specimen. Holotype (CZMA) male, dry pinned, with genitalia in a separate slide. Original labels: “ Holótipo, Ecitonides splendidus Montanhini, Żyła and Biffi, 2025 ” // Brasil (MA), Mirador, Parque Est. Mirador, Base da Geraldina, 06°37'25"S / 45°52'08"W // “ Armadilha Luminosa, 12–20. x. 2012, F. Limeira-de-Oliveira, L. S. Santos and C. F. Barros, cols. ” // “ CZMA Insect Collection ” // “ Ecitonides sp. nov. det. A. Asenjo, 2018 ”; “ CZMA: FLO 15708 ”. Diagnosis. Body robust, head rectangular, pronotum hexagonal and flattened tubercles over the body as in E. colossus sp. nov., E. constanceae and E. spectabilis. It differs from other species by the labrum with five median denticles. Description. Body length: 9.5 mm. Body dark reddish-brown, antennae and tarsi slightly darker than body. Head, pronotum, elytra, tergites III and IV, and anterior margin of tergites V and VI covered with flattened tubercles, ventrally with rugose texture, with few distinct tubercles. Head: elongate, ~ 2 × as long as wide (HL: 1.8; HW: 0.8), rectangular, dorsal surface flat and covered with tubercles arranged in irregular longitudinal rows; ventral surface with distinct texture, with few distinct tubercles and covered with short, sparse, yellowish setae; frons as wide as posterior region; posterior margin only slightly converging. Eyes large, grayish, visible from above, occupying ~ 1 / 4 of lateral side of head. Antennae (Fig. 9 B) with 11 antennomeres, elongate, twice longer than head, reaching posterior margin of pronotum; antennomeres moderately pubescent; scape as long as antennomeres 2–5 combined, with external margin sinuate, with apical emargination; antennomeres 2–10 longer than wide, 2 shorter than 3; 3 longer than 4–10; 4–10 slightly increasing in length; antennomere 11 subquadrate, apex acute. Labrum (Fig. 10 D) well sclerotized, transverse, slightly emarginate and with five denticles; median tooth larger than others and pointed, with one pair of rounded denticles on each side, and adjacent pair of smaller denticles. Thorax: pronotum (PL: 1.5; PW: 1.6) convex, hexagonal, widest at middle, wider than head; lateral margins diverging posteriorly at first half and converging posteriad and sinuate due to tuberculate sculpture; posterior margin sinuate, slightly wider than anterior margin; anterior margin feebly sinuate medially to accommodate small distinctive neck, as wide as 1 / 4 of maximum width of head. Pronotum covered with unequal rows of large tubercles with smaller tubercles in between, forming slight longitudinal crest. Prosternum without distinct tubercles, hypomera bearing small tubercles. Elytra (EL: 9; EW: 2.1) wider than pronotum, sinuate laterally and posteriorly due to tuberculate sculpture; anterior margin declivous; humeri weakly projected; each elytron with five regular longitudinal rows of small tubercles; each row marginated by small, thick setae. Meso- and metaventrite with rugose sculpture, with few conspicuous lateral tubercles and bearing short, thick setae; mesoventrite with small and shallow impression; mesosternal process acute and not reaching metasternal process; metasternal process small and truncate. Legs stout and relatively long, covered with small, sparse tubercles and short, thick setae; tarsomeres 1–4 transverse and subequal in size, tarsomere 5 longest, cylindrical, apically dilated, as long as previous four combined (Fig. 9 I). Abdomen: tergites III – V with posterior margin sinuate, more conspicuous in III and IV; VI with posterior margin slightly crenulated. Tergites III – IV with whole surface covered with tubercles and thick setae between; tergite V with distinct row of tubercles only at anterior 1 / 3 and flattened longer tubercles on posterior 2 / 3; VI without tuberculate sculpture, only impressions at base; VII with posterior margin straight, covered with small thick setae; VIII medially U – shaped and densely covered with short golden setae. Sternites III – VI with distinctive texture and covered with short, yellowish setae, laterally bearing thick, golden setae, outer margins weakly crenulated; VII covered with setae and slightly emarginate medially; VIII with median deep rounded emargination. Aedeagus (Fig. 13 D, E) (LA: 1.6) long and slender, slightly flattened, bulbous at base, with truncate dorsal strut near foramen; apex of median lobe narrow and pointed, laterally curved. Etymology. The specific epithet splendidus is a Latin adjective, which means “ splendid / bright ”, in allusion to the bright coloration of the new species. Distribution. BRAZIL, Maranhão (Fig. 15). Host ant. Unknown.