Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) klugii ( Chaudoir, 1850 )

Moravec, Jiří & Dheurle, Charles, 2023, Taxonomic and nomenclatorial revision of the Neotropical genus Phaeoxantha Chaudoir (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Zootaxa 5386 (1), pp. 1-83 : 70-73

Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) klugii ( Chaudoir, 1850)

( Figs 296–309 )

Phaeoxantha Klugii Chaudoir, 1850: 8 .

Tetracha klugii : Thomson 1857: 45, pl. 7, fig. 11d, pl. 8, fig. 3–4.

Phoeoxantha klugii : Lucas 1859: 25, pl. 1, fig. 3 (incorrect spelling of the genus-group name).

Tetracha (Phaeoxantha) klugii : Horn 1903: 332.

Megacephala (Phaeoxantha) klugii : Horn 1910: 137.

Phaeoxantha klugii : Horn 1921:150.

Phaeoxantha klugii : Wiesner 2020: 30.

Type locality. Colombia .

Type material. Lectotype (designated here) ♀ in MNHN, labelled: “n Klugii / Chaud. / Colombie ” [large ochre-tarnished handwritten label with black border] // “Muséum Paris / Coll. Chaudoir 1874” [greenish, printed] // “Type” [red, printed].

Other material examined. Historical data. 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ in CDCL: “ Teffé ( Ega ) / Amazones / M.de Mathan / 7bre-8bre. 1879” . 1 ♀ in CDCL: “ Teffé ( Ega ) / Amazones / M. de Mathan / 1 er Trimestre 1879”. Recent data . 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in CDCL: “ Perou / Pucalpa / Juillet 1996 / Ugarte Pena leg.” . 2 ♀♀ in CDCL: “ Perou / Pucalpa / VII.92 / Ugarte Pena leg” . 1 ♂ in CDCL: “ Colombie / Huila / I-1989 ” . 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in CCJM: “ Peru / Ucayali ” . 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in CCJM , 1 ♀ in CCJM: “ Teffe ”. Caracarai, Brazilie / 25.III.1998 M. Vyklický ” . 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in CCJM: “Manaos / Amazonas” . 3 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀ in CCJM , 5 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀ in CJVB: “ Brazil, Amazonas / 10 km N. of Teffe, Porto Praia / dark sand beach at night / Solimoes bank, 7.X.1993 / M. Hrabovsky lgt.” . 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀ in CCJM , 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ in CJVB: “ Brazil, Amazonas / 5 km N. of Teffe, / Solimoes bank, at night, dark sand / Praia do Coati Beach / 8.X.1993 M. Hrabovsky lgt.” . 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in CJVB: “ Brazil, Amazon, 3.IX.1994 / Satere Indian Reservation / Sao Gabriel village , on sand / at night, M. Hrabovsky lgt.” . 2 ♂♂ in CDCL: “ Brazil, Casares Mt. / Praia Carne de Secca / 16°05´43´´ S. 57°43’10´´W / leg Zerm, 23-IX-1998 ” . 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ in CJVB: “ Ecuador – SucumbÍos prov. / Limoncocha env., Jivino river , / 30 km S of Shushufindi, 235 m, / S00°25´44´´, W76°37´30´´, / 20.XI.2022, J. VybÍral & J.C. Carrasco leg.” .

Differential diagnosis. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) klugii is very similar to P. (E.) wimmeri because of a similar shape of the black anteapical elytral maculae and male elytra dilated posteriad at their anteapical angles ( Figs 298 , 305 ), but the male elytra of P. (E.) wimmeri ( Figs 310–313 , 322–323 ) are generally shorter, more distinctly and abruptly dilated posteriad than in P. (E.) klugii . Because of the usual variability, elytra of some males in both species may appear to be of almost the same shape, for instance the male paratype (SDEI) of P. (E.) wimmeri ( Fig. 310 ) has its elytra less dilated than in some males of P. (E.) klugii . However, the elytra in P. (E.) wimmeri are always shorter and moreover, with a shallow, but usually well obvious impression at the anteapical angle ( Figs 322–323 ). Aedeagi of P. (E.) klugii ( Figs 307–309 ) possess a knob-like, rounded and dorsally emarginated apex, which is similar to that in P. (E.) wimmeri ( Fig. 321 ). Right mandible in males of P. (E.) klugii ( Figs 299–300 ) has its second tooth small but well-developed, clearly separated from the terminal tooth and less distant from the third tooth than in P. (E.) wimmeri , which is mostly tightly appressed to the terminal tooth and, particularly, markedly distant from the third tooth ( Figs 317 , 319 ) – it must be noted here that it is necessary to observe the mandibles when perfectly settled in their both horizontal and vertical position. Right mandible in females of P. (E.) klugii has generally the second and third tooth of the same size and with sharpened apices ( Fig. 301 ), while the right mandible in females of P. (E.) wimmeri has the second tooth generally smaller than the third tooth ( Fig. 320 ), but the shape of female mandibles is sometimes variable and therefore less dependable.

Examined adult specimens are 21.5–25.2 mm long, 8.10–10.1 mm wide, the female LT (MNHN) is 24.2 mm long, 9.20 mm wide.

Distribution and biology. Known from almost entire area of the Amazon Basin from its upper parts in Venezuela (Rodriguez et. al. 1994), Colombia ( VÍtolo 2004, VÍtolo & Pearson 2003, Arenas-Clavijo 2018), Ecuador ( Pearson et al. 1999b), Peru, Bolivia (Person et al. 1999a), as well as in Brazil where P. (E.) klugii was obviously very common on the banks of Rio Solimoes near Ega (Teffé, also spelled “Tefe”) and in the area of Manaus. Person et al. (1999a) listed records from Bolivian departments of Beni, La Paz and Pando, all from different localities than those of P. (E.) wimmeri . Adults are nocturnal, the above cited adult specimens from Ecuadorian SucumbÍos occurred on both gravel and sandy surfaces of the Jivino river beaches ( Fig. 327 ); they shared the biotopes there with Tetracha (s. str.) sobrina ( Dejean, 1831) (Jan VybÍral, pers com.). Some adults have restricted flight ability due to partly sexually dimorphic development of flight muscles, as observed and presented by Zerm & Adis (2002). Life cycles of adults and larvae occurring in open areas of Central Amazonian floodplains in the region of Manaus were presented by Zerm & Adis (2001a, b, c), Zerm et al. (2001) and Zerm & Adis (2003). Larvae were partly illustrated by Arndt et al. (1996), and in a key to larvae by Adis et al. (1998) and Arndt et al. (2002), pupal morphology by Cárdenas et al. (2005).

Remarks. Chaudoir (1850) mentioned in the original description only females. No other female specimen labelled as type was found, but one other female (possibly a syntype) is in the Chaudoir collection (MNHN) with the indication “ Bogota, Lemmoine” (Olivier Montreuil, pers. com.). Consequently, the lectotype is designated here to assure stability of this taxon.

Figures

FIGURES 296–298. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) klugii Chaudoir. Fig. 296—habitus, ♀, 24.2 mm, LT (MNHN) – image credit Georges Colas; 297—labels of the LT; 298—habitus, ♂, 24.9 mm, “Manaus, Amazonas” (CCJM); Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 299–304. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) klugii Chaudoir, all from Brazil. 299—buccal appendages, ♂, “Manaus, Amazonas”; 300–301—mandibles, “Teffe, Rio Solimoes” (CCJM): 300—♂; 301—♀; 302–303—labrum, ibid.: 302—♂; 303— ♀; 304—pronotum, ♂; ibid (CCJM). Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 305–309. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) klugii Chaudoir, all from Teffe, Rio Solimoes, Brazil (CCJM). 305–306— elytron: 305—♂; 306—♀; 307–308—aedeagi; 309—ditto, internal sac. Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 310–312. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) wimmeri (Mandl) from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 310–311—habitus: 310—♂; 24.4 mm, PT (SDEI); 311—♀, 24.3 mm, PT (SDEI); 312—labels of the female PT. Bars = 1 mm. Image credit Kevin Weiss- ing.

FIGURES 313–318. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) wimmeri (Mandl). 313—habitus, ♂, 25.8 mm, HT (NHMB), image credit Simona C. Ruffener (NHMB); 314—labels of the HT; 315–318—specimens from Yapacani in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (CCJM): 315–316—labrum: 315—♂; 316—♀; 317—head showing buccal appendages, ♂; 318—pronotum, ♀. Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 319–324. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) wimmeri (Mandl), all from Yapacani in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (CCJM). 319–320—mandibles: 319—♂; 320—♀; 321—aedeagus; 322–324—elytra: 322–323—♂; 324—♀. Bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 327–328. Biotopes. 327—Ecuador, SucumbÍos, Jivino river, locality of P. (E.) klugii – image credit Jan VybÍral; 328—Bolivia, Santa Cruz, Rio Yapacani, locality of P. (E.) wimmeri. Image credit Ondřej Šafránek.