Copris caliginosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado

Kohlmann, Bert & Delgado, Enio Cano And Leonardo, 2003, New species and records of Copris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae; Scarabaeinae) from Central America, Zootaxa 167, pp. 1-16 : 2-4

Copris caliginosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 4 , 5 )

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: clypeal teeth acute and remote in males, small, the margin between them not appreciably excised, without median notch; hind angles of head acute; anterior angles of pronotum acute, although feebly developed; anterior pronotal margin behind gena forming a welldeveloped tooth; frontal pronotal declivity with a carina running through the middle in well­developed males; median dorsal sulcus of pronotum coarsely umbilico­punctate; incomplete 8th elytral stria; forespur slightly curved inward near apex and slightly dilated; median coxae with gross umbilical punctures on the outer face; pygidial margin complete. Additionally, well­developed males have the cephalic horn strongly curved backwards and the median pronotal prominences are massive, their outer edges slightly divergent ( Fig. 1 ).

Description. Holotype. Male ( Figs. 1 , 4 ): Total length: 17.1 mm. Elytral width: 9.1 mm. Head armed. Clypeus with two remote, small teeth, the margin between them curved inward in a broad, shallow arc. Posterior angles of genae acute. Upper surface of head umbilico­punctate, with the exception of the base and along genal suture. Head horn is long and reflexed backwards. Demarcation between gula and submentum arcuate. Antennae dark brown.

Pronotum armed. Anterolateral angles acute and weakly developed. Lateral carina rounded, issuing from margin. Anterior margin behind gena forming a well­developed tooth; area behind teeth forming an excavation ( Fig. 4 ). Frontal declivity with a carina running through its middle. Median longitudinal sulcus impressed, umbilico­punctate. Punctation of pronotum as follows: coarsely umbilico­punctate in all depressions and margins; raised areas of pronotal base, prominences and most of anterior declivities impunctate; no simple punctures. Lateral pronotal prominences small and pointing parallel to the body axis. Median pronotal prominences with a wide base and two diverging teeth pointing upwards. Anterior prosternal margin with a pointed tooth; sternellum umbilico­punctate. Median lobe of metasternum umbilico­punctate anteriorly and laterally; median longitudinal impressed line complete.

Elytra with 8th stria incomplete; 9th stria arising at anterior third of elytron; 10th complete. Striae very coarsely punctate, the punctures umbilicate, and separated by a distance approximately equal to their diameter. Interstriae slightly convex and microscopically punctate.

Pygidium with complete margin, irregularly umbilico­punctate, punctures bearing short, stiff golden setae.

Ventral surface of profemora with setigerous punctures umbilicate on posterior longitudinal half, microscopically punctate on anterior. Protibial apical spurs linear and curved downwards tapering to a blunt end. Coxa with some umbilicate punctures on outer surface. Mesofemora and metafemora with setigerous umbilicate punctures toward apex and rear margin, rest of the surface microscopically punctate.

Allotype. Female: Total length: 17.9 mm. Elytral width: 9.2 mm. Differs from the holotype by the following characters: Head with a short horn, wider than long, apex excavated postero­dorsally. Clypeal margin with teeth more extended and rounded, with a very open notch at their middle. Antennae dark brown. Pronotum armed with a central carina and two lateral tubercles behind declivity, carina wavelike, emarginated at middle. Pronotal disc and area near the base and posterior angles impunctate, the rest strongly umbilicopunctate. Median longitudinal sulcus impressed and umbilico­punctate. Anterior angles forming a small tooth. Anterolateral regions of metasternal lobe umbilico­punctate.

Variation. Total length: 14.5­17.9 mm. Elytral width: 7.6­9.2 mm. Females sometimes show a little tooth formed at the middle of the anterior pronotal margin.

Examined material (14 males, 9 females). Holotype, male: GUATEMALA. Baja Verapaz. Chilascó, 9­10.X.1999, bosque nuboso, 1800m, Col. M.I. Lambour y A.V. Cuéllar, trampa pitfall con heces de cerdo. Allotype, female: ibidem. Paratypes. ibidem, 8 males, 4 females; ibidem, heces humanas 2 males, 3 females; ibidem, pescado podrido 1 male, 1 female; Salamá, La Unión Barrios, Cerro Verde, 14.VI.2000, 1800m., Col. A. Higueros, 1 male; Purulhá, Biotopo del Quetzal, heces humanas, VIII.2000, Col. A. Higueros, 1 male.

Remarks. This species belongs to the remotus complex, as defined by Matthews (1961). This species will key to the C. remotus remotus and C. mexicanus couplet in Matthews’ key based on males, but it will not fit either of the two descriptions. Since neither remotus , nor mexicanus , exist in Central America, and sallei (which is not included in Matthews’ key) is much more closely related to C. caliginosus and C. nubilosus , comparisons will be made with C. sallei . A new key for the remotus complex based on males is proposed, including the recently described C. tridentatus Solís and Kohlmann. The key is presented after the species descriptions.

Copris caliginosus differs from C. sallei by having a much more strongly curved horn than C. sallei ; the base of the mid­pronotal projections is evenly arched, whereas it forms a distinct gibbosity in C. sallei ; lateral pronotal prominences are small, whereas they are developed in C. sallei ; pronotal face smooth and slightly concave with a faint carina running through its middle, umbilico­punctate only at its flanks, whereas the pronotal face in C. sallei is level and completely umbilico­punctate, no evidence of a central carina running through its middle; lateral pronotal prominences smooth, whereas grossly punctate in C. sallei ; it differs also from C. sallei in having a well­developed tooth on the anterior pronotal margin behind the gena and in having a feebly developed acute anterolateral margin; whereas C. sallei has a very feeble tooth on the anterior pronotal margin behind the gena and a very acute and developed anterolateral margin.

Distribution. ( Fig. 5 ). This species occurs in the mountainous areas of Baja Verapaz, associated with cloud forest between 1700­2000m, surrounded by forests formed by Liquidambar , Pinus and Quercus at lower altitude (1500m). In its distribution it closely resembles C. matthewsi matthewsi that is also only found in the Verapaces in Guatemala and in the Meseta Central of Chiapas. Consequently, one would also expect to find this species in Chiapas, Mexico.

Etymology. Latin adjective, caliginosus , meaning foggy or misty; alluding to the fact that this species is found in cloud forest habitat.

Figures

FIGURE. 1. Dorsal view of Copris caliginosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado, sp. nov. (holotype).

FIGURE. 4. Lateral views of head and pronotum of Copris caliginosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado, sp. nov. (holotype, top), Copris nubilosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado, sp. nov. (holotype, middle) and Copris sallei (bottom).

FIGURE 5. Distribution of Copris cited in the work (except the widely distributed C. lugubris and the Mexican C. sallei) in Central America. White area is above 800 m. Black stars = C. nubilosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado, sp. nov.; black triangle = C. caliginosus Kohlmann, Cano and Delgado, sp. nov.; black squares = C. aspericollis; black circle = C. matthewsi pacificus; white triangle = C. costaricensis dolichocerus; white rhombus = C. laeviceps.