Macrodactylus costulatus Bates, 1887

Arce-Pérez, Roberto & Morón, Miguel-Angel, 2005, New species and new records of species of Macrodactylus Dejean (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactyini) from Honduras and Nicaragua, Zootaxa 1012 (1012), pp. 23-37 : 25-26

Macrodactylus costulatus Bates, 1887

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: antennal club reddish­brown with the apex darkened; pronotum black with scattered scalelike yellow setae; elytra with two well­defined longitudinal stripes of scale­like setae on the interstriae 1 and 3, interstriae 2 and 4 costate, glabrous ( Fig. 1); pygidium with scattered, scale­like, light yellow setae; abdomen black; femora and tibiae reddish­brown; tarsi without white setae; apex of the parameres lanceolate, without setae on the external borders; vestiture and color of female similar to male.

Material examined (143 males, 108 females). NEW COUNTRY RECORDS: HONDURAS: El Paraiso 11.1 km S. Zamorano & 10 km E. Galeras, 1700 m, oak / cloud forest, 11 June 1994, Col . R. S. Anderson, 1 male, 1 female ( CMNC); Paraíso Yuscarán 1030 m, 8 June 1994, on Pouteria sapota, Cols. H & A Howden , 131 males, 96 females ( BDGC, EAPZ, HAHC, IEXA, MXAL); Cerro Monserrat, 7 km SW, Yuscarán, 24 May 1994, 1800 m, Cols. H & A Howden, 10 males, 11 females; same data except 15 May 1994, 1 male ( HAHC) .

Biology. This species inhabits tropical rain forest, tropical plantations, cloud forest, and oak forest located at altitudes from 100 to 1800 m. Months of collection in Honduras: May (22), June (229). Many specimens were collected on Pouteria sapota L. ( Sapotaceae ) at Yuscarán. Another species of Macrodactylus ( M. tibialis ) was collected in the same place, time, and host.

Distribution. Southeastern México to southeastern Honduras (13 ° 30'– 15° 10' N, 86° 10' – 92° 30' W).

Remarks. This species was originally described with a large series of specimens from Sarstoon River ( Belize); Dueñas, Coban ( Guatemala); Chontales ( Nicaragua); and Volcan de Irazu ( Costa Rica). Arce­Pérez and Morón (2000) added records from Tapachula, Chiapas, ( México) and Palmar Viejo, Quetzaltenango ( Guatemala). The variation in the 251 specimens studied from Honduras was within the parameters of the specimens studied previously. The new records aid to link the distribution of this species between Chontales and Guatemala, across the chain of mountains in southeastern Honduras.