Hoplopyga antilliana Ratcliffe, 2012

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2012, First Reported Occurrence ofHoplopygaThomson, 1880 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini) from the West Indies, with Description of a New Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin 66 (2), pp. 111-115 : 112-115

Hoplopyga antilliana Ratcliffe , new species ( Figs. 1 , 3, 5–7 )

Type Material. Holotype male, labeled “ WEST INDIES: GRENADA / Par. St. Andrews, Mirabeau / Agric. Lab, 23.VII.1990 /Blacklight, H. Thomas ” and with my red holotype label. Four male paratypes

with the same data except dates of 28.I.1990, 11.VI.1990, 17.IX.1990, and 22.XI.1990. Two male paratypes with same locality data but collector J. Telesford and dates of 18.VI.1990 and 26.VI.1990. One male paratype labeled “ WEST INDIES: GRENADA /Par. St. Andrew/Pearls Airport/ 9-VI-1990 /coll. M. C. Thomas ”. All paratypes with my yellow paratype label. Allotype female labeled “SAINT VINCENT AND GRENADINES/Union Island, Chatham Bay, 5 m /N1236 W6127, dry 2 nd growth/coastal woodland, uv trap 14 VIII 08,/ S. Peck and M. de Silva, 08-90” and with my red allotype label.

Holotype and three paratypes are deposited at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (Gainesville, Florida) . Allotype and one paratype are in the Stewart Peck collection (Ottawa, Canada) (to be deposited at the Canadian Museum of Nature ). One paratype is at the University of Nebraska State Museum and two paratypes are in the B. C. Ratcliffe collection (both Lincoln, Nebraska) .

Description. Holotype. Male. Length 16.5 mm; width across humeri 10.1 mm. Form: Rhomboidal, robust, sides slightly tapering from humeri towards apex of elytra, dorsum nearly flat ( Fig. 1 ). Color: Most of head, lateral margins of pronotum, dorsal surface of mesepimeron, flecks on elytra and pygidium, portions of mesometasternal process, femora, and sides of metasternum and sternites yellowish brown, opaque. Remainder of head, pronotum, elytra, and pygidium black, opaque; clypeal apex, punctures, remainder of legs, and venter piceous to reddish brown, shiny. Setae of legs and venter tawny. Head: Surface moderately densely punctate; punctures mostly large, becoming small near clypeal apex. Frons with short, sparse, tawny setae. Clypeus subrectangular, apex broadly subtruncate, weakly emarginate at middle, apicolateral angles rounded, reflexed, sides constricted just before eyes. Interocular width equals 3.3 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 segments, club distinctly longer than antennomeres 1–7 ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum: Subtrapezoidal, widest near base, gradually convergent to anterior angles, basomedian lobe strongly produced, lobe covering all but tip of scutellum which is concealed by a cluster of tawny setae. Sides margined, anterior and basal margins lacking bead. Surface with crescent-shaped punctures on lateral margins; punctures moderate in density, large, deep; elsewhere with mostly small, sparse, round punctures. Mesepimeron dorsally with crescent-shaped punctures similar to those on lateral margins of pronotum. Elytra: Surface punctate; punctures round to mostly crescent-shaped, small to moderate in size, sparse on median half, becoming larger, denser on lateral margins behind middle, and confluent near prominent apical umbone. Apices with short, acute projection ( Fig. 2 ). Pygidium: Surface with large, concentric, mostly confluent, vermiform rugae, and sparse, minute, tawny setae. In lateral view, surface nearly flat except near subapex where weakly convex. Venter: Prosternal process a short, subacute peg. Mesometasternal process flat on ventral surface, apex broadly rounded, anterior face perpendicular to longitudinal axis of body except for slightly protruding apex. Abdominal sternites each with moderately dense, mostly large punctures, crescent-shaped punctures on lateral fourths, center with small, round punctures. Legs: Protibia slender, weakly tridentate, “teeth” subequally spaced; apical tooth large, acute, middle and basal teeth barely developed. Meso- and metatibiae with dense fringe of long, tawny setae on inner, dorsal edges. Parameres: In dorsal view, shape subparallel with strong emargination at center; apicolateral tooth minute ( Figs. 5, 7 ). In ventral view, base of each paramere with elongate, attenuate process ( Fig. 6 ). In lateral view, apex broadly rounded ( Fig. 7 ).

Allotype. Length 15.5 mm; width across humeri 9.7 mm. This specimen is more worn than the males. As holotype except for the following: Color: Pronotum and especially elytra more completely suffused with yellowish brown. Mesometasternal process completely black, shiny. Head: Interocular width equals 2.5 transverse eye diameters. Elytra: Surface with 8 partially complete rows of moderate to large, crescent-shaped punctures on each elytron. Legs: Protibia weakly bidentate, both worn teeth close to one another near apex.

Variation. Males (7 paratypes). Length 15.6– 16.4 mm; width across humeri 9.3–10.5 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Color: Elytra in 4 specimens nearly completely black, 1 specimen with more yellowish brown suffusing on pronotum and elytra, 1 specimen mostly light yellowing brown with black to reddish brown punctures, black spot near middle of elytra at side, and with large, black, J-shaped mark behind middle. Head: Interocular width equals 3.0–3.5 transverse eye diameters. Elytra: Surface with partial rows of large, crescent-shaped punctures on 5 specimens. Pygidium: Surface with short setae in all specimens. Legs: Protibia slightly more distinctly tridentate.

5–7) H. antilliana and 8–10) H. liturata in dorsal, ventral, and lateral views, respectively.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latinized adjectival form of the word “antilles” that refers, in this case, to the Antilles archipelago in the West Indies without limitation to any particular island.

Distribution. Hoplopyga antilliana is currently known from Grenada and Union Island in the Lesser Antilles. This is the only species of Hoplopyga known from the West Indies. Given the strong flight capability of most cetoniines, we may yet see this species on neighboring islands in the future.

Temporal Distribution. January (1), June (4), July (1), August (1), September (1), October (1). This temporal distribution should be considered tentative since so few specimens are known.

Diagnosis. This new species most closely resembles H. liturata , which is the most abundant and broadly distributed species in the genus. Hoplopyga liturata occurs from Mexico to Argentina ( Solís 2004), while H. antilliana is the first species of Hoplopyga to be recorded from the West Indies.

Hoplopyga antilliana vaguely resembles H. liturata (compare Figs. 1–2 ), but can be distinguished by a body form that is generally larger, more robust, and darker (best seen by comparisons with a series of H. liturata ), distinctly longer antennal club, elytral apices at the suture in males generally less spinose than those of H. liturata ( Fig. 3 compared to Fig. 4 ), and form of the parameres which, in both dorsal and lateral views ( Figs. 5 and 7 compared to Figs. 8 and 10 ), are more rounded at the apex and with a smaller apicolateral tooth; in ventral view, the parameres have a more narrowly elongated basal process ( Fig. 6 compared to Fig. 9 ). Some of these character states slightly vary intraspecifically in each of the two species, thus making identification tentative. However, the eyes in H. antilliana are noticeably larger than those of H. liturata . The width of the frons (measured between the eyes) is 2.5–3.7 transverse eye diameters in H. antilliana (n = 9) and 4.0–5.0 transverse eye diameters in H. liturata (n = 85). These size differences are so significant that they are easily seen using low magnification power of a microscope. The combination of larger eyes, longer antennal club, larger and more robust body, darker color, and a Lesser Antilles distribution should serve to distinguish H. antilliana from H. liturata .

Hoplopyga liturata occurs commonly in northern South America, including Trinidad, and it is reasonable to assume, based upon similar morphology and relatively close distribution, that H. antilliana is closely related to that species. Olivier (1808) provided a clear, color image of H. liturata for his 1789 description of the species.

Biology. Nothing is known of the biology of this species, although the adults of species of Hoplopyga are known to be attracted to decaying fruits and sap (personal observation). Nearly all cetoniines are diurnal, and so it is interesting to note that many specimens in the type series of H. antilliana were attracted to blacklights at night. Cotinis nitida (L.), Amithao cavifrons (Burmeister) , Amithao decemguttatum Waterhouse , and several other cetoniines are also occasionally attracted to lights at night (personal observation), but this is generally an uncommon occurrence for cetoniines.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Dorsal view of males of 1) Holotype of Hoplopyga antilliana and 2) Hoplopyga liturata from Venezuela. Fig. 2 courtesy of Maurizio Bollino.

Figs. 3–10. Hoplopyga spp. Elytral apices of males of 3) H. antilliana and 4) H. liturata; Parameres of