Ancognatha corcuerai Figueroa and Ratcliffe

Figueroa, Luis & Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2016, A New Species Of Ancognatha Erichson (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) From Peru, With Distributions Of Peruvian Ancognatha Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin 70 (1), pp. 65-72 : 65-67

Ancognatha corcuerai Figueroa and Ratcliffe , new species

( Figs. 1–4 , 7–8 )

Type Material. Holotype and allotype labeled

“ PERÚ: CA. [Cajamarca Department] Bosque de / Cachil / 07°23′50.9″S / 78°46′50.3″W 2430 m 19 / 23.x.2014 L. Figueroa leg” and with our red holotype and allotype labels. Two paratypes labeled “ PERÚ: CA. [Cajamarca Department] Contumazá/ Bosque de Cachil / 07°23′36.9″S / 78°46′51.2″W 2680 m 20-22.x.2014 L. Figueroa leg” and two paratypes labeled “ PERÚ: CA. [Cajamarca Department] Contumazá / Bosque de Cachil / 07°23′50.9″S, 78°46′50.3″W 2430 m 19-23.x.2014 J. Grados leg” and with our yellow paratype labels. Holotype, allotype, and two paratypes are deposited at the Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos ( MUSM), Lima, Peru. Two paratypes are deposited in the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA ( UNSM) .

Description. Holotype. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Length 22.4 mm; width across humeri 10.1 mm. Ground color testaceous, Clypeus and anterior half of frons infuscate, posterior half of frons black. Pronotum with a vague, Y–shaped, black macula at center and a black spot on each lateral margin. Elytra with black lateral margins, black humeral spot, and black apical umbone. Scutellum black with testaceous margins. Protibia with external margins black. Sternites completely testaceous. Head: Frons with small, moderately dense punctures and with low, transverse tubercle mesad of each eye. Clypeus with moderately dense, large punctures; sides slightly declivous, rugopunctate; apex broadly acuminate, slightly reflexed. Interocular width equals 2.6 transverse eye diameters. Antenna 10-segmented, antennomere 1 as long as antennomeres 2–7 together, club slightly longer than antennomeres 2–7. Mentum with apex deeply incised to about middle ( Fig. 3 ). Pronotum: Surface with small, sparse punctures, base lacking marginal bead. Elytra: Surface punctate-striate, double rows distinct; punctures mostly large, ocellate, shallow. Pygidium: Surface glabrous with small, dense punctures. In lateral view, evenly convex. Legs: Protibia tridentate, teeth equally spaced. Larger anterior claw with apex split. Meso- and metatarsi on venter with dense fringe of testaceous setae. Venter: Apex of last sternite with dense fringe of long, pale setae. Parameres: Form subrectangular, each paramere deeply emarginate at middle on lateral edge, apices bluntly rounded ( Fig. 4 ).

Allotype. Female. Length 25.1 mm; width across humeri 11.2 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: maculae wider on pronotum, scutellum, and elytra. Head: Punctures slightly denser, larger. Elytra: Lateral margin at middle expanded into rounded flange. Pygidium: In lateral view, surface nearly flat. Legs: Protarsal claws not enlarged. Meso- and metatarsi setose beneath but not with dense fringe. Metatarsus subequal in length to metatibia.

Variation. Female (four paratypes) length 22.4–25.1 mm; width across humeri 9.9–11.9 mm. As allotype except in the following respect: Pronotal black macula varies from a horizontal line on middle with a spot on each lateral margin to covering entire pronotum. Elytra with a black, diagonal macula extending from humeral spot to middle of each elytron ( Fig. 2 ).

Distribution. Ancognatha corcuerai is known to occur only in the relict could forest of Cachil ( Fig. 7 ) in Contumazá Province, Cajamarca Department, Peru. Cachil is one of the 23 cloud forests found on the northwestern slopes of the Andes ( Weigend et al. 2006). Unfortunately, this forest is not protected by any legislation and is

5) A. atacazo ; 6) A. scarabaeoides .

constantly threatened by anthropogenic activities (L. Figueroa, personal observation).

Remarks. In Endrödi’ s (1985) key, this species will go as far as couplet 13 (based upon the presence of low tubercles on the frons), which leads to Ancognatha atacazo Kirsch or A. scarabaeoides . Both of those species are entirely black, whereas A. corcuerai has a testaceous ground color with black markings. In addition, the parameres of A. atacazo and A. scarabaeoides are different in form (caudal view) from those of A. corcuerai (compare Figs. 4 and 5–6 ). Given that A. corcuerai has a testaceous base color, we feel that this is a more immediately recognizable character in a short key to only Peruvian species than the character of the tubercles or swelling of the frons as in the Endrödi key, and so we include a key to only Peruvian species here to enable easier identification.

In the key proposed by Pardo-Lorcarno et al. (2006), A. corcuerai goes to either Ancognatha matilei Dechambre or Ancognatha veliae Pardo- Lorcarno González, Montoya. Both of those species have a more elongate and acute clypeus and a greatly enlarged protibia, two character states that are lacking in A. corcuerai .

All the specimens of A. corcuerai were collected at light traps that ran until midnight during five consecutive nights. Ancognatha scarabaeoides was collected during the same collecting event.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of the illustrious poet, Marco Antonio Corcuera, who promoted the protection of Bosque de Cachil in Peru.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Holotype and paratype of Ancognatha corcuerai (scale bar = 5 mm).

Fig. 3. Mentum (ventral view) of Ancognatha corcuerai.

Fig. 4. Parameres of Ancognatha corcuerai. a) Caudal view, b) Lateral view.

Fig. 7. Habitat at the type locality of Ancognatha corcuerai: Bosque de Cachil, Cajamarca Department, Peru.

Fig. 8. Ancognatha species distributions in Peru.

Figs. 5–6. Parameres of Ancognatha species.