Bothynus ovalatus Duarte, Dupuis and Grossi, 2025

Duarte, Paulo R. M., Dupuis, Fabien & Grossi, Paschoal C., 2025, Taxonomic revision of the Bothynus ascanius (Kirby, 1819) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae) species group, Journal of Natural History 59 (9 - 12), pp. 663-737 : 717-719

Bothynus ovalatus Duarte, Dupuis and Grossi sp. n.

( Figures 3 (l), 5d, 7c, 10e, 11i, 13l, 14l, 16b, 19j, 20d, 22)

Diagnosis

Bothynus ovalatus sp. n. is a small species that resembles B. arriagadae sp. n., but differs in the following characters: Body with dorsal black colour ( Figures 3 (l); 16(b)); maxilla bearing 5 strong teeth arranged on the apex of galea ( Figure 7 (c)); elytral epipleura with apparent border ( Figure 10 (e)); apical lobes of parameres wide ( Figure 13 (l)). Bothynus ovalatus sp. n. also can be comparable to Bothynus sapukai sp. n., but differs in the following characters: Body with a black dorsal surface ( Figures 3 (l); 16(b)), range of interocular width about 5.3– 5.4 transverse eye diameters; maxilla composed by 5 teeth at galea ( Figure 7 (c)); apical lobes of parameres with contiguous basis ( Figure 13 (l)); tergite 8 not entirely rugose, the disc being punctate in the female ( Figure 20 (d)). Bothynus sapukai sp. n., bears a reddish-brown body ( Figures 4 (c), 16(d)); range of the interocular width about 4.2–4.6 transverse eye diameter; galea with 3 teeth at apex in both sexes ( Figure 7 (d)); apical lobes of parameres with the inner margins broadly separated at basis ( Figure 13 (o)); tergite 8 of female entirely rugose ( Figure 20 (e)).

Holotype

Male, dissected, labelled: ‘ PARAGUAY: Presidente Hayes: Laguna Escalante , 07.x.1995, Drechsel leg’. ( CERPE).

Paratypes

Two females with same data as holotype ( CERPE) . One male with same data as holotype, except for: ‘- 23.783S,- 60.783 W, 27–28 .xi . 2003, 151 m, B. Garcete leg’. ( CERPE) . One male and one female, labelled: ‘ PARAGUAY: Presidente Hayes dep: Lolita, Yaraqui , 12.01.2002 ’ ( FDPC) . One male, labelled: ‘PARAGUAY’ ( MNHN) . Two males and two females, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: San Luis, Belgrano, Fundo El Molle, 33°02'22''S, 66°30'47''W, 622 m, light, 07 . ii .2017, G. Arriágada Leg’ . ( CEMT) ; 7 males and 17 females, labelled: “ ARGENTINA: San Luis, Sierras Marianas, 33°03'04''S, 66°17'12''W, 884 m, 15 .ii .2017, light, G. Arriágada Leg. ( CEMT) . One male and one female, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Jujuy, H . Richer [ex museu]’ ( CEMT) . Two females, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Salta: Parque Nacional, El . Req, Km 26, 1010 m, 28 .i .2006, P. Smith leg’. ( CERPE) . One male, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Jujuy, xii .1942’ ( DZUP). Three males and one female, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Baldecito : San Luis, 10.01.2009 ’ ( FDPC) . One male, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: J . C Gonzales , 03.2005’ ( FDPC) . One female, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Mendoza, Dr . Gallegos’ ( MNHN) . One male and two females, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: San Juan de Cuyo, 1982, J . Fortucci leg’. ( MNHN) . Three females, labelled: ‘ARGENTINA’ ( MNHN) . Three males and one female, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Rio Salado, Icano, 1937, Reichlen Leg’ . ( MNHN) . Three females and one male, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA, Rio Salado’ ( MNHN) . One female, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Santiago del Estero, Rio Salado, Wagner Leg’ . ( MNHN) . One male, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA, La Plata’ ( MNHN) . One male, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: tucuma, C . Bruch Leg’. ( MNHN).

Holotype description ( Figure 3 (l))

Length: 15.0 mm. Width: 8.2 mm. Colour: Dark. Head: Clypeus subtriangular (posterior width about 4.1 times wider than anterior); lateral margins slightly constricted at anterior half; anterior teeth small; surface transversely rugose, glabrous. Frontoclypeal carina well marked, slightly arched. Frons transversely, strongly rugose; setae scarce, scattered on sides close to eyes, separated by a glabrous disc. Interocular width equals 5.4 transverse eye diameters. Anterior margin of ocular canthus slightly arched. Mouthparts: Mandible with apical tooth truncate apically; medial tooth rounded appically; basal tooth lobed, smaller than previous ones. Maxilla bearing 5 teeth produced on apex of galea (2 at apex [both weak and rounded], 1 medial [strong and acute], and 2 basal [1 weak and rounded, 1 strong and acute]). Labium suboval, surrounded with dense, large, deep, contiguous setigerous punctures; disc weakly punctate compared to sides, setae shorter those on sides. Antennae: Club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7 combined. Prothorax: Pronotal anterior tubercle conical, strong; cavity small (occupying 1/3 of pronotal area), rounded, shallow, nearly declivous; punctures on anterior corners large, deep, coalescent; punctures on sides ocellated, large, dense, contiguous; punctures on posterior disc sparser, smaller those on sides; cavity surface transversely rugose on tubercle basis, becoming covered with large, C-shaped punctures towards posterior area. Pterothorax: Scutellar plate finely punctate. Elytral surface deeply striated, covered with ocellate, deep, large punctures; punctures on sutural striae mostly contiguous; punctures on other striae from contiguous to separated by 1–2 puncture diameters; juxtasutural interstriae bearing large, irregular punctures; other interstriae scarcely covered with large punctures. Legs: Inner protarsal claw deeply incised, bearing subequal branches ( Figure 11 (i)). Protarsomere 5 ventrally bearing a small, triangular, subapical process. Mesotibia provided only with a medial carina on outer surface. Metatibia with 2 carinae produced on outer surface. Abdomen: Tergite 7 with 2 bands of numerous, finely marked, paired, transverse striae. Tergite 8 with strongly rugose sides, disc punctate; discal punctures shallow, transverse, oval. Sternites 4–7 with rugopunctate sides and bearing a row of setigerous punctures, disc glabrous and with minute punctures; sternite 8 with small punctures on corners, disc smooth. Aedeagus: Parameres, in caudal view, smooth, rounded laterally on basal half, gradually becoming constricted towards apical half; apical lobes oval, elongated, with inner margins subparallel, contiguous ( Figure 13 (l)); laterobasal process visible. Parameres, in lateral view, convex dorsally, ventrally bearing a basal carina, apex rounded; subapical area deeply excavated ( Figure 14 (l)).

Variation in the paratypes

Males. Length: 16.9–17.2 mm. Width: 9.9–10.1 mm. Head: Clypeus with regularly convergent lateral margins, without apparent constriction ( Figure 5 (e)). Interocular width about 5.3 transverse eye diameters. Mouthparts: Maxilla bearing 5 pointed teeth arranged on apex of galea ( Figure 7 (c)). Prothorax: Pronotal cavity broad, nearly completely rugose. Legs: Inner protarsal claw sometimes with an inner branch larger than outer one. Aedeagus: Parameres, in caudal view, without visible lateral process. Parameres, in lateral view, deflexed. Female s ( Figure 16 (b)). Length: 13.5–17.1 mm. Width: 8.0–10.0 mm. Prothorax: Pronotal anterior tubercle small, transverse and with rounded apex. Pterothorax: Scutellar plate sometimes with scarce, small punctures. Legs: Inner protarsal claw simple, similar to outer claw. Abdomen: Tergite 8 bearing dense discal punctures, transverse and oval ( Figures 19 (j), 21(d)). Sternite 7 with a complete, transverse row of setose punctures; surface of sternite 8 completely setose and rugose.

Distribution

Known from North Argentina (Salta and Jujuy) and west Paraguay (Presidente Hayes), near the Argentina boundary ( Figure 22).

Etymology

The specific epithet derives from the Latin ‘ ovum ’ meaning ‘oval’, plus ‘ atus ’ meaning ‘similar to’ or ‘like’, in reference to the elongated and rounded aspect of the body, like an egg. This name is an adjective in the nominative singular.

Remarks

Bothynus ovalatus sp. n. refers to ‘ Bothynus species 2 ’ mentioned by Ratcliffe et al. (2023).