Tomarus maternus ( Prell, 1937 )

López-García, Margarita M., Gasca-Álvarez, Héctor J. & Amat-García, Germán, 2015, The scarab beetle tribe Pentodontini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) of Colombia: taxonomy, natural history, and distribution, Zootaxa 4048 (4), pp. 451-492 : 485-486

Tomarus maternus ( Prell, 1937)

( Figs. 144 – 150 )

Ligyrus maternus Prell, 1937: 89 .

Description. Habitus as in Fig. 144 . Length 24.8–25.0 mm (♂), 24.0– 24.5 mm (♀). Width 12–12.3 mm (♂), 12.0– 12.5 mm (♀). Color black to dark brown. Head: Frons flat, only slightly concave; surface rugose and grooved, nearly smooth on vertex and only with deep, sparse punctures. Frontoclypeal region with 2 transverse tubercles separated by about 3.0–3.5 times a tubercle diameter. Frontoclypeal suture present as a weak carina on each side. Clypeus with surface transversely rugose; triangular to trapezoidal, apex weakly narrowed, with 2 small teeth; teeth reflexed, widely separated (about 1.2–1.4 tooth diameters). Interocular distance equals 3.6–3.8 times the transverse ocular diameter. Antennal club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7. Mandibles with 2 apical and one basal rounded lobe. Pronotum: Surface with shallow, small punctures, denser and deeper on anterior and posterior angles. Apical tubercle small, only as a small transverse tumescence ( Fig. 145 ). Subapical fovea narrow, oval to elongate, shallow, rugose and finely punctate ( Fig. 146 ). Scutellum: Surface with 2 lines of punctures parallel to lateral borders. Elytra: Surface with deep, large punctures, some smaller between intervals; 3 pairs of double rows of punctures; elytral suture present. Pygidium : Basal third strongly punctate and rugose in males, nearly smooth in females. Disc with sparse, small punctures. Apex rugose in males, smooth in females. Surface weakly convex in males, nearly flat in females. Legs: Protibia tridentate, teeth subequally spaced. Male protarsus simple, not enlarged. Apex of the metatibia slightly crenulate, nearly truncate; apical margin with 14 – 17 spinules. Apex of first metatarsomere triangularly expanded. Venter: Prosternal process long, extending beyond procoxae; apex flat, large, nearly oval, posterior half bordered by long yellow setae. Parameres: Base broad; lateral teeth large and with apex acute; apical third nearly straight and with 2 small lobed projections on each apex ( Figs. 147–148 ). Spiculum gastrale: Base larger than lateral branches, apex broad ( Fig. 149 ).

Diagnosis. Although this species is similar to T. gyas , T. maternus is characterized by having a longitudinal pronotal fovea and scutellum with deep punctures that form lines parallel to the lateral margins. Moreover, T. gyas has about 24–25 spinules on the apex of the metatibia, whereas T. maternus has only about 14–17.

Locality records. ( Fig. 150 ) 12 specimens, 4♂, 8♀. Specimens were seen from CIUQ, CTI, ICN, MEFLG, MPUJ. Cundinamarca (2): La Esperanza (1). Quetame (1). Meta (8): Villavicencio (4); Río Ocoa (4). Valle del Cauca (2): Buenaventura, La Bocana (1). Calima, C. Alegre (1).

Temporal distribution. April (5), May (1), June (2), December (4).

Distribution. Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia ( Endrödi 1969), Costa Rica ( Ratcliffe 2003), Honduras, Nicaragua ( Ratcliffe & Cave 2006), and Venezuela ( Escalona & Joly 2006). In Colombia, the species was found only in the departments of Cundinamarca, Meta, and Valle del Cauca. However, it was reported by Restrepo- Giraldo et al. (2003) in Putumayo, by Endrödi (1969) in Chocó, and by Pardo-Locarno et al. (2012) in five additional departments: Antioquia, Cesar, Córdoba, La Guajira, and Sucre.

Natural history. The species was found principally in lowlands, from sea level to 450 m.

Figures

FIGURES 144 – 150. Tomarus maternus. 144) habitus in dorsal view, 145) habitus in lateral view, 146) head and pronotum in dorsal view, 147) parameres in frontal view, 148) parameres in lateral view, 149) spiculum gastrale, 150) locality records in Colombia.