Aspidolea Bates, 1888

Moore, Matthew R., Cave, Ronald D. & Branham, Marc A., 2018, Synopsis of the cyclocephaline scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae), ZooKeys 745, pp. 1-99 : 43-45

Aspidolea Bates, 1888

Type species.

Aspidolea singularis Bates, 1888: 296-297, by monotypy.

Valid taxa.

26 species.

Aspidolea contains 26 species ranging from northern Mexico south through South America (Fig. 54) ( Endrődi 1966, 1985a, Ratcliffe 2003, Ratcliffe and Cave 2006, Ratcliffe et al. 2013). The genus includes both widespread and narrowly distributed species. Most Aspidolea (22 of 26 species) are known only from a few South American localities. In contrast, A. fuliginea and A. singularis occur from Mexico south to Argentina and Ecuador, respectively. Bates (1888) described Aspidolea based upon the "elongate and robust" yet toothless maxillary galea found in the type species A. singularis . Bates (1888) noted a similar reduction in maxillary teeth in " Cyclocephala fuliginea Burmeister" and Ancognatha species. Aspidolea contained only A. singularis for over 30 years until Höhne (1922a, b, c) recircumscribed the genus and placed many new species into the group.

Höhne (1922a) offered an expanded diagnosis of Aspidolea using characters of the clypeus (sides parallel at base with apical margin perpendicular to the sides), maxilla (toothless and with penicillate setae at the apex), and dorsum (yellow to brownish coloration and generally lacking maculae) to distinguish the genus. Cyclocephala clypeata Burmeister and C. laticeps Harold were transferred into Aspidolea along with ten new species described by Höhne (1922a). The new genus Paraspidolea was erected to contain species similar to Aspidolea , but with at least two small teeth present at the apex of the galea ( Höhne 1922a). Six new species were included in Paraspidolea along with the Burmeister species C. fuliginea ( Höhne 1922a, b). The subgenus Aspidolea (Aspidolites) was erected to contain the species A. atricollis Höhne ( Höhne 1923c). The homonym Aspidolites Höhne was replaced with Aspidolella ( Prell 1936). Aspidolea atricollis is conspecific with C. histrionica Burmeister ( Endrődi 1966), and the subgenus Aspidolella is considered a synonym of Cyclocephala . Paraspidolea was also synonymized within Aspidolea ( Endrődi 1966).

The last major contribution to the knowledge of Aspidolea was provided by Dechambre (1992). Dechambre (1992) described three new Aspidolea species, which he included in the " Aspidolea helleri species-group" along with A. helleri ( Höhne) and A. chalumeaui Endrődi. These species were placed into the " helleri species-group" based on the bidentate form of the protibial margin in males. This male protibial character is shared with species formerly included in Mimeoma and some Cyclocephala species (like C. amazona ) (see Moore et al. 2015). The dorsal coloration of the " helleri species-group", especially the elongated, triangular maculae found along the elytral suture, is like that found in some former Mimeoma species (especially Cyclocephala acuta Arrow and C. englemani (Ratcliffe)). These characters suggest that Aspidolea may not be monophyletic as presently defined.

There is little available biological data for Aspidolea species. Aspidolea adults seem to be readily attracted to lights at night and can occasionally be collected in large numbers ( Ratcliffe and Cave 2006, Touroult et al. 2010, Grossi et al. 2011). Floral association data for Aspidolea are mostly lacking. Aspidolea fuliginea were collected in male- and female-phase inflorescences of Oenocarpus bataua Mart. ( Arecaceae ) in Colombia, though they were only sporadically encountered ( Núñez-Avellaneda and Rojas-Robles 2008). In French Guiana, A. quadrata Endrődi was collected from the inflorescence of Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott ( Araceae ) ( Gibernau et al. 2003, Ponchel 2006). Neita-Moreno et al. (2007) described the larva and pupa of A. singularis . Larvae of A. singularis were collected from soil beneath cultivated cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz; Euphorbiaceae ) in Colombia ( Neita-Moreno et al. 2007).

Aspidolea species can be recognized by the following combination of characters: 1) dorsal coloration highly variable, with or without black or brown maculae on the pronotum and elytra; 2) body not anteroposteriorly compressed or dorsoventrally flattened; 3) clypeus robust and broad, with sides more or less parallel at base, appearing quadrate in dorsal view; 4) frontoclypeal suture complete medially; 5) males with anterolateral margin of the mandibles weakly toothed (in A. fuliginea ) or not; 6) mandibular molar area with rows of circular micropunctures; 7) apical margin of mentum broadly and deeply (nearly to level of labial palp insertion) emarginated; 8) galea of maxilla dorsoventrally flattened; 9) dentition of galea of maxilla variable, inner surface of galea lacking teeth or with reduced teeth (2 small, yet obvious teeth at the apex with 1 greatly reduced tooth at the base, presence or absence of medial teeth varies among species, teeth often obscured by dense setae); 10) apex of galea with dense brush of penicillate setae; 11) pronotum with broadly incomplete or complete beaded basal margin; 12) males with 2 or 3 protibial teeth, females with 3 protibial teeth, when 3 teeth are present, basal tooth reduced, removed from the more apical 2 teeth, and oriented laterally; 13) protibial spur straight to weakly deflexed or strongly deflexed; 14) males with inner protarsal claw enlarged and entire (not cleft with a small ramus) or narrowly cleft at apex; 15) mesocoxae widely separated; 16) meso- and metatibiae with distal, transverse carinae; 17) metacoxae with lateral edge acutely angled with respect to ventral surface; 18) anterior edge of hindwing distal to apical hinge lacking setae and with produced, membranous border; 19) vein RA with 2 rows of pegs extending distally nearly to margin of apical hinge.