Onorius inexpectatus Frolov

Frolov, Andrey V. & Vaz-De-Mello, Fernando Z., 2015, A new genus and species of Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) associated with epiphytes in an Andean cloud forest in Ecuador, Zootaxa 4007 (3), pp. 433-436 : 434-435

Onorius inexpectatus Frolov & Vaz-de-Mello, new species

Type material. Holotype, male: “ ECUADOR COTOPAXI OTONGA 1900 m 3FEB1998 GOnore // Ex docel 16 m de alture” ( QCAZ). Paratypes: 2 females with the same data as the holotype but the label “Ex docel 16 m de alture” ( QCAZ, CEMT); 2 females, “ ECUADOR COTOPAXI OTONGA AUG1996 FRios” ( QCAZ, ZIN); 1 female, “ ECUADOR COTOPAXI LAS PALMAS 1800m 04DEC1994 ETapia” ( CEMT); 1 female, “ ECUADOR COTOPAXI SIGCHOS ASACHE 1800m 31DEC1995 ETapia” ( QCAZ).

Holotype description. Male (Fig. 1). Body length 9.6 mm, width of elytra 4.5 mm, width of pronotum 3.8 mm. Color uniform black.

FIGURES. Onorius inexpectatus . 1–2—habitus (1— holotype, male, 2— paratype, female), 3— holotype, aedeagus in lateral and dorsal view, 4—locality map.

Clypeus rounded anteriorly, with weak sinuation on the right side making clypeus somewhat asymmetrical. Head densely punctate with round punctures separated by 2–3 puncture diameters. Head without traces of medial horn or tubercle. Mandibles and labrum not protruding past clypeus in dorsal view.

Pronotum 1.5 times wider than long, widest at basal 0.4 of its length. Anterior margin without border, basal and lateral margins bordered. Disc of pronotum with shallow fossa anteriorly and small tubercle apicad of this fossa. Surface of pronotum punctate with round punctures separated by 2–4 puncture diameters.

Scutellum triangular, narrowly rounded apically, about 1/15 length of elytra, with somewhat rugose surface.

Elytra convex, with marked humeral and apical humps, without ridges or other elevated areas. Maximum width approximately at the middle. Striae indistinct. Elytra punctate with round, moderately dense punctures separated by 2–4 puncture diameters; elytral punctures somewhat larger than those on pronotum. Base of elytra not bordered.

Wings fully developed.

Protibiae with 3 outer teeth and a smaller inner tooth. Lateral margin basad of outer teeth not crenulate. Apex and internal margin of tibia with a few slender setae. Protarsi well developed, about 2/3 length of protibiae. Claws 1/3 length of tarsomere 5. Tarsomere 5 as long as tarsomeres 2–4 combined, somewhat thicker than other tarsomeres. Tarsomere 1 as long as tarsomeres 2–4. Ventral surface of femora punctate with elongate punctures.

Mesolegs and metalegs similar in shape; metafemora and metatibiae about 1.2 times longer than mesofemora and mesotibiae. Femora sparsely punctate with elongate punctures. Tibiae somewhat triangular, with two apical spurs. Upper tibial spur as long as tarsomeres 1–3; lower spur as long as or a bit longer than tarsomere 1. Claws 1/3 length of tarsomere 5. Tarsomere 5 relatively robust, as wide as the other tarsomeres, as long as tarsomeres 2–4 combined, and as long as tarsomere 1.

Abdominal sternites punctate with elongate punctures. Sternite 8 about 2 times wider than sternites 4–7 medially. Pygidium transverse, irregularly punctate, partly hidden under elytra.

Aedeagus. Phallobase tube-shaped, 1.3 times longer than parameres. Parameres are of complex shape, with 3 processes apically but without setation (Fig. 3). The shape of the parameres of O. inexpectatus is similar to that of a new species of Aegidium Westwood recently found in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion ( Frolov, Grossi & Vaz-de-Mello 2015). Except for the unusual shape of the parameres, the latter, however, has all the diagnostic characters of Aegidium and externally is dissimilar to O. inexpectatus . It is possible that the complex shape of the parameres is a plesiomorphic character state and thus does not suggest close relationships of the two taxa.

Paratypes. All the paratypes are females differing from the male in having a fully developed apical protibial spur, no inner apical tooth, convex pronotum without fossa and tubercle anteromedially, relatively narrower and more tapering apically pronotum (Fig 2), and longer abdominal sternites 8 and 7. Body length of the paratypes 9.0– 9.5 mm.

Distribution and habitat. The type series was collected in a small area in the Toachi River valley (Cotopaxi Province, Central Ecuador) (Fig. 4). The area is occupied by native cloud forest, characterized by a thick cloud layer covering the forest even in the dry season ( Jarrín 2001; Zunino 2007). The specimens were collected by sifting dead plant material accumulated between epiphytes and tree bark up to 16 m high (Giovanni Onore, Franz Ríos, personal communication). This is the first record of the Orphninae members collected form such a special habitat. Other orphnines, known from both New World and Old World, are presumably litter dwellers or specialist geobionts ( Paulian 1948; Gourvès 1988; Frolov 2012; Gradinarov & Petrova 2012). Further investigations of scarabs associated with epiphytes in the Andes may reveal other, yet unknown taxa.

Etymology. From Latin, “ inexpectatus ” for unexpected.