New species and a new subgenus of South American Neoathyreus Howden and Martínez (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae: Athyreini)
Author
Howden, Henry F.
text
Zootaxa
2006
1137
37
52
journal article
50681
10.5281/zenodo.273398
ae452b89-2798-4a2a-8bd9-963dead78ebc
11755326
273398
Neoathyreus antennatus
,
new species
(
Figs. 7–11
)
Holotype
.
Male, length
12.8 mm
, greatest width
8.3 mm
. Dorsally reddish brown. Clypeus with both oblique anterior and posterior carinae well developed; median tubercle almost twice height of lateral tubercle on each side, anterior surface slightly slanted posteriorly; posterior carina on each side not depressed below level of lateral tubercles. Vertex between eyes almost flat, coarsely, closely granulate. Gena sparsely granulate near base, glabrous laterally, margin reflexed. Antenna with unusually thickened club (
Fig. 9
), appearing oval in both lateral and ventral views, club not unlike those of many bolboceratines. Pronotum (
Figs. 7, 8
) with small fossa on each side contiguous with marginal bead posterior to eye; fossa approximately equal in diameter to width of adjacent bead. Anterior pronotal margin between fossae elevated to distinct tubercle on bead at midline. Pronotum with inner carina on each side arising approximately 1.0 mm posterior to fossa, carina anteriorly abruptly elevated to rounded, abruptly obtuse angle, angle not slanted inwardly, carina posterior to angle not broken, gradually bowed inwardly to termination about
0.6 mm
from posterior margin; pronotal concavity deepest between obtuse angles, becoming shallow posteriorly, midline in median half of pronotum narrowly glabrous, remainder of concavity punctaterugose, many punctures each with erect, inconspicuous, tan seta. Outer carinae obsolete. Lateral pronotal fovea on each side small, circular; margin below fovea not indented, bead uninterrupted; surface laterad to inner carinae granulate, setose. Elytron lacking distinct striae or elevated intervals, four striae indicated at base by vague indentations, two intervals indistinctly elevated; surface of elytral disc granulatepunctate, most punctures each with semierect seta. Metasternum between middle coxae very slightly convex, midline slightly impressed, anterior edge medially forming wide, obtuse angle; metasternal surface setosegranulate. Foretibia with six teeth on outer margin. Genitalia as in
Figs. 10, 11
.
Allotype.
Female, length
11.2 mm
, greatest width
7.5 mm
. Differing from male as follows: clypeus with anterior carina on each side bowed upward to midline, forming sharp, obtuse angle; from obtuse angle carina then extending posteriorly along midline to median tubercle; this tubercle only slightly anterior to lateral tubercle on each side, tubercles of equal size; posterior carina on each side only slightly bowed and elevated to median tubercle, length of median and posterior carinae approximately equal; vertex slightly more granulate; pronotum with tubercle on anterior median marginal bead less elevated; inner pronotal carina with obtuse angle lower, less rounded, separated by
0.8 mm
less than in
holotype
(function of size); concavity reduced in width and depth; elytron with no indication of elevated intervals; foretibia with basal sixth tooth minute.
Type
Series.
Holotype
, male,
Bolivia
, Do. Sta Cruz, Pica Ichilo, Buena Vista,
Oct. 1949
, coll. Martínez. H. & A. Howden coll. ex A. Martínez coll. (
CMNC
). Allotype, female, same data as
holotype
(
HAHC
).
Paratypes
,
4 males
,
2 females
.
Bolivia
:
4 males
,
1 female
, Prov. Ichilo, Depto Santa Cruz,
3–5 km
SSE of Buena Vista, ±
440 m
, Febr. 5–12, 2000, 17 29' 96"
S 63 39'
13" W. W. B. Warner;
1 female
, Santa Cruz, Lomas de Arena Bol. Pk.
10.II.1999
, L. A. Stange.
Paratypes
are in:
FSCA
,
HAHC
,
NKMC
,
WBWC
.
Excluded from
type
series (see remarks):
1 female
,
Argentina
, Corrientes, Alto Parana, Ituzaingo,
Oct. 1975
, coll Martínez (
HAHC
).
Remarks.
The four male
paratypes
range from
10.5 to 11.3 mm
in length and from
6.8 to 7.5 mm
in greatest width. The single female
paratype
is
11.1 mm
in length and
7.5 mm
in greatest width. In two males the outer pronotal carina on each side between the inner carina and the posterior angle is vaguely indicated by an indistinct elevation or small glabrous area. In the smallest specimen the pronotal cavity is shallower than the others and the anterior angle of the inner carina on each side is abruptly obtuse. One small male has only five teeth evident on the foretibia. The apical lobes of the male genitalia vary slightly in size and shape, but all have the outer angle sharply acute. Other variation is minimal.
The single female from Corrientes,
Argentina
, is almost certainly
N. antennatus
, but because of the distance between Corrientes and the
type
locality, a male is needed to verify its identity. Also, there is the possibility that the specimen is mislabeled.
Neoathyreus antennatus
and the related species,
N. goyasensis
(Boucomont)
, are, as far as I know, the only two described species in the genus that have the antennal club greatly thickened and oval in both sexes. In
N. goyasensis
the inner pronotal carina posterior to the anterior angle of the carina is interrupted for a short distance; it is complete in
N. antennatus
.
Although the male genitalia of the two species differ mainly in the shape of the inner part of the apical lobes, the known range of the two species will separate them. The species,
N. acutus
Howden
, which is partly sympatric with
N. antennatus
and superficially resembles it, lacks the thickened antennal club and has the outer pronotal carinae distinct. No other described species is likely to be confused with
N. antennatus
.
Etymology.
The name “
antennatus
” refers to the unusual antennal club.