Agrilinellus azteca ( Harold, 1863 ) Dellacasa & Dellacasa & Gordon, 2008

Dellacasa, Marco, Dellacasa, Giovanni & Gordon, Robert D., 2008, Agrilinellus, new genus and four new species of Mexican Aphodiini (Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (53), pp. 1-16 : 8-10

Agrilinellus azteca ( Harold, 1863) , new combination

( Fig. 11-20 , 45 )

Aphodius azteca Harold, 1863: 381 ; Bates, 1887: 84 ( A. aztecus [sic]); Blackwelder, 1944: 212 ( A. aztecus ).

Aphodius encaustus Deyrolle teste Harold, 1863 (nomen nudum); Dellacasa 1988: 348.

Aphodius euprosopus Bates, 1887: 87 ; Blackwelder, 1944: 212; Dellacasa et al. 1998: 155 (lectotype designation); Dellacasa et al. 2002: 183.

Aphodius (Agrilinus) azteca ; Schmidt, 1913: 164; Dellacasa 1988: 94; Dellacasa et al. 1998: 153.

Aphodius multimaculosus Hinton, 1934: 190 ; Blackwelder, 1944: 212; Skelley et al. 2007: 2 (as synonym of Agrilinus azteca ).

Aphodius (Chilothorax) multimaculosus ; Dellacasa 1988: 140.

Aphodius (Chilothorax) euprosopus ; Dellacasa 1988: 126.

Agrilinus azteca ; Dellacasa et al. 2002: 163; Skelley et al. 2007: 2.

Type locality. Mexico .

Type repository. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle. Paris. (Lectotype male designated by Dellacasa et al. 1998: 53)

Description. Length 4.0-5.0 mm; oval, moderately convex, shiny, almost glabrous. Blackish, front angles of pronotum vaguely reddish; legs brownish-red; antennal club blackish (typical color pattern, Fig. 17 ); sometimes elytra yellowish with several small blackish spots (color pattern of A. euprosopus Bates, 1887 , Fig. 12 ), or elytra basally yellowish with small blackish spots on the distal half, with a wide blackish band, apex yellowish ( Fig. 13 ), or elytra basally blackish posteriorly with two oblique bands of small blackish spots each other joined by opposite angles ( Fig. 14 ), or elytra with three oblique bands of small blackish spots each other joined by opposite angles (color pattern of A. multimaculosus Hinton, 1934 ; Fig. 15 ), or elytra blackish with juxtasutural interval, lateral margins and apex yellowish ( Fig. 16 ). Head with epistome feebly gibbous, distinctly regularly punctured; clypeus sinuate at middle, subangulate at sides, thinly bordered, edge feebly upturned near front angles; genae obtusely rounded, sparsely shortly ciliate, protruding more than eyes; frontal suture feebly trigibbous; frons distinctly evenly punctured. Pronotum transverse, moderately convex, dually punctured, with narrow impunctate longitudinal area on disc; large punctures, two to three times larger than small, irregularly sparse, denser on sides; small punctures rather evenly scattered throughout; lateral margins nearly straight, distinctly bordered, edge glabrous; hind angles obtusely rounded; base faintly bisinuate, distinctly bordered. Scutellum distinctly punctured on basal two thirds. Elytra oval, convex, denticulate at humerus, distinctly striate; striae punctured, feebly crenulate; intervals flat, the discal ones densely punctured, the lateral more coarsely punctured, with extremely short and sparse hairs toward apex. Hind tibiae superior apical spur shorter than first tarsal segment; latter nearly as long as following three combined. Male: head and pronotum relatively more transverse, less convex and less densely punctured; frontal suture distinctly trigibbous; aedeagus Fig. 19-20 . Female: head and pronotum relatively less transverse, strongly convex and densely punctured; frontal suture with gibbosities nearly obsolete.

Material examined. MEXICO, Guerrero: Omiltemi , 25.VII.1965, leg. Halffter G., 140 ex. ( CNCO) ; idem, 26.VII.1965, leg. Halffter G., 52 ex. ( CNCO) ; México: Ixtaccihuatl , 12.IV.1953, leg. Halffter G., 2 ex. ( USNM) ; Paso de Cortes , 19 o 05’11.4"N- 98 o 38’47.1"W, m 3300, 24.VII.2004, leg. Dellacasa M., cow dung, 2 ex. ( DCGC) ; Río Frío , 6.V.1962, leg. Reyes P. & Olguín M., 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; Volcan Popocatepetl , ca. 12000', 30.VII-1.VIII.1969, leg. Peck S. & J., 1 ex. ( HAHC) ; Michoacán: Michoacán, 1.VI.1946, leg. Forshag W. F., 2 ex. ( USNM) ; Oaxaca: Llano de las Flores, Aserradero Atepec , 17 o 26’37.1"N- 96 o 30’12.2"W, m 1600, 12.V.2003, leg. Martínez I. & Suarez T., 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; cam. Oaxaca-Tuxtepec, Km 190, m 2470, 7.VII.2000, leg. Martínez I., tronco de encino, 3 ex. ( DCGC) ; S. Domingo Ozolotepec, 4.7 Km NNW S. D. Ozolotepec , 16 o 15’00"N- 96 o 32’18"W, m 2720, 4.IX.2005, leg. Abundis, Carrillo & Vaz de Mello , 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; Santo Domingo Yanhuitlan env., 17 o 32’36.2"N- 97 o 22’18.2"W, m 2362, 1.VII.2007, leg. Dellacasa M., Fresi C. & Martínez I., 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; Real de Arriba, Temescaltepec [= Temascaltepec], 13.VII.1933, 1 ex. ( USNM) ; Salazar , 16.XI.1956, leg. Halffter G. & V., 6 ex. ( USNM) ; Puebla: carr. Puebla-Paso de Cortes , 19 o 05’20.5"N- 98 o 36’25.1"W, m 3365, 17.VII.2006, leg. Martínez I., Suarez S., Gonzalez O., Cabrero F. & Trotta N., 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; idem, 14.VIII.2006, 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; San Nicolas de los Ranchos-Paso de Cortes , 19 o 05’50.5"N- 98 o 36’51.0"W, m 3350, 10.VII.2006, leg. Dellacasa M., Fresi C. & Martínez I., cow dung, 2 ex. ( DCGC) ; Tlaxco , 5 mi N, 26.VIII.1965, leg. Spangler P. J., 1 ex. ( USNM) ; Veracruz: Cruz Blanca , 24.II.1993, 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; caminoex. a Potrero Nuevo, Cuiyachapa , 15.XI.1994, leg. Arellano L. & Zunino M., potrero, bosque de Pino, col. directa, excr. oveja, 5 ex. ( DCGC, pesc) ; Cuiyachapa, Mpio. Coscomatepec , 6.II.1999, leg. Alvarado M., en boñiga, 9 ex. ( DCGC) ; idem, 8.III.1999, leg. Alvarado M. & Cruz M., 3 ex. ( DCGC) ; Cuiyachapa env., Mpio. Coscomatepec , 14.X.1998, leg. Cruz M. & Sosa J., 1 ex. ( DCGC) ; camino a Est. Las Lajas , 13.VI.1994, leg. Arellano L. & Sanchez P., excr. borrego, 3 ex. ( DCGC) ; Las Vigas , 4.5 mi S, 9000’, 19-20.VII.1973, leg. Newton A., 508DH, 1 ex. ( HAHC) . GUATEMALA, San Marcos, 11.5 Km NW San Marcos, m 3000, 24-25.V.1973, 1 ex. ( USNM) .

Distribution. Mexico (Guerrero, Hidalgo, México, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz), Guatemala.

Bionomics. This species is a year-round generalist dung feeder found in cow, horse and sheep dung.

Figures

Figure 11-20. Agrilinellus azteca (Harold, 1863) (Cruz Blanca, Veracruz, Mexico). 11) Habitus of male (morphological details). 12-17) Color variation. 18) Epipharynx. 19-20) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral view).

Figure 43-46. Agrilinellus spp., dorsal habitus. 43) A. abbonai new species (S. Pedro Jácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico). 44) A. oaxacaensis new species (Guelatao env., Oaxaca, Mexico). 45) A. azteca (Harold, 1863) (caminoex. a Potrero Nuevo, Cuiyachapa, Veracruz, Mexico). 46) A. chiapasensis (Galante et al., 2003) (Monte Cristo, 23 Km N Metapán, El Salvador).