Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) talamancana Morón and Solís, 2001

Morón, Miguel Angel & Solís, Angel, 2001, Seven New Species Of Phyllophaga (S. Str.) Harris From Costa Rica (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Melolonthinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (1), pp. 11-29 : 22-24

Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) talamancana Morón and Solís , new species

Figs. 18–21

Holotype. Male. Clypeus, frons and pronotum shiny dark reddish brown; elytra light brown with iridescent luster, head and pronotum with abundant, erect, long setae; elytra with abundant, erect, long setae around scutellum and toward the apex, near suture, and vestiture of uniformly distributed short setae on rest of surface; mouthparts, sterna, pygidium and legs shiny reddish brown. Clypeus 4.2× wider than long, anterior border very scarcely sinuate, with poorly elevated margin, surface shallowly concave, with scarce irregularly distributed, deep, round shaped punctures, each with short setae. Frontoclypeal suture sinuate and deeply impressed. Frons 2.3× wider than long, convex, with reduced number of coarse wide punctures, with long slender setae at sides and on disk. Antenna 10­segmented, with 3­segmented club, lamellae of 8th to 10th segments 1.1× longer than length of preceeding 6 segments combined. Frons 4.0× wider than dorsal diameter of eye. Eye canthus long and wide, with 6–7 setae. Labrum bilobed, widely sinuate, with scattered slender setae. Mentum slightly convex, with 4 punctures in a transverse row, and long slender setae near the borders; anterior border briefly sinuate. Pronotum 1.4× wider than long and 2.7× wider than frons. Pronotal disk shiny, with deep, round punctures irregularly separated from one another by 1–7 diameters; lateral borders widely angled, lateral marginal bead crenulate, with regularly located, long, slender setae; basal bead indicated by punctures mainly toward the sides; anterior angles acute, clearly prominent; posterior angles obtuse, slighly prominent. Scutellum 1.5× wider than long, with some deep punctures each with short setae. Elytron 3.0× longer than wider, shiny, densely punctate; epipleural border very narrow, extended along the complete margin, provided with setae along first half, setae diminishing in size anteroposteriorly from long to minute; humeral callus rounded, prominent; apical callus rounded. Metathoracic wings completely developed. Propygidium shiny, densely punctate, setose. Pygidium moderately convex, shiny, shallowly punctate rugose with scattered erect setae; apical margin with 19 long, slender setae; basal margin effaced medially. Pterosternon with long, dense, yellowish setae. Visible abdominal sternites II–IV convex, smooth and glabrous near midline; sternite V convex, shiny, densely punctate with short setae at midline and sparse punctures with mixed long and short setae toward sides; anal plate narrowed, with a transverse shallow concavity and longitudinal furrow at midline, anterior and posterior borders slightly elevated, near the posterior border with 23 erect setae. Protibia slightly shorter than protarsus (0.9:1), with external border tridentate, basal tooth short, preapical spur acute, nearly straight, as long as 2nd protarsomere. Mesotibia with one oblique, sharp, setiferous carina on external side; upper apical spur straight, narrow, and 1.1× longer than lower spur. Metatibia 0.9× shorter than metatarsus, with one oblique, sharp, setiferous carina on external side; upper apical spur articulated, curved, with apex rounded, 1.1× longer than basal metatarsomere, and 1.4× longer than lower spur; lower apical spur articulated with tibial border, with rounded apex. Tarsomeres semicylindrical, not much elongate, with enlarged apex, some setae apically and ventrally one longitudinal carina with a line of short setae at each side. Protaromeres 1– 4 with poorly developed subapical tubercles. Tarsal claws symmetrical, similar on all legs, each with large acute tooth at middle of ventral border and with finely serrate border toward the base ( Fig. 18 ). Genital capsule with short parameres, dorsally and ventrally fused, ring­shaped, apex widely notched, ventrally with preapical minute, toothlike projections. Aedeagus long, with large preapical patches of spinules and strong sclerotized support with dorsal brush of long setae directed to the apex; basally with a pair of dorsal rounded, membranous sac­like structures ( Figs. 19–20 ). Tectum uniformly convex. Length of genital capsule from apex of parameres to border of basal piece: 5 mm. Total body length: 19.1 mm. Humeral width: 8.0 mm.

Allotype. Female. Similar to the male except as follows: visible abdominal sternites II to V less convex; anal plate 1.5× longer than male anal plate, convex, punctate, with 60 scattered slender setae. Metafemur 1.3× wider than femur of male. Metatibia at the apex 1.4× wider than male metatibia. Both apical spurs of metatibia articulated, wider than in the male. Pygidium less convex. Ventral genital plates moderately sclerotized, nearly symmetrical, ovate; dorsal plates narrowed, curved, with scattered setae at apex and distal border, apparently articulated baso­laterally with ventral plates ( Fig. 21 ). Total body length: 19.3 mm. Humeral width: 8.3 mm.

Paratype Variation. Male. Similar to holotype except in total body length: 18.2 mm, humeral width: 8.0 mm. Female. Similar to allotype except in total body length: 18.7 mm, humeral width: 8.0 mm, elytra of some specimens darker than allotype.

Type Series. Described from 4 males and 4 females. Holotype male ( INBIO): ‘‘ COSTA RICA: Puntarenas, Sendero a Cerro Pittier , 600 m al Noroeste de la Estación Pittier , 1,750 m, 15­VII­96, M. Moraga. ’’ Allotype female ( INBIO): ‘‘ COSTA RICA: Puntarenas, Buenos Aires, Sector Altamira , 1 km Suroeste del Cerro Biolley , 1,150–1,350 m, X­1994, Z. Fuentes .’’ Paratypes: same data as allotype except ‘‘ 1,300–1,450 m, XI­94, M. Segura’ ’ (1 male, 1 female); Puntarenas, NO Estación Pittier , Sendero Altamira, 4­X­95, 1,700– 1,740 m, M. Moraga, INBIO CR 1002 468647 (1 male); Puntarenas, PILA­ACLA , Estación Pittier, 5/ 18­I­95, 1,670 m, R. Villalobos, INBIO CR 1002 183335 (1 female); ‘‘ COSTA RICA: Cartago, Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Tapantı´ , Quebrada Segunda, 1,250 m, IV­92, G. Mora’ ’ (1 male, 1 female). Paratypes deposited in INBIO and MXAL.

Type Locality. Falda Sur del Cerro Pittier , Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica (9°01'450N; 82°57'550W).

Biological Data. Four males and three females of P. talamancana n.sp. were collected at lights in grasslands, near the forest, and one female was collected at lights in premontane rain forest, located between 1,250 –1,750 m of altitude. Phenology: January (1), April (2), July (1), October (2), November (2). Other species of Phyllophaga flying at the same time and places were: P. nevermannea Saylor, P. orosina Moser, P. tapantina n. sp.

Remarks. Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) talamancana n. sp. is not closely related with any known species group (sensu Morón 1986). The general structure of the last sternites, shape of tarsal claws and the length of antennal club in the males suggest a vague relation with some species in the ‘‘ schizorhina ’’ group, and the sculpture of the head and pronotum resemble some species in the ‘‘ blanchardi ’’ group. The shape and details of the male genital capsule, sculpture of the pronotum, pygidium and sternites, body luster and color will aid to separate this species from other Costarican Phyllophaga .

Etymology. Derived from ‘‘Cordillera de Talamanca’’ that comprises the majority of the geographic range where this species lives.

Figures

Figs. 18–21. Phyllophaga talamancana. 18) protarsal claw, male; 19) genital capsule, lateral view; 20) paramera, distal view; 21) genital plates, female. Scale lines 5 1 mm, except Fig. 18 5 0.5 mm.