Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) balacachiana, Morón, Lugo-García & Aragón-García, 2015

Morón, Miguel Ángel, Lugo-García, Gabriel A. & Aragón-García, Agustín, 2015, Five new species of Phyllophaga (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) of northwestern Mexico, Florida Entomologist 98 (4), pp. 1036-1043 : 1036-1038

Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) balacachiana sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 and 2, 5–10 )

MALE HOLOTYPE

Body length 15.4 mm; humeral width 5.3 mm. Head reddish yellow, body and legs testaceous light yellowish ( Figs. 1–2 ). Clypeus wider than long (2.5:1.0), anterior border slightly curved, with margin clearly elevated, surface slightly convex at center, covered with punctures,glabrous. Frons wider than long (2.4:1.0), slightly concave, with irregularly distributed punctures, glabrous, 3.2 × wider than each eye’s dorsal diameter. Canthus with 10 setae. Vertex with a transverse carinate ridge. Occipital area without punctures. Antenna 10-segmented; with club 1.1 × longer than preceding 6 segments combined.

Pronotum wider than long (1.6:1.0) and 2.4 × wider than frons, but only 1.5 × wider than head including eyes. Pronotal disc with shallow, small punctures regularly separated and distributed on disc, but less dense near posterior half of midline; lateral margins obtusely angled, widest just behind middle, lateral marginal bead irregularly crenulate, with long, slender setae; anterior marginal bead without setae; anterior angles obtuse, not prominent; posterior angles widely obtuse, rounded. Scutellum 1.1 × wider than long, with 12 shallow, minute, round punctures. Elytron 3.0× longer than wide, with shallow, rugose, round punctures along the striae and weakly rugo-punctate interstriae, with scattered minute setae on disc, the only regular line of erect setae occurs along external border. Pterosternum with long, abundant light yellow setae. Protibia shorter than protarsus (1.0:1.5). Metatibia shorter than metatarsus (1.0:1.2). Tarsal claws regularly bi-pectinate ( Fig. 5 ).

Propygidium completely dull,regularly punctate,with scattered short setae. Pygidium strongly convex ( Fig. 2 ), prominent, glossy, with sparse, round,shallow setiferous punctures mainly at sides; apical margin with 9 medium-size setae. Fifh abdominal sternite slightly convex, weakly furrowed on midline; anal plate short, weakly furrowed on midline, with 20 short setae, posterior margin entire at middle. Parameres large, wide, fused dorsally ( Figs. 7–8 ), clearly dentate before apex, lateral border weakly carinate; tectum large, uniformly convex, with 2 basal rounded prominences; aedeagus much longer, sclerotized support curved downward and widely bifurcate apically ( Figs. 6–8 ). Length of genital capsule from the apex of parameres to the border of basal piece 5.8 mm.

FEMALE ALLOTYPE

Similar to male,except:Body length 15.2 mm.Humeral width 5.9 mm. Antennal club nearly as long as preceding 5 segments combined (1.1:1.0). Anterior border of clypeus nearly straight at middle. Punctation on clypeus, frons, pronotum, and elytra denser and deeper. Pygidium flattened on basal half, shallowly depressed on distal half, with scattered setiferous small punctures; marginal bead widened near apex, with 14 short setae. Fifh sternite widely convex with few lateral short setae. Anal plate convex, with numerous short and medium-size setae. Tarsal claws irregularly serrate-dentate along external ventral borders, and irregularly pectinate along internal ventral borders ( Fig. 10 ). Ventral genital plates irregularly concave, with apical border membranous, widely sinuate. Dorsal genital plates not fused, irregularly excavate, with rounded and irregularly reflexed apical border, with few short setae near the border ( Fig. 9 ).

VARIATION

Males. Total body length 16.2–17.0 mm. Humeral width 5.6–6.4 mm. Convexity grade of pygidial plate varies slightly between specimens, as well as number of setae. The pygidium in the specimen from Totoliboqui, Sonora, is more convex, and the setae on pygidial disc are longer; this specimen also has minute setae on the elytra.

Females. Total body length 16.5–17.0 mm. Humeral width 6.6–6.9 mm. One specimen from Las Praderas has a feeble longitudinal keel near the basal border of pygidium and medium-size setae on disc of the pygidium.

TYPE MATERIAL

HOLOTYPE: male — MEXICO: Sinaloa, El Fuerte , Sierra de Balacachi , 09-VIII-2010, 104 m, G. A. Lugo ( IEXA) . ALLOTYPE: female —same data as holotype ( IEXA) . PARATYPES: 6 males and 1 female —same data as holotype ( IEXA, MXAL) . PARATYPES: 1 female — MEXICO: Sinaloa, El Fuerte , Las Praderas , 29-VII-2010, 160 m, G. A. Lugo ( MasAgro) ; 1 male — Sonora, Huatabampo, Totoliboqui , 30-VII-2010, 78 m, G. A. Lugo ( UAS) .

TYPE LOCALITY

Sierra de Balacachi , Sinaloa, México (26°7'32.9 " N, 108°52'54.2 " W).

BIOLOGICAL DATA

Specimens of P. balacachiana were collected in tropical thorny forest, at 78–160 m elevation in Jul (2 specimens) and Aug (9 specimens). Other species of Phyllophaga flying at the same time and place were P. (Listrochelus) cristagalli (Arrow) , P. (L.) granti Saylor , and another undescribed species.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS

Phyllophaga balacachiana is very similar to P. granti Saylor , but in the latter the parameres have an acute projection dorsally, and the surface of elytra in both sexes is clothed with scattered minute setae. See modification of the Saylor (1940) key at the end of the P. tascatensis sp. nov. description.

ETYMOLOGY

The species epithet was derived from the indigenous language name “yoreme” of the type locality “Balacachi.”

Figures

Figs. 1–16. Habitus and morphological characters of Phyllophaga balacachiana, new species and Phyllophaga tascatensis, new species. 1–4. Habitus of males: 1–2. P. balacachiana, new species, 1. dorsal view, 2. lateral view; 3–4. P. tascatensis, new species, 3. lateral view, 4. dorsal view; scale bar = 2 mm. 5–10. Phyllophaga balacachiana, new species: 5. male tarsal claw; 6–8. male genital capsule: 6. lateral view, 7. distal view, 8. dorsal view; 9. female genital plates, ventral view; 10. female tarsal claw; scale bar = 1 mm, except in Figs. 5 and 10 = 0.5 mm. 11–16. Phyllophaga tascatensis, new species: 11. male tarsal claw; 12–14. male genital capsule: 12. lateral view, 13. distal view, 14. dorsal view; 15. female tarsal claw; 16. female genital plates, ventral view; scale bar = 1 mm, except in Figs. 11 and 15 = 0.5 mm.