Achia uniformis Clark and Burke, 2007

López-Guerrero, Irma, 2007, Figs. 30 – 33. Attavicinus monstrosus. 30 in Comparison of Mouthpart Morphology of Three Species of Mexican Oniticellini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in Relation to Their Trophic Habits, The Coleopterists Bulletin 24 (4), pp. 542-550 : 546-548

Achia uniformis Clark and Burke , new species

( Figs. 3, 4 )

Description. Body ( Figs. 3, 4 ) stout; length 2.8–3.2 mm, width 1.7–1.8 mm. Integument mostly ferruginous, darker on head, rostrum, pronotum, and thoracic sterna. Head, rostrum, pronotum, elytra, sterna and legs with admixture of elongate, cretaceous, fulvous and ferruginous scales; pleural regions of thorax with broad, densely imbricate, cretaceous scales; scales on abdominal sterna and legs longer. Elytra ( Fig. 4 ) without discal patch; sutural interstriae with small, distinct middorsal spot of dark ferruginous to fuscous scales; vestiture consisting predominantly of fulvous scales, but cretaceous scales present in scattered patches, and darker ferruginous to fuscous scales dense on high points of basal prominence on interstria 3 and on narrow, median and posteromedian, horizontal, subapical bands. Vestiture of prothorax ( Fig. 4 ) consisting of admixture of ferruginous and ochreous scales and with cretaceous scales in indistinct median vitta and diffuse horizontal band. Rostrum ( Fig. 3 ) slightly, evenly curved; wider at base than at apex in dorsal view; subequal in length to length of prothorax along midline; densely rugose-punctate and sparsely covered with scales well apicad of antennal attachments; proximal portion tricarinate in apical two-thirds; lateral rostral groove well defined, with strongly carinate dorsal margin and with narrow scales. Antennae attached in distal one-third of rostrum in both sexes; scape strongly enlarged in apical one-fifth, apex curved outward; funicular segment 1 strongly clavate, about as long as following three segments combined; segment 2 slender, 2–3X longer than broad, about as long as next two segments combined; following five segments approximately same length, 6 and 7 slightly broader than others; club elongate-oval, segments tightly joined, much shorter than preceding funicular segments combined. Head with frons flat, without median carina; scales denser and broader around eyes than medially on frons; frontal fovea not visible. Prothorax ( Fig. 4 ) 1.4–1.5X wider than long; sides subparallel at base, evenly rounded to subapical constriction; integument closely, coarsely, evenly punctate on disc; scales on disc slender, uniformly recumbent; disc with admixture of ferruginous and ochreous scales and cretaceous scales; with broad pleural vitta of dense, broad, imbricate cretaceous scales. Scutellum ( Fig. 4 ) narrow, less than 2X longer than wide, densely covered with cretaceous scales. Elytra ( Fig. 4 ) distinctly wider than prothorax at base; interstria 3, but not 5 and 7, strongly elevated at extreme base; sides slightly convergent from behind humeri to apex. Pygidium simple, somewhat flattened medially. Venter with elongate, cretaceous scales; scales slightly broader and denser on meso- and metasterna, more slender on abdominal sterna. Abdominal sternum 1 along midline about as long as sterna 2 and 3 combined; sternum 2 distinctly longer than 3; sterna 3 and 4 subequal in length; sternum 5 unmodified, distinctly longer than sternum 3, shorter than 3 and 4 combined. Genitalia of male with body of aedeagus slightly curved throughout most of length and slightly more curved at apex in lateral view, with slight, ventral, subapical prominence; in dorsal view, sides of body of aedeagus slightly curved, slightly narrowed to subtruncate apex; endophallus with numerous minute spines, with one Y-shaped sclerite. Legs with long, slender, cretaceous to fulvous scales, more hair-like on tibiae; profemur 3.1– 3.4X longer than broad; male metatibia in anterior view slightly expanded in apical one-third, with minute, apical uncus.

Discussion. Achia uniformis closely resembles the next species with which it is sympatric and from which it is distinguished by the characters in the key. The stout body, short, acutely pointed rostrum, and chevron-shaped sutural spot of dark scales on the disc of the elytra are distinct features of A. uniformis .

Host Relationships. No host data are available for A. uniformis , but given the knowledge of hosts of the related A. urvilleae and A. boliviana , its larvae may be expected to develop in fruits of Urvillea .

Distribution. Achia uniformis is known only from Bolivia.

Type Material. Holotype, male, Bolivia: Bolivien/Germain. Coll. Kraatz. MUSEUM PARIS 1949/Col. A. HUSTACHE. a. boliviana /m./ var. uniformis /m. ( MNHN). Paratypes (total, 3), 1 male, Bolivien/Germain. Coll. Kraatz. MUSEUM PARIS/1949/Col. A. HUSTACHE. PHOTO. ( MNHN). 1 male, Bolivien/Germain. MUSEUM PARIS/1949/Col. A. HUSTACHE. Coll. Kraatz. specimen/photographed. ( MNHN). 1 male, Bolivia/Coroico/Germain. Coll. Kuschel. Achia /0002 ( NZAC).

Figures

Figs. 3–4. Achia uniformis: habitus, male, Bolivia. 1) lateral view; 2) dorsal view.