Dendropaemon (Onthoecus) morettoi Génier & Arnaud, 2016

François Génier & Patrick Arnaud, 2016, Dendropaemon Perty, 1830: taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny of the morphologically most derived phanaeine genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae, Phanaeini), Zootaxa 4099 (1) : 61-62

30. Dendropaemon (Onthoecus) morettoi Génier & Arnaud , new species

( Figs. 30 , 90–91, 125, 159)

Dendropaemon waterhousei: Vitolo 2000 , Rev. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. 24: 599 (identification key)

Type locality. Gigante, Huila, Colombie.

Diagnosis. The large size, rather thick body combined with the green to bluish metallic sheen will separate D. morettoi from most other species. It can be separated from D. refulgens by its less convex dorsum and much more robust posterior tibia which is completely covered with irregular sculpturing and punctures. Differs from D. lydiae by the shape of the anteromedian pronotal carina which is broadly arcuate medially in female and the lack of a distinct concavity posteriorly to carina in both sexes.

Description. Male holotype ( Fig. 30 ). Body. Body large, length 19.5 mm, maximum width 10.0 mm; body subrectangular; dorsum convex. Color. Dorsal surface dark brown to black, glossy, with metallic sheen; head with green metallic sheen on posterior portion of clypeus, genae and frons; pronotum with green metallic sheen except disc and irregular area laterally; elytra with uniform green metallic sheen; ventrum with faint coppery sheen; pygidium with green metallic sheen; legs with faint coppery sheen. Head. Clypeus broadly arcuate, anterior portion upturned; clypeal teeth triangular; clypeal median emargination v-shaped, clypeal edge lacking emargination on external side of each clypeal tooth, clypeal teeth ventral surface with a fine v-shaped carina, clypeal margin ill-defined, bordered posteriorly by a more or less regular row of punctures, clypeal surface with transverse blunt rugulae; clypeogenal suture well-defined, bluntly carinate internally; genal surface with small and blunt irregular tubercles, lacking distinct transverse carina, simply convex; clypeofrontal carina moderately high, approximately twice as wide as high, arcuate in dorsal view, simply carinate, clypeofrontal carina apical edge slightly trilobate in frontal view; eyes small in dorsal view, interocular ratio 5.4. Pronotum. Pronotum transverse in dorsal view, pronotal width/length ratio 1.5; disc of pronotum minutely punctate basally, puncture becoming fine anteriorly and changing into fine isolated rugose tubercles on declivities, with an ill-defined shallow longitudinal depression on posterior half; pronotal anterior margin slightly wider and concave lateral to eye; anterior portion with a strongly tri-sinuous carina produced into a wide truncated lobe medially; anterior angles surface with more or less rough and irregular fine tubercles, similar to lateral margin along posterior edge of anterior margin; lateral fossae simply rounded, concave; lateral portions slightly explanate; pronotal basal fossae well-defined, concave; posterior margin well-defined, lacking crenulation and setae. Elytra. Elytra approximately as long as wide in dorsal view, elytral combined width/length ratio 1.2; elytral base lacking distinct margin, simply convex; elytral striae 1–4 fine and well-defined, evenly impressed throughout, elytral striae 5 atrophied, lacking fine carina on each side on disc, strial punctures minute, adjacent strial edge encroaching on interval, stria 1 weakly impressed apically, going straight to elytral apical margin; interstriae slightly convex, minutely punctate throughout, surface glossy. Thoracic sterna. Proepisternal carina complete, extending laterally; metasternal median lobe angularly produced anteromedially, ventral ridge well-defined, v-shaped. Legs. Profemur posterior surface slightly but distinctly convex, rather coarsely punctate and glabrous internally, posterointernal margin rather thick, evenly developed, internal edge rather wide, with a contiguous row of setae along anterointernal edge and few scattered long setae on anterior half, remaining surface irregularly punctate. Protibia with four teeth on lateral edge; internal basal angle bluntly lobate; anterior surface with long aligned row of setae internally, surface glossy or feebly microsculptured between punctures; posterior surface with irregular rugose punctures externally to median carina, surface between punctures finely and irregularly microsculptured, with a single interrupted setal row along lateral teeth. Mesofemur unmodified on anterointernal edge apically. Mesotibia rather slender, gradually widening toward apex in anterior view; anteroapical edge straight in anterior view, anteroapical row of setae complete; apicoanterior edge circularly indented internally; external edge more or less rounded, with several large elongate setiferous punctures. Mesotarsus similar in shape to metatarsus, 3-segmented, first segment moderately elongate, approximately two times as long as wide at apex. Metafemur elongate, internal and lateral edges mostly parallel in ventral view, more than twice as long as wide, lacking distinct depressed area anterointernally before apex, apicoposterior edge lobate beyond tibial insertion, surface coarsely microsculptured, anterior surface with a welldefined sulcus on more than half the length. Metatibia moderately slender, slightly widening toward apex in anterior view, anterior surface completely covered with irregular sculpturing and punctures, metatibial posterior surface flat between internal and lateral edge, with ill-defined microsculpture. Metatarsus 3-segmented ( Fig. 125 ), first segment moderately elongate, approximately two times as long as wide at apex, with anterointernal carina illdefined. Abdominal Sternites (Figs. 90–91). Sternites 3–6 longitudinally flat; sternites 4–6 with more than three unaligned row of setae laterally, glabrous medially; sternite 7 approximately longitudinally flat medially, shorter than segment 6 along midline; pygidium finely punctate on disc. Male genitalia. Parameres concave before apex; with minute raspy tubercles apically.

Measurements (4 males, 2 females). Length: male 16.5–19.5 (18.4±1.3), female 17.5–20.0 (18.8±1.8) mm.

Primary type data. Male holotype (MNHN): [Santé Fé/ de Bogota.] green card; [MUSÉUM PARIS/ 1936/ COLL. A. BOUCOMONT] green card; [WORLD/ SCARAB./ DATABASE/ WSD00016606]; [HOLOTYPE / Dendropaemon / morettoi n.sp. / Génier & Arnaud, 2014] red card.

Material examined. COLOMBIA: [unspecified locality], [no date], coll. Felipe Ovalle Q.— 1 male (paratype) ( CAS); DISTRITO CAPITAL, Bogotá, [no date], coll. [anonymous]— 1 male (holotype) ( MNHN); HUILA, Gigante, (2°23'N, 75°33'W), ix.1992, coll. O. Rojas— 1 male (paratype) ( PMOC); META, Villavicencio, (4°9'38''N, 73°39'43''W), [no date], coll. [anonymous]— 1 female (paratype) ( CPFA); same locality, v.1919, coll. fr. Apollinaire— 1 male (paratype) ( IRSNB); ECUADOR: MORONA-SANTIAGO, Macas, (2°19'20''S, 78°6'58''W), [no date], coll. [anonymous]— 1 female allotype ( IRSNB).

Etymology. A patronym, in honor of our colleague and friend Philippe Moretto who provided the first of the five known specimens of this species.

Natural history. Unknown.

Remarks. Females differ by their simply tri-sinuate anteromedian pronotal carina which is more evenly developed. In well-developed males the carina is produced into a wide truncated lobe medially similar to D. amyntas and D. waterhousi .

Variation occurs mostly in the extent of the metallic marking on the head and pronotum. All specimens studied are green or with greenish metallic sheen and in half of the specimens the pronotum is almost completely black. This species is most closely related to the former D. amyntas Harold (now D. attalus nom. nov.) and was identified as such in collections.

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 30. Dorsal habitus. 25. D. inemarginatus, female holotype; 26. D. nigritulus, male holotype; 27. D. amyntas, male; 28. D. attalus, male holotype; 29. D. lydiae, male holotype; 30. D. morettoi, male holotype.

FIGURES 118 – 125. Metatarsus, ventral view. 118. D. fredericki, holotype; 119. D. angustipennis; 120. D. bahianus; 121. D. nigritulus, paratype; 122. D. amyntas; 123. D. attalus; 124. D. lydiae, paratype; 125. D. morettoi, paratype.