Strigoderma ngabe Ramírez-Ponce & Curoe, 2014

Ramírez-Ponce, Andrés & Curoe, Daniel, 2014, Description of two new species in the genera Epectinaspis Blanchard and Strigoderma Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Anomalini), Zootaxa 3827 (1), pp. 87-94 : 92-93

Strigoderma ngabe Ramírez-Ponce & Curoe , new species

( Figs. 8–12 )

Type material (13 ♂). Holotype (♂, MIUP) labeled: “ Panama: Chi./Boquete: Bajo Mono/ 1350 m./ 23. iv.2010 / Curoe" // " Strigoderma ngabe Holotype ♂", red label and male genitalia and metathoracic wing card mounted. Paratypes [12 ♂; ARMX (2), BMNH (1), CNIN (1), DJCC (3), INBIO (1), MXAL (2), UNSM (1), ZMHU (1)], same data as holotype except: " Strigoderma ngabe Paratype ", yellow label.

Description of holotype. Male. Length 9.46 mm; width 4.20 mm. Body shiny. Color. Head with green luster except red clypeal apex. Pronotum mainly coppery-orange with large green spot on disc and a small spot on each side. Scutellum, elytra, and legs coppery-orange with green reflections ( Fig. 8 ). Prosternum, mesosternum, and metasternum dark green with coppery-orange blotches. Abdomen coppery-orange with small dark mottles. Head. Frons raised, with posteriorly declivous medial triangular area and a large, oblique, elongated depression with 8–9 supraocular setae next to each eye; surface irregularly punctate (punctures separated by 1–3 diameters); interocular width equals 5.0 eye diameters; antennal club subequal in length to pedicel and funicle combined. Clypeus subtrapezoidal with apical edge weakly rounded and distinctly reflexed. Surface rugopunctate, punctures large ( Fig. 9 ). Pronotum. Subhexagonal in form; wider than long (1.36:1.0); anterior angles acute with rounded apices; posterior angles slightly obtuse. Surface punctate with a wide, longitudinal depression on anterior half of midline and 2 small elongate depressions on each side. Punctures small on and around depression, otherwise very fine ( Fig. 8 ). Scutellum. Surface sparcely, finely punctate ( Fig. 8 ). Elytra. Longer than wide (1.0:0.77), external margins subparallel to basal two thirds, then broadly rounded to apex. Surface smooth, with 10 striae indicated by irregularly spaced punctures (1–3 puncture diameters), punctures dark, round, larger, and deeper than on pronotal disc ( Fig. 8 ). Epipleura broad, expanded to level of metepisternum apex. Propygidium. Punctures dense; shallow, transversely elongate, with row of scattered, moderately long setae along apical margin. Pygidium. Wider than long, in lateral view evenly convex; each side with a wide, deep depression near basal angle. Surface densely punctate; punctures transversely elongate near base becoming round on disc and apex; long setae grouped in 2 dense patches along each side, near basal angle and near apex; apical margin fringed with row of long setae. Mesometasternum. Mesometasternal process prominent, at level of mesocoxae; apex rounded in ventral view, subquadrate in lateral view. Metasternum with dense, long, white setae. Abdomen. Sternites 2–5 slightly concave (together) in lateral view, each with transverse row of scattered, long, yellow setae on middle. Last sternite with apical margin thickened and with row of large, setigerous punctures. Surface of sternites lustrous, sparsely punctate; punctures minute, shallow. Legs. Protibia weakly bidentate; basal tooth small. Protarsomere 5 longer than rest combined (1.0:0.66), with conspicuous basoventral lobe; protarsus with inner claw deeply cleft; ventral ramus 3 times as wide as dorsal ( Fig. 12 ). Mesotibia and metatibia slightly thickened at middle, each with 2 diagonal carinae fringed with spinules. Mesotibia apically with 6–7 spinules, metatibia with 12–13 spinules. Male genitalia. In dorsal view, parameres not overlapped, elongate; width apically gradually narrowing except at midlength where external margins weakly expanded and rounded ( Fig. 10 ); in lateral view, parameres ventrally, broadly curved with acute apices. Phallobase-tectum-parameres lengths ratio (1.24:1.08:1.0) ( Fig. 11 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation in paratypes (n = 12) The paratypes are similar to the holotype, but some have the following differences: red reflections more intense on head and pronotum; punctation of clypeus, frons, and pronotum less dense and shallower; frons flat; medial spot on pronotum variable in size, occasionally absent; depth and width of pronotal depression and lateral depressions variable; pygidial basal depressions shallower; basal tooth of protibiae nearly obsolete.

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from all other Strigoderma species by the following combination of characters: clypeal apex distinctly reflexed; frons with disc raised (but not in paratypes) with a large oblique, elongate depression and 8–9 supraocular setae next to each eye; pronotum with wide, elongate, anteromedial depression and 2 elongate depressions on each side; elytra with sides mostly subparallel (not tapering) each with 7 striae between the sutural margin and the humeral umbone; pygidium with a depression on each side, and parameres not overlapped, gradually narrowing except for midlength expansion and, in lateral view, with curved and acute apices.

Strigoderma ngabe has the greatest resemblance to S. biolleyi and S. lampra (two of the four species of the S. teapensis group) sharing with both the pronotal form and glabrous surface with 2 depressions on each side, the elytra with glabrous surface and shallow striae and the form of the male genitalia. Strigoderma ngabe is distinguished from S. biolleyi by the presence of the elongate depression on the pronotal midline (depression absent in S. biolleyi ), punctation on pronotum less dense than in S. biolleyi , sides of posterior half of pronotum divergent (sides posteriorly parallel in S. biolleyi ), and the parameres forming a conspicuous midlength gap and with the apices clearly rounded (inner margins of parameres touching along entire length with apices more narrowly rounded in S. biolleyi ). Strigoderma ngabe is distinguished from S. lampra by the clypeal apex distinctly reflexed (apex weakly reflexed in S. lampra ), the pronotum with an elongate depression on the midline (depression absent in S. lampra ), the punctures on the pronotum moderately deep (pronotum smooth and lustrous in S. lampra ), and parameres forming a conspicuous gap between them that extends from the basal second fifth to the fourth fifth and, in lateral view, the moderately curved apices (gap between parameres extending from basal third fifth to fourth fifth and, in lateral view, strongly hooked apices in S. lampra ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the Ngabe-Bugle indigenous people, who inhabit the territory of the same name in western Panama.

Natural history. All specimens were collected near the tips of two different species of tree saplings on a stream bank in a cloud forest. No signs of feeding were observed.

Distribution. The type series was collected near Boquete, Chiriqui province, Republic of Panama, which is located on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Central.

Temporal data All specimens were collected in April at the beginning of the rainy season.

Remarks. Despite lacking the C-shaped elytral punctation, Strigoderma ngabe is placed in the S. teapensis species group because of the presence of the relatively shallow elytral striae (seven of which are situated between the suture and the humeral umbone) and the elongate mostly tapering form of the parameres with (in lateral view) curved apices. In this species group, the male genitalia with elongate parameres and curved apices are shared with S. biolleyi Ohaus and S. lampra Bates , whereas the parameres are broad and at a right angle (lateral view) with the phallobase in S. presidii Bates and S. teapensis Bates ( Bader 1992) .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Habitus and diagnostic structures of the new species. 1 – 7) Epectinaspis costaricensis. 1) habitus; 2) head, dorsal view; 3) head, lateral view; 4) male genitalia, dorsal view; 5) parameres, caudal view, 6) male genitalia, lateral view; 7) Protibia and tarsus. 8 – 12) Strigoderma ngabe. 8) habitus; 9) head, dorsal view; 10) male genitalia, dorsal view; 11) male genitalia, lateral view; 12) Protibia and tarsus.