Palaeophileurus silvestris Neita and Ratcliffe

Moreno, Jhon César Neita & Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2017, A new South American species of Palaeophileurus Kolbe (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Phileurini), Zootaxa 4286 (4), pp. 515-524 : 516-523

Palaeophileurus silvestris Neita and Ratcliffe , new species

( Figs. 1 A–C, 2A–C, 3J, 4J)

Type material: Holotype male deposited at IAVH labeled “ Colombia, Caquetá, Solano PNN / Serranía de Chiribiquete, Río Messay / parte alta del campamento. 0°14´S / 72°56´W. WGS84 . 300 M. Manual, 22.i. / 2000, F. Gast & F. Quevedo. [IAvH-E-88280]” and with our red holotype label. Allotype female deposited at IAVH labeled “ Colombia, Caquetá, Solano PNN / Serranía de Chiribiquete, Río Messay / parte alta del campamento. 0°14´S / 72°56´W. WGS84 . 300 M. Manual, 22.i. / 2000, F. Gast & F. Quevedo. [IAvH-E-88285]” and with our red allotype label. Paratype male deposited at IAVH labeled “ Colombia, Caquetá, Solano PNN / Serranía de Chiribiquete, Río Messay / parte alta del campamento. 0°14´S / 72°56´W. WGS84 . 300 M. Manual, 22.i. / 2000, F. Gast & F. Quevedo. [IAvH-E-88281]” and with our yellow paratype label. Paratype male deposited at QCAZ labeled “ ECUADOR / NAPO II-85 / S. Rafael / Legit: G. Onore // 0 484 // Palaeophileurus / sclateri Bates / R.- P. Dechambre det. 1997 // QCAZ I / 224554” and with our yellow paratype label. Types deposited at the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt ( IAVH) Villa de Leyva, Boyacá , Colombia and the Museo de Zoología de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador ( QCAZ), Quito , Ecuador.

Description. Holotype male ( Fig. 1 B–C). Length: 26.2 mm, width across humeri 12.8 mm. Color opaque black, head and pronotum slightly more shiny. Head: Frons broadly, weakly depressed between eyes; surface with sparse, moderately large punctures. Small tubercle present either side of midline. Clypeus subtriangular, apex obtusely acuminate, reflexed; surface with small, sparse punctures and weak ridge extending from apex to base of each tubercle. Interocular width equals 4.5 transverse eye diameters. Mandibles arcuate on lateral edge, apices pointed. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7 in combination. Pronotum: Surface with moderately dense punctures; punctures deep, large, transversely oval to round on disc, moderate in size and round elsewhere, becoming denser along lateral margins. Base lacking marginal bead. Elytra: Surface finely, densely shagreened, with rows of sparse punctures; punctures small, not ocellate; lateral margins and apical umbones with small punctures with minute, tawny setae. Pygidium: Surface completely, densely punctate; punctures large, umbilicate, with minute, tawny setae. In lateral view, surface normally convex. Legs: Protibia with 3 subequally spaced, elongate teeth. Metatibia on upper angle of apex produced into short tooth. Metatarsomere 1 with apex slightly produced but without elongate spine. Venter: Prosternal process long, apex bluntly trilobed, posterior lobe transverse, below plane of anterior lobes, and about half the size of each anterior lobe. Each abdominal segment with row of setae on sides, center lacking setae. Last sternite completely covered with small, moderately dense punctures. Parameres: In caudal view, form subquadrate in basal three-fourths, apical fourth constricted medially, apices subacute, curving slightly inwards ( Fig. 3 J).

Allotype female ( Figs. 2 A–C). Length 24.2 mm, width across humeri 11.3 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Pronotum: Surface distinctly shiny. Elytra: Humeral umbones slightly more developed; punctures denser, slightly larger, apical umbones small. Pygidium: Shape weakly concave in lateral view. Gonocoxite with lateral edge slightly concave ( Fig. 5 E).

Paratype males (2). Length 24.4–27.3 mm width 12.2–14.2 mm. Other than slight differences in body length, the two male paratypes do not differ significantly from the holotype.

Additional material. The specimens listed below were thought to be P. sclateri based upon their distributions ( Endrödi 1977; Dechambre 1996), but these authors never examined the holotype ( BMNH) and the form of its parameres, which are different from those of P. silvestris . The specimens re-described as P. sclateri by Endrödi and Dechambre are conspecific with P. silvestris . Their distributional data is: Kartabo , Bartica District , Guyana, VII- 1920 [ MNHN], and VI-1919 [ CMNH] . Guyana (no further data) [ MNHN] . Ecuador: Sucumbios, El Reventador, II-1985 [ QCAZ] . Ecuador: Napo, Cordillera de los Guacamayos, vía Tena-Verdeyacu, Piviyacu, XII-1995 [ QCAZ] .

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin silvestris referring to “of the forest” and so named because it is a denizen of tropical forests.

Distribution. Palaeophileurus silvestris is known from Guyana, Ecuador, and Colombia ( Fig. 6 ).

Diagnosis. Palaeophileurus silvestris is distinguished by the unique form of the parameres ( Figs. 3 J, 4J), which, in caudal view, have a strong, lateral lobe just above the subacute apex. This species resembles P. damezi and P. panamensis in gestalt. In P. silvestris , the area between the tubercle of the head is slightly but distinctly concave, whereas in P. damezi and P. panamensis this area is nearly flat and not concave. The pronotal disc anteriorly has dense punctures in P. silvestris , whereas P. damezi and P. panamensis both have sparse punctures. The parameres of P. silvestris are distinctly different from those of both P. damezi and P. panamensis (compare Figs. 3 C, 3G, 3J). The form of the male parameres is the principal method for species identification, and unidentified females not associated with males cannot usually be reliably identified. Females of P. damezi ( Fig. 5 A), P. fallax ( Fig. 5 B), P. marcusoni ( Fig. 5 C), P. proximus ( Fig. 5 D), and P. silvestris ( Fig. 5 E) are known, but the females of P. brasiliensi , P. carbo , P. erebus , P. panamensis , and P. sclateri remain unknown.

Endrödi (1977, 1985) provided a key to all New World phileurine genera and expanded the distribution of P. sclateri from Guyana to include French Guiana and Colombia. Endrödi (1977) redescribed P. sclateri based on six known specimens along with their distributions and added specimens from Leticia and Villavicencio, Colombia based simply upon distribution.

Dechambre (1996), apparently unaware of the Bates male holotype at the BMNH, designated a female lectotype for P. sclateri . This designation, as well as his designation of a “neoallotype” for a specimen collected in 1920, are both invalid. The Bates (1887) description was clearly based on a single specimen, the male holotype. The specimen designated as a female lectotype at MNHN by Dechambre (1996) does not correspond to the holotype. The first known female specimen, designated a “neoallotype”, has no taxonomic status because there is no such thing as a neoallotype.

Palaeophileurus proximus Dechambre was described from Peru and Brazil. We have three specimens from Colombia that represent a new country record. These specimens have the following data: “ Colombia: Amazonas, Leticia , Km. 11, Vía Tarapacá , Sendero a Río Tocana , 15-agosto-2001 . 80 msnm. Hector J. Gasca (2 males) [Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. ICN-028930 and ICN-028931]” and “ Colombia: Putumayo, Villa Garzón Vda la Gaitana, 7°07.98´E. and 59°67.97´N, February 2012 . Col. Sarmiento, R. (1 male). [ Instituto de Ciencias Naturales , Universidad Nacional de Colombia. [ICN-077666]”.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of the holotype of Palaeophileurus silvestris. A, Dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view.

FIGURE 2. Habitus of the allotype of Palaeophileurus silvestris. A, Dorsal view; B, ventral view; C, lateral view.

FIGURE 3. Parameres, caudal view of Palaeophileurus species. A, Palaeophileurus brasiliensis; B, P. carbo; C, P. damezi; D, P. erebus; E, P. fallax; F, P. marcusoni; G, P. panamensis; H, P. proximus; I, P. sclateri; J, P. silvestris.

FIGURE 5. Gonocoxite, ventral view of Palaeophileurus species. A, Palaeophileurus damezi; B, P. fallax; C, P. marcusoni; D, P. proximus; E, P. silvestris.

FIGURE 6. Distribution of Palaeophileurus silvestris.