Ceratotrupes gonzaloi, Arriaga-Jiménez & Zunino & Halffter & Escobar-Hernández & Rossini, 2023

Arriaga-Jiménez, Alfonsina, Zunino, Mario, Halffter, Gonzalo, Escobar-Hernández, Fernando & Rossini, Michele, 2023, A taxonomic review of the endemic Mexican genus Ceratotrupes Jekel, 1865 (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae: Ceratotrupini), with the description of an unexpected new species from the Sierra Madre del Sur, European Journal of Taxonomy 885, pp. 1-20 : 12-16

Ceratotrupes gonzaloi sp. nov.

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Fig. 4

Diagnosis

The following characters separate C. gonzaloi sp. nov. from its close relative, C. sturmi : posterior edge of pronotum without margin at middle ( Fig. 4C ); clypeal horn of male stronger, laterally wider ( Fig. 4A, D ), tip depressed at middle; pronotal projection larger, with parallel sides ( Fig. 4A, D ); elytral interstriae very finely and densely punctate. Male genitalia differ as follows: distal tip of right ventral lobe of phallobase straight and directed obliquely upward ( Fig. 4J ); shorter branch of the bifurcation of right lobe of phallobase distinctly shorter than in C. sturmi ( Fig. 4L ); parameres differently shaped ( Fig. 4F ; arrows indicate the main differences); in lateral view, left paramere simple, without distinct lobe beneath apical spur ( Fig. 4G ).

Etymology

This species is dedicated to Gonzalo Halffter (1932–2022), a renowned academic, researcher and entomologist, who passed away during the preparation of the current paper. Founder of INECOL and Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO, his research in the biogeography and ecology of beetles is a corner stone for research in Mexico and worldwide. But above all, Gonzalo, Dr Halffter, our “Maestro”, was our mentor, teacher, colleague, and our endearing and lovely friend.

Type material examined

Holotype MEXICO • 1 ♂; “ Guerrero, Omiltemi / 25 Aug. 1965 / G.V.V. Halffter leg. / Cebo, exterior bosque, I ° Estación dia, bosque nebular, pino (modificado) / Halffter 73-18 / HOLOTYPE Ceratotrupes gonzaloi Arriaga-Jiménez et al., 2022 / Canadian Museum of Nature , Musée canadien de la NATURE”; CMNC 00031076 .

Paratypes MEXICO – Guerrero • 1 ♂; “Guerrero, Omiltemi; 7300’ alt. / Aug. 14-15 1966 / Ball-Whitehead leg. / Specimén photographié par François Génier / Ceratotrupes sturmi (Jekel) , Det. H.F. Howden 69 / Canadian Museum of Musée canadien de la NATURE”; CMNC 00031074 • 1 ♂; “ Guerrero, Omiltemi / Aug. 1965 / P. Reyes C. leg. / Halffter 73-29 / Canadian Museum of Musée canadien de la NATURE”; CMNC 00031075 • 1 ♂; “ Guerrero, Omiltemi / 99°41’27.9’’W, 17°33’37.9’’N / 2244 m a.s.l. / 09 Aug. 2018 / Arriaga J.A. leg. / bosque de galleria, coprotrampa / http://id.luomus.fi/NC.07; FMNH • 1 ♂; Guerrero, Omiltemi / 25 Jul. 1965 / G. y V. Halffter leg. / camino bosque nebular, pino (modificado), 1° estación, cebo excremento, excremento humano, noche-dia, Bosque nebular / Ceratotrupes sturmi (Jekel, 1866) , H.F. Howden, 1973 ”; http://id.luomus.fi/NC.08; FMNH • 1 ♂; “ Guerrero, Omiltemi / 25 Jul. 1965 / G. y V. Halffter leg. / camino bosque nebular, pino (modificado), 1° estación, cebo excremento, excremento humano, noche-dia, Bosque nebular / Ceratotrupes sturmi (Jekel, 1866) , H.F. Howden, 1973, Howden 73-26”; http://id.luomus.fi/NC.09; FMNH • 1 ♀; “ Guerrero, Tetipac / 2 Aug. 1990 / excrement burro / Fco. E. Figueroa ”; CEMT . – Jalisco • 1 ♂; “Jalisco, Estación Cientifica Las Joyas / 1900 m a.s.l. / Aug 1997 / Sancampús Reg. Pino, necrotrampa 8F / M. Lopez ”; CEMT • 1 ♀; “ Jalisco, Estación Científica Las Joyas / 1900 m a.s.l. / Aug 1997 / Sancampús Reg. Pino, necrotrampa 7D / M. Lopez ”; CEMT.

Description of the male

COLOUR. Body black with strong purple to greenish iridescence on pronotum and elytra; dorsally, tegument shining, head and pronotal disc silky; antennal segments brown, antennal club brownish.

HEAD. Clypeus obtusely triangular and elongated, with a medial, high triangular horn; from posterior side, horn wide and longitudinally sulcate, tip slightly to distinctly depressed at middle; head punctation very obsolete and superficial; genae squared, with elevated and acuminate angle; frons smooth, unpunctured, with two weak and oblique ridges along inner side of eyes.

THORAX. In lateral view, pronotum weakly convex; in dorsal view, posterior edge of pronotum without margin at middle, lateral edges weakly curved from posterior angles to midline, straight and convergent from midline to anterior angles; anterior angles obtuse; pronotal disc either unpunctured or with a few, shallow punctures across midline, sides with strong and coarse punctures sparsely distributed from posterior to anterior angles; in lateral view, anteromedial projection curved upward apically; in dorsal view, projection with sides parallel, tip widely emarginated at middle. Elytral interstriae slightly convex, very finely and densely punctate. Ventral side of thoracic sclerites (i.e., pro-, meso- and metasternum) with long, yellowish to brownish setae.

LEGS. Protibiae robust, with six external teeth, ventral side with a longitudinal, crenulated carina; apical spur long and slender; meso- and metatibiae each with four entire, transversal carinae on posterior side; femora unmodified, with long yellowish setae.

Sexual dimorphism

Female specimens have the clypeal horn distinctly shorter and slightly depressed posteriorly; from above, the clypeal horn is triangular-shaped, apex almost reaching clypeal edge; anteromedial pronotal protuberance callus-like and transverse, depressed on superior side and close to anterior pronotal edge. Female specimens of C. gonzaloi sp. nov. are very similar to those of C. sturmi , but they can be distinguished by the posterior edge of the pronotum not having a margin at the middle, and the presence of very fine and dense punctation on the elytral interstriae.

Ecology and biogeography

This species occurs in the Sierra Madre del Sur and it seems to be restricted to the surrounding mountains of Omiltemi, Guerrero, where it occurs exclusively in pine forest. Many of the specimens historically identified as C. sturmi in natural history collections instead belong to this new species. Howden (1974, 2003) noticed that specimens identified as C. sturmi showed some geographically restricted differences, such as shape of cephalic horn and genitalia in males, elytral punctation and posterior edge of pronotum with or without margin at middle. During this research we examined the specimens mentioned by Howden (Juquila and Juchatengo, Oaxaca, and Omiltemi, Guerrero; CMNC) and confirm that they belong to different species, namely C. gonzaloi sp. nov. (Omiltemi) and C. sturmi (Oaxaca) .

Figures

Fig. 4. Ceratotrupes gonzaloi sp. nov. (CMNC). A–B. Dorsal habitus of male (A) and female (B). C. Details of head and prothorax; arrows indicate posteromedial edge of pronotum without margin. D. Details of cephalic horn and pronotal projection of male. E. Aedeagus in dorsal view. F. Parameres in dorsal view; arrows indicate main differences between C. gonzaloi sp. nov. and C. sturmi. G. Right paramere in lateral view; arrow indicates absence of lobe beneath apical spur.H. Tergite.I. Pleurotergites. J. Phallobase in ventral view; arrow indicates straight margin of ventral lobe. K. Phallobase in dorsal view. L. Phallobase in lateral view; arrow indicates the short bifurcation. M. Internal sac (is) and median struts (ms) in dorsal view. N. Internal sac and median struts in lateral view.