Brachysiderus (Minisiderus) mielkeorum Grossi & Grossi

Grossi, Paschoal Coelho & Grossi, Everardo José, 2005, A new species of Brachysiderus Waterhouse, 1881 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from Maranhão State, Brazil, Zootaxa 1054, pp. 25-29 : 25-28

Brachysiderus (Minisiderus) mielkeorum Grossi & Grossi , new species

Material examined: Holotype ,, Brasil, MA, Balsas, Serra do Penitente, 480 m, 6­XI­2004, C. Mielke leg., Ex Col. E.& P.Grossi, deposited in Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

Paratypes, 2 ɗ same data as Holotype, 1 ɗ, same except 13­XI­ 2004, 500 m, Ex Col. E. Furtado. In col. E. & P. Grossi.

Description: ɗ 25 mm in length, 14mm in pronotal width (fig. 1). Body elongated oval and convex, color reddish to dark brown, dorsally glabrous and smooth. Clypeus short, as wide as half of head, apically weakly concave on the middle; without sculpturing but with sparse punctures basally. Horns strong, strongly upturned and triangular in cross section, very separated on base from each other and apically acute. Frons with a transversal elevated angled process, strongly punctured on apex and posteriorly, anteriorly with sparse small punctures (fig. 2). Eye canthus with strong coalescent punctures, basally the obtuse angle with sparse small setae (fig. 3). Pronotum bordered all around, very convex and rounded laterally, densely punctured, punctures coalescent anteriorly and on disc. Anteriorly with an elevation with two microgranulated flattened and rounded tubercles, directed forward. Elytral surface completely covered by irregular punctures, with some coalescent punctures and with 5 lines of punctures, humeral punctures smaller than in the remaining elytral disc. Pygidium surface rugulose with very small setae, disc with weak coalescent punctures, basal margin concave. In lateral view, surface weakly convex. Anterior tibiae tridentate externally, basal tooth flattened. Each of meso and metatibiae with 1 strong spine on the external side near middle. Paramera rounded apically, external sides straight (fig. 5).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a tribute to our friends, Prof. Dr. Olaf Mielke and his son Dr. Carlos Mielke, the later who collected the specimens and kindly provided them to us.

Discussion. The new species is distinguished from other Brachysiderus species by the transverse angled process on the frons, horns not flattened, eye canthus form, and by the paramera of aedeagus, specially from Brachysiderus minicola Ohaus, 1930 (figs. 4 and 6) by the presence of the tridentate foretibiae that is the characterisc of the minicoa group. In Brazil this is the first reported species from the Northeastern Region, all others being from Central­Western and Southeastern Regions.

Body may be smaller (20–24 mm in length, 11–14 mm in pronotum width) than the holotype and more strongly punctured, with horns, head process and pronotal tubercles smaller.