Pedaridium Harold, 1868

Vaz-De-Mello, Fernando Z., 2008, Synopsis of the new subtribe Scatimina (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Ateuchini), with descriptions of twelve new genera and review of Genieridium, new genus, Zootaxa 1955, pp. 1-75 : 40

11. Pedaridium Harold, 1868

Diagnosis: Body very large (5.2–8.6 mm) and elongated ( Fig. 29). Pronotum clearly flat to concave posteriorly ( Fig. 87). Elytra tectiform (suture elevated in relation to disc, each elytron separately flattened), disc forming a weak fold at apex; interstriae with biseriate setose punctures ( Fig. 29). Males with proclaws strongly bent (Fig. 86). Scattered longer setae present in sides and anterior part of pronotum and elytral apex ( Fig. 29).

Description: Length 5.2–8.6 mm, body very elongated and parallel-sided ( Fig. 29), color brown to dark grey, completely opaque and lacking metallic sheen, with yellow to orange setae. Clypeus with two teeth, separated by wide shallow emargination rounded at bottom; laterally unequally rounded, mesally strongly so and laterally straight, continuous to genal margin. Head flat, feebly depressed near eyes. Clypeofrontal and clypeogenal sutures indistinct. Eyes, in dorsal view, as wide as half their length; interocular width ten to 15 times eye width (Fig. 84). Pronotum lacking anterior and posterior beads, separated from hypomeron by distinct longitudinal carina; disc covered by setose puntures, setae much longer anteriorly and laterally; disc surface with posterior shallow to deep concavity, projected anteriorly along midline; and slightly expanded (shallowly concave) on anterior angles. Pronotal lateral outline sinuate, wider at anterior angles than at middle ( Fig. 87). Hypomeron with distinct longitudinal carina; mesoepimeron with distinct transverse anterior carina. Elytral discal interstriae with two rows of setiferous punctures, flat. Elytra tectiform for entire length, with sutural interstria clearly elevated and each elytron flat on disc; apically with lateral fold between declivity and pseudoepipleuron. Striae clearly deeper and wider at apex. Pseudoepipleura gradually narrowed to apex ( Fig. 8), with row of large setiferous punctures along entire length and smaller irregular setae in the anterior half. Protibiae with three teeth distributed along apical half of lateral margin, basally denticulate and with small scale-like setae on the ventral face of teeth only. Mesofemora and metafemora elongate, mesotibiae and metatibiae four times as long as wide apically. Pygidium transverse, vertical, last abdominal sternite long. Phallobase very thin, parameres as long as third of phallobase length, apically flattened (Fig. 85). Internal sac with very thin canaliculated straight pseudoflagellum, with basal curved auxiliar elongated lamella. Spermatheca C-shaped on apical half, gradually narrowed apically, basally strongly narrowed, pointed ( Fig. 12), duct not sclerotized. Coxites minute, symmetrical and multidentate apically.

Sexual dimorphism: Males have proclaws strongly bent (Fig. 86), a very strong mesoapical protibial tooth; small mesotibial and metatibial mesoapical teeth ( Figs. 1–2); metasternal disc strongly concave (flat in females), abdominal disc flat (convex in females), and less transverse pygidium than in females.

Type species: Pedaria hirsuta Harold, 1859 (implicit monotypy) = Pedaridium hirsutum ( Harold, 1859) .

Distribution: Brazil (Minas Gerais, São Paulo , Rio de Janeiro, and Paraná states). Present only in the Eastern Parana subregion, in the Parana Forest and Araucaria angustifolia Forest provinces.

Remarks: Pedaridium species are the only representatives of the group that really have a body shape similar to that of species in the African genus Pedaria . Synapomorphies shared by species of this genus are the unique form of the pronotum and elytra; dual-length dorsal pilosity; reduction of number of internal sac sclerites; reduction of coxite size; and elongation of phallobase (see also under Genieridium ).

Composition: In the present restricted sense, Pedaridium is monotypic. However, it contains at least one undescribed species currently under study, in addition to the type species.

Material examined: