Balsameda monzoni Ratcliffe, 2014

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2014, A Review Of The Neotropical Genera Badelina Thomson, 1880, Balsameda Thomson, 1880, Guatemalica Neervoort Van De Poll, 1886, And Heterocotinis Martínez, 1948 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 68 (2), pp. 241-262 : 249-250

Balsameda monzoni Ratcliffe , new species ( Figs. 14–17 )

Type Material. Holotype labeled “ GUATEMALA, Izabal /SE Morales, Merendón Fca./ Firmeza , 600 m. 10-v-2005 / J. Monzon y G. Goemans /COLECCION J. MONZON” and with my red holotype label . Allotype labeled “ GUATEMALA, Izabal / Morales, Finca Firmeza / 950 m. 1–3 JUNIO 2007 /15°22.749 – 88°41.689/ Col. Monzón y Camposeco/COLECCION J. MONZON” and with my red allotype label. Three paratypes with same data as holotype. One paratype with same data as allotype. One paratype with same data as allotype except date of April. One paratype with same data as allotype except date of 5 June 2008. One paratype labeled “ GUATEMALA, Izabal /Morales, Finca Firmeza, Sierra de Caral / 600m, 11 ABRIL 2008 / Col. Monzón y Camposeco /COLECCION J. MONZON”. Two paratypes labeled “ GUATEMALA, Izabal /Morales, Cerro Caral, Finca/Firmeza, cerca Negro Norte/ 29 Abril 2006, 600 metros/ Col. J. Monzón y F. Camposeco /COLECCION J. MONZON”. One paratype labeled “ Guat. Peten /Tikal Parque/ 8– 9 June 1991 /JE Wappes”. All paratypes with my yellow paratype label .

Holotype deposited at the Universidad del Valle (Guatemala City, Guatemala) . Allotype and one

paratype in BCRC, one paratype at Washington State University (Pullman, WA), one paratype in the James Wappes Collection (San Antonio, TX), and seven paratypes in the José Monzón Collection (Guatemala City, Guatemala) .

Holotype. Male. Length 19.0 mm; width across humeri 11.1 mm. Color on dorsum velutinous yellowish olive-green; top of head, venter, and legs with cupreous reflections. Setae and scales creamy white. Head: Frons and basal half of clypeus with short, thick scale-like setae arising from large, dense punctures. Frons with short, blunt keel projecting forward, apex of keel slightly free. Clypeus in dorsal view subquadrate, concave, with deep depression before apex of frontal keel. Clypeal apex strongly reflexed into broadly subrectangular tooth, tooth slightly emarginate. Eyes moderate in size, interocular width 4.5 transverse eye diameters. Ocular canthus densely punctate with long, thick, scale-like setae. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club distinctly longer than antennomeres 2–7. Pronotum: Surface with small, sparse, shallow punctures barely visible through velutinous covering; punctures becoming larger, denser on sides; a few punctures along lateral margins with large, flat, oval to teardrop-shaped scales. Sides with slender marginal bead, bead nearly reaching anterior and posterior angles. Elytra: Surface with small, sparse punctures, punctate striae not evident. A few sparse scales present along lateral margin and on apical umbone. Sutural costa weakly elevated on posterior half, discal costae absent. Apical umbone prominent. Lateral margin with dense fringe of short setae. Apices at suture nearly right angled. Pygidium: Surface concentrically strigose, with small, dense, suboval scales. In lateral view, surface weakly convex. Venter: Metasternites with large, dense, setigerous punctures; setae long, slen- der, mixed with elongate scales. Mesometasternal process, in lateral view, weakly protuberant, subparallel to ventral axis of body ( Fig. 15 ); in ventral view, apex broadly rounded, sides subparallel. Abdominal ventrites 1–5 with large, dense punctures either side of sparsely punctate midline, punctures with short, suboval to teardrop shaped scales. Legs: Protibia slender, weakly tridentate. Long spurs at apex of metatibia with apices acute. Parameres ( Figs. 16–17 ): In caudal view, apices rounded, distinctly but not widely separated, subparallel; in lateral view, ventral surface with long, acute spine-like projection projecting backwards towards phallobase.

Allotype. Female. Length 19.8 mm; width across humeri 12.1 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Head: Frons and basal half of clypeus with sparse, scale-like setae. Pygidium: In lateral view, surface normally convex. Legs: Protibia broader, distinctly tridentate. Spurs at apex of metatibia with apices narrowly rounded.

Variation. Males (10 paratypes). Length 19.5– 20.3 mm; width across humeri 11.0– 11.6 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Color yellowish olive-green to green to reddish brown, elytra of one specimen with shiny brassy reflections on olive-green ground color. Head: Interocular width 3.8–4.0 transverse eye diameters. Remaining character states do not differ substantially from the holotype.

Etymology. I am pleased to name this species in honor of José Monzón (Guatemala City, Guatemala) who collected the specimens and generously provided them for study.

Distribution. Balsameda monzoni is known only from Izabal and Petén Departments in Guatemala.

Locality Records. 12 specimens from BCRC, JEWC, JMSC, UVGC, and WSUC. GUATEMALA (12). IZABAL (6): Izabal (Finca Firmeza, SE Morales). PETÉN (1): Parque Nacional Tikal .

Temporal Distribution. April (4), May (4), June (4).

Diagnosis. Balsameda monzoni is distinguished by a frons and basal half of the clypeus with thick, short, scale-like setae; a reflexed clypeal tooth that is truncate and weakly emarginate; a densely punctate and roughened ocular canthus with the punctures often obscured by short, scale-like setae; and a pronotum with small scales along the lateral margins only. The parameres in caudal view have their apices distinctly separated and subparallel ( Fig. 16 ); in lateral view, there is a ventral, strong, spine-like tooth recurving towards the phallobase ( Fig. 17 ).

Natural History. Nothing is known of the biology of this species. They have been collected at elevations of 600– 950 m.

Figures

Figs. 14–17. Balsameda monzoni. 14) Holotype, habitus; 15) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 16–17) Parameres.