Copris warneri McCleve and Kohlmann

Mccleve, Scott & Kohlmann, Bert, 2005, New species and new records of Copris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) from Mexico and the United States, Zootaxa 1096, pp. 17-28 : 18-25

Copris warneri McCleve and Kohlmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–5 )

Diagnosis. This species is characterized as follows: male clypeal teeth small, remote; clypeal emargination shallow, smoothly and broadly arcuate, without median notch; median pronotal prominences closely approximate (in dorsal view), exterior margins divergent, emargination between prominences deep so as to embrace head horn, each prominence narrow, each at tip subequal to width of head horn apex; median dorsal sulcus shallow, with small umbilical punctures not extending onto bifurcate process; lateral pronotal prominences reduced, not usually projecting anteriorly past anterior pronotal angles in dorsal view, in profile with upper margin directed on a line toward base of head horn; 8th elytral stria complete; 9th elytral stria complete except for basal part opposite mesoepisternum; anterior tibial spur slender, turned sharply inward and downward, apex acute.

Description. Holotype. Male ( Figs. 1 , 3 , 4): Total length: 19.3 mm. Elytral width: 10.3 mm. Clypeus with two small remote teeth; emargination shallow, smoothly and broadly arcuate, with no median notch ( Fig. 3 ). Posterior angles of genae acute. Upper surface of head weakly umbilico­punctate, more prominent on genae, less so anteriorly, sparser and less distinct medially basal to emargination. Minute punctures evident at 25X magnification around base of horn, eyes, base of head. Occipital margin in three overlapping segments. Head horn long, apex extending above apices of medial pronotal prominences in lateral profile, smoothly curved backward. Demarcation between gula and submentum broadly V­shaped. Antennae dark brown.

Pronotal anterolateral angles obtuse, lateral margin angled out near origin of lateral carina. Lateral carina more or less prominent. Anterior margin behind genae almost straight, not concave. Dorsal median longitudinal sulcus shallow, incomplete; punctures small to moderate, vaguely umbilicate. Entire surface of pronotum punctate except for elevated portions of median prominences. Dorsal surface of basal half of median prominences (except for dorsal sulcus) with evenly distributed, minute punctures; minute punctures continuing onto base of lateral prominences, becoming gradually coarser and more umbilicate toward pronotal basal margin. Posterior angles with broad area of coarse umbilical punctures, punctures smaller below lateral carina, large to moderate in lateral fossa. Entire anterior face of median prominences with widely spaced small circular, umbilicate punctures; punctures near base of median prominences narrow, elongate. Concavity between median and lateral prominences with small, widely and regularly spaced, round, umbilicate punctures. Median prominences approximate, slender; outside margins divergent; apex of each slightly wider than base, slightly wider than apex of head horn; emargination between apices deeply U­shaped, about as deep as 4 diameters of head horn apex (Fig. 4). In lateral profile each prominence has a blunt apex and a bulge on the underside, apex wider than stem. Lateral prominences small; in dorsal view angled outward toward, but not reaching, apical pronotal angles ( Fig. 1 ); in lateral profile upper margin of lateral prominences angled slightly downward, upper margin directed toward base of head horn. Anterior face of lateral prominences more or less perpendicular to lateral margin, apex right­angled, furthest point of lateral prominences not extending over anterior margin of pronotum (Fig. 4). Anterior prosternal margin with small, triangular tooth; sternellum with about 4 irregular transverse rows of crisp, well­defined, moderateto­large, umbilicate punctures; punctures with fine, pale setae shorter than puncture width. Median lobe of metasternum densely umbilico­punctate anteriorly and laterally; median impressed line complete.

Elytra with 8th stria complete; 9th stria complete except for basal segment opposite mesoepisternum ( Fig. 3 ); 10th stria complete. Striae closely, moderately punctate; punctures slightly transverse, separated by their approximate width. Interstriae slightly convex, minutely punctate.

Pygidium with margin complete; punctures umbilical, small to moderate; punctures bearing short, minute, pale setae. Genital capsule without apical hook.

Ventral surface of profemora with large, setose, umbilicate punctures on posterior longitudinal half with dark setae; punctures becoming much smaller toward anterior half, then minute and apparently simple near anterior margin and bearing minute, pale setae. Protibial spurs sharply bent at almost a right angle directed inward and downward apically, apex sharp. Middle coxae with outer face densely punctate with a single row of large, umbilicate punctures or a rugose area near outer margin; then an impunctate area; then 2–3 rows of smaller, umbilicate punctures on inner half. Ventral surface of middle and posterior femora with large, umbilicate punctures distally becoming minute, simple proximally.

Allotype. Female ( Fig. 2 ): Length: 16.8 mm. Elytral width: 9.2 mm. Differs from holotype as follows: head horn short, broad, slightly expanded apically, about 1.2 mm tall, 1.4 mm wide at narrowest width near base, 1.6 mm wide at apex; apex excavated, anterior and posterior margins of apex evenly elliptical in dorsal view; lateral corners of horn apex not recurved backwards. Clypeal teeth slightly closer together, more prominent, with a broad angulation between them. Foretibial spurs not as sharply bent as in male, bent portion slightly shorter. Pronotal punctation stronger, more regular with entire pronotal surface punctate. Median pronotal prominences united, anteriorly with weak carina, carina slightly emarginate medially in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ).

Variation. Total length 16.2–19.3 mm. Elytral width 9.0–10.3 mm. The holotype is very fresh and unworn, but some paratypes show signs of wearing. Some paratype males, compared to the holotype, show both smaller size and weaker development of the head and pronotal armament more or less in a continuum to the smallest and least developed male. These lesser males also have a smaller anterior tibial spur. One male (from Río Piedras Verdes) has the pronotum with larger punctures. Little variation was observed in females, including horn development and the nearly complete 9th elytral stria. One female has a head horn more expanded apically, much more like the horn in female C. arizonensis . Pronotal angles can be obtuse or sometimes are made salient by a feeble inward curve (this was previously a diagnostic character for the C. arizonensis complex but is now known to be variable).

Material examined (12 males 7 females). Holotype, male: MEXICO. Sonora: 14.4 miles NW Yécora on Santa Rosa road, 5512 feet elevation, 8 VII 1993, UV, S. McCleve, G.E. & K.E.Ball. Allotype, female: MEXICO. Chihuahua: 4 miles N Las Chinacas, (0.8 miles S La Lovera), 4910 feet elevation, 9–10 VII 1989, UV, S. McCleve. Paratypes (11 males, 6 females): MEXICO. Chihuahua: 6 miles S Yécora (SON), 5740 feet elevation, 2–3 VII 1990, UV, S. McCleve, 1 male; 3 miles S Ignacio Zaragoza, Río Piedras Verdes, 5900 feet elevation, 11–12 VII 1988, UV, P. Jump, 1 male; same as allotype, 1 female; 86 km NE Nácori Chico (Sonora), Rancho Arroyo El Cocono, 1660 m elevation, 7 VIII 1982, ex fungi trap, S. McCleve, G. E. & K. E. Ball, 1 female; between Yepáchic & Temosáchic, large canyon bottom, 31 VIII 1984, UV, D. Mullins, 1 female. Sonora: Highway 16, 19 km W Yécora, Cañón del Aguajito, 5 VIII 2005, 28° 22' 22" N, 109° 02' 52" W, ex human dung trap, B.D. Streit & R.D. Cunningham, 1 male; Hwy 16, 1.8 mi W Yécora, 4 VIII 2005, ex human dung trap, B. Steit & R.D. Cunningham, 1 male; Hwy 161.8 road miles NW Yécora, 28° 21' 34" N, 108° 57' 06" W, 5338 feet elevation, 6 VIII 2003, B. D. Streit & R. A. Cunningham, taken in pitfall trap baited with human dung, 1 male; Highway 16, 1.3 road miles E Yécora, 28° 22' 27"N, 108° 54' 27" W, 5153 feet elevation, 5 VIII 2003, B. D. Streit & R. A. Cunningham, taken in pitfall trap baited with human dung, 1 female; Highway 16, 5.0 road miles E Yécora, 28° 23' 23" N, 108° 52' 25" W, 5647 feet elevation, 6 VIII 2003, B. D. Streit & R. A. Cunningham, taken in pitfall trap baited with human dung, 1 female; Highway 16, 5289 feet elevation, 1.65 miles W Yécora, 7–10 August 2004, 28 ° 21' 37" N, 109° 56' 59" W, R. Cunningham & B. Streit lgt, taken in human dung trap, 2 males; Highway 16, 5530 feet elevation, 5.0 miles W Yécora, 7–10 August 2004, 22 ° 21' 54" N, 108° 59' 30" W, R. Cunningham & B. Streit lg, taken in human dung trap, 1 male; Highway 16, 5386 feet elevation, 1.9 miles W Yécora, 7–10 August 2004, 28 ° 21' 29" N, 108° 57' 12"W, R. Cunningham & B. Streit lgt, taken in human dung trap, 2 males; Highway 16, 5331 feet elevation, 1.8 miles W Yécora, 6 August 2003, 28 ° 21' 34"N, 108° 57' 12" W, R. Cunningham & B. Streit lg, taken in human dung trap, 1 female; Highway 16, 7029 feet elevation, 9.1 miles E + 1.8 miles SW Yécora, 8 August 2004, 28 ° 22' 13" N, 109° 01' 53" W, R. Cunningham & B. Streit, lgt, Near Radio Tower, BL + MV, 1 male.

Remarks. This species belongs to the C. arizonensis complex, as defined by Matthews (1961) and Matthews and Halffter (1968). Males of C. warneri run to couplet 13 in Matthews' 1961 first key, and fit the characters given there for C. arizonensis . In Matthews' second key males and females run to couplet 17 and fit the characters given there for C. arizonensis . Indeed, C. warneri seems to be closely related to C. arizonensis .

We have seen Copris specimens from a Neotoma nest from a locality near the city of Durango that are deposited at the Canadian Museum of Nature. These specimens seem to represent a new species that is similar to C. warneri . Unfortunately, only one male specimen is known (a minor male) and more are needed to determine how this population should be classified.

Distribution. All specimens of C. warneri are from the northern Sierra Madre Occidental ( Fig. 5 ). The holotype was collected in Sonora, in the east­central part of that state near the Chihuahuan border. The Chihuahua specimens are concentrated near the Sonora border, with the allotype and one other female being taken barely inside Chihuahua in the southwest part of that state. Copris warneri has not been recorded as sympatric with either C. arizonensis ( Fig. 5 ) or C. martinezi ( Fig. 5 ), two species that are chorologically nearest to the new one. The known range of C. warneri occurs to the southwest of the known range of C. arizonensis , which has a wider distribution from southeastern Arizona and adjacent New Mexico on the northwest to Guadalajara, Jalisco on the southwest and from west Texas on the northeast to near Durango, Durango on the southeast. Matthews (1961) and Matthews and Halffter (1968) list no Sonoran specimens for C. arizonensis , nor do we below. There would seem to be a large area of Sonora below the range of warneri that apparently lacks any species of large Copris . Also, C. warneri and C. martinezi have separate known ranges, with C. martinezi occurring east of C. warneri . Copris martinezi occurs at or above 2500 m in elevation, which is higher than either C. arizonensis or C. warneri ( Matthews and Halffter 1968) . The elevational range for C. warneri is from 1500 m to 2142 m, while C. arizonensis has been recorded from 1300 m to 2234 m.

Figure 4. Lateral views of the head and pronotum of Copris warneri (left) and of Copris arizonensis (right).

Ecology. Warner (1990) reported that C. arizonensis (the species most similar to C. warneri ) inhabits packrat ( Neotoma ) nests and has not been reported from dung traps. E leven specimens of C. warneri were taken in low numbers (often singly) at pitfall dung traps baited with human dung. An additional seven C. warneri specimens were collected at ultraviolet (UV) or mercury vapor (MV) lights. However, usually only one specimen of C. warneri was collected at each locality using lights, while multiple (up to 11 specimens) C. arizonensis specimens have been collected in at light on several occasions. One female C. warneri was taken in a pitfall trap baited with a fresh piece of a local mushroom set the day before, but there was no evident feeding damage to the mushroom. All nineteen C. warneri specimens were collected in oak or oak­pine woodlands.

Etymology. This species is a patronym for our esteemed colleague, William B. Warner, of Chandler, AZ in recognition of: 1) his many contributions to the advancement of our science; 2) his relentless pursuit of scarab beetles, including particularly rare and secretive species; and 3) his good­natured generosity towards his colleagues.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal view of a male Copris warneri.

FIGURE 2. Dorsal view of a female of Copris warneri.

FIGURE 3. Dorsal view of a male Copris warneri head (top) and the lateral view of the anterior part of a male elytron (bottom).

FIGURE 5. Distribution of Copris cited in the work in southern USA and northern Mexico. Green squares = Copris warneri, red triangles = Copris arizonensis, yellow circles = Copris martinezi.