Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) clavijobustosi Barria, Quirós, and Bayfield-Farrell, 2023

Barria, Manuel D., Quirós, Dora Isabel & Bayfield-Farrell, William Peter, 2023, Description of a new Panamanian species of Phyllophaga Harris, 1827 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Rhizotrogini) of the orosina species group, Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 49 (3), pp. 649-655 : 650-653

Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) clavijobustosi Barria, Quirós, and Bayfield-Farrell , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 2 )

Material examined. Male holotype ( MIUP), labeled: “ PANAMÁ: Veraguas: P. N. Santa Fe, cerca de la División Continental , 840 m, 8°32’22.4”N 81°09’19.6”W, 28-29/V/2022, Hg Metal Hallide and UV light trap, M. Barria and W. Bayfield-Farrell col.”. Female allotype ( MIUP), labeled: same data as the holotype . 1 paratype male, 1 paratype female ( MDBC): same data . 2 females ( NHMUK): same data . 3 females ( IAvH-E): same data . 2 females ( CAS): same data .

Description. Male holotype ( Figs. 1 , 2 a-i). Length: 23.1 mm. Humeral width: 10.2 mm. Width of pronotum: 12.5 mm. Color: Dorsally reddish-brown, shiny. Head: Frons convex, glabrous, twice as wide as long, surface moderately punctuate, irregularly sparse; clypeus surface glabrous, three times wider than long, lateral margins rounded, apical margin sinuate slightly emarginate, almost straight; antenna with 10 antennomeres, antennal club longer than the previous seven (1:0.6) third antennomere semi-cylindrical and slightly elongate, fourth and fifth antennomeres shorter than the others, sixth more elongate posteriorly, seventh antennomere of compressed aspect, shorter than the sixth antennomere; antennal club almost twice as long as the preceding six antennomere; ocular canthus with at least 11 erect, rufous setae. Pronotum: Surface with punctures similar to the frons, glabrous, lateral margins entirely crenulated and with several erect setae; anterior angles obtuse. Scutellum: Wider than long, glabrous, surface with small, sparse and scattered punctures. Elytra: Surface generally glabrous, with a few very short setae near to the humeral and apical callus, and near to the lateral sides. Surface densely punctate, punctures separated from each other by 1-2 the puncture size and moderately deep. Apical callus poorly prominent, rounded. Pygidium: Plate convex, shiny; surface moderately and sparsely punctate, with short and rufous setae. Apical margin elevated and with some setae medially. Venter: Pro-, meso- and metasternum densely setigerous; sternites 2 to 4 with a distinct medial concavity; sternite 5 slightly convex medially, but almost inappreciable, with many erect setae in the apical border; sternite 6 (anal plate) broadly convex medially, apex distinctly sinuate and with several erect setae. Legs: Protibiae tridentate; protarsal claws with the internal denticle narrow and close to the base; external denticle longer and clearly separated from the internal denticle ( Figs. 2 b-c); mesotarsal claws ( Figs. 2 d-e) with the internal denticle reduced and narrow, more reduced in the external claw ( Fig. 2e ), internal denticle very close to the base; external denticle longer and clearly separated from the internal denticle, external denticles asymmetrical, upper denticle of the internal claw narrower and less recurved than the external denticle of the external claw. Genitalia ( Figs. 2 f-i): Male parameres fused dorsally; rounded apical lobes, with a short and recurved ventral process; internal sac of the aedeagus with the ring of spinules arranged horizontally.

Female allotype. Similar to the male except: Length: 23.8 mm. Humeral width: 9.6 mm. Width of elytra: 11.6 mm. Antennal club almost as long as the preceding six antennal segments; tarsal claws unmodified as in males; abdominal sternites are not convex medially; apex of anal plate (sternite 6) without non-sinuate emargination; basal edge of pygidial plate slightly wider than in males. Genital plates well sclerotized ( Fig. 2j ); upper genital plates fused with the lower plates, rounded edges except for the apical edge of the upper plates which are slightly crenulate, plates surface with several short, erect and rufous setae. Variations. Male paratype similar to the holotype, different only in size. Length: 22.3 mm; humeral width: 9.0 mm; width of elytra: 9.8 mm. Females paratypes: length: 22.7-23.8 mm; humeral width: 9.0- 9.6 mm; width of elytra: 10.8-11.6 mm.

Diagnosis. Phyllophaga clavijobustosi sp. nov. can be mostly recognized by the following characters: basal denticle of external protarsal claw not exceeding width of base; upper denticle of external mesotarsal claw exceeding length of basal denticle and base, upper margin straight; lobes of parameres curved ventrally, with a commissure on the ventral margin; posterior margin of parameres sinuated. In P. clavijobustosi the ventral process of the parameres is very short and does not separate clearly, while in Phyllophaga cocleana Morón the process is almost as long as the parameres and clearly separates; in Phyllophaga vandykei Saylor the process is almost twice as long as the parameres and is very recurved. However, the genitalia are more similar to those of Phyllophaga nuda (Moser) ( Guyana) and Phyllophaga orosina (Moser) ( Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica) but differ in the proportion and curvature of parameres lobes, and ventral process (length and how separated they are from the lobes). Females can be identified only by association with males and given the similarity of the ventral setiferous cover.

Distribution. Parque Nacional Santa Fe, Veraguas province, Panama ( Fig. 3 ). Habitat. The specimens were collected in a tropical lower montane moist forest ( Fig. 4 ).

Etymology. The species is named in honor of MDB’s friend Julian Clavijo-Bustos ( Colombia), as a thank you for his friendship all these years and in recognition of his great potential as a researcher and great knowledge in the Scarabaeoidea superfamily, especially in groups such as Aphodiinae, Hybosoridae , Bolboceratidae and Ochodaidae.

Figures

Figure 1a-c. Phyllophaga (s. str.) clavijobustosi sp. nov., male holotype. a-c) Dorsal, ventral, and lateral views. /Phyllophaga (s. str.) clavijobustosi sp. nov., holotipo macho. a-c) Vistas dorsal, ventral y lateral.

Figures 2a-j. Phyllophaga clavijobustosi sp. nov. a) Male antenna. b) External protarsal claw. c) Internal protarsal claw. d) External mesotarsal claw. e) Internal mesotarsal claw. f) Parameres, dorsal view. g) Parameres, lateral view. h) Internal sac of the aedeagus, lateral view. i) Parameres, ventral view. j) Gonocoxites, dorsal view. / a) Antena del macho. b) Uña protarsal externa. c) Uña protarsal interna. d) Uña mesotarsal externa. e) Uña mesotarsal interna. f) Parámeros, vista dorsal. g) Parámeros, vista lateral. h) Saco interno del edeago, vista lateral.i) Parámeros, vista ventral.j) Gonocoxitos, vista dorsal.

Figure 3. Distribution map of the Panamanian species of the orosina species group. / Mapa de distribución de las especies panameñas del grupo de especies orosina.

Figure 4. Habitat of Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) clavijobustosi sp. nov. Tropical Lower Montane Moist Forest in P. N. Santa Fe (near to the continental divide), Veraguas prov., Panama. Photography by Manuel D. Barria. / Hábitat de Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) clavijobustosi sp. nov. Bosque Húmedo Montano Bajo Tropical en el P. N. Santa Fe (cerca de la división continental), provincia de Veraguas, Panamá. FotografÍa de Manuel D. BarrÍa.