Goudotostes trapeticollis, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 202-203

Goudotostes trapeticollis sp. nov.

( Figs 49 a-k, 77)

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6B2F3812-C4DA-496A-B627-35BCD35DE581

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences , San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20287 / CASENT 8013741 / Madagascar: Province d’Antsiranana forêt de Anabohazo 21.6 247° WSW Maromandia elev. 120 m 11- 16 Mar. 2011 / 14° 18 32” S 047° 54’ 52” E / coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. California Academy of Sciences sifted litter in tropical dry forest collecting code: BLF3338 / Goudotostes trapeticollis n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus ♂ [distended, glued on card, dissected, male genitalia glued in DMHF resin on a separate card, same pin]. Paratypes: 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ (1 in CASC and 1 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Goudotostes trapeticollis sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Goudotostes by the following combination of characters: a) large size, b) dorsal ocular area present (vestigial), c) head with a weak tubercle on clypeal disc, d) pronotal anterior carina monolobate, e) pronotal anterior carina distinctly trapezoidal in frontal view, f) pronotal anterior carina raised without giving rise to a longitudinal sharp carina visible in dorsal view, g) pronotal basal carina monolobate, h) pronotum weakly saddle-shaped in lateral view, i) pronotal disc with distinct gibbosities and lacking any distinct carinae and/or tubercles (apart from the monolobate anterior and posterior carinae), j) elytra with irregular rows of strongly raised tubercles and short longitudinal carinae (distinct interstriae can be seen between those carinae and tubercles), k) aedeagus with a distinctive median lobe as in Fig. 49 j . The species falls within the scabrosus group of species and can be differentiated by the other species of the group by the combination of characters e), f), and k).

Description. Size: HL = 0.9 mm; HW = 1.7 mm; PL = 1.8 mm; PW = 3.1 mm; EL = 3.0 mm; EW = 2.9 mm. Overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Large-sized Goudotostes . Body strongly convex. Brown with slight metallic green sheen, especially on tubercles and carinae, dorsal setation fine and extremely short (50×), underside, tarsi and antennae dark reddish-brown, setation yellowish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.58; clypeal apex obtuse, apical projection present and sexually dimorphic but weakly developed, sides almost rectilinear apart from slightly unaligned genae; dorsal ocular area present and small, genal canthus fused with occipital area of head, ventral ocular area small-sized, genae acute, distinctly protruding outwards, genal suture indistinct; head dorsal surface uniformly covered by large impressed simple punctures becoming transverse comma-shaped on clypeal fore margin, clypeus with a weakly raised irregular large tubercle with surface covered by large deep simple punctures. Interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter (punctures almost adjacent to each other), interpunctural surface raised, giving an uneven appearance to head surface. Pronotum: subrectangular (dorsal view) (W/L ratio = 1.72), strongly convex and unevenly sculptured, base and sides broadly rounded, fore angles distinctly truncate; surface uniformly covered by dense deep large simple punctures mixed to a few comma-shaped and horseshoe-shaped punctures, each one bearing a short fine seta in the middle, punctation very deep, with interpunctural intervals raised and narrow (interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter, punctures almost adjacent to each other) giving a granulose appearance to surface; monolobate anterior carina strongly and narrowly raised, portion raised having the shape of a trapezoid in frontal view and of a transverse short carina in dorsal view, disc with a depression in the middle, sides of disc with one raised rounded tubercle, next to tubercle a transverse short carina reaching outer margin, monolobate basal carina distinctly raised, dorsally marked by an inverted T- shaped short tubercle. Pronotal bead complete and visible from above apart from base. Scutellum : base smooth, remaining surface covered by dense large transverse deep comma-shaped punctures, each one bearing a setigerous puncture internally. Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.93), subovoidal (dorsal view), strongly convex; humeral callus indistinct; elytral surface uniformly covered by large deep comma-shaped punctures becoming horseshoe-shaped, with opening directed outwards on median and distal third, each one bearing a short fine seta internally; interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter; inferior sutural stria complete and deep; striated articular area hardly visible in lateral view, relatively narrow and short; marginal area medium-sized; elytral articular process developed, smooth and shiny, isolated from remaining elytral surface by a deep furrow. Elytral sculpturing as follows: elytral suture marked by a longitudinal row of raised tubercles and short carinae, base with one longitudinal short carina near apex of scutellum, next to it a longitudinal short- er, then another oblique carina which marks the humeral area, remaining elytral dorsal surface with two irregular rows of raised tubercles and short carinae (distinct interstriae can be seen between those carinae and tubercles), sides and apical portion of elytra with several irregular short rows of denser tubercles and short carinae. Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 1.5 mm) with parameres as in Figs 49 h-k, spiculum gastrale (L = 1.5 mm) as in Fig. 49 g .

Etymology. Latin compound noun meaning “with trapezoid pronotum”. from Latin trapetium (= trapezoid) and collus (= neck, pronotum), due to the shape of pronotal anterior carina in frontal view.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality in north-western Madagascar. The type series was collected by sifting litter in a tropical dry forest. According to Goodman et al. (2018) the forests of the site are “transitional between dry deciduous forest and moist deciduous forest of the Sambirano domain, they thus resem- ble a semi-deciduous forest”. The vegetation of the area is also classified as “Western dry forest” by Moat & Smith (2007). The area falls within the protected area “Parc National de Sahamalaza-Iles Radama”.

Within the studied material other seven females of ten- tative new species were examined, however, since the male genitalia have pivotal importance in distinguishing the species of the genus, those females will remain undescribed.

Goudotostes sp. A

( Figs 75 g-h, 77)

Material examined. 1 ♀ ( CASC): / Madagascar: Province d’Antsiranana forêt de Anabohazo 21.6 247° WSW Maromandia elev. 120 m 11-16 Mar. 2011 / 14° 18 32» S 047° 54’ 52» E / coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. California Academy of Sciences sifted litter in tropical dry forest collecting code: BLF3338 /.

Prossibly a new species, belonging to the scabrosus group of species, closely resembling G. siccaesilvae sp. nov. and differing from it because of the less strongly sculptured elytra and the less saddle-shaped pronotum (lateral view).

Goudotostes sp. B

( Figs 75 d-f, 77)

Material examined. 1 ♀ ( CASC): / CASENT 8135312 / Madagascar: Toamasina Prov., Ile Sainte Marie, Foret Kalalao, 9.9 km 34° NW Ambodifotatra elev. 100 m 24-27 November 2005 / 16° 55’ 21” S 049° 53’ 14” E California Acad. of Sciences coll. Brian L. Fisher et al. sifted litter, rainforest collection code: BLF 12989 /.

A species, belonging to the laevis group of species, very similar to G. rakotonirinai sp. nov., with which it shares the same pronotal and elytral sculpturing.

Goudotostes sp. C

( Figs 75 a-c, 77)

Material examined. 1♀ ( CASC): / CASENT 8135318 / Madagascar: Antsiranana forêt Ambanitaza, 26.1 km 347° Antalaha elev. 240 m 26 November 2004 / 14° 40’ 46” S 050° 11’ 01” E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B. L. Fisher sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) rainforest BLF10997 /.

Possibly a new species, belonging to the laevis group of species, very similar to G. rajemisonae sp. nov., with which it shares the same pronotal and elytral sculpturing, although G. sp. C has a stronger pronotal punctation and a smaller elytral punctation as well has stronger paradiscal and humeral tubercles.

Figures

Fig. 49 – Goudotostes trapeticollis sp. nov., a, holotype, dorsal view of distended specimen; b, paratype, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, paratype, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, paratype, pronotum of rolled up specimen; e, paratype, ventral view of rolled up specimen; f, lateral view of rolled up specimen; g, holotype, spiculum gastrale; h–k, holotype, four views of aedeagus.

Fig. 75 – Goudotostes sp., undescribed females (not to scale), a–c, Goudotostes sp. from Antsiranana, forêt Ambanitaza; d–f, Goudotostes sp. from Toamasina, Ile Sainte Marie, Foret Kalalao; g–h, Goudotostes sp. from Antsiranana, forêt de Anabohazo.