Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) apolinaria Saylor, 1942

Vallejo, Luís Fernando & Wolff, Martha, 2013, The genus Phyllophaga Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) in the Colombian Andean Mountains, Zootaxa 3722 (2), pp. 101-142 : 132

26. Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) apolinaria Saylor, 1942

Redescription. Length 20 mm. The species is dark chestnut-brown in color with an elongate body. The corporal surface has long setae, reaching their highest density in the thoracic area of the abdomen. Pronotum ( Fig. 110 ) is wider than it is long, with fine punctures on the dorsal surface, with long, fine setae. Cranial surface is roughly punctate and slightly rounded; the clypeus is not very sharp, with raised and concave margins. Antennae ( Fig. 111 ) have 10 antennomeres with narrow and short antennal clubs. Claws ( Fig. 112 ) are cleft with a long, sharp tooth in mid position. Tibiae are flat; protibiae have three lateral teeth, the first two more pronounced and the third one shorter; metatibiae ( Fig. 113 ) have medial carinae, and the pair of metatibial spurs are prominent, the outer spur is larger and both are articulated to the tibiae. Male genital capsule ( Figs. 114–115 ) is strongly sclerotized, long, cylindrical and curved; the short parameres are joined by a membrane, and have a pair of distinctive keels on the outer dorsal margin and a smaller one on the central inner margin; the aedeagus is membranous with minute spines which add a rubbery texture to the entire structure.

Comments. The species was originally described from specimens of both sexes obtained by Father Apolinar María in August in "Payne, Columbia ", in Muzo (Boyacá) in July, in “Fusagua” (Cundinamarca) in October, and in “Rio Chili ”. According to Saylor, P. apolinaria is similar to P. r u f i p e s Moser and to P. transversicollis Moser. This study illustrates some of this species’ key features, observed from the holotype, but it is necessary to compare more specimens from other collections in order calculate the proportions of all structures.

The “Diccionario Geográfico de Colombia ” (Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi 1996) has an entry for the city of Fusagasugá (of Chibcha origin, meaning “invisible woman”), located in the Eastern Andes of Colombia at an altitude of 2,400 m. The region has a cold climate, with large areas of land dedicated to dairy farming.

Figures

FIGURES 110 – 115. Phyllophaga apolinaria. Pronotum, dorsal view (110), left antenna (111), left metatarsal claw (112), left metatibia (113) male genital capsule, lateral view (114), frontal view (115). Scale: 1 mm.