Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) pachypyga (Burmeister, 1855)

Vallejo, Luís Fernando & Wolff, Martha, 2013, The genus Phyllophaga Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) in the Colombian Andean Mountains, Zootaxa 3722 (2), pp. 101-142 : 114-115

8. Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) pachypyga (Burmeister, 1855)

Redescription. Male genital capsule ( Fig. 36 ) is cylindrical, parameres are short, wide at the base, and fused dorsally. The long aedeagus is projected from the parameres with spiniform projections at the pre-apical zone, finishing in a long and characteristically curved whip.

Comments. After revising and comparing the type specimens, Morón (2001) analyzed P. nigrofusca (Moser) and P. pachypyga , confirming Frey’s observation (1975) that, in his opinion, both were impossible to distinguish from one another. Ancylonycha pachypyga was described with a male from “ Brazil ”, but Frey (1975) considered that its distribution covered Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, and possibly Panama. Lachnosterna nigrofusca was originally described with males obtained in “ Venezuela ”, which were very similar to P. brevisetosa (Moser) . Morón (2001) studied the A. pachypyga holotype “without data” that was deposited in MLUH, the L. nigrofusca “ Venezuela ” holotype deposited in ZMHU, and two specimens, one male and one female, labeled “ Colombia: Fusagasugá” deposited in ZMHU. There is no precise data on their distribution in Colombia.

Figures

FIGURE 36. Phyllophaga pachypyga diagnostic structures, male genital capsule, lateral view (36). Scale: 1 mm.