Hiekeianus halophilus Ratcliffe, 2014

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2014, A New Genus and Species of Dynastinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, other New Species of Cyclocephalini, Pentodontini, and Phileurini from South America, and a Revised Key to the Genera of New World Pentodontini, The Coleopterists Bulletin 68 (4), pp. 663-680 : 663-680

Hiekeianus halophilus Ratcliffe , new species ( Figs. 11–12 )

Type Material. Holotype female with handwritten label: “ PERU: Cusco /Salineras de Maras/ S 13°18′08″ W 72°9′15″/ 5 Jan 2012, 3000m / M. Jameson and L. Russell //Found dead in/salt catchment” and with my red holotype label. Type deposited at the University of Nebraska State Museum (Lincoln, NE).

Holotype. Female. Length 30.0 mm; width 14.5 mm. Color dark reddish brown. Head: Frons with large, dense, deep, confluent punctures. Frontoclypeal region at center with short, transversely arcuate tubercle. Clypeus triangular, apex narrowly rounded, not reflexed, surface transversely rugose. Mandibles exposed, large, evenly rounded. Interocular width equals 4.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna 10-segmented, club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7. Pronotum: Surface convex, lacking fovea or tubercles, weakly crazed, anterior fifth half with moderately large, dense, deep punctures. Remainder of surface with moderately large punctures sparse to moderate in density. Base with thick marginal bead. Elytra: Sutural stria a row of deep, elongate punctures. Surface completely, densely punctate, punctures mostly large, glabrous. Pygidium: Disc shiny, with small, sparse, glabrous punctures. Base with narrow, transverse band of, setigerous punctures; punctures small to moderate, and setae long, reddish brown. In lateral view, surface convex. Legs: Protibia quadridentate. Metatibia at apex expanded, truncate and minutely crenulate with 17 stout spinules. Venter: Prosternal process moderately long, laminate, apex subtruncate.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek words halos for salt and philia for fondness. It is used here in reference to the salt catchments in which it was found. This is not to imply that this species actually has a predilection for salty habitats, but that it was simply found dead in such a place.

Distribution. Hiekeianus halophilus is known only from the area of the Maras salt pan area in Cusco Department, Peru.

Locality Record. PERU: CUSCO: Salineras de Maras ( Fig. 12 ).

Temporal Distribution. January (1).

Diagnosis. The female of H. halophilus is described as new because it is so different from the females of H. tuberculatus . The differences between H. halophilus and H. tuberculatus are summarized in Table 2.

In size and gestalt, H. halophilus also resembles Barutus hartmanni Ratcliffe from Panama and Costa Rica, but in B. hartmanni the clypeal apex is broader, the mandibles are weakly lobed, the frontoclypeal region has a binodose tubercle, the mentum is lanceolate rather than constricted at the subapex, the last abdominal sternite is subtruncate, and the prosternal process is large, thick, and rounded as opposed to the laminate, subtruncate process in H. halophilus .

Natural History. The single holotype was found dead, and so nothing is known of its life history.

Figures

Fig. 11. Hiekeianus halophilus, holotype.

Fig. 12. Salt catchments at Salineras de Maras, Cusco, Peru, type locality for Hiekeianus halophilus. Photograph by M. L. Jameson.