Cyclocephala dupuisi 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

Cyclocephala dupuisi Ratcliffe , new species ( Figs. 1–4 )

Type Material. H o l o t y p e m a l e l a b e l e d “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz /Flora & Fauna Lodge/ 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista / 17°29′55 S, 63°39′9 W / 17–19 November 2006 /B. Ratcliffe and M. Jameson ” and with my red holotype label. Allotype female labeled “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz Dist. / 4km SSE Buena Vista Hotel /Flora & Fauna, 17-20.X.2011 / 17°29′S, 63°39′W, 300– 400m /Ex:b/l; Wappes and Skillman” and with my red allotype label. One male paratype with same data as allotype. One paratype male labeled “ BOLIVIA / Santa Cruz / Feb. 1956 / G. Pinckert ” and with my yellow paratype label. One paratype male labeled “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 3.7km /SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora/and Fauna 405m., 5-15-XI-2001 / 17°29.949′S; 63°33.152′W / M. C. Thomas & B. K. Dozier /tropical transition forest” and with my yellow paratype label. One paratype female labeled “ BOLIVIA / Santa Cruz Dept./ October 2011 ” and with my yellow paratype label. One paratype female labeled “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz Dept./ Potrerillos del Guenda , Snake/ Farm, 21-24.X.2011; 370–400m / 17°40′S 63°27′W; Ex blacklight/ Coll. J. E. Wappes & F. Skillman ” and with my yellow paratype label.

Holotype and allotype deposited at the University of Nebraska State Museum (Lincoln, NE) . Paratypes deposited as follows: one to the U.S. National Museum (Washington, DC), one to the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (Gainesville, FL), one to the Fabien Dupuis Collection (Saint- Chamond, France), and two to the Brett C. Ratcliffe Collection (Lincoln, NE) .

Holotype. Male. Length 15.3 mm; width 7.6 mm. Color completely testaceous except for black apices of protibial teeth, femora, and tibiae. Head: Frons and clypeus with small, dense punctures. Clypeus with apex subtruncate, narrowly reflexed. Interocular width equals 3.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 segments, club slightly longer than antennomeres 2–7. Pronotum: Surface with small, moderately dense punctures, punctures becoming slightly denser on sides. Base lacking marginal bead. Elytra: Surface with punctate striae and with randomly arranged punctures in intervals, especially first; punctures moderately large, glabrous. Pygidium: Surface completely, densely scabriculous, glabrous. In lateral view, surface weakly, regularly convex. Legs: Protibia tridentate, teeth equidistant from one another. Protarsus enlarged; tarsomere 5 large, curved, with strong, longitudinal carina on median surface; median claw large, strongly bent at base, apex narrowly cleft. Metatarsus distinctly longer than metatibia. Venter: Prosternal process long, columnar, apex with fringe of long setae and obliquely flattened into transversely suboval disc with anterior half elevated into a raised, transverse “button.” Parameres: Sides subparallel, constricted well before the apex, apices evenly rounded ( Figs. 2–3 ).

Allotype. Female. Length 14.0 mm; width 7.2 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Elytra: Epipleuron (ventral view) of females gradually thickened to and then abruptly constricted at level of abdominal sternite 1; in dorsal view, lateral margin of elytra with large swelling at about middle. Pygidium: Surface completely rugulopunctate, glabrous, nearly flat in lateral view. Legs: Metatarsus subequal in length to metatibia.

Variation. Males (3 paratypes). Length 13.6– 14.1 mm; width 6.8–7.1 mm. The paratypes do not differ significantly from the holotype. One specimen has the antennal club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7. One specimen has short, sparse setae along the base of the pygidium.

Females (2 paratypes). Length 13.5–13.9 mm; width 6.9–7.4 mm. The paratypes do not differ significantly from the allotype.

Etymology. I am pleased to name this species after my French colleague, Fabien Dupuis, in recognition of his numerous contributions to the taxonomy of Dynastinae.

Distribution. To date, C. dupuisi is known only from two locations in Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, but, no doubt, it occurs elsewhere in the department where there is suitable forest habitat.

Locality Records. BOLIVIA: SANTA CRUZ: Flora and Fauna Lodge ( Fig. 4 ), the Snake Farm.

Temporal Distribution. February (1), November (6).

Diagnosis. The parameres of C. dupuisi closely resemble those of Cyclocephala occipitalis Fairmaire from southern Brazil and Argentina. However, C. dupuisi has a testaceous frons and vertex (black or piceous in C. occipitalis ) and an antennal club in the male that is subequal to or only slightly longer than antennomeres 2–7 (as long as or longer than the entire stem in C. occipitalis ). In addition, C. dupuisi is a larger beetle at 14 mm plus, whereas C. occipitalis is 13 mm or smaller.

Cyclocephala dupuisi males will key as far as couplet 435/ 436 in Endrödi (1985), where the choices for Cyclocephala flavipennis Arrow and Cyclocephala sanguinicollis Burmeister do not conform to the characters of C. dupuisi , especially the sculpturing of the pygidium and shape of the parameres. Females will key to couplet 357 in Endrödi’ s (1985) female key, where, again, the character states are different: lateral margin of elytra swollen at about middle in C. dupuisi and swollen behind the middle in C. flavipennis ; pygidium completely rugulopunctate in C. dupuisi and sparsely punctate in C. flavipennis . But remember that there are now at least 130 species that have been described since Endrödi’ s work that are not in his key.

Natural History. The holotype was collected at a light trap in secondary forest near the Hotel Flora and Fauna ( Fig. 4 ). The other specimens were probably taken at lights as well.

Figures

Figs. 1–3. Cyclocephala dupuisi, holotype. 1) Habitus; 2) Parameres, caudal view; 3) Parameres, lateral view.

Fig. 4. Type locality for Cyclocephala dupuisi near Flora and Fauna Lodge near Buena Vista, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Photograph by BCR.