Hemiphileurus bispinosus Ratcliffe, 2001

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2001, New Species Of Hemiphileurus Kolbe (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) From Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, And Brazil, The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (4), pp. 433-443 : 436-437

Hemiphileurus bispinosus Ratcliffe , new species

(Figs. 4–5)

Type Material. Holotype labeled ‘‘ BRAZIL: Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, UFMG, Estação Ecologica , IV­IV­1998, D. Yanega, ex blacklight.’’ Holotype deposited at the Museu de Zoologia of the Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil .

Holotype. Male. Length 16.0 mm; width 7.1 mm. Color black. Head: Frons in center with deep fovea, surface smooth; frons on sides with moderately­sized horns, horns erect and curving slightly posteriorly. Clypeus triangular, surface nearly smooth, with a few scattered, small, transverse punctures; apex acute and strongly reflexed, a weak carina extending from apex to base of each horn. Interocular width equals 4.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna 10­segmented, club slightly longer than segments 2–7. Mandibles arcuate on lateral edge, apices acute. Pronotum: Surface weakly, finely shagreened, punctate; punctures in longitudinal furrow sparse, large, ocellate, punctures just either side of furrow sparse, small; punctures on disc moderate in density, large, ocellate, punctures becoming dense in anterior angles. Median longitudinal furrow deep, extending from base to anterior fifth of pronotum, furrow widest at middle. Base with complete marginal bead. Elytra: Surface with 5 punctate striae between suture and humeral umbone; punctures moderate to mostly large, umbilicate, separated from one another in each row by about 1 puncture diameter. Odd intervals slightly convex, becoming transversely wrinkled on sides of disc; even intervals with rows of punctures similar to those of striae. Pygidium: Surface moderately densely punctate; punctures moderate to moderately large, most setigerous either side of middle; setae short, tawny in color. In lateral view, surface regularly convex. Legs: Foretibia tridentate, teeth subequally separated. Median transverse carina on meso­ and metatibiae crenulate. Apex of posterior tibia with strong, acute spine on upper angle and with several small serrations and a short, broad spinule between each serration (7 spinules on each side). Apex of first tarsomere of posterior tarsus extended into acute spine dorsally. Venter: Prosternal process short, subtriangular, flattened from front to back, and with small swelling on posterior face near base. Last sternite transversely rugopunctate to punctate in anterior half, apical half nearly smooth. Parameres: Figures 4–5.

Etymology. From the Latin bi, meaning two, and spina, meaning spine or thorn; this combination of words in reference to the two distinctive, curved spines between the parameres of the male genitalia (Figs. 4–5), hence the twospined Hemiphileurus .

Remarks. Hemiphileurus bispinosus will key to couplet 31 in Endrödi (1985) where neither of the subsequent two choices fit the character states. The parameres of H. bispinosus (Figs. 4–5) are remarkable because of the two, long, slender spine­like processes arising from between the parameres. Among all the other species of Hemiphileurus , only H. elongatus Dupuis and Dechambre from Bolivia has parameres with internal processes, but these are very different from those of H. bispinosus . In addition, the form of the prosternal process is unusually short and ‘‘undeveloped’’ in this new species relative to most other species in the genus.

The biology of this species is unknown. The single specimen was taken at blacklights.