Pharaxonotha, Reitter, 1875

Tang, William, Skelley, Paul E., Taylor B, Alberto S. & Salzman, Shayla, 2024, Review of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting cones of the cycad Zamia L. (Cycadales) in Panama, with descriptions of five new species, Insecta Mundi 2024 (43), pp. 1-40 : 5-7

Key to species of Pharaxonotha in Panama

Because of variable and overlapping morphological character states with some species, it is desirable, and in some cases necessary, to have a series of specimens and both sexes to properly identify a species. Also, this key relies heavily on the morphology of spermatheca in female genitalia (see Fig. 1A for spermathecal structures and orientations used in this key). Published keys to regional faunas of Pharaxonotha are available for some Ceratozamia and Zamia ( Skelley and Tang 2020; Tang and Gomez Dominguez 2022) and Dioon ( Skelley et al. 2022) hosts. To help facilitate accurate identifications, biological and distributional data are included here. More complete keys for Ceratozamia and Zamia hosts in other regions are currently in progress and will be published elsewhere.

1. Head in lateral view robust, convex dorsally especially anteriorly ( Fig. 12E ); post-ocular ridge present (temple), tooth-like in dorsal view; male with small tooth at apex of last abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 12G ); USA (Texas, Louisiana) to Panama in nature, Europe and elsewhere in stored products, rarely associated with cycads.................................................. P. kirschii Reitter

— Head in lateral view narrowed anteriorly, flattened dorsally; post-ocular ridge indistinct, usually lacking; male lacking modified last abdominal ventrite; associated with cycad cones.................. 2

2(1). Body length 1.59–2.08 mm; pronotal hind angle and elytral humerus rounded, lacking angulation or small denticle; female with basal third of spermatheca wider than apical third ( Fig. 11J ); Panamá province on Z. cunaria and Z. ipetiensis .......................... P. taylori Skelley and Tang

— Body length 1.99–3.80 mm; pronotal hind angle and elytral humerus with angulation or small denticle; female with basal third of spermatheca narrower than apical third; inhabiting other species of Zamia .................................................................................... 3

3(2). Body length 2.03–2.31 mm; pronotum relatively long, pronotal length/width (PL/PW) = (0.77) 0.80– 0.88, pronotal length/elytral length (PL/EL) = 0.34–0.40 (multiple specimens required); female with length of spermatheca ≈ 3× own maximum width; Darien province on Z. manicata ......................................................... P. manicatae Tang, Skelley and Taylor , n. sp.

— Body length 1.99–3.80 mm; pronotum shorter, PL/PW = 0.60–0.80 (0.85), PL/EL = 0.29–0.37 (0.39) (multiple specimens required); female with length of spermatheca> 4× own maximum width; inhabiting other Zamia and various provinces............................................ 4

4(3). Spermatheca length> 6× maximum width of basal third; inhabiting NW portion of Panama, primarily in Atlantic drainage from Bocas del Toro to Coclé province [clarkorum species group]........ 5

— Spermatheca length <6× maximum width of basal third; inhabiting southwest portion of Panama in Chiriqui province and eastern portion from Colón and Coclé to Darien provinces … [confusa species group].......................................................................... 8

5(4). Mean EL/EW = 1.70 (range = 1.63–1.75); mean PL/PW = 0.72 (range = 0.69–0.75); PL/EL strongly sexually dimorphic, in females = 0.309 –0.329 (mean = 0.331), in males = 0.332 –0.360 (mean = 0.345) (multiple specimens required); apical third of spermatheca swollen; inhabiting the epiphyte Z. pseudoparasitica in forest canopy generally 7–20 m above the forest floor in lowland forest from 50–1000m above sea level................. P. pseudoparasitica Tang, Skelley and Taylor , n. sp.

— Mean EL/EW = 1.78–1.85 [6 populations sampled; range for all individuals = (1.58)1.67–2.06]; mean PL/ PW = 0.73–0.76 (6 populations sampled, range for all individuals = 0.69–0.85); PL/EL moderately to non- sexually dimorphic (means for 6 populations: females = 0.325 –0.336, in males = 0.330 –0.356) (multiple specimens required); apical third of spermatheca swollen or not swollen; inhabiting nonepiphytic Zamia from littoral zone to cloud forest, 0–1200 m elevation...................... 6

6(5). Body length 2.94–3.79 mm; head narrow relative to pronotal width, HW/PW = 0.66-0.72; fore and middle legs notably more robust than hind leg, protibia broadly triangular, protarsal pads enlarged with dense ventral brush of setae, male protarsal pad width notably> half width of eye in ventral view; male fore legs and tarsi notably more dilated than female; inhabiting Z. lindleyi in northern Chiriqui and southern Bocas del Toro provinces in montane and cloud forest from 600–1200 m ....................................................... P. fortunensis Tang, Skelley and Taylor , n. sp.

— Body length 1.99–2.68 mm ; HW/PW = 0.73-0.81; fore and middle legs not notably more robust than hind leg, protibia narrowly triangular, protarsal pads moderately or not enlarged with ventral brush of setae normal, male protarsal pads width half width or less of eye in ventral view; male fore legs and tarsi weakly more dilated than female; inhabiting other Zamia species from Coclé to Bocas del Toro provinces, 0– 600 m .............................................................. 7

7(6). Spermatheca shorter = 0.14 mm, apical third with only a slight gradual bend, swollen, width approximately twice the minimum width of basal third, apex rounded; inhabiting Z. hamannii , Z. nesophila and Z. neurophyllidia , in western Bocas del Toro, Panama and nearshore islands to northern Costa Rica.............................................................. P. clarkorum Pakaluk

— Spermatheca longer = 0.17–0.19 mm, apical third with pronounced angulate bend, not swollen, only slightly wider than minimum width of basal third, apex subtruncate; inhabiting Z. imperialis and Z. skinneri from eastern Bocas del Toro eastward to Coclé Province ........................................................................... P. holzmani Tang, Skelley and Taylor , n. sp.

8(4). Mean head width/ventral interocular distance (HW/VI) = 2.52–2.68 [5 populations sampled; range for all individuals sampled = (2.19) 2.30–2.83]; mean head width/dorsal interocular distance (HW/ DI) = 1.79–1.87 (5 populations sampled; range for all individuals sampled = 1.73–1.97) (multiple specimens required); basal third of spermatheca with insertion point of spermathecal and glandular ducts flat, not raised, smooth portion of spermatheca at basal end usually abruptly transitioning to wider, annulated section, annulations at basal third at 90° angle to margins; southeastern Costa Rica (Puntarenas) and southwestern Panama (Chiriqui) in Pacific drainage south of Continental Divide with Z. fairchildiana and Z. pseudomonticola ............................. P. confusa Pakaluk

— Mean HW/VI = 2.36–2.46, [6 populations sampled; range for all individuals sampled = (2.13) 2.32– 2.75]; mean HW/DI = 1.74–1.77 (6 populations sampled; range = 1.68–1.88) (multiple specimens required); basal third of spermatheca with insertion point of spermathecal and glandular ducts bulging, not flat, smooth portion of spermatheca at basal end usually gradually transitioning to wider, annulated section, annulations at basal third at oblique angle to margins; central and eastern Panama (Coclé, Colón, Darien, Kula Yala, Panamá) with on Z. dressleri , Z. elegantissima , Z. nana , Z. obliqua and Z. stevensonii ..................... P. panamensis Tang, Skelley and Taylor , n. sp.

Figures

Figure 1. Spermatheca of Pharaxonotha fawcettae Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera from Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro, Mexico indicating the diagnostic structures and regions used in the key.

Figure 11. Pharaxonotha taylori. A–C) Dorsal, lateral and ventral habitus. D–E) Head, dorsal and ventral views. F) Genital capsule and tegmen attached to median lobe, (top to bottom) ventral and lateral views. G) Tegmen attached to median lobe, (top to bottom) ventral and lateral views. H) Male genital capsule. I) Retracted ovipositor, ventral view. J) Spermatheca. Images F–J reproduced from Skelley and Tang (2020).

Figure 12. Pharaxonotha kirschii from Costa Rica, Guanacaste Province (A–J: male). A–C) Dorsal, lateral and ventral habitus. D–F) Head, dorsal, lateral and ventral views.G) Terminal segment of male abdomen.H) Genital capsule.I) Tegmen attached to median lobe, (top to bottom) ventral and lateral views. J) Parameres of tegmen, (top to bottom) ventral and lateral views. K) Retracted ovipositor with spermatheca, ventral view. L) Spermatheca.