Diplotaxis balam, Delgado & Toledo-Hernández, 2020

Delgado, Leonardo & Toledo-Hernandez, Victor Hugo, 2020, Three new species of Diplotaxis Kirby from Guatemala and Mexico (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), with a key to the species of the trapezifera group, ZooKeys 993, pp. 35-46 : 35

Diplotaxis balam sp. nov. Figs 1-5

Material examined.

Holotype male,"Guatemala: Zacapa, arriba de La Unión, 16-III-1996, Alt. 1,550 m, bosque nuboso, J. C. Schuster col." (UVGC). Paratype female, same data as holotype (LLDC).

Diagnosis.

This species is easily recognized by the color of the elytra (Figs 1-2 , 5 ): ground color yellow with black, irregular foveae distributed throughout entire surface. No other described species of this genus shows this color pattern.

Description.

Holotype. Male (Figs 1-4 ). Length 8.55 mm; width 4.21 mm. Body elongate and dorsoventrally flattened. Clypeus red with a metallic green tinge, frons and pronotum metallic green, elytra yellow and black with irregular foveae throughout entire surface, venter metallic green, legs tan with a weak metallic green tinge.

Head. Clypeus trapezoidal in shape, 0.4 length of frons, apex broadly sinuated with anterior angles rounded, sides indented in front of eyes; clypeal surface concave, rugose, with distinct setae; frontoclypeal suture absent; frons flat, gradually declivous to clypeus, with coarse, dense punctures; transverse eye diameter 0.33 interocular width; antennae 10-segmented; labrum flat, flush with, and 0.20 times longer than reflexed underside face of clypeus, surface with dense punctures; mandibles slender in frontal view; mentum slightly convex, with weak anterior declivity marked by a suture; last article of maxillary palps not impressed dorsally.

Pronotum. Hexagonal in shape; with anterior angles acute, lateral margins angled and situated behind middle, posterior angles obtuse; pronotal surface almost evenly convex, with three lateral foveae on each side; pronotal punctuation regular with dense, medium-sized punctures on disc, confluent near sides; basal margin with bead not cariniform, with a continuous row of punctures; most punctures bearing a minute seta slightly longer than one puncture diameter.

Scutellum. With medium-sized punctures at sides. Elytra. 1.7 times longer than width, elytral surface with irregular, shallow, black foveae, most of them on the intervals; elytral striae with separated, ocellate punctures, intervals with small, moderately dense punctures; elytral punctures with setae minute but slightly longer than those of pronotum.

Abdomen. Without lateral carina; propygidium without groove above of pygidium; ventrites 2-5 subequal in length, surface with setae medially and with whitish scales laterally; pygidium 1.7 times wider than long, surface with coarse, deep, setigerous punctures; setae dense, longer on apical half.

Legs. Protibiae tridentate, basal tooth weak and situated in distal half; claws long, slightly curved, cleft subapically, inner rami of claws shorter than apex; tarsi longer than respective tibiae; mesotarsomere 1 slightly shorter than 2; metacoxal plate rounded and margined laterally; metafemora straight and slender; metatibial spurs slender, long, acute; metatarsomere 1 shorter than the 2 and slightly longer than longest spur.

Genitalia. Basal piece shorter than parameres, which are joined on inner margin at basal fifth, moderately widened at middle, apices blunt (Figs 3-4 ).

Female. One female paratype (Fig. 5 ). Length 6.97 mm; width 3.53 mm. The female differs from the male in the following respects: clypeus slightly shorter; frons and vertex more convex; transverse eye diameter 0.31 interocular width; pronotum with anterior angles obtuse and lateral angles rounded; elytra 1.3 times longer than width; abdomen nearly flat; pygidium 1.6 times wider than long; tibiae broader and robust; metafemora slightly broader; inner metatibial spur wider and longer than metatarsomere 1.

Etymology.

The specific epithet balam , meaning jaguar in the Mayan language, refers to the color pattern of the elytra, similar to the skin of this feline.

Distribution.

This species is only known from the type locality, situated in the Sierra de Las Minas, Guatemala, near the border with Honduras (14°56'45.6"N, 89°16'40.1"W) (Fig. 17 ). The locality is at 1550 m altitude, covered by a cloud forest.

Taxonomic remarks.

The features of D. balam sp. nov. agree in part with those of the trapezifera species group [see key to species groups by Vaurie (1960)]. The group is mainly characterized by the presence of setae on the clypeal surface, the rest of the dorsum being glabrous or with minute setae only. However, D. balam sp. nov. (as well as D. xalapensis and the two new species described below) has a dorsoventrally flattened body, unlike species of the trapezifera group which have a convex body. Diplotaxis balam sp. nov. is distinguished from all other Diplotaxis by the unique color pattern of the elytra (Figs 1-2 , 5 ).

Figures

Figure 17. Distribution of Diplotaxis species. Diplotaxis balam sp. nov. (black circle), D. chiapasensis sp. nov. (black triangle), D. complanatis sp. nov. (white circle), D. xalapensis Delgado and Capistran (white triangle).

Figures 1 - 5. Diplotaxis balam sp. nov. 1 male habitus, dorsal view 2 male habitus, lateral view 3 aedeagus, dorsal view 4 aedeagus, lateral view 5 female habitus. Scale bars: 1 mm (1, 2, 5); 0.5 mm (3, 4).