Parabyrsopolis Ohaus, 1915

Ramírez-Ponce, Andrés, Nogueira, Guillermo & Cunningham, Richard A., 2020, Redefinition of the genus Parabyrsopolis Ohaus and description of a new species from west-central Mexico (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), Zootaxa 4803 (3), pp. 515-522 : 517

Genus Parabyrsopolis Ohaus, 1915

Figs. 1B , 2–4 .

Cotalpa (Parabyrsopolis) Ohaus, 1915 , Type species: Cotalpa (Parabyrsopolis) batesi Ohaus, 1915 .

Synonym. Parareoda Casey, 1915 . Type species: Parareoda rufobrunnea Casey, 1915 .

Diagnosis. Modified from Morón & Nogueira (2016) (bolded words are new characters). Body length 20.5–35.0 mm. Color yellowish brown, reddish brown, dark, or black, with metallic cupreus, golden, green or blue iridescence in pronotum, scutellum, abdominal sternites, and sometimes in legs; dorsal vestiture absent; ventral vestiture abundant, long; clypeus sub-hexagonal, with sinuate, convergent margins and apex rounded or truncate ( Fig. 1B , grey lines), or completely rounded ( Fig. 1B , black line); frontoclypeal suture complete, mandibles with external edge recurved, entire; labium with the eternal edge narrowly notched and disk widely concave; antennae with 10 antennomeres; antennal club with three antennomeres; pronotum convex, twice wider than long; disc with medial longitudinal groove; basal bead complete, basal angles flattened and reflexed; prothoracic postcoxal process prominent; elytral discal submargin bare (epipleural carina may have row of setae); abdominal sternites 2–4 with similar length in the middle line; fifth sternite longer.

Taxonomic remarks. The shape of the clypeus on the new species appears to invalidate that key generic character of the genus Viridimicus , because the only characters left to distinguish both genera sensu Jameson (1999: 171), was the color. With the analysis of specimens from different localities, we propose the new clear and constant characters that reinforce the status of both genera, as shown below with the emendation of the key of Areodina of Jameson (1990):

9. Pronotum with basal bead incomplete medially; males elytral submargin sparsely setigerous (unless abraded), females mostly glabrous; males metallic green; females metallic green, dark brown, or black. Central Mexico to Honduras.................................................................................................... Viridimicus Jameson

– Pronotum with basal bead complete or at most interrupted at medial sulcus only; elytral submargin glabrous; males and females reddish brown, brown, or black. Southeastern Arizona ( United States of America) to central Mexico..................................................................................................... .. Parabyrsopolis Ohaus

Figures

FIGURE 1. Variation in the clypeal outer edge. A, Viridimicus species; B, Parabyrsopolis species. The form of P. moroni is shown in black, to demonstrate the new variation inside the genus (modified from Jameson 1990).

FIGURE 2. Dorsal habitus. A, Parabyrsopolis moroni; B, P. wixaritae.

FIGURE 3. Head and pronotum of Parabyrsopolis species. A) Parabyrsopolis moroni; B) P. wixaritae.

FIGURE 4. Diagnostic morphological characters of Parabyrsopolis species. A, Parabyrsopolis moroni in lateral view; B, mesotarsi of P. moroni; C–D, metatarsi of P. moroni; E, metatarsi of P. wixaritae; F–G, parameres in dorsal and ventral view of P. moroni; H–I, parameres in dorsal and ventral view of P. wixaritae; J, protibia of P. moroni; K, protibia of P. wixaritae; L, protarsal claws of P. moroni; M, protarsal claws of P. wixaritae; N, pygidium of P. moroni; O, pygidium of P. wixaritae.