Coprophanaeus (Metallophanaeus) pertyi ( Olsoufieff, 1924 )

Gillett, Conrad P. D. T., Gillett, P. T., E. D. T, James & Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z., 2010, Diversity and distribution of the scarab beetle tribe Phanaeini in the northern states of the Brazilian Northeast (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), Insecta Mundi 2010 (118), pp. 1-19 : 9

Coprophanaeus (Metallophanaeus) pertyi ( Olsoufieff, 1924)

Figure 10

Collection data. Ceará: Maranguape, Tabatinga, 38 o 43’48"W ; 04 o 00’42"S, 126 m Caatinga , carrion trap, 26. iii. 2008: 6m + 3f ; idem, 31. iii. 2008: 2m ; Cagado, 38 o 45’05"W ; 04 o 01’57"S, 114 m Caatinga, carrion trap, 28. iv. 2008: 1m. Maranguape, São Benedito, Sanctuario da Nossa Senhora de Penha , 38 o 40’48"W ; 03 o 52’29"S, 96 m Scrubland / caatinga, 26. iii. 2008: 2m + 1f.

Piauí: São Raimundo Nonato, i. 1999, C.A. Matrangolo (several specimens, FVMC). NEW STATE RECORD.

Rio Grande do Norte: Rio Grande do Norte, no further data, 1m + 1f (BMNH).

Results. 2008 data: 15 specimens; 11 males and 4 females. Male: Female sex ratio 2.75. Bait preference (2008 data): Carrion (15). Temporal distribution (all data): January, March (14), April (1).

Distribution. It has been recorded from RN, CE, AL (as Phanaeus alvarengai Pereira and D’Andretta, 1955 ), BA ( Martínez and Pereira 1967; Arnaud 2002a; Lopes et al. 2006), PE ( Pereira and D’Andretta 1955; Silva et al. 2007; Costa 2009), PB ( Hernández 2007) and MA ( Sampaio et al. 2009) and is an endemic species of the caatinga and transition zones, mainly in NE Brazil, but also occurring in northern Minas Gerais (F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello personal observation).

Remarks. Coprophanaeus pertyi is restricted to open areas of caatinga and associated scrubland at low elevations below 200 m. It was collected exclusively in carrion baited traps and appears to be very patchily distributed. It is (unusually for a Coprophanaeus ) probably a diurnal species because on several occasions no specimens were collected in overnight traps checked in the morning, but were present in traps checked in the late afternoon or evening. Hernández (2007) also records it as being diurnal. The species occurs sympatrically with C. cyanescens and D. mimas in open areas. Sampaio et al. (2009) also recorded the species from coastal cerrado habitat in MA. All specimens studied here have greenish-blue metallic reflections on the pronotum, pygidium and femora (a very similar color to that of C. cyanescens in the study area), except for those from Piauí, which are much darker, having the pronotum colored dark blue to almost black.

Two other species in the subgenus Metallophanaeus are recorded from the NE. One is the endemic C. vazdemeloi Arnaud , known only from a caatinga area of PI (Arnaud 2002; Arnaud 2002a). The second species is C. punctatus Olsoufieff , a rare inhabitant of the Atlantic forest which has been recently recorded from PE ( Costa et al 2009) and is also known from BA in the NE ( Olsoufieff 1924; Arnaud 2002a) and from Minas Gerais (Arnaud 2002) and Espíritu Santo (F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello personal observation) elsewhere.

Figures

Figure 7-13. Habitus images. 7) Coprophanaeus cyanescens (Olsoufieff, 1924) male specimen from Maranguape, São Benedito, Sanctuario da Nossa Senhora de Penha (CE). 8) Coprophanaeus acrisius (Macleay, 1819) male specimen from Santa Quiteria de Maranhão, Fazenda Rodiador (MA). 9) Coprophanaeus dardanus (Macleay, 1819) male specimen from Baturité, Uirapuru (CE). 10) Coprophanaeus (Metallophanaeus) pertyi (Olsoufieff, 1924) male specimen from Maranguape, Tabatinga (CE). 11) Diabroctis mimas (Linnaeus, 1767) male specimen from Maranguape, Piraponga (CE). 12-13) Phanaeus melibaeus Blanchard, 1843 male specimen from Santa Quiteria de Maranhão, Fazenda Rodiador (MA). Photographs by M.P.T. Gillett.