Veturius

Salazar-Niño, Karen & Serrão, José Eduardo, 2015, Description of the immature stages of nine species of Veturius (Coleoptera: Passalidae), Zootaxa 3925 (1), pp. 94-108 : 101

Veturius (Vetur ius) simillimus Kuwert, 1891

( Figs. 1 c, 2c, 3c, 4c, 9b)

Third instar. Body: length 46.0 mm, width (prothorax) 8.0 mm; with tiny, stout setae ( Fig. 9 b); prosternal setae absent. Primary setal pattern: 2 HPA, 1 PD, 3 PSL, 1 MSD, 2 MSL, 0 MTD, 2 MTL, 1 TM, 1 TSM, 1 TL, 1 AV9 ( Table 2 ). The TM is evident in the segments VII–IX, but in the others seems have a small and thicker setae in this position. Head: without uniform pile of short, golden setae; epicranial suture short; frontal sutures extended to the base of the antennae; width of head capsule 5.0 mm ( Fig. 1 c). Mandibles with micro-asperities and setae in the ventral base. Maxillary stipes with 12 micro-conical projections ( Fig. 2 c). Legs: pars stridens (mesocoxae) length 940.87 µm, width 741.91 µm, distance into striate 13.55 µm, 56 striae; mesocoxae and metacoxae with one internal seta. Metathoracic legs with some short medial and lateral setae (side of I tooth), and micro-asperities in the posterior areas; anterior margin with 6 teeth, I and III–VI well developed and gradually decreasing in size, II is the smallest tooth ( Fig. 3 c). Abdomen: raster with setae; anal ring with 19 setae; anal slit T-shaped ( Fig. 4 c).

Natural history. Larvae were collected in third instar and reared in laboratory conditions (25+2 °C; 54+2% relative humidity; photoperiod 12 light: 8 dark hours) using pieces of decaying logs as food. The third instars to pre-pupal phase took an average of 60 days, pre-pupal phase took an average of three days, pupal phase took an average of 22 days. The complete sclerotization of the adults took an average of 42 days.

Distribution. Endemic species from Brazilian Atlantic rainforest in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and northern Rio Grande do Sul ( Boucher 2006).

Material examined. BRAZIL, MINAS GERAIS, Viçosa, Mata do Paraíso, 20°48'07''S 42°51'31''W, 11.x.2013. I. Salvatore, C. Ferraz, & Salazar-Niño (4 specimens). BRAZIL, MINAS GERAIS, Viçosa, Mata do Paraíso, 20°48'07''S 42°51'31''W, 25.iv.2014. Salazar-Niño (2 specimens).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Light micrographs of the head. (a) Veturius aspina, (b) V. assimilis, (c) V. simillimus, (d) V. sinuatocollis, (e) V. sinuatus, (f) V. crassus, (g) V. impressus, (h) V. oberthuri, (i) V. negroensis. Epicranial suture (ES) and frontal suture (FS) and post-antennal head setae (HPA). Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Scanning electronic micrographs of maxillae. (a) Veturius aspina, (b) V. assimilis, (c) V. simillimus, (d) V. sinuatocollis, (e) V. sinuatus, (f) V. crassus, (g) V. impressus, (h) high magnification of encircled area of Fig. 2 g of the microconical projections (arrow) on the stipes (i) V. oberthuri, (j) V. negroensis. Scale 200 µm.

FIGURE 3. Scanning electronic micrographs of metathoracic legs. (a) Veturius aspina, (b) V. assimilis, (c) V. simillimus, (d) V. sinuatocollis, (e) V. sinuatus, (f) V. c r a s s u s, (g) V. impressus, (h) V. oberthuri, (i) V. negroensis. I – VI indicate the number of teeth. Scale 100 µm.

FIGURE 4. Light micrograph of the abdominal segment X, showing the anal opening (AP), anal ring setae (AR) and raster (R). (a) Veturius aspina, (b) V. assimilis, (c) V. simillimus, (d) V. sinuatocollis, (e) V. sinuatus, (f) V. c r a s s u s, (g) V. impressus, (h) V. oberthuri, (i) V. negroensis. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 9. Light micrographs of the abdominal segment V (laterodorsal view), showing the setae of the body. (a) Uniform pile of fine short setae (Veturius aspina), with detail of the setae. (b) Tiny, stout setae (V. simillimus), with detail of the setae. (c) Tiny, stout setae (V. impressus), with detail of the setae. Scale 0.1 mm.