Cyclocephala sarahae Ratcliffe, 1992

Joly, Luis J., 2009, Review of the species in the Cyclocephala bicolor Laporte species group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae), Zootaxa 2048, pp. 47-64 : 59-60

Cyclocephala sarahae Ratcliffe, 1992

( Figs. 1 , 21 , 28 , 37–38, 43 , 57 , 75 )

Bibliography. Cyclocephala sarahae Ratcliffe 1992: 187 (description male, female; compared with C. bicolor , C. testacea ab. ovulum), Fig. 6 (photograph), Figs. 27–28 (genitalia). Holotype male UNSM. Type locality: Brazil (Amazonas, Rio Demeni, nr. equator).

Description. Short, oval, moderately shiny. Brownish red, frons and vertex black, elytra testaceous. Dorsal surface and pygidium glabrous, ventral pubescence sparse. Length: 11.4 mm.

MALE: Clypeus about 2.8 times as wide across base as long; sides straight, strongly convergent to truncate and feebly reflexed apex; shallowly sulcate longitudinally along middle and shallowly depressed laterally before apex, in lateral view flat to slightly concave on apical half; surface finely alutaceous, with shallow and widely annulate punctures, the annulation wide, not well defined posteriorly, most punctures confluent, appearing as irregular and fine, more or less transverse striae. Frontoclypeal suture thin, bisinuate, not pointed posteriorly at middle. Frons: width about 2.8 times transverse diameter of eye, finely alutaceous; punctures smaller than those of clypeus, somewhat transverse by confluence of punctures, most punctures separated by distances more or less their own diameter.

Mandibles with external border sinuate, apex projecting externally. Maxillae not visible; maxillary palpi ( Fig. 21 ) moderately robust, second palpomere longer than third, scarcely widened towards apex, fourth fusiform, 3.5 times longer than preceding. Labium narrow, lateral borders slightly arched on basal two-thirds, slightly constricted at middle of apical third; apex truncate on middle of ventral side, more arcuately produced and with small emargination at middle on oral side, and fimbriate with long, fine blackish brown setae; surface convex on anterior part, depressed on center of base, basal two-thirds with strong, dense piliferous punctures, the setae long; anterior third with minute, scattered punctures.

Antennae with 10 antennomeres, club about 2.0 times the length of antennomeres 2–7 together.

Pronotum 1.5 times as wide as long, widest near base, sides more strongly convergent to apex on anterior half; anterior border widely and arcuately projected at middle; basal angles widely rounded; basal border without marginal bead, almost uniformly arcuate, slightly more projected in central third; surface finely alutaceous (40X); punctures annulate, moderately fine and dense, the distance between most punctures on disc as long as or longer than diameter of punctures, punctures gradually larger towards sides, the diameter of a puncture at basal angle at least 2.0 times the diameter of those on center of disc, more dense on basal angles, where the distance between most punctures is as large or smaller than the diameter of a puncture; surface also covered with numerous minute punctures (50X or more). Scutellum triangular, sides feebly arcuate, apex briefly rounded; punctures similar to those of pronotal disc.

Elytra 1.2 times as long as wide, arcuately widened from first quarter to middle, then rounded to apex, sutural angle well defined, but rounded; humeral and apical umbones weak; a feeble, short, elongate tumescence behind humeral umbones on external border; surface smooth, with large, shallow, annulate punctures, much smaller on sides and apex, double rows not evident, also with numerous minute punctures (50X or more) scattered over all the surface; sutural interstria flat, weakly elevated on apical half. Epipleura narrow, more so apically.

Pygidium 2.2 times as wide as long; in posterior view the inferior borders slightly convex, converging to widely rounded apex in an angle distinctly greater than 90°, but less than in C. bicolor ; apex not truncate; in lateral view uniformly convex; surface smooth, shining, with large annulate punctures, more dense on lateral angles; shiner apically, the punctures smaller and less dense, distances between most punctures more than 2.0 times their own diameter.

Protibiae ( Fig. 28 ) tridentate, small basal tooth separated from intermediate tooth by a distance 1.5 times as long as that between the intermediate and the anterior teeth; intermediate and anterior teeth well developed, basal tooth with its anterior border more or less perpendicular to longitudinal axis of tibiae; apical spur almost straight, slightly surpassing apex of first tarsomere. Protarsi ( Fig. 37–38 ) enlarged; tarsomere 5 shorter than 1–4 together, without ventro–internal carina, ventral side with very short and very fine longitudinal striae on inner side of apex; tarsomere 4 longitudinally striate on apical half, tarsomere 3 striated on apical third; largest claw ( Fig. 43 ) wide, flattened, narrowly cleft at apex, the external border of small branch continuous with internal curvature of the claw. All femora almost uniformly, not densely pilose, especially the mesofemora, on which, in addition to the normal longitudinal series of piliferous punctures close to anterior and posterior borders (seen in natural position of the leg), with numerous piliferous punctures over all the surface. Metafemur ( Fig. 57 ) 2.3 times as long as its maximum width; metatibiae ( Fig. 57 ) robust, widened at apex, bristles on diagonal carina broken in the holotype, and those of apex very strong (mostly missing from the holotype). Metatarsi subequal in length to tibiae, with first tarsomere widened towards apex, with apical bristles similar to those of apex of tibiae.

Prosternal projection high, apex alutaceous, anterior part transversely oval, externally pointed; posterior part shorter but wider than anterior, posterior border fimbriate with long bristles.

Pronotal hypomera alutaceous, with sparse erect setae. Mesopleura, metapleura, and sides of metasternum alutaceous, with large, dense, confluent, annulate punctures; disc of metasternum smooth, with small, scattered punctures; metacoxae with punctures similar to pleurae but smaller and more disperse. Ventrites with annulate, moderately dense punctures, punctures smaller and sparser on apical ventrites.

Aedeagus: Fig. 75 .

FEMALE: differs from the male in the following characters: punctation generally stronger; protarsi slender; metafemora more robust; epipleura differences with C. bicolor not observed when studying the allotype.

Distribution: Brazil: Amazonas (only known from type locality).

Specimens studied: BRAZIL: Amazonas: Rio Demeni, N. R. Equator, IV-10-78, L. A. Lacey, 1 male (holotype), 1 female (allotype) (UNSM).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Cyclocephala bicolor (circles), C. anibali, sp. n. (triangle), and C. sarahae (square).

FIGURES 3 – 23. Figs. 3 – 6. Cyclocephala bicolor: 3) head frontal, 4) head lateral, 5) labium, 6) maxilla. Figs. 7 – 10. Cyclocephala bicolorata: 7) head frontal, 8) head lateral, 9) labium, 10) maxilla. Figs. 11 – 14. Cyclocephala dichroa: 11) head frontal, 12) head lateral, 13) labium, 14) maxilla. Figs. 15 – 18. Cyclocephala anibali (holotype): 15) head frontal, 16) head lateral, 17) labium, 18) maxilla. Figs. 19 – 23. Maxillary palpi: 19) C. bicolor, 20) C. bicolorata, 21) C. sarahae (holotype), 22) C. dichroa, 23) C. anibali (holotype).

FIGURE 24 – 33. Figs. 24 – 25. Cyclocephala bicolor: 24) protibiae, male; 25) protibiae, female. Figs. 26 – 27. Cyclocephala bicolorata: 26) protibiae, male; 27) protibiae, female. Fig. 28 Cyclocephala sarahae protibiae, male (holotype). Figs. 29 – 30. Cyclocephala dichroa: 29) protibiae, male; 30) protibiae, female. Figs. 31 – 32. Cyclocephala anibali: 31) protibiae, male (holotype); 32) protibiae, female (allotype). Fig. 33. Cyclocephala bicolor metatarsus.

FIGURE 34 – 48. Figs. 34 – 35. Cyclocephala bicolor male: 34) protarsus, lateral; 35) protarsus, ventral. Fig. 36. Cyclocephala bicolorata male protarsus, lateral. Figs. 37 – 38. Cyclocephala sarahae male (holotype): 37) protarsus, lateral; 38) protarsus, ventral. Fig. 39. Cyclocephala dichroa male protarsus, lateral. Fig. 40. Cyclocephala anibali male (holotype) protarsus, lateral. Figs. 41 – 42. Cyclocephala bicolor, male: 41) largest claw, apical; 42) largest claw, lateral. Fig. 43. Cyclocephala sarahae male (holotype) largest claw, apical. Figs. 44 – 45. Cyclocephala bicolorata, male: 44) largest claw, apical; 45) largest claw, lateral. Figs. 46 – 47. Cyclocephala dichroa, male: 46) largest claw, apical; 47) largest claw, lateral. Fig. 48. Cyclocephala anibali male (holotype) largest claw, apical.

FIGURES 49 – 57. Figs. 49 – 50. Cyclocephala bicolor: 49) metaleg, male; 50) metaleg, female. Figs. 51 – 52. Cyclocephala bicolorata: 51) metaleg, male; 52) metaleg female. Figs. 53 – 54. Cyclocephala dichroa: 53) metaleg, male; 54) metaleg, female. Figs. 55 – 56. Cyclocephala anibali: 55) metaleg, male (holotype); 56) metaleg, female (allotype). Fig. 57. Cyclocephala sarahae metaleg, male (holotype).

FIGURE 58 – 77. Figs. 58 – 61. Female epipleurae (ventral view): 58) Cyclocephala bicolor, 59) C. bicolorata, 60) C. dichroa, 61) C. anibali. Figs. 62 – 68. Pygidium (lateral view): 62) C. bicolor, male; 63) C. bicolorata, male; 64) C. bicolorata, female; 65) C. dichroa, male; 66) C. dichroa, female; 67) C. anibali, male (holotype); 68) C. anibali, female (allotype). Figs. 69 – 70. Cyclocephala bicolor: 69) parameres, caudal view; 70) aedeagus, lateral view. Figs. 71 – 72. Cyclocephala dichroa: 71) parameres, caudal view; 72) aedeagus, lateral view. Figs. 73 – 74. Cyclocephala bicolorata (holotype): 73) parameres, caudal view; 74) aedeagus, lateral view. Fig. 75. Cyclocephala sarahae (holotype), parameres, caudal view. Figs. 76 – 77. Cyclocephala anibali (holotype): 76) parameres, caudal view; 77) aedeagus, lateral view.