Liothorax levatus ( Schmidt, 1907 ) Schmidt, 1907

Dellacasa, Marco, Gordon, Robert D. & Dellacasa, Giovanni, 2007, Systematic review to the genus Liothorax (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Zootaxa 1407, pp. 23-42 : 32-33

Liothorax levatus ( Schmidt, 1907) , new combination

( Figs. 32–36 )

Aphodius levatus: Schmidt 1907: 568

Aphodius (Pseudacrossus) levatus: Schmidt 1913: 151 , Schmidt 1922: 241 Aphodius nigroclavus: Hinton 1934: 188 (new synonymy) Aphodius (Pseudagolius) levatus: Dellacasa 1988: 152

Aphodius (Pseudagolius) nigroclavus: Dellacasa 1988: 317

Type locality: Mexico (for Liothorax levatus ).

Type depository: Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm (for Liothorax levatus ).

Redescription: length 5.0–5.5 mm; body elongate, parallel-sided, weakly shiny, glabrous. Color piceous black; clypeal margin, anterior pronotal angles and elytral apex pale red; legs brownish red; antennal club black. Head anteriorly at middle moderately convex, with fine, evenly spaced, sparse punctures throughout, laterally mixed larger and coarser punctures. Clypeus weakly sinuate medially, rounded laterally, with thin border; genae obtusely rounded, with short setae, weakly protruding beyond eyes; frontal suture obsolete; front with coarse, irregular punctures. Pronotum slightly transverse, with dual punctures, large coarse punctures, four to five times larger than small, irregularly scattered, sparser on disc and denser laterally; small superficial punctures extremely fine and throughout evenly sparse; lateral margins with thin border, almost parallel toward hind angles; hind angles obtusely rounded; base weakly bisinuate, with thin border. Scutellum flat, with fine punctures basally. Elytra subcylindrical, weakly widened posteriorly; striae moderately deep, with coarse punctures, not crenulate; interstriae flat, somewhat alutaceous, with extremely fine and moderately sparse punctures. Hind tibiae with superior apical spur shorter than first tarsomere; first tarsomere as long as following three combined. Metasternal plate nearly flat, with vestiges of median longitudinal groove, finely microreticulate and with few large postero-lateral punctures. Male fore tibiae with apical spur cylindrical, obtusely hooked inward at apex; head more transverse and less convex than in female. Female fore tibiae with apical spur evenly acuminate toward apex.

Distribution: Mexico (Chiapas, Durango, Jalisco, México, Morelos, Oaxaca, Veracruz).

Bionomy: This is a coprophagous species, active all year around but mainly in autumn.

Nomenclatural remarks: The examination of both the primary types of Aphodius levatus Schmidt, 1907 (NRS) and of Aphodius nigroclavus Hinton, 1934 (USNM), is the basis for this synonymy. For Aphodius levatus Schmidt, 1907 , we herein designate a lectotype (male specimen from the NRS) with the following labels: 1) white, printed: Mexico / C. Höge; 2) white, handwritten: levatus / type m.; 3) red, printed: TYPUS; 4) red printed: 292, handwritten: 71; 5) red, handwritten: Aphodius levatus / A. Schmidt, 1907 / lectotypus / Dellacasa M. des. 2004. In the NRS there is one male paralectotype with the following labels: 1) white, handwritten: Mexico; 2) red printed: 293; handwritten: 71; 3) red, handwritten: Aphodius levatus / A. Schmidt, 1907 / paralectotypus / Dellacasa M. des. 2004.

Figures

FIGURES 32 – 36. Liothorax levatus (Schmidt, 1907) (El Plano, San José Aguazuelas, E. do Veracruz, Mexico): 32. habitus of male; 33 – 34. aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view; 35. epipharynx; 36. habitus.