Euphoria yucateca Bates, 1889

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 40-41

Euphoria yucateca Bates, 1889 revised status

(Appendix 4: Fig. 14 )

Euphoria yucateca Bates 1889: 365 . Original combination.

Lectotype at BMNH designated by Hardy (2001). Eight paralectotypes at BMNH, one examined. As a synonym of “ E. sepulcralis leucographa ” by Hardy (2001).

Euphoria submetallica Casey 1915: 319 . New synonymy.

Holotype at USNM, examined.

Description (n = 316). Length 10.6–12.8 mm; width 6.1–7.8 mm. Color: Surface shiny, light brown, dark brown, or black, with variable greenish or reddish reflections. Pronotum with whitish, cretaceous band on lateral margin. Elytra with small to moderate, cretaceous, reniform, vermiform, or irregular markings; markings whitish to yellowish. Mesepimera, metasternum, metacoxae, and sides of abdominal sternites frequently with cretaceous markings; markings variable in size, reniform, vermiform, or irregular in shape. Pygidium variably covered by tomentum, frequently with 2 markings frequently at each side. Head: Frons densely punctate, punctures moderate, round, deeply impressed, frequently coalescent, sparsely to densely setose; setae moderate to long, whitish to yellowish; vague longitudinal ridge present at times. Clypeal surface moderately densely to densely punctate to punctatostrigate; punctures moderate, round, coalescent, sparsely to densely setose; setae yellowish to whitish, short to long; clypeus subquadrate, weakly reduced anteriorly, sides strongly to weakly raised, lateral declivity weakly to strongly developed; apex weakly to moderately reflexed in both sexes, apex truncate in dorsal view, vaguely to moderately sinuate in frontal view. Antennal club slightly shorter than stem in males, much shorter in females. Pronotum: Surface sparsely punctate; punctures small, round to lunulate, denser and confluent towards apex and sides, sparsely to moderately densely setose; setae short to moderate, yellowish to whitish. Scutellum longer than wide, impunctate, rarely with a few moderate punctures bearing setae. Elytra: Surface densely punctate, striae bearing 2–3 rows of grooves, lunulate punctures, and irregular punctures; punctures moderate in size; costae well defined. Posterior half of sutural costa raised in lateral view. Surface glabrous to sparsely setose; setae short to moderate, whitish to yellowish. Legs: Protibial teeth well developed, basal tooth frequently subobsolete in males. Metatibial carina moderately developed into 1–2 short to moderate spines. Metatibiae vaguely to weakly expanded apically, internal metatibial spur slightly thicker in females Venter: Mesometasternal process extended beyond mesocoxae, process glabrous on mesosternal lobe, apex variably rounded to truncate. Metasternum rugose, setose laterally, glabrous, impunctate at middle. Median sulcus vaguely to weakly evident. Abdominal sternites densely punctate, punctures small; sparsely to moderately densely setose laterally, glabrous to sparsely setose medially; setae long to moderate, whitish to yellowish. Abdomen flat in males, flat or slightly convex in females. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate, striae discontinuous, deeply to shallowly impressed, glabrous to moderately densely setose; setae short to moderate, whitish to yellowish. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 14c .

Diagnosis. This species is separated from other species in the group based on the shorter, moderately reflexed clypeus, antennal club shorter than stem in both sexes, sparsely punctate pronotum, mostly impunctate scutellum, males without abdominal longitudinal depression, and form of the parameres. Specimens from Colombia and Venezuela were previously considered to be E. lurida but are here included in this species. Euphoria yucateca is separated from E. lurida based on the sparsely punctate pronotum and the pronotum with one cretaceous lateral band. This hypothesis is consistent with the geographic distribution observed for both species. Orozco (2012) misidentified E. yucateca as E. limatula (Appendix 5).

Taxonomic History. Janson (1881) described E. limatula based on a mislabeled, dark specimen of E. sepulcralis from Guatemala. Bates (1889) recorded E. limatula from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and southwestern Yucatán ( Mexico) and, aware of the differences between this and the specimens he had from northern Yucatán, described E. yucateca . Casey (1915) described E. submetallica from a female specimen collected in Natá, Panama. Hardy (2001) listed all three species as synonyms of Euphoria sepulcralis leucographa . Based on the revision of the types, I here reinstate E. yucateca as a valid species and include E. submetallica as a synonym.

Natural History. Adult specimens have been taken in fruit traps, light traps, rotting mangos, corn, and cotton. Specimens have been collected from sea level to 1,580 m in a wide variety of habitats including urban areas. This is the most frequently collected species of Euphoria in the area of distribution.

Temporal Distribution. April (1), May (30), June (38), July (89), August (62), September (15), October (11), November (12), December (4) ( Fig. 14e ). Solís (2004) reported the species being present year-round in Costa Rica, and I suspect this is true for the entire area of distribution.

Geographic Distribution. Euphoria yucateca is found from southern Mexico to Colombia ( Fig. 14f ). Reyes and Morón (2005) recorded the species as common in Yucatán, Mexico.

Specimens Examined (316). Type material: Euphoria yucateca Bates, 1889 ; lectotype at BMMH labeled “Temax,/ N. Yucatan /Gaumer// B.C.A., Col., II(2)/ Euphoria / yucateca// SYN-/ TYPE// LECTOTYPE / Euphoria / yucateca/ Bates =By/ A. R. Hardy”; paralectotype male at BMNH labeled “PARA-/LECTO-/TYPE// SYN-/TYPE// Temax,/ N. Yucatan,/ Gaumer// B.C.A. Col., II(2)./ Euphoria / yucateca// PARALECTOTYPE ”. Euphoria submetallica Casey, 1915 ; holotype female at USNM labeled “Natá/ Coclé/ Panama // CASEY/bequest/1925// TYPE USNM/ 48682// submetallica/ Csy// Euphoria / submetallica/ Casey”. Other material: BELIZE (3): COROZAL: Santa Elena (23 km E) (1); ORANGE WALK: Gallon Jug (1), Rio Bravo Conservation Area (1). COLOMBIA (13): ATLÁNTICO: Barranquilla (6); CESAR: Aguachica (1), Valledupar (1); GUAJIRA: Maicao (1); MAGDALENA: Santa Marta (1); NORTE DE SANTANDER: Ocaña (3). COSTA RICA (92): ALAJUELA: Alajuela (3); CARTAGO: Turrialba (1); GUANACASTE: Cañas (47), El Potrero (1), Hacienda Palo Verde (5), Liberia (7), Parque Nacional Guanacaste (1), Taboga (6), Tilarán (5 Km W) (2), no data (1); SAN JOSÉ: San José (2); NO DATA: Costa Rica (14). EL SALVADOR (17): CABAÑAS: Cinquera (6); CUSCATLÁN: El Rosario (2); LA LIBERTAD: Santa Tecla (3); SAN MIGUEL: San Jacinto (1), San Miguel (20 Km W) (2); SAN SALVADOR: San Salvador (3). GUATEMALA (25): ALTA VERAPAZ: El Rancho (46 km N) (1); BAJA VERAPAZ: Chilasco (9 Km W) (1), San Jerónimo (1); EL PROGRESO: San Agustín Acasaguatlán (1); GUATEMALA: Guatemala (1); JALAPA: Jalapa (1); SUCHITEPÉQUEZ: Patulul (13); PETÉN: Sayaxché (1), Tikal (1); ZACAPA: Zacapa (1), no data (2). NO DATA: “Guatemala” (1). HONDURAS (80): ATLÁNTIDA: La Ceiba (2); CHOLUTECA: Pespire (2); COMAYAGUA: El Taladro (7), Forestry School (8), Siguatepeque (30), Taulabé (1); COPÁN: Copán (1); CORTÉS: San Pedro Sula (1); EL PARAÍSO: Yuscarán (2); FRANCISCO MORAZÁN: Cedros (1), El Zamorano (6), Tegucigalpa (5); LA PAZ: Valle de Comayagua (2), no data (9); OCOTEPEQUE: Peña Blanca (2); OLANCHO: El Carrizal (1). MEXICO (52): CHIAPAS: Bochil (5), Ixtapa (1), Musté (9), Palenque (1), San Cristóbal de las Casas (1); QUINTANA ROO: Chichén Itzá (1), Nuevo Xcan (5), Tulum (1); TABASCO: Cárdenas (1); YUCATÁN: Chichén Itzá (1), Mérida (3), Pisté (13), Temax (5), no data (4), “Narol” (1). NICARAGUA (25): CARAZO: San Marcos (1); LEÓN: La Calera (5); GRANADA: Namdaime (4 km NW) (1), Volcán Mombacho (1); MADRIZ: Somoto (1); MANAGUA: Bolonia (1), Laguna de Xiloa (13), Managua (2). PANAMA (2): CHIRIQUÍ: Los Planes (5 km N) (2). VENEZUELA (2): FALCÓN: Pueblo Nuevo de Paraguaná (2). NO DATA (2): “N. Granad” (1), Sigmat. Xong. (1).

Figures

Fig. 14. Euphoria yucateca. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d) Color variation, e) Temporal distribution, f) Geographic distribution in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela.