Euphoria areata (F., 1775)

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 99-100

Euphoria areata (F., 1775)

(Appendix 4: Fig. 56 )

Cetonia areata F. 1775: 50. Original combination.

Holotype at ZMUC, not examined.

Stephanucha thoracica Casey 1915: 339 . Synonym.

Lectotype at UNSM here designated. Other syntypes not found; no paralectotypes designated.

Description (n = 224). Length 10.5–12.2 mm; width 6.5–7.7 mm. Color: Dorsal surface partially or entirely tomentous; head, pronotum, scutellum, and pygidium black. Pronotum frequently with whitish, cretaceous area on lateral margin. Elytra with yellowish brown markings covering most of the surface, markings extending from sides, frequently not reaching scutellar or apical area. Melanistic forms observed. Head: Frons strongly strigose to strigopunctate, punctures moderate to large, round, deeply impressed, frequently coalescent, moderately dense to densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish. Clypeus strongly strigose, sides strongly declivous, weakly to moderately setose; setae short to moderate, yellowish. Apex with 4 short teeth, teeth equidistant. Clypeal margin in front of the eyes strongly raised, developed at times into sharp denticle. Labium thickened anteriorly. Antennal stem longer in males than in females, club about as long as head in males, half or less in females. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate, punctures small, lunulate; glabrous to moderately densely setose, setae short to moderate, whitish to yellowish. Anterior sides evenly arcuate to moderately tapered anteriorly. Lateral line extending only in anterior half or third. Cretaceous markings sometimes present on lateral border. Midline frequently impunctate at base. Base strongly rounded to weakly extended posteriorly. Scutellum longer than wide, impunctate, apex pointed. Elytra: Surface glabrous to weakly setose; setae minute to short, yellowish. Punctures moderately dense to dense, lunulate to irregular in shape, irregularly distributed throughout disc. Costae obsolete to subobsolete. Apex strongly rounded. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate to irregularly punctate; striae moderately impressed, discontinuous, moderately to widely spaced; punctures lunulate to round, moderate in size, frequently confluent, glabrous to weakly setose; setae minute to small, yellowish. Legs: Protibial teeth strongly developed, not sexually dimorphic, first protibial tooth oblique. Mesotibial carina strongly developed into 1–2 sharp teeth. Metatibiae apically expanded; metatibial spurs frequently stouter in females. Metatarsomeres moderately expanded apically, basal tarsomere weakly expanded distally forming a spine. Claws shorter than last tarsomere. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 56c .

Diagnosis. This species is separated from the other species in the group based on the short equidistant clypeal denticles, mostly glabrous elytra, and form of the parameres. Euphoria areata is the only species in the group known from eastern United States.

Taxonomic History. Euphoria areata was removed from Cetonia by Burmeister and placed in his newly created genus Stephanucha . Casey (1915) described Stephanucha thoracica based on two specimens from Florida, USA. Harpootlian (2001) synonymized E. thoracica with E. areata . Ratcliffe and Paulsen (2008) placed Stephanucha in synonymy with Euphoria , thus transferring E. areata to that genus.

Natural History. Euphoria areata is frequently encountered in excavated burrows in sandy soils ( Blatchley 1930; Skelley 1991), Citrus sp. trees, mounds of Geomys pinetus Rafinesque , and nests of Pogonomyrmex badius (Latreille) .

Skelley (1991) found adults in Florida living in mounds made by the pocket gopher ( G. pinetus ) and the gopher tortoise ( Gopherus polyphemus Daudin , Testudines : Testudinidae ), and in manmade mounds from December to April. Examination of gut contents by Skelley (1991) did not provide any solid material. The larval stage was found to last about five months in the laboratory. Pupae were not found in the mounds. Adults were present but thought to remain quiescent in the pupal cells from mid-July until December.

Temporal Distribution. January (20), February (17), March (10), April (23), May (15), June (2), July (8), August (11), September (13), October (10), November (23), December (2) ( Fig. 56f ).

Geographic Distribution. Known from the eastern portion of the United States in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina ( Fig. 56g ).

Specimens Examined (224). Type material: Euphoria thoracica Casey, 1915 ; lectotype at USNM here designated labeled “Flo.// CASEY/ bequest/1925// thoracica/ PARATYPE USNM/ 48651” and my lectotype label. Other material: USA (221): ALABAMA. Geneva Co.: Fort Rucker (4); Mobile Co.: Mobile (5); Monroe Co.: Monroeville (1). DELAWARE. Sussex Co.: Cape Henlopen (2); No data : “Delaware” (4). FLORIDA. Alachua Co. : Archer (21), Gainesville (10), no data (3); Calhoun Co.: Clarksville (1); Columbia Co. : White Springs (1); Duval Co.: Jacksonville (1); Escambia Co. : Pensacola (2); Lafayette Co.: Day (1); Leon Co.: Tallahassee (5); Levy Co.: Bronson (3); Madison Co.: Greenville (1); Nassau Co.: Boulogne (1); Okaloosa Co.: Deerland (1); Orange Co.: Orlando (1); Polk Co.: Eagle Lake (1), Lake Hamilton (1), Lake Marion Estates (1); Santa Rosa Co. : Avalon (1); Walton Co.: Mossy Head (1); No data: “Kissimmee River” (1), “St. Nicolas” (1). GEORGIA. Crisp Co.: Cordele (1); Dooly Co.: Vienna (1); Grady Co.: Cairo (1); Jefferson Co.: Wrens (1); Mitchell Co.: Baconton (1); Oconee Co.: Cumberland (1); Thomas Co.: Metcalf (1); Turner Co.: Ashburn (1). MARYLAND. Anne Arundel Co.: Bristol (1), Jasons Corner (11), Odenton (3), Waysons Corner (2); Charles Co.: Bryantown (1); Worcester Co.: Ocean City (1). NEW JERSEY. Burlington Co.: Bridgeboro (6), Cinnaminson (2), Pemberton (1), Rancocas (10), Riverton (1); Camden Co.: Atco (12), Clementon (1); Cape May Co.: Ocean City (1), Stone Harbor (1); Essex Co.: Newark (1); Gloucester Co.: Cecil (4), Wenonah (5), Westville (1); Middlesex Co.: No data (1); Monmouth Co.: Oceans Grove (2); No data: “NJ” (28). NEW YORK. Kings Co.: Coney Island (1); Nassau Co.: Long Island (1); Suffolk Co.: Montauk (4), Yaphank (1). NORTH CAROLINA. Moore Co.: Southern Pines (7); Scotland Co.: No data (1). PENNSYLVANNIA. Delaware Co.: Broomall (1); No data: “Pennsylvania” (1). SOUTH CAROLINA. Aiken Co.: No data (1); Barnwell Co.: Blackville (3); Florence Co.: Florence (1); Kershaw Co.: Cassatt (18); Lexington Co.: Lexington (2), New Brookland (1); Richland Co.: Columbia (1).

Figures

Fig. 56. Euphoria areata. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d-e) Color variation, f) Temporal distribution, g) Geographic distribution in the United States.