Euphoria pilipennis ( Kraatz, 1883 )

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 101

Euphoria pilipennis ( Kraatz, 1883)

(Appendix 4: Fig. 57 )

Stephanucha pilipennis Kraatz 1883: 384 . Original combination.

Type at ZMUK, not examined.

Description (n = 222). Length 9.4–11.9 mm; width 5.5–7.5 mm. Color: Dorsal surface partially or entirely tomentous; head, pronotum, scutellum, and pygidium black. Elytra with yellowish brown markings covering surface slightly to moderately. 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, 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 denticles, medial teeth frequently closer to each other than to lateral teeth. 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 in size, lunulate; moderately dense to densely setose, setae moderate to long, 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 weakly to densely setose, setae short to long, yellowish; punctures moderately dense to dense, lunulate to irregular in shape, randomly distributed throughout disc. Costae obsolete to subobsolete. Apex strongly rounded. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate; striae discontinuous, moderately to widely spaced, moderately impressed, apex frequently polished, moderately to densely setose; setae moderate to long, 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 thicker in females. Metatarsomeres moderately expanded apically, basal tarsomere weakly developed in the external lateroapical angle forming a spine. Claws shorter than last tarsomere. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 57c .

Diagnosis. Adults have the medial clypeal teeth generally fused at their bases or at least closer to each other than to the lateral teeth. The dorsal surface is frequently covered by long setae. The yellowish brown markings on the elytra are generally distributed in a “u” shape pattern on the disc. This species is the only one in the group known from the central portion of the United States.

Natural History. Adults have been collected on flowers and roots of Helianthus petiolaris Nutt. and from the roots of Artemisia campestris L. ( Asteraceae ). Adults have been observed hovering around H. annus and Cirsium canescens Nutt. ( Paulsen 2002) . Knaus (1897), Lago et al. (1979), and Paulsen (2002) found adults in sandy habitats.

Lago et al. (1979) observed that during one year most specimens from North Dakota were collected during the first week of June. Of 184 specimens he captured, only 17 were females, corresponding to a 1.0:0.1 male to female sex ratio. In addition, Lago (1979) observed males emerging earlier than females in the season and flying over sandy patches to later burrow into the sand. In contrast, Paulsen (2002), during a study in Nebraska, found the highest number of adults in September. Adults collected during this month appeared to have recently emerged. Paulsen (2002) also observed E. pilipennis becoming thanatotic when in contact with F. obscuripes . The beetles were observed being transported by the ants but escaping before being taken to the nest. No adults were found in the ant nest after inspection. Specimens have been collected between 200–1,500 m elevation. Hayes and McColloch (1928) collected a larva from pasture land and M. J. Paulsen (personal communication) reared an adult from a larva collected in mounds of G. bursarius .

Temporal Distribution. February (2), March (2), April (21), May (13), June (5), July (13), August (81), September (47), October (3), December (1) ( Fig. 57d ).

Geographic Distribution. Known from the central portion of the United States in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas ( Fig. 57e ).

Specimens Examined (222). U S A (2 2 2): COLORADO. Prowers Co.: Lamar (1); Weld Co.: Roggen (5). ILLINOIS. Morgan Co.: Meredosia (1). INDIANA. Dearborn Co.: Millers (1); Lake Co.: Hessville (1). IOWA. No data (2). KANSAS. Clark Co.: No data (1); Comanche Co.: No data (2); Douglas Co.: No data (1); Kiowa Co.: Glenn Salsbury (1), Mullinville (3); Morton Co.: No data (2); Reno Co.: Medora (3), no data (3); Riley Co.: No data (7); Rooks Co.: No data (1); Seward Co.: No data (2); Sumner Co.: Belle Plaine (1). NEBRASKA. Arthur Co.: Arapaho Prairie (1), no data (1); Cherry Co.: Valentine (4), no data (3); Cuming Co.: West Point (1); Custer Co.: Milburn (1); Dawes Co.: Whitney (1); Dundy Co.: Haigler (6); Garfield Co.: Burwell (1); Grant Co.: Hyannis (1); Greeley Co.: Greeley (42); Hall Co.: Cairo (1); Holt Co.: Atkinson (1), no data (2); Hooker Co.: Mullen (1); Kearney Co.: Kearney (3); Keith Co.: Lake McConaughy (3), Ogallala (3); Lancaster Co.: Roca (1); Logan Co.: Logan (1), Stapleton (1), no data (1); McPherson Co.: Tryon (1); Sheridan Co.: Lakeside (3); Thomas Co.: Halsey (25), Seneca (1), Thedford (2), no data (1); Wheeler Co.: Ericson (1), no data (1); No data: “Sand Hills” (29). NEW MEXICO. Chaves Co.: Roswell (10); Lea Co. : Hobbs (1); Roosevelt Co.: Milnesand (1), Socorro Co.: “Sand Hills” (1). NORTH DAKOTA. Bottineau Co.: No data (1); McHenry Co.: No data (3); Ransom Co.: Sheldon (2); Richland Co.: Walcott Dunes (9). OKLAHOMA. Alfalfa Co.: No data (1); Payne Co.: No data (1). SOUTH DAKOTA. Bennet Co.: Martin (3); Tripp Co.: McNeely (1). TEXAS. Winkler Co.: Kermit (1). NO DATA: “Clay County” (1), no data (4).

Figures

Fig. 57. Euphoria pilipennis. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d) Temporal distribution, e) Geographic distribution in the United States.