Euphoria basalis ( Gory and Percheron, 1833 ), 2001

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 86-87

Euphoria basalis ( Gory and Percheron, 1833)

(Appendix 4: Fig. 49 )

Cetonia basalis Gory and Percheron 1833: 274 . Original combination.

Holotype at MHNG, examined.

Euphoria basalis crinicauda Casey 1915: 324 . Synonym.

Lectotype at USNM designated by Hardy (2001), examined. One paralectotype at USNM, examined.

Description (n = 990). Length 10.6–13.8 mm; width 6.5–8.0 mm. Color: Body shiny. Head, pronotum, scutellum, mesepimera, and venter black. Elytra with 1–2 transverse, occasionally obsolete, light yellow to light orange bands behind the humeral area, bands with irregular borders extending or not across midline. Elytral apex yellow. Ventral surface, including legs, shiny black to light brown. Head: Frons densely punctate, occasionally slightly raised at middle; punctures deep, moderate in size, confluent, becoming increasingly elongated towards sides, sparsely to densely setose; setae yellowish, moderate to long. Clypeus elongated, sides weakly convergent, not raised, punctation as on frons, glabrous to sparsely setose, setae as on frons; apex vaguely reflexed, weakly sinuate in dorsal view. Antennal club shorter than stem in both sexes, subequal in length. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate; punctures moderate in size, irregular, confluent toward apex and sides; midline, base in front of scutellum, and irregularly shaped areas at each side of midline, impunctate; anterolateral area strongly rugose; densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish. Sides strongly angulate, base in front of scutellum weakly to strongly emarginate. Scutellum impunctate. Elytra: Surface densely punctate, striae bearing 3–4 rows of grooves, geminate and lunulate punctures; punctures moderate in size with yellowish setae; costae well defined. Posterior half of sutural costa raised in lateral view. Pygidium: Surface strongly convex, concentrically striate; striae deep, continuous on apical half, discontinuous on basal half, densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish, absent from apex. Male pygidium longer than wide, wider than longer in females. Legs: Apical and medial protibial teeth proximal, basal tooth smaller than other 2 in both sexes. Metatibial spurs slender in males, at least 1 stout or expanded in females. Venter: Mesometasternal process extending anteriorly slightly beyond mesocoxae, wide, weakly compressed laterally, apex variably rounded to almost flat, glabrous to sparsely setose; seta short, yellowish. Mesepimera, metasternum, and metacoxae setose, setae as on legs. Median sulcus strongly impressed. Abdominal sternites with lateral patch of long setae, sternite 7 almost twice as long as other sternites, males with deep, median longitudinal depression. Abdomen in lateral view strongly convex in males, flat to strongly convex in females. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 49c .

Diagnosis. Euphoria basalis is difficult to confound with any other species in the genus. This species is distinguished based on color pattern, the elongate clypeus, antennal club shorter than stem in both sexes, base of pronotum moderately to strongly emarginated in front of scutellum, wide mesometasternal process, strongly convex male abdomen, and form of the parameres. In no other species in the genus is the mesometasternal process as wide as in E. basalis . The strongly convex male abdomen and the strongly convex and concentrically striate pygidium are similar to those of E. fascifera . Nevertheless, E. fascifera is excluded from this group based on the absence of long grooves on the elytral striae, pronotal sides not strongly angulate, and the strongly reflexed clypeus of the males.

Taxonomic History. Euphoria basalis was described by Gory and Percheron based on one specimen from Mexico. Casey (1915) described E. basalis crinicauda based on specimens of a smaller size and a different color pattern from Guerrero, Mexico.

Natural History. Adults have been found on blossoms of Taraxacum officinale Weber (Asteraceae) , Cucurbita sp. (Cucurbitaceae) , and Romneya coulteri Harvey (Papaveraceae) , and on Ipomea longifolia Benth. (Convolvulaceae) and Z. mays . Morón et al. (1997) recorded the species feeding on Dahlia mexicana Standley (Asteraceae) , H. annus , Cucumis melo L. ( Cucurbitaceae ), Cucurbita pepo L., Gossypium hirsutum L. ( Malvaceae ), and Rosa sp. Gómez (1999) recorded the species feeding on flowers of T. erecta and T. officinale . Ramírez- Salinas et al. (2001) recorded the species feeding on the petals and pollen of Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché , Galinsoga quadriradiata Ruiz and Pavon (Asteraceae) , B. oleracea var. italica , Zanthedeschia aethiopica L. ( Araceae ), and Hemerocallis flava L. ( Xanthorrhoeaceae ).

Adults are frequently collected from a variety of habitats, including shrublands, pine and oak forests, gardens, cultivated fields ( Morón et al. 1997; Yanes-Gómez and Morón 2010), grasslands, and scrub forests. Adults have also been attracted to light traps and have been captured from sea level to 2,350 m elevation. Morón et al. (1997) recorded the species up to 2,600 m elevation. MacGregor and Gutiérrez (1983) considered the species a pest of cotton, melon, pumpkin, and sunflower in Mexico.

Temporal Distribution. February (1), May (1), June (78), July (147), August (169), September (111), October (67), November (22), December (2) ( Fig. 49e ).

Geographic Distribution. Widely distributed in Mexico ( Fig. 49f ). The only specimens known from the United States were collected at Eagle Pass, Texas.

Specimens Examined (990). Type material: Cetonia basalis Gory and Percheron, 1833 ; holotype male at MHNG labeled “Gory/ TYPE// Coll. Melly // basalis/ G. et P. B.// Mexico ” and my holotype label. Euphoria basalis crinicauda Casey, 1915 ; lectotype female at USNM labeled “Guer.// CASEY/ bequest/ 1925// crinicauda. 4/ PARATYPE USNM/ 48685// LECTOTYPE / Euphoria / basalis/ crinicauda Csy/ By A. R. Hardy ’78”; paralectotype male USNM labeled “Guer.// CASEY/ bequest/ 1925// TYPE UNSM/ 48685// crinicauda Csy// PARALECTOTYPE / E. basalis / crinicauda Csy/ A. R. Hardy ’78” . Other material: MEXICO (969): AGUASCALIENTES: Aguascalientes (3), Cerro de Picacho (1); CHIAPAS: San Cristóbal de las Casas (1), Santa Rosa (1); COAHUILA: Torreón (4); COLIMA: Colima (3), El Terrero (1), Mazamitla (6); DISTRITO FEDERAL: Azcapotzalco (26), Chapultepec (6), Ciudad de México (179), Coapa (22), El Jazmín (13), Guadalupe (6), San Andrés Tomatlán (7), San Ángel (10), Tacubaya (1), Xochimilco (1), no data (1); DURANGO: Durango (34), Goméz Palacio (4), Guadalupe Victoria (1), Lerdo (21), Nombre de Dios (2), Tlahuililo (6), Yerbanís (1); ESTADO DE MÉXICO: Chalco (2), Chapingo (3), Chapultepec (13), San Cristóbal Ecatepec (4), Temascaltépec (11), Teotihuacán (20), Tepexpan (2), Tlalmanalco (1), Toluca (4); GUANAJUATO: Irapuato (14), La Sauceda (1), San José Iturbide (1); GUERRERO: Acahuizotla (4), Amula (1), Chichihualco (1), San Francisco Acuitlapán (1), Taxco (5); HIDALGO: Actopán (9), Apam (1), Jacala (1), Lagunillas (4), Pachuca (20), Santiago (1), Tula (9); JALISCO: Ajijíc (32), Acatlán de Juárez (1), Autlán (5), Chapala (2), Cocula (1), Guadalajara (29), Huentitán (4), La Venta (2), Los Mazos (1), Magdalena (1), Mascota (2), Mazamitla (2), Otolomilco (1), San Gabriel (5), San Miguel el Alto (11), Teocaltiche (2), Tepatitlán (5), Tequila (15), Unión de Tula (1),Villa Guadalupe (7), Volcán Colima (33); MICHOACÁN: Cotija (3), El Pueblito (4), Morelia (5), Palo Alto (1), Patzcuaro (12), Periban de Ramos (1), San Lorenzo (1), Tangamandapio (1), Uruapán (22), Zacapán (1), Zitácuaro (1); MORELOS: Cañon de Lobos (2), Cuernavaca (41), Tepoztlán (12); NAYARIT: Tepic (27); NUEVO LEÓN: El Castillo (3), Iturbide (1), Saltillo (9), no data (8); OAXACA: Huajuapan de León (1), Mitla (2), Oaxaca (18), Santiago Chazumba (17), Talaxico (2); PUEBLA: Atlixco (1), Azumbilla (1), Chapulco (16), Cholula (13), Necaxa (13), Puebla (5), Tecamachalco (4), Tehuacán (1); QUERÉTARO: Acahuizotla (1), Bucarel (1), Cadereyta (5), Camargo (3); SAN LUIS POTOSÍ: Charcas (1), Ciudad del Maíz (1), Matehuala (2), San Luis Potosí (2), no data (1); SINALOA: Mazatlán (3); TLAXCALA: Tlaxcala (2); VERACRUZ: Acultzingo (3), Fortín de las Flores (1), Huatusco (1), Limón (6), Puerto del Aire (1), Taza de Agua Ojo Zarco (1), Veracruz (3); ZACATECAS: Fresnillo (2), La Ceja (5), Loreto (1), Sombrerete (2), Tlultenango (1), Zacatecas (5); NO DATA: “AtlX” (1), “C. Valle” (1), “IX” (2), “Fodala” (1), Estrado (1), Juaras (1), Mexico (1), “Mex” (1), San Juan (1). USA (5): TEXAS. Maverick Co.: Eagle Pass (3); No data (2). NO DATA (5): “52” (1), “306” (1), no data (3). SUSPECT RECORDS (8): “Central Europe” (1), “Nicaragua, Momotombo” (7).

Figures

Fig. 49. Euphoria basalis. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d) Color variation, e) Temporal distribution, f) Geographic distribution in Mexico and the United States.