Euphoria hirtipes Horn, 1880

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 92-93

Euphoria hirtipes Horn, 1880

(Appendix 4: Fig. 53 )

Euphoria hirtipes Horn 1880: 401 . Original combination.

Lectotype at MCZ designated by Hardy (2001), examined. One paralectotype at MCZ, not examined.

Description (n = 240). Length 10.2–13.4 mm; width 5.8–7.7 mm. Color: Head and pronotum black; pronotum frequently with 1 yellowish brown marking at each side anteromedially. Elytra usually yellowish brown, with black markings on apex and sutural costa. Head: Frons densely punctate; punctures moderate in size, round, frequently confluent; surface frequently depressed, with 1 central depression, or 2 longitudinal depressions separated by a weak, longitudinal ridge; surface densely setose; setae long, yellowish. Clypeus short, subrectangular to subtrapezoidal, punctate to strigopunctate; punctures as on frons; surface moderately to densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish, limited to basal portion of clypeus; sides not raised, apex vaguely reflexed, truncate in dorsal view, vaguely sinuate in frontal view. Labium thickened anteriorly. Antennal club shorter than stem in both sexes. Pronotum: Surface densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish; densely punctate; punctures lunulate, moderate in size at middle, denser and larger towards sides. Midline and 1 irregularly shaped area at each side impunctate and glabrous. Base in front of scutellum moderately to strongly emarginate. Scutellum longer than wide, apex pointed or rounded, sparsely setose, setae as on pronotum, apex frequently depressed. Elytra: Surface moderately densely to densely punctate; punctures irregular in shape, moderate in size, distributed in 3–4 rows on striae. Costae weakly to strongly raised. Posterior half of sutural costa elevated. Setae as on pronotum. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate; striae weakly to moderately impressed, discontinuous. Setae as on pronotum. Legs: Protibiae robust, basal and medial teeth widely fused at bases. Mesotibial carina strongly developed into 2 sharp spines. Metatibial carina strongly developed; metatibial apex expanded; metatarsi moderately flattened. Metatibiae of males with fringe of dense, long, setae on internal angle. Venter: Mesometasternal process small, strongly compressed, extending anteriorly at same level of mesocoxae or slightly beyond, glabrous on mesosternal lobe, densely setose at suture. Mesepimera, metasternum, and metacoxae setose, setae as on legs. Metasternum rugose, densely setose laterally, moderately setose and sparsely punctate at middle; median sulcus strongly impressed. Abdominal sternites 2–3 frequently with deep, longitudinal line medially in both sexes; abdomen of males densely setose, moderately setose in females, abdominal sternites 6–7 frequently with row of long setae in males, row absent in females. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 53c .

Diagnosis. Euphoria hirtipes is separated from E. inda , the other species in the group, by the following combination of characters: body densely setose, antennal club shorter than stem in both sexes, protibiae robust with medial and basal teeth closer to each other than to the apical tooth in both sexes, mesotibiae with well-developed carina, males with dense fringe of hairs on metatibiae, and abdominal sternites 2–3 frequently with medial longitudinal line. Casey (1915) erroneously reported this species as lacking a lateral line on the pronotum. I found that the line can become more difficult to discern in specimens with a densely punctate pronotum but is never completely absent.

Taxonomic History. Euphoria hirtipes was described based on 42 males and 56 females from Dodge County, Nebraska, USA ( Horn 1880). Casey (1915) created the monotypic genus Euphoriaspis for this species. In Casey’ s view, the absence (as observed by him) of the lateral line of the pronotum, in addition to the robust protibiae, metatibial fringe of hairs in the males, and short tarsi were unique and of generic significance. Except for the lateral line on the pronotum, Casey’ s observations were accurate and this species is indeed unique. Hardy (1988) synonymized Euphoriaspis with Euphoria , providing no comment on this proposed change.

Natural History. Adults and larvae have been collected in mounds and nests of Formica obscuripes Forel ( Wheeler 1910; Windsor 1964; Paulsen 2002). Ratcliffe (1976) studied the biology of the species in Nebraska, finding both adults and larvae associated with Formica sp. ants; as many as 60 larvae and 85 adults were found in one nest. Adults were found scattered throughout the thatch portion of the nest, the majority being found in the upper 5–25 cm in the soil-thatch interface. Adults were never found in the ant galleries. Adults overwinter in the nest and oviposit there the next spring. The larval stage lasts between 11–15 weeks and the pupal stage between 10–20 days. Pupation takes place 10–25 cm below the soil surface. The immature stages were described by Ratcliffe (1976).

Temporal Distribution. April (100), May (45), July (1), September (5), November (1) ( Fig. 53d ).

Geographic Distribution. Known from Colorado, Nebraska, and North Dakota, USA ( Fig. 53e ). Riley and Wolfe (2003) recorded the species from Deaf Smith County, Texas.

Specimens Examined (240). Type material: Euphoria hirtipes Horn, 1880 ; lectotype at MCZ labeled “ Dodge Co. / Nebr.// E./ hirtipes/ Horn // MCZ TYPE/ 7901 // TYPE No. 3708/ Euphoria / hirtipes/ G. H. Horn// LECTOTYPE / Euphoria / hirtipes Horn / 1880/ By A. R. HARDY/ 1977”. Other material: USA (227): COLORADO. El Paso Co.: Colorado Springs (1). NEBRASKA. Blaine Co.: Sandhills (4); Cuming Co.: West Point (20); Dodge Co.: Dodge (1); Garden Co.: Ash Hollow State Park (2); Keith Co.: Ogallala (14); McPherson Co.: Tryon (4); Thomas Co.: Halsey (175); No data (9). NORTH DAKOTA. Kidder Co.: No data (1), Stutsman Co.: Chase Lake (4). NO DATA: (4).

Figures

Fig. 53. Euphoria hirtipes. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d) Temporal distribution, e) Geographic distribution in the United States.