Hemiphileurus deslislesi Ratcliffe, 2001

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2001, New Species Of Hemiphileurus Kolbe (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) From Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, And Brazil, The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (4), pp. 433-443 : 437

Hemiphileurus deslislesi Ratcliffe , new species

(Figs. 6–8)

Type Material. Holotype labeled ‘‘ COLOMBIA, Calima Valley , 45 km. west of Buga. 29­III­1990.’’ Holotype deposited at the Canadian Museum of Nature , Ottawa, Canada .

Holotype. Male. Length 24.0 mm; width 11.4 mm. Color black. Head: Entire surface smooth. Frons with 2 large, arcuate horns, horns erect and curving posteriorly. Clypeus triangular, apex acute and strongly reflexed, a distinct carina extending from apex to base of each horn. Interocular width equals 5.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 segments, club slightly longer than segments 2–7. Mandibles arcuate on lateral edges, apices acute. Pronotum: Surface finely shagreened, with punctures mostly large in size; punctures moderately dense in median furrow and on disc anteriorly either side of furrow, moderate in density elsewhere. Median, longitudinal furrow shallow, extending from in front of base to just behind apex, becoming gradually wider anteriorly. Apical tubercles absent. Base with complete marginal bead. Elytra: Surface with 5 distinct rows of punctate striae between suture and humeral umbone; punctures large, umbilicate, separated from one another in each row by about 1 puncture diameter. Intervals slightly convex, finely shagreened. Pygidium: Surface densely punctate (moreso than on elytral apices); punctures moderate to moderately large, less dense at apex, setigerous; setae minute, tawny in color. In lateral view, surface evenly convex. Legs: Foretibia tridentate, teeth subequally separated. Median transverse carina on meso­ and metatibiae culminating with strong spine on upper surface. Apex of posterior tibia with strong, acute spine on upper angle and with several small serrations and a short, broad spinule between each serration (4 spinules on right side, 5 on left side). Apex of first tarsomere of posterior tarsus extended into long, acute spine dorsally. Venter: Prosternal process moderate in length with weakly expanded and suboval apex; shaft at middle on posterior face with obliquely transverse swelling and at base with strong, tooth­like swelling (Fig. 6). Last sternite densely punctate along anterior margin, moderately to sparsely punctate elsewhere. Parameres: Figures 7–8.

Etymology. At the request of Martin Hardy, who generously provided me with the specimen, I take pleasure in naming this species after its collector, Gilles Deslisles, who has been a dedicated amateur lepidopterist in Quebec, Canada, for more than 30 years.

Remarks. Hemiphileurus deslislesi will key only to couplet 36 in Endrödi (1985) where the following two choices are either H. cylindroides (Bates) or H. simplex Prell , both from Central America. The parameres of the males in each of these species are formed very differently from those of H. deslislesi . The parameres (Figs. 7–8) of H. deslislesi are similar to those of H. variolosus Burmeister (Fig. 9) as are the transverse carinae of the meso­ and metatibiae. However, the prosternal process is tall, columnar, and with the apex broadly and triangularly flattened in H. variolosus (Fig. 10) whereas in H. deslislesi it is shorter, the shaft has transverse swellings, and the apex is not triangularly flattened (Fig. 6). In addition, the elytra in H. variolosus are strongly and densely punctate and lack the relatively smooth intervals of H. deslislesi .

Nothing is known of the biology of this species. Like other species of Hemiphileurus , the larvae probably live in rotting wood, and the adults may not be strongly attracted to lights (personal observation).