Liogenys latitarsis Moser, 1918

Cherman, Mariana Alejandra, Basílio, Daniel Silva, Mise, Kleber Makoto, Frisch, Johannes & Almeida, Lúcia Massutti De, 2021, Liogenys Guérin-Méneville, 1831 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae Diplotaxini) from the Chacoan Province and its boundaries: taxonomic overview with four new species, Zootaxa 4938 (1), pp. 1-59 : 23-27

Liogenys latitarsis Moser, 1918

Figs. 10 ; 11 ; 26 .

Liogenys latitarsis Moser, 1918: 99 ; Blackwelder 1944: 227 (checklist); Frey 1969: 50 (key); Frey 1969: 51, 63 (key, redescription [named as L. denticeps ]); Evans 2003: 208 (checklist); Krajčík 2012: 145 (checklist); Evans & Smith 2009: 176 (checklist); Cherman et al. 2017: 4 (generic history).

Type material. Liogenys latitarsis male lectotype here designated ( ZMHB): [white, outlined black, typeset] “ Argentinien / Santiago del Estero ”, [white handwritten] “ Liogenys / latitarsis / Mos / Typen ♂”, [light red typeset] “Typus”, [white handwritten] “latitarsis / Mos.”, [white, outlined red, typeset and handwritten] “ LIOGENYS / LATITARSIS / Moser, 1918 / LECTOTYPE / Des. Cherman M. A.”, genitalia mounted. Paralectotypes (1): one female ( ZMHB): with the same data of the lectotype, plus the label: [white, outlined red, typeset and handwritten] “ LIOGENYS / LATITARSIS / Moser, 1918 / PARALECTOTYPE / Des. Cherman M. A.”.

Non-type material (36). BOLIVIA. Santa Cruz: Caballero , ~ 9 km SW Comarapa, 17º58.926’S 64º34.365’W, XII.2008, 1694 m, W.D.E. Edmonds & T. Vidaurre, [collected in] human feces, 6 males ( CEMT) ; Cochabamba: Cochabamba, Bolivia Andina, Zischka , 1.XII.1969, 1 male ; 10.I.1960, 1 female ( NHMB) . PARAGUAY. Boquerón: Chaco, Teniente Enciso, 4.XI.2001, C. Aguilar J., 2 males ( CMVD); Parque Nacional Teniente Inciso , administración, 21º12’S 61º39’W, 253 m, 18.IX.2003, B. Garcete, 3 males and 1 female ( DZUP) . ARGENTINA. Jujuy: Estación Yuto , without date and collector, 1 male ( NHMB) ; Salta: Chaco Occidental , 100 km NE Los Colorados [20 km NE Cafayate], I.1993, M. McLaqughlin & B. Bestelmeyer, 1 male ( UNSM) ; Formosa: Ruta Provincial 39, 23 km S Ingeniero Juárez , 24º05’27’’S 61º56’49’’W, 13–17.XII.2008, F. Ocampo, G. San Blas, & F. Campon, mercury vapor & ultraviolet light trap, 1 male and 1 female ( IADIZA) ; Tucumán: Gobernador Garmendia , 22.I.1981, Roig, 1 male ( IADIZA); without locality, date, and collector, 1 male ( MLPA) ; Catamarca: Quiros (2 km S) on Ruta Nacional 157, 28º48’43.3’’S 65º06’22.6’’W, 9.XII. 2008, 305 m, F. Ocampo, G. San Blas, & F. Campon, at light, 1 female ( IADIZA); El Peñón , [26.478056°S, 67.265°W], II.1947, 4000 m, A. Martínez, 1 female ( CMNC); Ciudad de Catamarca, XI.1945, J. Bosq, 1 female ( MZUC) ; Santiago del Estero: Tintina , without collector, X.1946, 1 female ( MZUC) ; Santiago del Estero: Tintina, without collector, XI.1946, 1 male and 2 females ( MZUC); Fernandez , XII.1935, J. Bosq, 2 males ( MLPA); El Pinto, without date and collector, 1 female ( NHMB) ; Mendoza: Santa Rosa, Reserva Biológica Ñancuñan, 10–15.III.2014, G. Arriagada, at light, 1 female ( CMVD); 11–13.XII.2002, V.M. Dieguez, 1 male ( CMVD); Reserva Biológica Ñancuñan , Médanos , 34º00’12’’S 67º55’08’’W, 4.II. 2006, 569 m, F.C. Ocampo, E. Ruiz, & G. Zalazar, at light, 2 males and 2 females ( DZUP) . URUGUAY. Montevideo: SAPar Labo Nº288 [34°53’01’’S 056°10’55’’W?], without collector, 1 male ( USNM) .

Diagnosis. Body elongate, brownish to dark brown, elytra shiny to semiopaque ( Fig. 10A ); clypeal emargination deep but not reaching the base of the teeth, rounded and wide; clypeal lateral margin strongly convex and produced, forming a tooth-like projection; pronotal posterior corners rounded to subangulate ( Fig. 10C ); the first pair of elytral ridges more defined than the other three, sometimes the second pair also noticeable; basal apophysis of metacoxa produced; metafemur with scattered bristles; metatibia not carinate along the inner margin ( Fig. 10D ); pygidium convex, wider than it is long; pygidial width wider than the distance between spiracles of propygidium, disc with bristles throughout, erect bristles ( Fig. 10E ); in males protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres strongly enlarged, metatarsomeres slightly enlarged; parameres expanded after the midline towards the apex ( Fig. 10F ); outer margin dentate, undulate or straight ( Fig. 11 A–E); parameres strongly convex in lateral view ( Fig. 10G ).

Redescription. Length 8.0– 11.9 mm; width: 4.1–6.2 mm. Light brown to brown. Head: distance between eyes twice the width of one eye; clypeal emargination deep, rounded and wide; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; outer margin of anterior teeth shorter than the eye; lateral margin convex and produced, forming a tooth-like projection; distance between clypeal lateral projection and anterior margin of eye slightly longer than one eye; distance between clypeal lateral projection and apex of the adjacent anterior tooth equal to the basal width of anterior tooth; angle acute or approximately 90º between outer side of anterior teeth and clypeal lateral projection; distal maxillary palpomere, maximum width almost twice the apical width; fovea deep, extending past the transverse midline of the palpomere; antenna with 10 antennomeres, club lighter in color and equal to the funicle. Thorax: anterior margin of pronotum slightly produced medially; glabrous, punctures coarse and sparse, denser and coarser towards the anterior margin; pronotal posterior corners rounded to subangulate; hypomere with long bristles near the outer margin and scales near the inner margin; mesepisternum scaly; sides of metaventrite scaly and with bristles; distance between mesocoxae and metacoxae longer than the length of the metacoxa; scutellum ogival, weakly punctate at the base or sides. Elytra: shiny to semiopaque, glabrous, light brown to dark brown; elytral suture slightly darker than elytron, weakly elevated; first pair of ridges more defined than the other three, sometimes the second pair also noticeable. Legs: three protibial teeth, the middle and apical equal in size, basal one slightly shorter; distance between basal and middle teeth slightly longer than between middle and apical; mesofemural surface setose; mesotibia subquadrate in cross section, surface coarsely sculptured; two transverse carinae, the apical carina incomplete or complete in males, always complete in females; metacoxa scaly; basal apophysis of metacoxa produced; metafemur with scattered bristles; metatibia not carinate along the inner margin, apical inner surface setose; strong metatibial transverse carinae present posteriorly; metatibial apical spurs of different lengths; the larger longer than the diameter of the tibial apex; in males tarsomeres I to IV enlarged in all legs; protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres strongly enlarged, metatarsomeres slightly enlarged; protarsomere II as long as it is wide; metatarsomere I twice shorter than metatarsomere II; claw bifid, symmetrical, superior tooth of a claw less than twice as long and as wide as the inferior tooth, distance between teeth equal to the length of the inferior tooth. Abdomen: ventrites abundantly with bristles on disc, with scattered bristles in females; propygidium slightly visible, with bristles; pygidium convex; trapezoidal, wide; pygidial width wider than the distance between spiracles of propygidium; pygidial disc with bristles throughout, erect bristles; pygidial apex quadrate to rounded. Parameres: basal region narrower than both sections of the parameres at its maximum width, parameral split at third portion, expanded after the midline towards the apex; outer margin indented ( Fig. 11A, D, C, F, H, I ), undulate ( Fig. 11E, J ) or almost straight ( Fig. 11B, G ); parameres strongly convex in lateral view.

Type locality. ARGENTINA, Santiago del Estero .

Geographical distribution. BOLIVIA (Santa Cruz, Cochabamba); PARAGUAY (Boquerón); ARGENTINA (Jujuy, Salta, Formosa, Tucumán, Catamarca, Santiago del Estero, Mendoza).

Remarks. Liogenys latitarsis is the species with the broadest geographical distribution among the Chacoan Liogenys , here expanded to Bolivia and Paraguay, and intraspecific variations were found among the specimens examined. The varying features are mainly the presence and the amount of bristles at the clypeus; somewhat in the sharpness of the anterior clypeal teeth; the posterior corners of pronotum from rounded to subangle; the more or less elevated inner pair of elytral ridges; elytra shiny or semiopaque (less frequent); and in the shape of the outer margins of the parameres. Liogenys latitarsis strongly resembles externally L. vicina Frey, 1969 ( Fig. 22 ) (for more details see L. vicina diagnosis).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Liogenys latitarsis Moser, 1918 male lectotype views: A) dorsal, B) labels, C) head and pronotum, D) lateral, E) pygidium, and parameres in views: F) dorsal and G) lateral.

FIGURE 11. Liogenys latitarsis Moser, 1918 intraspecific variations in shape of parameres, views: A–E) dorsal, F–J) dorsolateral.

FIGURE 22. Liogenys vicina Frey, 1969 male holotype views: A) dorsal, B) head and pronotum, C) lateral, D) pygidium, and parameres in views: E) dorsal, F) dorsolateral, and G) lateral.

FIGURE 26. Geographical distribution of four known Liogenys species occurring in the Chacoan province and its boundaries. Shaped points: previously known species; colors: Neotropical provinces (Morrone 2014) and Monte province from the South American Transition Zone (Roig-Juñent et al. 2018).