Ochicanthon murthyi Vinod & Sabu

Latha, Mathews, Cuccodoro, Giulio & Sabu, Thomas K., 2011, Taxonomy of the dung beetle genus Ochicanthon Vaz-de-Mello (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) of the Indian subcontinent, with notes on distribution patterns and flightlessness, Zootaxa 2745, pp. 1-29 : 14

Ochicanthon murthyi Vinod & Sabu sp. nov.

( Figs 36–40 )

Description. Body ( Fig. 36 ) predominantly black with a faint orange-yellow humeral spot on each elytron. Punctation on dorsal surface of head annular with intervals between punctures not exceeding their diameter. Pronotum in lateral view weakly convex, outline at base almost in line with that of elytral suture; laterobasal paramarginal ridge well marked, extended on slightly more than one third of pronotal length. Pronotal punctation ( Fig. 37 ) consisting of annular setiferous punctures separated by interval of less than their diameter, becoming somewhat sparser anteromedially; setae almost indistinct, straight and recumbent. Elytra in lateral view moderately convex; suture not raised; striae shallow, wide, consisting of chains of fairly confluent discoidal depressions ( Fig. 37 ); interstriae fairly flat, uneven, and irregularly punctate; background microsculpture smooth; setae fine, straight and recumbent; lateral ridge posteriorly extended to level of apex of third stria. Mesosternum without punctures; meso-metasternal line arcuate; metasternal shield with close annular punctures separated by intervals fairly equal to their diameter ( Fig. 38 ). Pygidium densely covered with well-marked annular setiferous punctures becoming finer ventrally. Protrochanter with outer margin angulate Hind wings present.

Male lacking obvious secondary sexual characters. Aedeagus as in Figs 39–40 .

Measurements (mm; n = 12): TL = 4.5–5.2; BW = 3.0–3.4; PL = 1.2–1.7; PW = 2.8–3.0; EL = 2.6–2.8.

Type material. Holotype (male, in NPC): “ India, Kerala, Wayanad District, Thirunelly, 900 m, moist deciduous forest, dung baited pit fall trap, 23.IX.2005, leg. Vinod, K.V.”

Paratypes (11): Same data as holotype, 2 males and 6 females in NPC and SJC; “ India, Kerala, Kozhikode District, Devagiri, 50 m, shrub jungle, dung baited pit fall trap, 14. X. 2008, leg. Jizla, V.P.” 2 females in ZSI-Ca; “ India, Kerala” 2 males in MHNG.

Distribution and natural history. South India (upper montane cloud forests at Thirunelly in the South Western Ghats montane rain forest ecoregion; Calicut-Devagiri college campus in Malabar Coast moist deciduous forest ecoregion).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of late Prof. V.A. Murthy, Loyola College, Chennai, India.

Diagnosis. Ochicanthon murthyi shares unicolored elytra bearing striae consisting of chains of fairly confluent discoidal depressions only with O. tristoides , from northeast India. This species is easily distinguishable from O. tristoides by the presence of angulate outer margin of the protrochanter and the variation in the morphology of aedeagus.

Figures

FIGURES 36 – 40. Ochicanthon murthyi (holotype). Dorsal habitus (36); base of pronotum and elytra (37); mesosternum and metasternum (38); aedeagus, ventral view (39); aedeagus, lateral left view (40). Scale bars = 1 mm.