Ochicanthon vazdemelloi Latha & 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 : 22

Ochicanthon vazdemelloi Latha & Sabu sp. nov.

( Figs. 61–65 )

Description. Body ( Fig. 61 ) predominantly black. Dorsal surface of head glabrous, with annular punctures separated by intervals fairly equal to their diameter. Pronotum moderately convex in lateral view, outline at base almost in line with that of elytral suture; laterobasal paramarginal ridge absent. Pronotal punctations ( Fig. 62 ) similar to that on head, but becoming sparser medially; setae almost indistinct, straight and recumbent. Elytra strongly convex, lacking tubercles, suture conspicuously raised, except on apical quarter; striae shallow, wide, consisting of chains of circular depressions joined by straight sulci ( Fig. 62 ); interstriae moderately convex, uneven, covered with fine, sparse setiferous punctures arranged in two rows; background microsculpture smooth; setae stout, arcuate and semi-erect, but never scale-like; lateral ridge posteriorly extended to level of apex of second stria. Mesosternum impunctate, meso-metasternal line subangulate; metasternal shield coarsely punctate, except in the centre, which is smooth ( Fig. 63 ). Pygidium rather uniformly covered with shallow annular setiferous punctures. Male with base of metafemur forming a distinct angle and base of metatibia slender and arcuate. Protrochanter with outer margin arcuate. Hind wings absent. Aedeagus as in Figs. 64–65 .

Measurements (mm; n = 5): TL = 4.3–5.0; BW =2.7– 3.2; PL = 1.3–1.7; PW = 2.3–2.7; EL = 2.4–2.7.

Type material: Holotype (male, in NPC): “ India, Kerala, Palghat District, Silent Valley National Park, 2010 m, montane evergreen forest, dung baited pit fall trap, 5.vi.2009, leg. Vinod, K.V.”

Paratypes (4): Same data as holotype, 3 females in NPC, SJC and ZSI-Ca; “ India, Kerala”, 1 male in MHNG.

Distribution and natural history. Southwest India (upper montane cloud forests at Silent Valley in the South Western Ghats montane rain forest ecoregion).

Etymology. Named in honor of Fernando Z. Vaz-de-Mello, Veracruz, Brazil, who renamed the genus in 2003.

Diagnosis. Only two Indian Ochicanthon species, O. devagiriensis and O. vazdemelloi , have the elytral pubescence arranged in rows. Ochicanthon vazdemelloi can be readily distinguished from O. devagiriensis by its indistinct pronotal pubescence. See diagnosis under O. besucheti and O. devagiriensis .

Figures

FIGURES 61 – 65. Ochicanthon vazdemelloi (holotype). Dorsal habitus (61); base of pronotum and elytra (62); mesosternum and metasternum (63); aedeagus, ventral view (64); aedeagus, lateral left view (65). Scale bars = 1 mm.