Orizabus thomasi Ratcliffe and Cave, 2010

Ratcliffe, Brett C. & Cave, Ronald D., 2010, New species of Orizabus Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini) from Mexico and Guatemala, with a revised key and checklist of the species in the genus, Insecta Mundi 2010 (127), pp. 1-16 : 7-9

Orizabus thomasi Ratcliffe and Cave , new species

( Fig. 14-16 , 26 , 29-30 )

Type Material. Holotype male labeled: “ MEXICO: Veracruz / Excola , el. 9310'/ 19 o 06.46'N, 97 o 12.77'W / 23-IV-09, D. B. Thomas ” . Allotype female and one female paratype labeled “ MEXICO: Veracruz, 5 Km W/ Excola, El 9026 ft, 7 May 2008 / 19 o 06.60'N; 97 o 12.77'W / 19 o 06.46'N, 97 o 12.77´W / D. Thomas & D. Robacker ”. Two male pratypes labeled “ MEXICO / Veracruz / Cofre de Perote /Mateu-leg./ Coll. Martínez /Sept.974” . Holotype and allotype deposited at the University of Nebraska State Museum (Lincoln, NE). Two paratypes deposited in the Canadian Museum of Nature (Ottawa, Canada) and one paratype in the B. C. Ratcliffe collection (Lincoln, NE).

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Etymology. This species is named in honor of its collector, Donald Thomas (USDA, Weslaco, TX), and in recognition of Don’s generous donations of specimens over the years for our projects.

Distribution. Orizabus thomasi is known only from the vicinity of the high elevation (2,751 -2,838 m) pueblo of Excola in the Municipio de Calcahualco in Veracruz, Mexico ( Fig. 26 , 29-30 ) and from Cofre de Perote (possibly Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote), another high elevation locale in the same municipio.

Temporal Distribution. April (1), May (2), September (2).

Diagnosis. The male of O. thomasi is distinctive because of its small size (16-18 mm), vaguely punctate pronotal surface that lacks a fovea and tubercle, tridentate protibia, and completely punctate pygidium. The parameres of O. thomasi , O. cuernavacensis , and O. teamscaraborum Ratcliffe and Cave are somewhat similar ( Fig. 15-16 , 20 , and 24-25, respectively). Orizabus thomasi has a tooth on the lateral edge at about the midpoint of the paramere, whereas O. cuernavacensis does not. Orizabus teamscaraborum has edentate protibiae and a large body size (23-30 mm), but O. thomasi has tridentate protibiae and a small body size (17- 17 mm). The females of O. thomasi key out closest to O. cuernavacensis and O. fairmairei (Bates) ; O. thomasi has moderately dense punctures on the pygidium (except at the center apex), whereas the pygidium in O. cuernavacensis and O. fairmairei are both relatively smooth everywhere except at the base and angles.

Biology. Nothing is known of the life history of this species. The specimens were collected at lights from elevations of 2,751 and 2,838 m in pine/oak forest ( Fig. 29-30 ). The female paratype had 18 developed eggs within her abdomen. The specimen was collected in May, suggesting that oviposition was imminent.

Figures

Figure 26. Distribution map for the new Orizabus species described in this paper.

Figure 14-16. Orizabus thomasi. 14) Dorsal view. 15-16) Parameres, caudal and lateral views.

Figure 27-30. Habitats for some Orizabus species. 27) Type locality of O. amalgamatus near Yécora in Sonora, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Ian Swift. 28) Type locality of O. delgadoi at Cerro Zempoaltepetl in Oaxaca, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Daniel Curoe. 29-30) Type locality of O. thomasi in the vicinity of Excola in the Municipio de Calcahualco in Veracruz, Mexico. Photos courtesy of Karen Robacker.

Figure 17-25. Parameres of Orizabus spp. 17) O. batesi. 18) O. brevicollis. 19) O. clunalis. 20) O. cuernavacensis. 21) O. fairmairei. 22) O. pyriformis. 23) O. rubricollis. 24-25) O. teamscaraborum.