Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968

Duarte, Paulo R. M., Grossi, Paschoal C. & Dupuis, Fabien, 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968 species group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae), Zootaxa 5093 (1), pp. 49-66 : 52-54

Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968

( Figs. 2A ; 3A ; 4C ; 5A ; 6A–B ; 7A ; 8A, C ; 9 )

Bothynus villiersi . Endrödi 1968: 170 (original description); Endrödi 1969: 122, 129–130 (identification key and diagnosis); Endrödi 1985: 273 (identification key); Krajcik 2005: 39 (checklist); Abadie et al. 2008: plate 14 (figure 2); Grossi et al. 2011: 116 (distribution record); López-García et al. 2016: 497 (checklist).

Diagnosis. Bothynus villiersi differs from other species of the group by the following characters: spiculum gastrale with recurved lateral branches combined with a straight medial branch never wide at apex ( Fig. 5A ); apex of parameres narrow and elongate ( Fig. 6B [arrow]); inner margin of each paramere with 1 strong process located at middle, never at base ( Fig. 6B ); posterior internal plate of tergite 8 parabolic, with a medial furrow in female ( Fig. 8C [arrow]). The configuration of parameres of B. villiersi resembles those of B. spinophallicus , but is distinguished by the elongate parameres apex and the left paramere have a strong process in B. villiersi . Regarding the other species within the group, B. villiersi is unique with both processes located at the middle of the inner margin, instead of located basally such in B. horridus , B. alvarengai , and B. belemensis . The female of B. villiersi is also unique with the internal plate of tergite 8 parabolic in shape combined with a longitudinal furrow, while other females of the group have the internal plate bilobed or subtrapezoidal, lacking furrow.

Type material examined. Holotype male ( HNHM), labeled: “Itapiranga II 34” [white label] / “ Holotypus Bothynus villiersi Endr. ” [white label, bordered in red, partially handwritten] ( Fig. 2A ). Two males and one female paratypes ( ZMHB), labeled: “Goyaz L Bulhoes Spitz S.” [white label] / “Arrow determ. Bothynus [illegible]” [white label, partially handwritten] / “ Paratypus Bothynus villiersi Endr. ” [white label, bordered in orange, partially handwritten].

Additional material examined. BRAZIL: MATO GROSSO DO SUL: Dourados , 15.ii.2006, K.V. Filho — 1 male ( CERPE) ; xi. 2002, E. Gelain — 1 male ( CERPE) . RIO DE JANEIRO: Nova Friburgo— 1 male ( MNHN) . SÃO PAULO: Bauru, Vargem Limpa, Área de Proteção Ambiental , 10.x.2008, at light, L. Santos — 1 male ( CERPE) ; Bauru, Instituto Lauro de Souza lima, Arm. Luiz de Queiroz , 26.xi–02.xii.2019, Matheus Bento — 1 male, 1 female ( CERPE) ; Bauru, Instituto Lauro de Souza lima, Arm. Luiz de Queiroz , 4–5.x.2019, white light— 1 male ( CERPE) ; Bauru, Instituto Lauro de Souza lima, Arm. Luiz de Queiroz , xii.2020, at light— 1 female ( CERPE) ; with no precise locality— 1 male ( MNHN) . Pederneiras , i.2021, Pennsylvania trap, Matheus Bento — 1 female ( CERPE) PARAGUAY: CONCEPCIÓN: Zanja Moroti , 10.x.2004 — 2 males, 2 females ( FDPC) . With no data— 1 male, 1 female ( MNHN) .

Description. Male ( Fig. 3A ). Length: 16.6–25.1 mm. Width: 7.5–12.7 mm. Color: Predominantly reddish brown; pro-, meso-, and metatarsi darker. Head: Clypeal anterior teeth usually small. Frontoclypeal ridge mostly arched. Frontal surface from flattened to slightly concave, glabrous, transversely rugopunctate; punctures large, C-shaped. Interocular width equals 3.4 times transverse eye diameters. Mouthparts: Labrum arched, transversely covered with a brush of setae. Mandibles with triangular apical tooth, medial tooth triangular or lobed, basal tooth lobed. Galea sometimes with a weak notch on apex. Labium slightly sinuous laterally. Pronotum: Anterior tubercle conical; concavity usually shallow, sometimes deep; concavity surface from transversely rugose to punctate; sides densely covered with large, deep, contiguous punctures; posterior discal area from smooth to finely punctate. Legs: Inner protarsal claw slightly enlarged compared to outer claw, diagonally truncate on apex. Mesotibia usually with two weakly crenulate carinae on outer surface. Venter: Prosternal process conical apically ( Fig. 4C ). Abdomen: Ventrites 1–2 irregularly setose; ventrites 3–5 with a row of large, setose punctures on sides, and with a finely punctate and glabrous disc; ventrite 6 weakly punctate on sides, smooth on disc. Spiculum gastrale: Y-shaped; lateral branches upward recurved, medial branch straight ( Fig. 5A ). Hemisternite barely sclerotized, provided of 12 scattered bristles. Aedeagus: Parameres, in lateral view (left side) ( Fig. 6A ), subtriangular, abruptly narrowed ventrally at apex. Parameres, in dorsal view ( Fig. 6B ), oval shaped, elongate (1.5 times longer than wide), narrow laterally at apex; subapical outer margin of each paramere with a small lateroventral process; inner margin of each paramere with 1 triangular process at middle; inner process of right paramere longer compared those of left.

Description. Female ( Fig. 7A ). Length: 18.0– 20.1 mm. Width: 9.2–10.5 mm.As male, except in the following aspects: Pronotum: Anterior discal area moderately covered with large, deep, C-shaped punctures, scattered about 3 puncture diameters apart. Legs: Inner protarsal claw similar in shape to outer claw. Abdomen: Tergite 8 with a parabolic posterior internal plate, longitudinally furrowed at middle ( Fig. 8C ). Ventrites 2–5 densely punctate at disc; ventrite 6 rugose, setose on disc.

Remarks. Endrödi (1968) mentioned that one female paratype of B. villiersi with locality data from Pará is preserved at SNSD. However, this specimen was not found among the B. villiersi paratypes deposited at this institute. Rather, one female paratype from Pará labeled with the name “ Bothynus horridus ” handwritten by Endrödi was located. It seems to be the same specimen mentioned by Endrödi (1968) as the female paratype of B. villiersi from Pará, but which was mistakenly labeled by him, since no paratype of B. horridus from this locality was stated by the author. This confusion leaves doubt regarding the distribution of B. villiersi from northern Brazil. Moreover, no B. villiersi from this region was observed among the material examined by us.

Distribution. Bothynus villiersi occurs in Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and savannah areas from Campos Gerais region.

Type locality. Itapiranga , Santa Catarina, Brazil .

Geographical records ( Fig. 9 ). BRAZIL: Pará (erroneous record) , Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina . PARAGUAY: Concepción. Literature records . PARAGUAY: with no locality ( Abadie et al. 2008).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Holotype dorsal habitus with their respective labels on the right side: A, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; B, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968; C, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; D, Bothynus spinophallicus (Ratcliffe & Cave, 2021).

FIGURE 3. Male dorsal habitus: A, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; B, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968; C, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; D, Bothynus spinophallicus (Ratcliffe & Cave, 2021); E, Bothynus belemensis new species (holotype).

FIGURE 4. Pronotal tubercle: A, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; B, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968. Prosternal process: C, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; D, Bothynus belemensis new species. Arrows indicate tubercle bilobed in A, tubercle conical in B, prosternal process apex conical in C, and prosternal process apex rounded in D.

FIGURE 5. Spiculum gastrale: A, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; B, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968; C, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; D, Bothynus belemensis new species. hs = hemisternite.

FIGURE 6. Aedeagus in lateral view and parameres in dorsal view, respectively: A–B, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; C–D, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968; E–F, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; G–H, Bothynus belemensis new species. lmp = left medial process, rbp = right basal process, rmp = right medial process. Arrow indicating elongated parameres apex in B.

FIGURE 7. Female dorsal habitus: A, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; B, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968; C, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; D, Bothynus belemensis new species.

FIGURE 8. Female, detail of the anterior pronotal margin: A, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; B, Bothynus belemensis new species. Female, internal view of the tergite 8: C, Bothynus villiersi Endrödi, 1968; D, Bothynus horridus Endrödi, 1968; E, Bothynus alvarengai Martínez, 1983; F, Bothynus belemensis. Arrows indicate arched margin in A, margin sinuous in B, and furrow in C. ip = internal plate.

FIGURE 9. Geographic distribution of the Bothynus villiersi species group. The star inscribed by a red circle indicates a possible mislabeled record.