Balsameda Thomson, 1880

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2014, A Review Of The Neotropical Genera Badelina Thomson, 1880, Balsameda Thomson, 1880, Guatemalica Neervoort Van De Poll, 1886, And Heterocotinis Martínez, 1948 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 68 (2), pp. 241-262 : 247

Balsameda Thomson, 1880

Balsameda Thomson 1880: 268 . Type species: Cotinis pulverulenta Burmeister 1842: 262 , by monotypy.

Thomson (1880) established Balsameda and included in it Cotinis pulverulenta Burmeister. Bates (1889) synonymized Balsameda with Cotinis Burmeister. Goodrich (1965) then elevated Balsameda to a good genus to include two species and provided a brief overview of the few specimens known to him. Two new species from Guatemala and Mexico are described here.

Description. Scarabaeidae , Cetoniinae , Gymnetini . Form: Elongate, rhomboidal, sides slightly tapering from humeri towards apex of elytra, dorsum nearly flat. Length 13–21 mm. Color on dorsum velutinous reddish brown or opaque dark green; top of head, venter, and legs with cupreous reflections. Setae and scales creamy white. Head: Subquadrate. Clypeal surface concave. apex truncate and strongly reflexed into subtriangular or subtrapezoidal tooth, tooth weakly emarginate or not. Frons with small keel or forward projecting, slender horn. Surface of frons and basal half of clypeus with dense, creamy white, slender setae or dense, creamy white, thick scales. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club distinctly longer than antennomeres 2–7. Pronotum: Subtrapezoidal, widest near base, gradually convergent to anterior angles, basomedian lobe strongly produced posteriorly, lobe covering all but tip of scutellum. Surface usually velutinous, punctate, punctures with creamy white scales. Sides with slen- der marginal bead, anterior and basal margins lacking bead. Elytra: Widest at base, posthumeral emargination distinct. Bead present on lateral margins. Surface usually velutinous, punctate, punctures with creamy white scales. Pygidium: Surface concentrically strigose with dense, cream-colored scales. Venter: Mesometasternal process, in lateral view, short, subparallel to ventral axis of body ( Fig. 11 ); apex broadly rounded in ventral view. Abdominal ventrites 1–5 in both sexes with large, dense, setigerous punctures either side of nearly impunctate midline. Legs: Protibia weakly tridentate in both sexes. Metatibia at apex subtruncate and with 2 long, slender spurs. Parameres ( Figs. 12–13 , 16–17 , 20–21 , 24–25 ): Form subtriangular in caudal view; apices narrowly pointed to broadly rounded; ventral surface with strong small, acute projection or with spine-like tooth.

Diagnosis. Species of Balsameda most closely resemble species of Cotinis . They are easily distinguished by the presence, usually, of creamcolored, oval to teardrop scales on the pronotum and pygidium that are never present in Cotinis species. Males can generally be recognized by the presence of denser scales, whereas females usually have much sparser or no scales. Distinguishing the sexes by the concavity or tumescence of the abdominal sternites in lateral view is not reliable since the abdomen may be weakly concave in both sexes. The two apical spurs on the metatibia are acute in males but usually bluntly rounded in females.

Distribution. Four species of Balsameda are known from Mesoamerica.

Natural History. Nothing is known of the life history of these beetles other than the adults are diurnal and feed on flowers. The larval stage remains undescribed.

Figures

Figs. 10–13. Balsameda adspersa. 10) Habitus; 11) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 12–13) Parameres.

Figs. 14–17. Balsameda monzoni. 14) Holotype, habitus; 15) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 16–17) Parameres.

Figs. 18–21. Balsameda porioni. 18) Holotype, habitus; 19) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 20–21) Parameres.

Figs. 22–25. Balsameda pulverulenta. 22) Habitus; 23) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 24–25) Parameres.