Ancognatha vulgaris Arrow, 1911

Paucar-Cabrera, Aura & Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2018, The Ancognatha Erichson (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) of Ecuador, with Description of a New Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin 72 (4), pp. 665-687 : 683-686

Ancognatha vulgaris Arrow, 1911 ( Figs. 2b , 38–40 )

Ancognatha vulgaris Arrow 1911: 169 (original combination). Type male at BMNH ( Moore et al. 2018).

Ancognatha (Pseudoancognatha) nigriventris Otoya 1945: 275 (original combination). Holotype male at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia ( Otoya 1945).

Redescription. Length 18.9–26.5 mm; width 10.2–13.0 mm. Color testaceous with black, elongate spots on humerus, usually on apical umbone, immediately behind flange on lateral margin of elytra in female, and behind scutellum either side of sutural line ( Fig. 38 ); often with narrow, elongate mark on lateral margin of elytra, and female (rarely male) with extensive black streaks covering elytra; bases and apices of tibiae black as well as tarsi and 1 st 4 abdominal sternites in male. Head: Frons with surface moderately punctate, punctures minute to small. Clypeus with surface moderately densely punctate, punctures small to moderate in size and becoming rugopunctate on sides; sides arcuate, apex narrowly parabolic and slightly reflexed. Interocular width equals 2.8–3.0 transverse eye diameters. Mentum with apex deeply furrowed (about half length of mentum) ( Fig. 2b ). Pronotum: Surface sparsely punctate; punctures minute on disc, becoming small in anterior and posterior angles. Elytra: Surface punctate-striate, double rows distinct; punctures moderate to mostly large, weakly ocellate. Epipleuron of female (in ventral view) expanded into large lobe at level of metacoxa/sternite 1. Pygidium: Surface sparsely punctate, punctures small to moderate in size, setigerous; setae long, pale. In lateral view, surface strongly convex in male, nearly flat in female. Legs: Protibia tridentate, teeth equidistant from each other. Venter: Prosternal process long, apex flattened into

transverse oval and with raised, transversely oval “button”; posterior margin of shaft near base with weak swelling; process with long setae. Parameres: Fig. 39 .

Distribution. Ancognatha vulgaris is one of the most widely distributed and common species in the genus. It occurs from Costa Rica to Brazil, and in Bolivia ( Endrödi 1966, 1985; Ratcliffe 2003).

Locality Records ( Fig. 40 ). 695 specimens examined from AUEM, BCRC, CISEC, CMNC, CMNH, CNCI, DCCC, MECN, MEPN, NMPC, QCAZ, RDCC, UMSP, UNSM, USNM .

AZUAY (48): Amaluza, Cuenca, Jesús Mar´ıa (18 km SE), Girón (8 km NE), O~ na (6 km N), R´ıo Amarillo. BOLÍVAR (6): Guaranda (23 km NE), no

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data. CANAR (4): Cochancay. CARCHI (15): El Ángel, Chical, Los Laureles, Maldonado, Maldonado (18 km SE), San Gabriel (Bosque Arrayanes), Tufi~ no (35 km W). CHIMBORAZO (1): Riobamba. COTOPAXI (152): Bosque Integral Otonga, Los Libres, Pilaló, Saguambi, San Francisco de las Pampas, Sigchos, Triufo Bajo. EL ORO (6): Atahualpa (9 km NW), Chilia (6 km N), Reserva Biológica Buenaventura. ESMERALDAS (2): Quinindé, Tonsupa. IMBABURA (20): Carmen de Sta. Cecilia, Seis de Julio de Cuellaje. LOJA (19): Parque Nacional Podocarpus, San Lucas, Saraguro, Saraguro (11 km S), Vilcabamba, Zamora Huayco. LOS RÍOS (1): R´ıo Palenque. MORONA SANTIAGO (9): Cantón Limón, Cantón San Juan Bosco, Gualaceo (34 km SE), Macas, San Isidro Cordillera de Domono Alto. NAPO (202): Archidona, Archidona (Chiyacu), Baeza, Baeza (7 km S, 24 km S), Baeza–Tena road (Cordillera de los Guacamayos), Caba~ nas San Isidro (2 km NW Cosanga), Cosanga, El Chaco, El Reventador, Lumbaqui, Misahuall´ı, Quijos Valley (Estación Biológica San Isidro), R´ıo Holl´ın, San Francisco de Borja, San Rafael, Sarayacu-Loreto road, Sierrazul, Tena, Tres Cruces Hacienda La Caba~ na km 140, Yanayacu (Cosanga), no data. ORELLANA (9): Estación Biológica Tiputini, Estación Cient´ıfica Yasun´ı, Parque Nacional Yasun´ı. PASTAZA (16): Mera, Puyo, Puyo (16 km W), Puyo (22 km W), R´ıo Verde, Shell Mera. PICHINCHA (26): Aloag–Santo Domingo road (km 40), Hacienda Faisanes, La Palma, La Virgen (Aloag–Santo Domingo road), Los Bancos, Los Laureles, Mindo, Nanegal, Pacto, Puerto Quito (km 11), Quito–Las Palmas road (km 79), R´ıo Palenque, Tandapi, Tandayapa. SANTO DOMINGO DE LOS TSÁCHILAS (65): Alluriqu´ın, Chiriboga, Estación Cient´ıfica Guajalito, Estación Cientifica Palmeras, La Florida, R´ıo Guajalito, Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo–Quito road (km 33), Tinalandia, Toachi. SUCUMBÍOS (13): Cantón Gonzalo Pizarro–R´ıo Reventado, El Salado, La Bonita. TUNGURAHUA (61): Ba~ nos, Ba~ nos (13 km E), Ba~ nos (17 km E), R´ıo Blanco, R´ıo Pastaza, R´ıo Machay, R´ıo Verde, Topo, Viscaya. ZAMORA CHINCHIPE (20): Cordillera del Cóndor (Conseción Colibr´ı, Conseción Sachavaca, Fruta del Norte), Estación Cient´ıfica San Francisco, San Andrés (5 km N), Sabanilla (3 km E), Zamora.

Temporal Distribution. January (46), February (94), March (90), April (45), May (101), June (26), July (72), August (23), September (9), October (62), November (64), December (53).

Diagnosis. Ancognatha vulgaris most closely resembles A. humeralis because of the shared color and pattern as well as the deeply cleft mentum. Males can be recognized by the shape of the parameres: A. vulgaris has subapical, short teeth, whereas teeth are lacking in A. humeralis (compare Figs. 39 and 13 ). Females can be separated by the form of the epipleuron: strongly thickened into an elongate lobe in A. vulgaris ( Fig. 38 ) and only slightly expanded in A. humeralis .

Natural History. Adults are readily attracted to lights. Based on collecting data, two specimens were captured in a pitfall trap with pig dung as bait, which probably represents accidental captures. They have been collected in premontane wet forest, lower montane rain forests, montane rain forests, cloud forest, and disturbed habitats from sea level to 3,100 m in elevation. Larvae are reported to be a human food source in Ecuador ( Onore 1997).

Figures

Fig. 2. Ancognatha species, mentum, ventral view. a) A. atacazo, b) A. vulgaris.

Figs. 38–40. Ancognatha vulgaris. 38) Habitus; 39) Parameres; 40) Distribution in Ecuador.

Figs. 12–14. Ancognatha humeralis. 9) Habitus; 13) Parameres; 14) Distribution in Ecuador.