Coprophanaeus, Olsoufieff, 1924

Edmonds, W. D. & Zidek, J., 2010, A taxonomic review of the neotropical genus Coprophanaeus Olsoufieff, 1924 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae), Insecta Mundi 2010 (129), pp. 1-111 : 93-96

Coprophanaeus (C.) corythus ( Harold, 1863)

Fig. 218-219, 223 , 238 , 275-279

Phanaeus corythus Harold, 1863: 163

Phanaeus perseus Harold, 1880: 27 New Synonymy

Phanaeus telamon corythus Harold (stat. by Pereira and Martinez 1956: 234)

Coprophanaeus telamon corythus (Harold) (recomb. by Arnaud 2002c: 35)

Coprophanaeus telamon nevinsoni Arnaud and Gámez, 2002: 10 New Synonymy

Coprophanaeus corythus (Harold) New Status

Type. P. corythus – lectotype male (des. by Arnaud 1982a: 115), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle , Paris (examined by photo) ; P. perseus – lectotype male (des. by Arnaud 1982a: 115), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle , Paris (examined by photo) ; C. nevinsoni -- holotype male, private collection of Patrick Arnaud , Saintry sur Seine, France .

Diagnosis. General – Metallic coloration, where present, green or yellowish green. Clypeus strongly and abruptly angulate lateral to median teeth. Posterior (ventral) surface of protibia completely granulorugose (as in Fig. 231 ). Cap of anterior angle of metasternum simple, not bifurcate. Anterior surface of metasternum glabrous above anterior margin of metasternal disk, otherwise sparsely, weakly punctured. Metasternal disk finely punctured, lacking row of larger punctures along anterior margin. Basal pronotal fossae distinct. Elytral interstriae weakly and evenly convex. Length 16-26 mm (usually> 20 mm).

Male – Base of head horn ( Fig. 218-219 ) with convergent sides, anterior surface at most only weakly concave, lateral angles acutely tuberculate; central process conspicuously shorter than base, at most only weakly inclined posteriorly, evenly curved posteriorly and never tuberculate or angulate on posterior surface. Pronotal prominence ( Fig. 275-276 ) bilobate, saddle-shaped, never with acute lateral lobes, flanked by shallow concavities; width less than distance between outer margins of eyes.

Female – Cephalic carina trituberculate, weakly bowed anteriorly; length of clypeus greater than that of frons.

Specimen examined – 563.

Distribution. Middle America from Venezuela and Colombia along Caribbean coast to southeastern Mexico (Cauca, Chocó, Eastern Central America and Gulf of Mexico provinces) ( Fig. 238 ).

Collection Records. BELIZE: Cayo – Belmopan (Jul-Aug) ; Chiquibul Forest Reserve [Las Cuevas Research Station], 16 o 44’N 88 o 59’W, 550 m (Jun, Aug) . Orange Walk – Lamanai (Feb) ; Río Bravo Preserve (Apr) . Toledo – Punta Gorda (Apr, Sep-Oct) ; Blue Creek Village (Jun) . COLOMBIA: Antioquia – Amalfi, 1100 m (Mar) ; San Luis [Río Claro], 1440 m (Mar). Bolívar – SFF Los Colorados, 9 o 51’33"N 73 o 06’38"W, 300 m (Aug) ; Mompox (Jun) . Cesar – Valledupar ; San Alberto Indupalma (Sep). Chocó – Pacurita, 5 o 41’N 76 o 40’W ; Tutumendó ; Quibdó ; El Amargal Biological Station , 5.6 oN 77.4 oW, 150-500 m (Aug) . Cundinamarca – Santardercito (Jul) . Quindío – Buenavista , 4 o 23’N 75 o 44’W, 1200 m . Risaralda – Pereira , 1850 m (Apr) . Santander – Vélez (Sep) ; Bucaramanga (Jul) . Tolima – Mariquita , 650 m (Sep) ; Ibagué (Mar) ; Guyabal [Armero], 250 m (Oct). Valle de Cauca – Buenaventura [Bajo Calima], 50 m (Apr) ; Palmira (Feb) . COSTA RICA: Cartago – Turrialba (May) . Guanacaste – Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, Estación Santa Rosa, 10 o 50’21.4”N 85 o 37’05.8”W, 295 m (Jun-Jul, Nov) ; Canas [Taboga] (Jun-Jul) . Heredia – Puerto Viejo [ Finca La Selva ] (Jun) . Limón – La Selva (Jul, Apr) ; Pandora [Valle Río Estrella] (Feb) ; La Ceiba (Jun) ; Sector Cerro Cocori, Finca de E. Rojas, 150 m (Jun) . Puntarenas – Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (Nov-Dec) ; Estación Sirena, Parque Nacional Corcovado, 100 m (Mar, Dec) ; Estación Quebrada Bonita, Estación Biológica Carara, 50 m (Mar-Apr) ; Osa Peninsula, Río Piro La Joya , 8 o 23’56”N 83 o 19’51”W, 350 m (Aug-Sep) . GUATEMALA: Petén – Uaxactún (Dec) . Zacapa – La Unión , 850 m (Jul) ; 3.5 km SE La Unión , 1500 m (Jun) . HONDURAS: Atlántida – Tela [Lancetilla Botanic Gardens], 15 o 46’N 87 o 27’W (May-Jun) . Francisco Morazán – El Zamorano ; Tegucigalpa (May) . Gracias a Díos – Krausirpi , 15 o 03’N 84 o 52’W (May) . La Paz – La Paz (May). MEXICO: Campeche – Escarcega (Jul) . Chiapas – San Antonio (Aug) ; Bonampak , 16 o 42’N 91 o 04’W (Sep) ; Santa Rosa (Aug) ; Boca de Chijul (Dec) ; 1.2 km and 6.2 km NE Estación Biológica Chajul , 16 o 07’07.1”N 90 o 55’51.9”W and 16 o 09’10.0”N 90 o 54’17.1”W, 200 m (May) ; Laguna Bélgica , 16 km NW Ocozocoautla, 970 m (Jun) ; Palenque , 600 m (May-Jul) ; Rosario Izapa (May) ; Selva Lacandona , Laguna Miramar (Oct) . Hidalgo – 6.5 km SW Chapulhuacan (Jul) . Oaxaca – Distrito Yautepec, Juquila Mixes (Sep) ; 10 km S. Valle Nacional, 600 m (Jul); confluencia Ríos Sarabia y Coatzaocoalcos [Finca San Carlos (Mar); La Nueva Esperanza (Aug); Tuxtepec (Nov). Puebla – Calapan 19 o 55’45.92”S 97 o 23’07.65”W, 1250 m (Jul). Quintana Roo – 12 km N. Felipe Carrillo Puerto (Oct); Cedral (Mar); Tintal (Mar); X-Can (Jun-Jul, Oct); Nuevo X-Can (Oct); 68 km W Chetumal (Jul). Veracruz – Veracruz (Aug); Córdoba ( Jul-Aug ); Coatepec , 1200 m ( May ); Guadalupe Victoria , 750 m ( Jun ); Omealca ( Oct ); 33 km N Catemaco, 160 m ( Jul-Aug ); San Andrés Tuxtla (May- Jun ); Fortín de la Flores , 900 m ( Jun ); Los Tuxtlas ( Jul ); Tezonapa ( Sep ); Palma Sola ( Jun ); 11 km W Palma Sola ( Sep ); Xalapa , 1350 m ( Jul , Sep ); Actopan , 240 m ( Aug ); Espinal , 900 m ( Aug ); Cerro Leon , 700 m ( Nov ); Sontecomapan ( Estación Biológica Tropical Los Tuxtlas ), 400 m (Jun, Aug, Oct). NICARA- GUA: Atlántico Norte – Waslala (Dec); Río San Juan – 8 km SE El Castillo [Refugio Bartola], 10 o 56.6’N 84 o 20.4’W (May). PANAMA: Colón – 16km SE Colón, Santa Rita Ridge, 270m (Jun); 14km N junction Escobal Road and Piña Road, 20m (Jun); Gatún Island (May-Jun, Dec); Corozal (May); Barro Colorado Island (Jul). Darien – Río Tacarcuna, 580m (Jul); Estación Ambiental Cana, 7 o 45.32’N 77 o 41.07’W, 600- 750 m (Jun). Panama – 11-15 km N El Llano , 350 m (May); Cerro Azul, 650 m (May); 31 km E Canita, 50 m (May); Lago Bayano, Isla Majé (Dec); Howard Air Force Base (Pacific entrance Panama Canal), 10m (Jul-Aug); Cerro Jefe, 1000 m (May); Cerro Campana, 860 m (May). VENEZUELA: Mérida – Finca Campo Alegre [ Mpio. Zea-Mérida ], 8 o 28’56”N 71 o 44’38”W, 650 m (Sep).

Comments. Pereira and Martínez (1956; see also 1960) regarded C. corythus (along with C. ignecinctus [q.v.]) as a subspecies of C. telamon . We here return to former usage ( Gillett 1911; Olsoufieff 1924; and Blackwelder 1944, among others) and restore C. corythus to species rank. Pereira and Martínez (1956) erroneously synonymized C. chiriquensis with C. corythus .

Coprophanaeus corythus is a common denizen of forest–pasture mosaic habitats of Chiapas ( Arellano et al. 2008; Navarrete and Halffter 2008), more common in continuous forest than pastures. The phenology and daily activity of this species (cited as C. telamon nevinsoni ) in the Maracaibo depression of extreme western Mérida, Venezuela, was reported by Gámez et al. (2006). There it occurs in both relictual forest patches and open cultivated areas, with highest frequency in forest habitat; it is collected all year with greatest abundance during rainfall peaks in April–May and October–November.

The large male head horn is most variable in the South American populations of this species, where it can be intermediate between the shape in typical C. corythus and that of certain C. telamon (cf. Fig. 218-219 , 275-276 ). Certain of these intermediates, which we regard as intraspecific variants, were named C. telamon nevinsoni by Arnaud and Gámez (2002). There seems to be no solid basis at present to maintain the taxonomic distinction.

Olsoufieff (1924) erroneously synonymized Phanaeus perseus Harold with Phanaeus cerberus Harold. Olsoufieff , who examined Harold’s type, correctly pointed out that Harold did not notice that his specimen was damaged, “… l’auteur n’a pas fait attention que l’epistome était presque symétriquement grignoté (cassé) des deux côtés des lobes aigus, ce qui faisant illusion de 4 dents séparées”; but he mistakenly associated it with C. cerberus , the female of which is quite different. The holotype agrees fully with Harold’s description, including the misplaced reference to the broken clypeus, “… das Kopfschild vorn mit 4 Zähnen … die seitlichen … zwischen diesen [die mittleren] und dem stumpfwinkeligen vorderen Wangeneck eine ziemlich tiefe Ausbuchtung.” And it was the apparently strongly quadridentate clypeus that prompted him to recognize it as a new species, “… so habe ich doch in Anbetracht der höchst eigenthümlichen Zahnung des Clypeus kein Bedenken getragen, dieselbe als neu zu beschreiben.” Ironically, he unconsciously corrected his own error, declaring “Sieht man von der verschiedenen Kopfbildung ab, so stimmt das Weibchen in allem übrigen vollkommen mit dem des Corythus überein.” Harold’s type is a female C. corythus with a broken clypeus.

Figures

Figure 238. Approximate geographic distribution of Coprophanaeus (s. str.) species in the dardanus species group B.

Figure 213-227. Characters of the Coprophanaeus (s. str.) dardanus species group. 213-214) C. dardanus, anterior view of cephalic process of large male. 215) Same, small male. 216) Same, female. 217) C. telamon, aedeagus (lateral view above; dorsal view below). 218-219) C. corythus, anterior view of male cephalic process. 220) C. telamon, same. 221-222) C. telamon, lateral view of male cephalic process (arrow in 222 indicates posterior tubercle). 223) C. corythus, lateral view of male cephalic carina. 224) C. degallieri, metasternal shield. 225-226) C. milon, anterior view of male cephalic process. 227) C. magnoi, same.

Figure 273-279. Coprophanaeus spp. 273-274) C. telamon, forebody of male. 275-279) C. corythus. 275-276) Male habitus. 277) Aedeagus (dorsal view above; lateral view below). 278-279) Female habitus.

Figure 228-236. Characters of the Coprophanaeus (s. str.) dardanus species group. 228) Oblique lateral view of metasternum (asterisk marks capped anterior angle of shield), C. degallieri. 229) Same, C. parvulus. 230) Ventral view of left protibia of C. degallieri (arrow marks row of coarse punctures). 231) Same, C. telamon. 232) Dorsal view surface of left elytron of C. ignecinctus. 233) Same, C. milon. 234) Same, C. magnoi. 235) Dorsal view of head of female C. ignecinctus. 236) Same, C. magnoi.