Symmela jatahyensis Frey, 1973

Pacheco, Thaynara L., Wipfler, Benedict, Monné, Marcela L. & Ahrens, Dirk, 2022, The genus Symmela Erichson, 1835 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini): taxonomy and phylogenetic analysis, Journal of Natural History 56 (9 - 12), pp. 607-705 : 653-656

Symmela jatahyensis Frey, 1973

( Figures 15 , 29 (c), 30(n), 32(e))

Symmela (Symmela) jatahyensis Frey, 1973: 323 (original description, key); Evans 2003: 48; Evans and Smith 2005: 30, 2007: 30, 2009: 31 (checklist)

Type material examined

Holotype. ♂ ‘ Brasilien Jatahy / Symmela jatahyensis Type Mos./ Typus’ ( ZMHB).

Redescription

Length: 5 mm. Elytral length: 3 mm. Width: 2.5 mm. Head blackish brown, shiny, with erect, sparse setae. Labroclypeus as wide as frons, rectangular; surface flat; plain, without an anterior concavity on each side; anterior margin straight, not elevated, without a rim of setae behind anterior margin; lateral margin not incised anteriorly; punctation of surface posteriorly dense; suture between labrum and clypeus invisible. Smooth area in front of eye distinctly separated from frons by a suture. Frons anteriorly flat, punctation irregular, dense. Ocular canthus without terminal setae, ratio of length of ocular canthus/eye diameter: 1/3. Eyes evenly spherical, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.48. Antenna with eight antennomeres. Antennal club with three antennomeres, blackish, straight; width of antennal lamella equal to width of antennomeres of funiculus; apical lamella subequal to basal and median ones; length ratio of antennal club vs remaining antennomeres combined: 1/1.5; length ratio of third vs fourth antennomere: 1/2; fourth antennomere without lateral projection; length ratio of fifth vs fourth antennomere: 1/5. Labrum anteriorly bluntly angled on each side, concave at middle. Setae on mentum moderately dense.

Head and pronotum without copper iridescent shine. Pronotum unicoloured, iridescent, reddish brown; widest at middle, width distinctly narrower compared to width of elytral base at humerus; anterior marginal line not interrupted medially, posterior marginal line absent; lateral margin not serrated, generally bent at middle, otherwise straight, behind anterior angles straight, posteriorly straight; setae of lateral margin sparse; basal margin evenly curved; transverse impression beside basal margin absent; anterior angles produced, sharply pointed; antero-lateral and postero-lateral angles not flattened dorsoventrally; posterior angles blunt; surface without median longitudinal impression, transversal furrows or setae; punctation on disc moderately dense, simple and fine, without well-defined impunctate areas. Scutellum without punctures.

Elytra bicoloured, yellowish brown in major part, margins blackish; surface opaque, without setae and microsculpture; striae and intervals distinct; punctation between striae sparse, diameter of punctures compared to those of striae equal; intervals flat; posterior edge convex; apical margin chitinous, without microtrichomes.

Abdomen: sternites flat in sagittal plane; lateral carina absent; first visible ventrite with row of setae on posterior edge; second visible ventrite with row of setae in medial region; basal ventrites medially of same length as laterally; ultimate and penultimate apical ventrites simple and flat; apical ventrite long (1.5 times as long as preceding ventrite); penultimate apical ventrite as well as ultimate one with longer and denser setae; beside row of setae, densely setose. Pygidium strongly convex.

Legs yellow. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.3. Metacoxa entirely plain, without elevated lateral longitudinal carina; without longer lateral bristles and setae on basal surface, posterior margin glabrous. Metafemur with posterior margin straight. Metatibia widest at middle; ratio of width/length: 1/2.35; dorsal margin not carinated, smooth; interior surface with dense and long setae; median longitudinal punctation present on interior surface; interior margin of apex weakly and shallowly truncate towards ventral margin; punctation on entire lateral face present; beside dorsal margin without a row of robust setae along entire length; basal group of spines reduced to a single robust spine; distal groups of spines disposed at two-thirds of metatibia length; ventral margin not serrated. Dorsal surface of tarsi glabrous, with dense punctures. Length ratio of dorsal tibial spur/first metatarsomere: 1/1.5. Metatarsi at apex weakly widened; first tarsomere straight, its length subequal to second and third tarsomeres combined; laterally not carinate; ventral margin serrated; ventral margin glabrous; medial face glabrous. Protibia with two indistinct teeth; spur curved interiorly. First protarsomere straight, its length subequal to second and third combined; width ratio of first protarsomere vs second protarsomere: ca. 2/1; second protarsomere narrow, but bent; third and fourth protarsomere elongate and narrow (distinctly longer than wide); fifth protarsomere circular in cross section, a little shorter than third and fourth protarsomere combined. Protarsal claws asymmetrical, shape of inner protarsal claw bifid, apex of basal tooth of inner protarsal claw convex.

Aedeagus: Figure 15 (d,e).

Female unknown.

Remarks

The species was labelled by Moser, but not actually described. Frey (1973) published the name, being thus the author of the species.

Figures

Figure 15. Symmela jatahyensis Frey, 1973, holotype ♂. (a) Habitus, dorsal view; (b) habitus, lateral view; (c) labels; (d) parameres, dorsal view; (d) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bars: a, b = 1 mm; d, e = 0.5 mm.

Figure 29. Distribution map of the Symmela species.