Onthophagus xiphias Solís & Kohlmann, 2003

Solís, Ángel & Kohlmann, Bert, 2003, New species of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) from Costa Rica and Panama, Zootaxa 139, pp. 1-14 : 4-9

Onthophagus xiphias Solís & Kohlmann , sp. nov. ( Figs. 3­4 )

Onthophagus quetzalis Howden & Gill, 1993 (in part): 1101.

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: pronotal surface without setae; body colour uniformly reddish­brown; meso­and metafemora yellow in their central part; profemur brown; elytral surface with setae; functional wings; clypeal horn long with a thin base and forked distally; pronotal horn long, grooved dorsally and ventrally, ending in a thin rounded tip.

Description. Holotype. Male: Length 6.1 mm. Humeral width: 3.7 mm. Body coloration is reddish­brown, more so in the pronotum, the meso­ and metafemora are yellowish.

The head presents a clypeal horn, slender at its base but broadening and forking toward the apex. The frontal area of the head is smooth, with punctures toward the base; eyes small.

The pronotum has a long and slender horn grooved dorsally and ventrally at its base and ends in a rounded tip. Pronotal surface slightly shagreened and covered with umbilicate punctures.

Elytra with eight distinct striae, each with umbilicate punctation, intervals broad and slightly convex, with regular and coarse punctation. Elytral apices and epipleural stria with short and erect setae.

Pygidium slightly shagreened, with umbilical punctures bearing short, stiff and erect setae.

Protibiae long and slender, with tarsi present and four external teeth. Meso­ and metatibiae dilated toward the apex. First metatarsus long and almost rectangular in shape.

Allotype. Female: Length 5.8 mm. Humeral width: 3.6 mm. Similar to male but unarmed, with a transversal carina at the middle of the head and the anterior border of the clypeus shows two well developed teeth separated by a “v” notch. Protibiae broader and shorter than the male.

Variation. Length 5.2­6.6 mm. Humeral width: 2.9­3.8 mm. Sometimes the meso­ and metafemora are not yellow, but brown in their central parts.

Examined material (101 specimens). Holotype, male: PANAMA. Chiriquí, Prov. Hornito, Finca la Suiza, 1220 m, 31.V.2000. H. & A. Howden, FIT. Allotype, female: ibid, 2.VI.2000. Paratypes. PANAMA. Chiriquí, Hornito, Finca La Suiza, 1220 m, H. & A. Howden, FIT, 1 specimen, 28.V.2000, 3 specimens, 29.V.2000, 7 specimens, 8 specimens, 30.V.2000, 31.V.2000, 10 specimens, 1.VI.2000, 4 specimens, 2.VI.2000, 9 specimens, 3.VI.2000, 7 specimens, 4.VI.2000, 11 specimens, 5.VI.2000, 8 specimens, 6.VI.2000, 18 specimens; Finca La Suiza, 20 km N Gualaca, 1350 m, 10­13.VI.1995, J. Ashe & R. Brooks, FIT, 1 specimen, 22­24.V.1995, J.S. & A.K. Ashe, 1 specimen, 1350 m, 10­ 13.VI.1995. J. Ashe & R. Brooks, ex: f.i.t.(196). 1 specimen; 2 km NW Hornitos, N 8°39.5’ W 82°12.3’, 24.V­6.VI.2000, 1250 m, B. & J. Gill, 7 specimens; Finca La Suiza; 5.3 km N Los Planes, N 8º39’, W 82º12’, V­26­30­1995, elev. 4500’. B. Ratcliffe & M. Jameson, 5 specimens, N 8º39’, W 82º12’, VII­10­13­1994, elev. 4500’. B. & I. Ratcliffe, M. Jameson, 1 specimen; Hartmann Finca, 15 km NW H[ato el] Volcan, 1500 m, S.Peck, 25.V.1975, dung trap, 1 specimen.

Habitat. The species was collected with flight interception and dung traps inside cloud forest at altitudes varying from 1220 m to 1500 m.

Geographical distribution. The species is known so far from the Pacific slope of the Chiriquí Volcano and probably occurs in the Talamanca Range in Costa Rica.

Chorological affinities. Onthophagus xiphias , is widely separated from the known range of its closest relative, O. quetzalis , which is distributed in the Central, Tilarán and Guanacaste Cordilleras at similar altitudes (1000­1750 m) in relation to this new species. The other related species, O. inediapterus , is known from the Talamanca Range, but has been collected at higher altitudes (1650­1800 m) than this new species.

Taxonomic relationships. Onthophagus xiphias is postulated to be the sister species of O. quetzalis . This species­pair represents another geographic and phylogenetic dichotomy between the Talamanca Range and the Central, Tilarán and Guanacaste Ranges as has been already noted in Kohlmann and Solís (2001).

O. xiphias will key to O. quetzalis in Kohlmann and Solís (2001). It is easily distinguished by its much longer clypeal horn, thinner at its base and with a strongly forked distal end, whereas O. quetzalis has a short clypeal horn, thicker at its base and weakly forked distally. Moreover, O. xiphias has a very long pronotal horn, grooved dorsally and ventrally and finishing in a thin rounded tip. On the contrary O. quetzalis has a shorter horn, grooved only dorsally and finishing in a cannula. O. xiphias has sparse pilosity at the elytral apex; whereas O. quetzalis is densely pilose in this area. O. xiphias has a slightly shagreened pygidium with short setae; O. quetzalis has on the contrary a shagreened pygidium with much shorter setae. O xiphias has slightly shagreened abdominal sternites and the metasternal surface is covered by simple punctation; whereas O. quetzalis has shagreened abdominal sternites and the metasternal surface is covered by umbilicate punctures.

Females of O. xiphias are separated from O. quetzalis using head characters. The first species has a more rounded head and a distinct cephalic carina, whereas the second species has a more pointed head and a weak cephalic carina.

One specimen of Onthophagus quetzalis had been reported from Hartmann Finca, Chiriquí Prov., Panama ( Howden and Gill, 1993). This specimen belongs to the new species here described.

Etymology. Latinized word in apposition, taken from the Greek, xiphias () , meaning swordfish; making reference to the long and slender pronotal horn of the developed males of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Dorsal habitus of Onthophagus xiphias Solís & Kohlmann, sp. nov. (holotype).

FIGURE 4. Fronto­lateral view of Onthophagus xiphias Solís & Kohlmann, sp. nov. (holotype).