Hoplopyga albiventris ( Gory and Percheron, 1833 )

Shaughney, Jennifer Marie & Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2015, A Monographic Revision of the Genus Hoplopyga Thomson, 1880 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (4), pp. 579-638 : 588-591

Hoplopyga albiventris ( Gory and Percheron, 1833)

( Figs. 7–12 )

Gymnetis albiventris Gory and Percheron 1833: 73 and 371 (original combination).

Holotype male at MHNG, labeled “Gory/TYPE//albiventris/G. & P. B./ Brasil ”, examined. Type locality: “Brésil.”

Gymnetis fuscorubra Gory and Percheron 1833: 73 and 372 (synonym).

Type not found. Type locality: “ Brésil.”

Description. Length 10.5–16.5 mm; width across humeri 6.0–10.0 mm. Ground color of dorsum an opaque sulfur yellow to brownish yellow to orangish yellow with maroon to reddish brown clouding on pronotum (especially posteriorly), raised elytral costae, and lateral margins. Some specimens with dorsum maroon, with portions of head, anterior half of pronotum, and pygidium sulfur yellow to brownish yellow. Head sometimes shiny, with anterior third of clypeus reddish brown, shiny on females only, with fuscous spot either side of midline at base in both sexes. Pronotum with fuscous or reddish brown, M-shaped mark (sometimes obscured by ground color in maroon specimens) and narrow, longitudinal, cream-colored to brownish yellow band on midline posterior to M-shaped mark. Ventral surface enamel-like, with ground color creamcolored or brownish yellow. Maroon specimens with venter sulfur yellow with maroon clouding. Metasternum reddish brown, shiny at middle, shiny area cross-shaped. Mesometasternal process entirely reddish brown, shiny, with 2 cream-colored or brownish yellow spots at base on ventral face. Each sternite with reddish brown, shiny spot or band on anterior margin at middle and on anterolateral corners. Setae tawny. Head: Frons with large, deep, dense, round punctures becoming smaller and n-shaped laterally and towards clypeus. Clypeal apex moderately to strongly reflexed, distinctly emarginate at middle, distinctly angulate either side of emargination. Antennae each with club distinctly longer than antennomeres 2–7 combined in both sexes. Pronotum: Lateral margins obtusely angulate. Surface with minute, sparse punctures, punctures becoming small, moderately dense, and n-shaped laterally. Lateral margins with slender, reddish brown bead from apex to base, bead curving around apical angle. Elytra: Mesepimera with minute, sparse punctures, each puncture with a minute seta. Surface of each elytron with 2 distinctly elevated, discal costae, lateral costa on each elytron interrupted and depressed on mediodiscal area. Depressions between costae with n-shaped punctures; punctures large, dense, arranged longitudinally in striae, becoming smaller and usually extending to base in 2 columns near scutellum or occasionally not extending to base near scutellum, in a small cluster in apical declivity and behind apical umbone. Lateral margins impunctate. Sutural costae each elevated into longitudinal keel on posterior half. Apices at suture weakly spinose. Pygidium: Surface distinctly convex in both sexes, with large, dense, n-shaped and elongate, vermiform punctures on midline and either side of midline; punctures obsolete on apical margin, each puncture with minute seta in larger punctures. Apex nearly angulate. Venter: Metasternum with large, dense, weakly n-shaped and vermiform punctures either side of middle, posterolateral corners impunctate. Mesometasternal process, in lateral view, subparallel to horizontal axis of body, weakly protuberant beyond mesocoxae, with short setae on anterodorsal face; in ventral view ( Fig. 9 ), apex narrowly rounded or with sides tapering to rounded apex, with short setae on lateral margins of ventral face or not. Abdominal sternites mostly impunctate, each with large, horseshoe-shaped punctures along anterior margin either side of middle and in cluster on anterolateral margins of each sternite, sometimes with small, moderately dense,weakly n-shaped punctures either side of middle. Legs: Male protibia with 2 teeth near apex. Female protibia tridentate, with 2 proximal teeth near apex and 1 tooth at protibial midpoint. Parameres: Subrectangular ( Figs. 10–11 ). Shaft not divergent at middle or very weakly so. Lateral margins weakly expanding from midpoint to apex. Apices each with minute, lateral spur.

Distribution. Hoplopyga albiventris is known from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay ( Fig. 12 ).

Locality Records. 538 specimens from AMNH, BCRC, BMNH, CASC, CMNC, CMNH, CNCI, DEIC, FMNH, HAHC, INPA, MCZC, MHNG, MLPA, MNHN, MPEG, MZSP, NMPC, RMNH, SEMC, UFRJ, USNM, and ZMHU. Some data from Di Iorio (2013, 2014). ARGENTINA (23): BUENOS AIRES (1): Tigre. CORRIENTES (2): Isla Apipé, Santo Tomé (20 km S Garruchos). ENTRE RÍOS (1): Paraná. MISIONES (13): Estación Experimental Loreto, Loreto, San Pedro, No data. TUCUMÁN (6): No data. BRAZIL (308): AMAZONAS (2): No data. GOIÁS (17): Corumbá de Goiás, Jataí, No data. DISTRITO FEDERAL (2): Brasília. MATO GROSSO (9): Chapada dos Guimarães, Cuiabá. MATO GROSSO DO SUL (3): Corumbá. MINAS GERAIS (19): Diamantina, Gouveia, Itajubá, Lambari, Ouro Preto, Passa Quatro, Pouso Alegre, Uberaba, No data. PARÁ (1): Santarém. PARANÁ (16): Araucária, Castro, Curitiba. RIO DE JANEIRO (5): No data. RIO GRANDE DO SUL (4): Rio Pardo, Santa Cruz do Sul, No data. SANTA CATARINA (2): No data. SÃO PAULO (77): Barueri, Botucatu, Campinas, Campos do Jordão, Cantareira, Ipiranga, Itu, Jundiaí, Mogi Guaçu, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Vila Amália, No data. NO DATA (154). PARAGUAY (196): ALTO PARANÁ (1): No data. AMAMBAY (4): No data. CONCEPCIÓN (9): Horqueta, Río Apa. CORDILLERA (2): San Bernardino. CENTRAL (63): Asunción. GUAIRÁ (45): Paso Yobai, Villarrica. ITAPÚA (36): Hohenau, No data. MISIONES (1): San Ignacio. ÑEEMBUCÚ (4): Tacuaras. PARAGUARÍ (3): Sapucaí, Tebicuary-mí. NO DATA (28). NO DATA (11).

Temporal Distribution. January (25), February (18), March (16), April (2), May (1), June (2), September (1), October (15), November (43), December (26).

Diagnosis. Hoplopyga albiventris is distinguished from nearly all other Hoplopyga species by having a protibia with two teeth near the apex ( Figs. 7–8 ). It shares this trait with H. gosseti , but these two species can be separated by the shape of the pronotum. The lateral margins of the pronotum are obtusely angulate and appear rounded in H. albiventris , whereas H. gosseti has the posterolateral margins of the pronotum subparallel. In addition, H. albiventris has two yellow spots on the ventral face of the mesometasternal process that are absent in H. gosseti , and the sternites of H. albiventris are mostly cream-colored or brownish yellow, while the sternites of H. gosseti are largely reddish brown and shiny.

Nomenclature. Antoine (2008) synonymized G. fuscorubra with H. albiventris , and we concur with this synonymy; putative G. fuscorubra specimens are simply a reddish form of H. albiventris .

Natural History. Specimens have been caught at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,300 m (label data). Luederwaldt (1911) discovered H. albiventris larvae in the mounds of Cornitermes species (Isoptera) feeding on the walls of the nest. Adults were observed feeding on the sap of Baccharis rufescens Spreng and Vernonia species flowers (both Asteraceae ) ( Luederwaldt 1911; Di Iorio 2014). Puker et al. (2014) compared species abundance in different habitats in Brazil and only found H. albiventris in pastureland where Cornitermes species termite mounds were common.

Figures

Figs. 7–12. Hoplopyga albiventris. 7–8) Habitus; 9) Mesometasternal process, ventral view; 10–11) Parameres; 12) Distribution.