Hoplopyga gosseti Antoine, 2008

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 : 602-604

Hoplopyga gosseti Antoine, 2008

( Figs. 45–50 )

Hoplopyga gosseti Antoine 2008: 254 (original combination).

Holotype male at MNHN, examined via photographs. Type locality: “ Paraguay, region d’ Asunción.”

Description. Length 12.2–14.4 mm; width across humeri 7.1–8.6 mm. Dorsal surface opaque, females normally with pronotum and elytra shiny. Ground color of dorsum cream-colored to brownish yellow to yellowish green. Head with fuscous spot either side of midline at base in both sexes, females with anterior third of clypeus reddish brown, shiny. Pronotum with fuscous clouding at middle, fuscous M-shaped mark when velutinous covering is present, and with narrow, longitudinal, brownish yellow to yellowish green band on posterior half of midline. Ventral surface enamel-like, with ground color as on dorsum. Metasternum reddish brown to piceous, shiny at middle. Mesometasternal process entirely reddish brown, shiny. Males with each sternite reddish brown, shiny on anteromedial margins. Sternites of females entirely reddish brown, shiny at middle of each sternite. Setae tawny. Head: Surface with large, dense, deep, round and n-shaped punctures on frons, with punctures smaller and less dense on clypeus. Clypeal apex weakly to moderately reflexed, distinctly emarginate at middle, weakly angulate or rounded either side of emargination. Antennal club slightly longer than antennomeres 2–7 combined. Pronotum: Lateral margins obtusely angulate, posterolateral margins subparallel. Surface with punctures minute to large, sparse to dense, n-shaped. Lateral margins with bead from apex to base and on apicolateral margins. Elytra: 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 (sometimes coalescing longitudinally), becoming smaller and extending to base near scutellum in 2 columns. Each elytron with cluster of n-shaped punctures on apical declivity and sometimes behind apical umbone. Lateral margins impunctate, or with small, dense, elongate n-shaped punctures posteriorly. Sutural costae each elevated into longitudinal keel on posterior half. Apices at suture weakly spinose. Pygidium: Surface weakly to moderately convex in both sexes, with large, dense, concentric, elongate, n-shaped punctures in 3 columns, each puncture with a minute seta, punctures not reaching apical margin. Venter: Metasternum with large, dense, elongate, n-shaped and transversely vermiform punctures either side of middle, punctures with long setae. Mesometasternal process, in lateral view, subparallel to horizontal axis of body, weakly protuberant beyond mesocoxae; in ventral view ( Fig. 47 ), process rounded, with short, sparse setae on lateral margins of ventral face or not. Abdominal sternites with large, moderately dense, weakly n-shaped punctures either side of middle and along anterolateral margins of each sternite, each puncture with a minute seta. Legs: Male protibia with 2 proximal, apical teeth. Female protibia tridentate, with 2 proximal, apical teeth and 1 tooth at protibial midpoint. Parameres: Shaft weakly divergent between midpoint and apex ( Figs. 48–49 ). Lateral margins expanding from midpoint to apices. Apices each with minute, lateral spur.

Distribution. Hoplopyga gosseti is known from Paraguay ( Fig. 50 ).

Locality Records. 54 specimens from CASC, FMNH, USNM, and ZMHU. Some data from Antoine (2008). PARAGUAY (54): AMAMBAY (4): No data. DISTRITO CAPITAL (41): Asunción. ITAPÚA (4): No data. NO DATA (5) .

Temporal Distribution. October (4), November (4).

Diagnosis. Hoplopyga gosseti is distinguished from all Hoplopyga species , except H. albiventris , by having a protibia with two proximal, apical teeth in both males and females. This trait is shared with H. albiventris , but H. gosseti has the posterolateral margins of the pronotum distinctly subparallel, whereas H. albiventris does not. In addition, the abdominal sternites on H. gosseti are largely reddish brown and shiny on the middle, and the sternites on H. albiventris have only a reddish brown, shiny spot or band on the anterior margin of the middle of each sternite. The male parameres can also be used to separate these two species ( Figs. 48–49 versus Figs. 10–11 ). The parameres of H. gosseti are slightly divergent at the midline where they meet the phallobase, and the parameres of H. albiventris are not.

Natural History. Nothing is known of the life history of this species.

Figures

Figs. 45–50. Hoplopyga gosseti. 45–46) Habitus; 47) Mesometasternal process, ventral view; 48–49) Parameres; 50) Distribution.

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