Liogenys parva Blanchard, 1851

Cherman, Mariana Alejandra, Mise, Kleber Makoto, Moron †, Miguel Angel, Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z. & Almeida, Lucia Massutti de, 2017, A taxonomic revision of Liogenys occurring in Brazil with an interactive key and remarks on New World Diplotaxini (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae), ZooKeys 699, pp. 1-120 : 46-47

Liogenys parva Blanchard, 1851 Figs 68, 89

Liogenys parvus Blanchard, 1851: 168 (orig. desc.); Harold 1869a:1140 (check.); Dalla Torre 1913: 318 (check.); Frey 1969: 61 [not Blanchard 1851] (red.).

Liogenys parva : Blackwelder 1944: 228 (check.); Evans 2003: 212 (check.); Evans and Smith 2005: 177 (check.); Evans and Smith 2009: 181 (check.).

Type material.

Liogenys parvus male syntype (MNHN): [white handwritten] "Capit.e/des mines [today Minas Gerais]", [light green printed] "MUSEUM PARIS/ [handwritten] Caple des/Mines", [green handwritten] " L. parvus / Cat Mus/ Montevideo/ M. A. St. Hilaire". Male genitalia mounted. This type is here designated as lectotype, bearing: [white, outlined in red, printed] "LECTOTYPE/ Liogenys parva /Blanchard, 1851/des. M. A. Cherman 2016".

Diagnosis.

Body yellowish brown; elongate; elytra testaceous, pronotum darker; clypeus quadridentate due to the tooth-like projection laterally; clypeal emargination sub-angled and narrow; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; distance between clypeal lateral and anterior tooth equal to basal width of anterior tooth, distance between clypeal lateral tooth and anterior margin of eye longer than one eye, right angle between clypeal lateral and anterior tooth; canthus exceeding the outer margin of the eye; mesotibia cylindrical in cross section; metacoxa punctured and bristled; pygidium convex, apex rounded; pygidial width exceeding distance between spiracles of propygidium; pygidial disc bristled on apex; male genitalia, total length of parameres less than three times the length of their apex; inner margins convergent; apex harpoon-like with lateral angle projecting straight downward (Fig. 68F).

Redescription.

Length: 8.0-9.0 mm; width: 4.4 mm. Yellowish brown. Head: distance between eyes nearly twice the width of one eye; frons length equal to clypeus; clypeal emargination deep, rounded and narrow; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; outer margin of anterior teeth shorter than the eye; clypeus convex laterally and strongly produced forming a tooth-like projection; distance between lateral and anterior tooth equal to basal width of anterior tooth, distance between lateral tooth and anterior margin of eye longer than one eye, right angle between anterior and lateral teeth; canthus exceeding the outer margin of the eye; distal maxillary palpomere, maximum width twice width of apex; fovea deep, extending past the transverse midline of the palpomere; labium transversely carinated, as wide as it is long; antenna 10-articulated, lamellae lighter in color than flagellum and equal in length. Thorax: pronotal anterior margin of pronotum straight and depressed throughout (Fig. 68D); maximum length of pronotum exceeding the length of tarsomeres I, II and III together; disc glabrous, punctures sparse and coarse; pronotal posterior corners sub-angled, obtuse; proepisternum with long bristles; mesepisternum with few scales; sides of metasternum with few long bristles; distance between meso- and metacoxae twice longer than the metacoxa; scutellum sub-rounded, scarce punctures at the base. Elytra: shiny, glabrous, uniform yellowish to testaceous, lighter in color than the pronotum; elytra more than three times longer than the pronotum; elytral suture slightly darker than elytron and slightly elevated; all four elytral ridges barely noticeable. Legs: procoxa scaly and bristled, long bristles on infra-carinal surface and short bristles on outer surface; three protibial teeth, middle and apical equal in size, distance between basal and middle teeth longer than between middle and apical; protibial inner apical spur present; with a row of long bristles on the anterior and posterior margins of mesofemur, mesotibia cylindrical in cross section, disc finely sculptured, two mesotibial transverse carinae, the apical one incomplete; metacoxa coarsely punctured and scarcely bristled, basal apophysis of metacoxa produced beyond the outer margin of trochanter; inner margin of metatibia carinated towards apex, apical inner surface setose, disc finely sculptured; metatibial transverse carina present posteriorly and posterior discontinuous longitudinal carina; protarsomere II long; pro- and mesotarsomeres I to IV enlarged, protarsomeres slightly wider than the mesotarsomeres; claw bifid, symmetrical, superior teeth longer and narrower than the inferior; distance between teeth shorter than the inferior tooth. Abdomen: band of scales beneath the outer margin of elytra; disc of ventrites and propygidium bristled; pygidium convex, sub-trapezoidal, wide; pygidial width exceeding distance between spiracles of propygidium; pygidial disc glabrous, few long bristles on apex, coarsely punctured; pygidial apex rounded. Parameres: basal region slightly wider than the parameres together at its transverse midline; parameral split at 2/3; total length of parameres less than three times the length of their apex; inner margins convergent; apex harpoon-like with lateral angle projecting straight downward (Fig. 68F). In lateral view parameres straight not coplanar with basal region, concave apically (Fig. 68G).

Type-locality.

BRAZIL. "Capit.e des Mines" [Minas Gerais state].

Geographical distribution.

BRAZIL (MG).

Remarks.

The type-locality mentioned by Blanchard (1851) in the original description is “Montevideo”, as well as the green label added by the MNHN. This seems to be a mistake, because the original label of Saint Hilaire says "Capitanie des Mines", corresponding to Minas Gerais, Brazil. As the lectotype studied matches with the original description, we concluded that it is in fact describing L. parva , and "Capitanie des Mines" [Minas Gerais] should be the right type-locality. As we did not find non-type material from Uruguay corresponding to L. parva , this distribution record is considered as incorrect. The female remains unknown.

Frey (1969) redescribed L. parva Blanchard but some differences were found comparing that redescription with the Blanchard's, type, as the pygidium smooth at 16x magnification and the shape of parameres drawn by Frey. Also, Frey mentioned "Argentinien, Pilcomayo, Formosa" as the type-locality and according to him, the types were deposited in Smithsonian Institute Washington (USNM) and in NHMB, different from L. parva Blanchard's, type. We did not find any L. parva type in both USNM and NHMB museums, though in NHMB there was found only one non-type specimen labeled by Frey as L. parva , with labels from USNM and Frey's, collection, labeled from Salta, Argentina (see Liogenys freyi Cherman, sp. n. remarks). After studying the L. parva Blanchard lectotype (MNHN), plus Frey's, (1969) redescription and the non-type specimen found in NHMB, we concluded that the L. parva redescribed by Frey (1969) does not correspond to L. parva Blanchard.