Chrysina hawksi Monzón, 2010

Sierra, José Monzón, 2010, Three new species of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae) from Guatemala and Mexico, Insecta Mundi 2010 (143), pp. 1-12 : 4-7

Chrysina hawksi Monzón , new species

( Figure 3, 4 , 14 , 22 , 30 , 33 )

Type material. Holotype male ( UVGC) labeled “ GUATEMALA, Baja Verapáz, cerca de Purulhá, Tres Cruces. 1500 m., 20 AGOSTO 1993, Colector José Monzón S.” . Allotype female ( UVGC) labeled as holotype . Paratypes (59 males and 16 females) with data as follows: Same data as holotype (8 males) ; same data except “ Purulha, Hotel Ranchitos del Quetzal , 1656 m., 13 AGOSTO 1993, 15.215747 -90.219087, Colector José Monzón S.” (1 female) ; same data except “ 1 AGOSTO 2008, Col. David Robacker ” (1 male) ; same data except “ 9 AGOSTO 2005, J. Monzon y Bob Woodruff ” (1 male); same data except “ 14 MAYO 2008 ” (1 female); “ GUATEMALA, Huehuetenango, San Mateo Ixtatán, 2 km Norte de Bulej, 10 OCTUBRE 1990, 1990 m., Bosque nuboso, 15.960728 -91.569280, Col. J. Monzón y C. Bailey ” (8 males and 1 female); same data except “ 27 JULIO 1998 ” (2 males and 1 female); same data except “ 22 SEPTIEMBRE 1998 ” (10 males and 8 females); same data except “ 22 AGOSTO 2004, Col. Monzón y Camposeco ” (26 males and 3 females); same data except “ 25 JULIO 2000, Col. J. Monzón y V. Becker ” (1 male); “ GUATEMALA, Zacapa, Usumatlán, Sierra Minas , Finca Santa Clara , 21 AGOSTO 1998, 2700 m., Col. J. Monzón y E. Cano ” (1 male and 1 female); “ MEXICO, Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas , 2470 m., 27 JUNE 2006, N16 41.261 W92 32.343, Col. David Robacker ” (1 male) . Paratypes deposited in the UVGC, FSCA, WSUC and the private collections of D. Robacker (Texas, U.S. A), William B. Warner (Arizona, U.S.A.), Howard Romack (New York, U.S.A.), Maishe Dickman (Connecticut, U.S.A.), Thierry Porion (France) and José Monzón (Guatemala).

Description. Holotype male. Length 24.0 mm; width at elytral humeri 11.0 mm; maximum width (middle of elytra) 13.0 mm. Color of dorsum shiny yellowish green; anterior half of clypeus brown with metallic gold on anterior margin, ocular canthi iridescent brown with iridescent green close to clypeus; antennal club brown, scape with yellowish iridescence; pronotal margins iridescent brown; elytra with external margins gold, humeri and apical umbone greenish gold. Color of venter yellowish green with golden and reddish iridescence and reflections. Legs with tibia reddish brown, coxae, trochanter and ventral surfaces metallic greenish gold; mesometasternal protrusion gold. Clypeus ( Fig. 14 ) free margins semicircular in dorsal view, slightly reflexed; surface coarsely, densely rugopunctate, less coarse on frontal disc; interocular distance 1.67 times wider than antennal club length. Mentum ( Fig. 22 ) wide, anterior margin arched; lateral depressions shallow; surface setigerously punctate, punctures sparse. Pronotum at base twice as wide as interocular distance; sculpture similar to frons becoming denser towards lateral margins. Lateral margin completely beaded with basal margin slightly effaced between inner border of eyes. Elytra punctate striate; punctures in striae moderate in size, deep. Intervals weakly convex. Elytron 16.0 mm long and 2.9 times as long as pronotum; lateral margin with bead complete. Pygidium completely rugulose with many pale setae; surface convex and prominent before apex. Fifth and apical sternite with depression. Venter with mesometasternal protrusion short and stout, apex rounded and slightly depressed. Metasternum and femora densely setigerously punctate, setae dense, long and pale. Legs with protibia clearly tridentate; dorsal and ventral area of protibia with rugose punctures. Genitalia with parameres asymmetrical, apically constricted, fused except for narrowly bidentate apex, left paramere constricted medially; length of genital capsule 8.0 mm ( Fig. 30 ).

Allotype female. Similar to male except as follows: length 24.5 mm; width at elytral humeri 11.5 mm; maximum width (middle of elytra) 13.0 mm; interocular distance 1.7 times wider than antennal length; pronotum at base 2.2 times as wide as interocular distance; tarsi less robust; fifth and apical sternite without depression. Genital plates slightly asymmetrical, medioapically with a spine like protrusion; setae moderately abundant apically ( Fig. 33 ).

Variation. Males length 23.5 to 26.0 mm; width at elytral humeri 11.0 to 13.0 mm; maximum width (middle of elytra) 12.0 to 14.5 mm. Females length 25.0 to 27.5 mm; width at elytral humeri 11.5 to 13.0 mm; maximum width (middle of elytra) 13.5 to 15.0 mm. One specimen is a reddish brown form in which the yellowish green has been completely replaced; most of the series has a little reddish tint giving the specimens a little variety in color.

Etymology. It is my great pleasure to name this species for David C. Hawks, a great taxonomist and good friend.

Diagnosis. Chrysina hawksi is a green species of the Adelaida group (sensu Hawks 2001). It is externally similar to C. pehlkei (Ohaus) from which it can be easily separated by the male genitalia. It is also similar to C. centralis (Morón) from which is easy to differentiate because it has the elytral humeri and apical umbone the same color as the rest of the elytra (metallic greenish gold on C. pehlkei and C. hawksi ).

Chrysina hawksi also has the pronotal marginal bead slightly effaced between the inner border of eyes while C. pehlkei and C. centralis has it complete.

Distribution and remarks. Chrysina hawksi is currently known to inhabit the wet oak forests around San Cristobal de Las Casas (Chiapas, Mexico) and mountains north of the Selegua and Motagua rivers in Guatemala at elevations between 1500 and 2700 meters above sea level. It has been found flying during the months from May to October as follows: May one specimen, June one specimen, July 4 specimens, August 44 specimens, September 18 specimens and October 9 specimens. The distribution of C. hawksi and C. pehlkei follow in general the areas of endemism of Passalidae ( Schuster et al. 2000) in which the Motagua and Selegua rivers are the main biogeographic barriers in Mesoamerica.

Figures

Figure 1-12. Dorsal and ventral habitus of adult Chrysina specimens. 1-2) C. giesberti male paratype from Cerro Cruz Maltín, Huehuetenango. 3-4) C. hawksi male paratype from Bulej, Huehuetenango. 5-6) C. baileyana male paratype from Chiantla, Huehuetenango. 7-8) C. centralis female from La Fraternidad, San Marcos. 9-10) C. guatemalensis female from Bojonal, San Marcos. 11-12) C. tecunumani female from Cerro Pinalón, El Progreso.

Figure 13-20. Clypeus of Chrysina spp. 13) C. giesberti. 14) C. hawksi. 15) C. pehlkei male from Cerro Alúx, Sacatepéquez. 16) C. centralis. 17) C. baileyana. 18) C. triumphalis from Bojonal, San Marcos. 19) C. guatemalensis. 20) C. tecunumani. Length of line 7 mm.

Figure 21-28. Mentum of Chrysina spp. 21) C. giesberti. 22) C. hawksi. 23) C. pehlkei. 24) C. centralis. 25) C. guatemalensis. 26) C. baileyana. 27) C. triumphalis. 28) C. tecunumani. Length of line 4 mm.

Figure 29-31. Male genital capsule of Chrysina spp. 29) C. giesberti. 30) C. hawksi. 31) C. baileyana. Length of line 4 mm.

Figure 32-38. Female inferior genital plates of Chrysina spp. 32) C. giesberti. 33) C. hawksi. 34) C. pehlkei. 35) C. baileyana. 36) C. centralis. 37) C. guatemalensis. 38) C. tecunumani. Length of line 2.5 mm.