Onthophagus orizabensis Moctezuma, Joaqui

Joaqui, Tatiana, Moctezuma, Victor, Sánchez-Huerta, José Luis & Escobar, Federico, 2019, The Onthophagus fuscus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) species complex: an update and the description of a new species, Zootaxa 4555 (2), pp. 151-186 : 153-155

Onthophagus orizabensis Moctezuma, Joaqui , & Sánchez-Huerta, new species

Figs. 13–16 .

Onthophagus chevrolati retusus: Zunino & Halffter 1988: 111 (in part); Pulido-Herrera & Zunino 2007: 99 (in part).

Onthophagus chevrolati chevrolati: Pulido-Herrera & Zunino 2007: 99 (in part); Arriaga et al. 2018: 1–13 (in part); Moctezuma et al. 2018 (in part).

Non Onthophagus chevrolati: Harold 1869: 508 .

Type locality. Mexico, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Cuiyachapa .

Type material examined (42 males, 54 females). Holotype male: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Cuiyachapa , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap5, 19°1'47.62"N, 97°10'29.62"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2951 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( IEXA) . Paratypes. 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Cuiyachapa , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap5, 19°1'47.62"N, 97°10'29.62"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2951 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( VMC) ; 4 males, 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Tetelzingo , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap8, 19°3'36.76"N, 97°9'22.58"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2449 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” (CMNC: 1 female, JLSHC: 1 male, TAMU: 1 male, VMC: 2 males) ; 1 male: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Cuiyachapa , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap2, 19°1'44.44"N, 97°10'33.54"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2964 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( VMC) ; 1 male: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Calcahualco, Maquilixhuatla , 17–19/IX/2016, tran2trap5, 19°9'13.69"N, 97°13'38.84"O, coprotrap, Bosque de niebla, 2058 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( CEMT) ; 2 females: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Tetelzingo , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap6, 19°3'35.03"N, 97°9'26.02"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2466 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( IEXA: 1 female; JLSHC: 1 female) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Calcahualco, Nuevo Jacal , 12–14/VIII/2016, tran2trap1, 19°6'42.56"N, 97°13'1.47"O, coprotrap, Bosque Pino, 2961 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( CMNC) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Calcahualco, Xilomichi , 17–19/IX/2016, tran2trap7, 19°7'37.87"N, 97°8'10.99"O, coprotrap, Bosque de niebla, 2224 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( FSCA) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Tetelzingo , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap9, 19°3'37.16"N, 97°9'20.84"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2461 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( IEXA) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Coscomatepec, Cuiyachapa , 25–27/VI/2016, tran1trap9, 19°1'54.42"N, 97°10'33"O, coprotrap, Bosque pino, 2972 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( FSCA) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Calcahualco, Xilomichi , 17–19/IX/2016, tran2trap3, 19°7'36.23"N, 97°8'11.05"O, coprotrap, Bosque de niebla, 2236 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( VMC) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Calcahualco, Nuevo Jacal , 12–14/VIII/ 2016 tran2trap9, 19°6'43.65"N, 97°12'48.89"O, coprotrap, Pino-pradera alpina, 2965 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( CEMT) ; 1female: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Calcahualco, Nuevo Jacal , 12–14/VIII/2016, tran2trap3, 19°6'40.99"N, 97°12'58.26"O, coprotrap, Pino-pradera alpina, 2962 m, T. Joaqui Col. ” ( IEXA) ; 13 males, 10 females: “ MEXICO, Pico de Orizaba, Ver. , 73 km al S de Cuiyachapa, 17/VII/12, C.D. exc. borrego, 97°10'18.5''W, 19°02'15.8''N, bosque aile/matorral, 2684 m, Arriaga J. A. Col. ” ( GHC) ; 3 males: “ MEXICO, Pico de Orizaba, Ver. , 1 km al S de Cuiyachapa, 19/VII/12, coprotrampa, 97°10'17.1''W, 19°02'17.5''N, bosque de aile, 2677 m, Arriaga J. A. Col. ” ( GHC) ; 2 males, 1 female: “ MEXICO, Pico de Orizaba, Pue. , 4 km E Fco. Independencia, 22-VII-12, C.D. exc. vaca, 97°24'03.9''W, 19°03'14.3''N, matorral, 2788 m, Arriaga J. A. Col. ” ( GHC) ; 9 males, 18 females: “ MEXICO, Cuyachapa, Ver. , 12/06/1995, I. Martínez, M. Cruz Cols. Potrero vecino a bosque de pino, colecta directa excremento de caballo” ( GHC: 4 males, 17 females; IEXA: 1 male; VMC: 4 males, 1 female) ; 1 male: “ MEXICO, Cuyachapa, Ver. , 15/09/1994, L. Arellano, M. Zunino cols., alt. 2400 m, colecta directa en excremento de oveja” ( GHC) ; 2 males, 1 female: “ MEXICO, Acultzingo , Veracruz, 3200 mt., 1 Junio 1963, G. y V. Halffter col.” ( GHC) ; 1 female: “ MEXICO, Acultzingo , Veracruz, 3200 mt., 27/X/61, Pereira-Halffter leg.” ( GHC) ; 4 males, 5 females: “ MEXICO, Puerto del aire, Acultzingo, Edo. de Veracruz, 17/VII/1980, C. Castillo col.” ( GHC: 3 males, 4 females; VMC: 1 male, 1 female) ; 2 females: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Tlacotiopa , 97°12'6.12''O, 19°6'49.55''N, 2743 m., 14/VII/2018, exc. equino y bovino, J. Luis S. Huerta col.” ( JLSHC) ; 1 male, 3 females: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Cuiyachapa , 97°10'18.25''O, 19°1'41.65''N, 2813 m., 17/VII/2018, exc. ovino, J. Luis S. Huerta col.” ( JLSHC) ; 5 males, 2 females: “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Cuiyachapa , 97°10'18.25''O, 19°1'41.65''N, 2813 m., 21/VII/2018, exc. ovino, J. Luis S. Huerta col.” ( JLSHC) .

Description. Holotype male ( Fig. 13 ). Length 9.3 mm, maximum width of the pronotum 5 mm. Copper colored, silky and matte, with olive-green sheen. Dorsal surface asperous and pubescent, with short setae. Setae erect and sparse on head, abundant on pronotal disc, oblique and abundant on elytra. Clypeus weakly concave and pentagonal, with apex curved. Genae laterally rounded. Clypeogenal sutures well marked. Clypeal carina straight, weakly developed medially and gradually tapering laterally. Frontal carina well developed, subtrapezoidal in shape, rounded angles raised medially with a conical tubercle, convex laterally. Clypeal punctation coarse, moreor-less confluent and transverse, giving clypeal surface a rough appearance. Frontal punctures finer than the clypeal punctures, some punctures with a short seta. The pronotal margin atrophied between posterior angles and midportion of basal margin. Pronotal prominence obtusely trapezoidal, with apex blunt, lacking intermediate tubercles. Posterior tubercles situated on anterior half of pronotum. Pronotal surface with dense, simple, welldefined punctures, each puncture with a short setae (mean length: 0.07 ± 0.02 mm); secondary punctures absent; pronotal tegument with well-defined, reticulate microsculpture. Posterior half of pronotum with two more-or-less elliptical impressions on each side of midline. Midline of pronotum with a narrow longitudinal glabrous surface on anterior half of disc. Elytral striae well marked, with large, circular, evenly-spaced punctures. Interstriae with welldefined and evenly spaced punctures, each puncture with a setae. Elytral tegument with well-defined, reticulate microsculpture. Last abdominal sternite medially concave. Pygidial punctures small, weakly impressed, scattered basally becoming asperous towards apex; pygidial tegument with reticulate microsculpture. Pygidial midline glabrous. Protibia overall shape slender, elongate, inwardly bent on apical third. Protibial apical spur obliquely curved ventrally. Genitalia as in Fig. 16 . Parameres: apical-superior area obtuse; apical teeth acute, well developed. Lamella copulatrix: medial keel ear shaped; superior left lobe obtusely oval, excavate in the apex; inferior right lobe much longer than the superior left lobe; internal margin of the inferior right lobe forming a right angled tooth; apex of the inferior right lobe claw shaped.

Diagnosis. Onthophagus orizabensis and the similar O. clavijeroi can be easily separated by the following differences: O. clavijeroi is cupreous, while O. orizabensis cupreous with an olive-green sheen; pronotal punctation is more crowded in O. clavijeroi but coarser in O. orizabensis , dorsal setae are longer and more abundant in O. clavijeroi , head setae abundant in O. clavijeroi , head almost glabrous in O. orizabensis . Onthophagus orizabensis has been misidentified for decades as O. chevrolati chevrolati Harold, 1869 and O. chevrolati retusus Harold, 1869 ; but O. orizabensis clearly differs from both taxa by the coarse pronotal punctation in males and females. The largest males of O. orizabensis show a strong development of the pronotal projection, which is not sinuate and resembles the pronotal projection of O. chevrolati chevrolati , but O. orizabensis never shows a clear development of pronotal secondary tubercles. Both O. orizabensis and O. chevrolati retusus are cupreous olive-green colored, but the O. orizabensis males never show a sinuate pronotal projection as in O. chevrolati retusus . The sinuate pronotal projection of O. chevrolati retusus and the secondary tubercles appear to form four gibbous developments in the male pronotum.

Variation. Length 7.7–13.2 mm (9.8 ± 1.3 mm), maximum width of the pronotum 4.1–6.2 mm (5.1 ± 0.6 mm) (mean ± standard deviation).

Minor male. Differs from major male by pronotal tubercles reduced; widened protibia; frontal carina lacking intermediate conical tubercle; clypeal carina well developed medially; pronotal prominence reduced; clypeal apex weakly sinuate ( Fig. 14 ).

Female. Differs from the male in clypeal punctation transverse, rough, and confluent; clypeal carina well defined and gradually tapering towards the genae. Genal sutures weakly impressed; clypeus subtrapezoidal, weakly elongate and sinuate apically; pronotal prominence reduced. Posterior tubercles located in the anterior portion of pronotum ( Fig. 15 ). Ventral sclerotization of the sclerites: central-superior region with a convex superior margin; lateral-inferior regions projected outwards. Infundibulum: tubular region hook shaped; medial region well developed; caudal region weakly developed ( Fig. 16 ).

Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the montane region where the type series was collected: El Pico de Orizaba volcano.

Distribution and ecology. The new species has been collected from El Pico de Orizaba volcano ( Fig. 17 ). Onthophagus orizabensis appears to be mainly associated with pine forest, even though it is also found in alpine grasslands and cloud forest between 1900 to 3200 m, relatively close to cattle and sheep grazing areas. This species seems to have coprophagous habits, as it was collected with human excrement. However, no other types of bait (e.g., fungi and carrion) were tested in our study.

Remarks. External morphology and genital structures comparison allows us to include O. orizabensis in the O. chevrolati species group. Owing to its morphology this new species fits in the O. fuscus species complex, sharing the following characters: copper colored with metallic sheens; frontal carina developed in the medial region, becoming obsolete or angled in the lateral regions; intermediate tubercles absent in the pronotal prominence; elongate female clypeus; apex of parameres relatively short and robust; wide angle between the longitudinal parameres axis and the apical parameres axis. Onthophagus orizabensis is similar to O. clavijeroi , O. navarretorum , and O. canescens , sharing the following features: presence in both males and females of two ellipseshaped impressions on the central surface of the pronotum, one on each side of the medial line ( O. orizabensis , O. clavijeroi , O. navarretorum ); the major male pronotal prominence obtusely trapezoidal, with the apex dull ( O. canescens , O. clavijeroi , O. navarretorum , and O. orizabensis ); the male frontal carina trapezoidal ( O. canescens , O. clavijeroi , O. navarretorum , and O. orizabensis ) and the distal-superior area of the parameres trapezoidal ( O. canescens and O. orizabensis ).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Onthophagus orizabensis major male dorsal habitus, holotype.

FIGURE 14. Onthophagus orizabensis minor male dorsal habitus, paratype.

FIGURE 15. Onthophagus orizabensis major female dorsal habitus, paratype.

FIGURE 16. Onthophagus orizabensis A, aedeagus, holotype; B, lamellae copulatrix, holotype; C, vagina, paratype.

FIGURE 17. Onthophagus fuscus species group distribution. Species distributions were determined according to specimen labels and specialized literature (Bates 1886–1890; Zunino & Halffter 1988; Delgado & Capistan 1996; Navarrete-Heredia et al. 2001; Zunino 2003; Moctezuma et al. 2016).