Scatonomus mitzae, Valois & Vaz-de-Mello & Silva, 2020

Valois, Marcely C., Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z. & Silva, Fernando A. B., 2020, A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Scatonomus Erichson, 1835 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), Journal of Natural History 54 (17 - 18), pp. 1081-1114 : 1103-1104

Scatonomus mitzae sp. nov.

( Figures 1 (h), 3(h), 4(a, d), 5(g) and 6(a))

Etymology

Named in honour of Mileva ‘Mitza’ Meric Einstein. Mileva was a talented Serbian physicist. She was Albert Einstein’s first wife, and her contributions to his groundbreaking science are hotly discussed.

Diagnosis

Scatonomus mitzae sp. nov. seems to be closely related to S. viridis viridis and S. janssensi by having a single central emargination on clypeal edge, without teeth or lateral emarginations ( Figure 3 (g, h, l)). However, S. mitzae sp. nov. is distinguished by having a deep Ushaped clypeal emargination ( Figure 3 (h)). Antennal club densely coated with long setae. Elytral striae thin ( Figure 4 (a), arrow); width of striae on disc at least 10 times narrower than the third interstria.

Description

Male: Length: 15.0– 15.4 mm. Body black, with greenish or yellowish reflections ( Figure 1 (h)). Head: surface wrinkled and densely punctate ( Figure 3 (h)). Posterior edge narrowly margined medially ( Figure 3 (h)). Clypeo-genal suture sulcate, almost straight. Frontoclypeal suture inconspicuous between eyes. Clypeus transversely elevated at posterior portion. Frons almost flat. Clypeal margination upturned. Ventral clypeal process produced into a small tubercle. Antennal club globose. Thorax: pronotal disc with a shallow mid-longitudinal sulcus. Anteromedial portion of the pronotal disc with a low central knob. Transverse carina of hypomera complete, reaching the lateral edge. Anterior portion of hypomera densely coated with setae; lateral edge with a row of setae, visible in dorsal view; posterior portion with short setae near margin of procoxae. Surface of mesepimeron and mesanepisternum with green reflections; finely striate. Meso-metaventral suture straight medially. Anterior lobe of metaventrite with well-defined microgranulation. Metaventral disc flat, punctate, with a shallow longitudinal sulcus medially. Lateral lobes of metaventrite with well-defined microgranulation and shallow punctures. Elytra: striae thin, ill-impressed punctures throughout their length ( Figure 4 (a)). Seventh stria absent at the basal one-seventh of elytra. Eighth stria carinate, effaced along anterior half. Ninth stria finely carinate, visible at the apical portion of elytra. Tenth stria absent. Interstriae with microgranulated surface ( Figure 4 (a)). Legs [ventral view]: anterior half of profemora densely puncticulate; posterior half with setose punctures. Outer edge of protibia with three weakly defined teeth, shallowly emarginate between teeth. Outer edge of mesotibia and metatibia with a row of small teeth at its basal two-thirds. Outer carina of mesotibia and metatibia with a row of well-defined teeth and setae. Inner margin of metatibia carinate, except by the apical third. Abdomen: surface of ventrites punctate; lateral portion of ventrites I–IV with well-defined microgranulation. Posterior half of ventrites II–IV with a row of shallow punctures. Ventrite V slightly shorter than VI at medial portion. Pygidium: 1/3 wider than long. Surface densely puncticulate. Genital capsule: paramera apex divided into apical and lateral lobes by a deep V-shaped emargination. Apical lobe rounded; lateral lobe truncate, approximately as wide as long ( Figure 5 (g)). Female: unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus. (a) S Scatonomus barbatus stat. rev.; (b) S. canhedoae sp. nov.; (holotype); (c) S. chalybaeus; (d) S. fasciculatus; (e) S. foresti sp. nov. (holotype); (f) S. insignis; (g) S. janssensi; (h) S. mitzae sp. nov. (holotype); (i) S. paulosawayai (holotype); (j, k) S. thalassinus; (l) S. viridis.

Figure 3. Head, dorsal view. (a) Scatonomus barbatus stat. rev.; (b) S. canhedoae sp. nov. (holotype); (c) S. chalybaeus; (d) S. fasciculatus; (e) S. foresti sp. nov. (holotype); (f) S. insignis; (g) S. janssensi; (h) S. mitzae sp. nov. (holotype); (i) S. paulosawayai (holotype); (j, k) S. thalassinus; (l) S. viridis.

Figure 4. Details of Scatonomus morphology. (a) S. mitzae sp. nov., microgranulated interstrial surface (white arrow indicating the elytral stria); (b) S. janssensi, detail of elytral striae; (c) S. thalassinus, surface of pronotal disc (wrinkles, square); (d) S. mitzae sp. nov., puncticulate pronotal surface (white arrow, a coase puncture; black arrow, a fine puncture); (e) S. janssensi, ocellate punctures on pronotum; (f) S. fasciculatus, striate surface on mesepimeron; (g) S. janssensi, broad and transverse carina at the posterior portion of clypeus (white arrow) and longitudinal carina (black arrow); (h) holotype of S. xanthopygus (synonym of S. chalybaeus), dry body fat partially covering the pygidial disc; (i, j) Abdominal ventrites of S. thalassinus.

Figure 5. Aedeagus, detail of right paramera and endophallic sclerites. (a) Scatonomus barbatus stat. rev.; (b) S. chalybaeus; (c) S. fasciculatus; (d) S. foresti sp. nov.; (e) S. insignis; (f) S. janssensi; (g) S. mitzae sp. nov.; (h) S. thalassinus; (i) S. viridis; (j) endophallic sclerites of S. fasciculatus.