Hornosus larreae ( Horn, 1887 ) Dellacasa & Dellacasa & Gordon, 2015

Dellacasa, Marco, Dellacasa, Giovanni & Gordon, Robert D., 2015, A new genus for Drepanocanthoides larreae (Horn, 1887) and description of a new congeneric Mexican species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Insecta Mundi 2015 (407), pp. 1-6 : 3

Hornosus larreae ( Horn, 1887) new combination

( Fig. 1–8 )

Aphodius larreae Horn, 1887: 41 .

Aphodius bifrons Bates, 1887: 90 ; 1889: 392 (as synonym of A. larreae ); Blackwelder 1944: 212; Dellacasa 1988: 97; Gordon and Skelley 2007: 329 (lectotype designation).

Aphodius (Erytus) larreae ; Schmidt 1913: 127; 1922: 81; Blackwelder 1944: 212; Dellacasa 1988: 150.

Drepanocanthoides larreae ; Dellacasa et al. 2002: 208; Gordon and Skelley 2007: 329 (lectotype designation and new combination); Skelley et al. 2007: 4.

Type locality. El Paso, Texas [ U.S.A.].

Type repository. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA ( U.S.A.) (type not examined).

Redescription. Length 4.0–5.0 mm; oblong, moderately convex, alutaceous, glabrous except elytra laterally and subapically pubescent. Entirely yellowish; pronotum often with cloudy brownish spot at middle of each side; elytral suture narrowly darkened. Head with epistome feebly convex, distinctly, rather finely and evenly punctured throughout, punctation laterally coarser, median subclypeal depression impunctate; clypeus deeply sinuate in middle and strongly lobate on either side, lobes upturned, sides arcuate, thickly bordered, edge glabrous; genae round, elongately ciliate, not protruding from eyes; latter rather large; frontal suture distinctly impressed, not tuberculate; frons distinctly and sparsely punctured. Pronotum moderately transverse, moderately convex, rather unevenly punctured, punctation coarser and denser on sides; lateral margins arcuate, thinly bordered, edge elongately and sparsely ciliate; hind angles round; base evenly arcuate, very thinly bordered. Scutellum with curved sides, flat, distinctly punctured basally, punctures shortly setigerous. Elytra elongately oval, convex, slightly widened posteriorly, finely striate, striae rather fine, superficially but distinctly punctured, crenulate; interstices slightly convex, finely microreticulate, unevenly but distinctly punctured; pubescent on preapical declivity; epipleural margin fimbriate, with long pale setae. Upper spur of hind tibiae shorter than first tarsal segment; latter longer than following two segments combined. Male: clypeus relatively more deeply and narrowly sinuate in middle ( Fig. 2 ); foretibiae with somewhat sinuate inner margin and with spur cultrate ( Fig. 4 ); aedeagus Fig. 7–8 . Female: clypeus relatively less deeply and more broadly sinuate in middle ( Fig. 3 ); foretibiae with straight inner margin and with spur slender and acuminate.

Material examined. MEXICO: Chihuahua: C[iudad]. Juarez (1 ex., DCGI) ; Coahuila: Boquilla del Carmen , 1850’, 23. V.1959, leg. Howden & Becker, at light (1 ex., DCGI) ; San Pedro de Colonias , 3700’, 20.VIII.1947, leg. Gertsch (1 ex., DCGI) ; Torreon , 28. V.1937 (1 ex., DCGI) . U.S.A.: Arizona: Florence , VIII.1903, leg. Biederman (1 ex., DCGI) ; Phoenix (1 ex., DCGI) .

Distribution. Southern U.S.A. (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila).

Biology. Almost unknown; most of specimens were taken in spring and summer, mostly at light. Horn (1887: 42) reported that Aphodius larreae was “taken […..] on the flowers of Larrea mexicana ” [Family Zygophyllaceae ], which is a poisonous plant from semi-arid zones of the western areas between U.S.A. and Mexico, with resinous leaves and yellow solitary flowers, that usually blooms from April to May.

Figures

Figure 1–13. 1–8) Hornosus larreae (Horn, 1887) (Florence, Arizona, U.S.A.). 1) Epipharynx. 2–3) Outline of clypeus (male and female). 4) Male right foretibia (dorsal view). 5–6) Habitus (length ideogram and morphological details). 7–8) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views). 9–13) Hornosus turnbowi new species (Hwy 58, 8 km E jct 57, Nuevo León, Mexico). 9) Epipharynx. 10–11) Habitus (length ideogram and morphological details). 12–13) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views).