Sorocha Soula, 2006

Moore, Matthew R., Jameson, Mary L., Garner, Beulah H., Audibert, Cedric, Smith, Andrew B. T. & Seidel, Matthias, 2017, Synopsis of the pelidnotine scarabs (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae, Rutelini) and annotated catalog of the species and subspecies, ZooKeys 666, pp. 1-349 : 1

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.666.9191

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B3C377E8-BBB1-4F32-8AEC-A2C22D1E625A

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DF83D9AD-1C31-8152-C2EB-47A9D3056BC2

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Sorocha Soula, 2006
status

 

Sorocha Soula, 2006 View in CoL Figs 1E View Figure 1 , 100 View Figure 100 , 101 View Figure 101 , 102 View Figure 102 , 103 View Figure 103 , 104 View Figure 104 , 105 View Figure 105

Type species.

Pelidnota acutipennis F. Bates, 1904.

Species.

16 species and subspecies; length 16-19 mm.

Soula (2006) described the genus Sorocha for a homogeneous group of species that Ohaus (1934b) had placed in the " P. pulchella group" based on the smooth, shiny elytra that lack markings, and distribution in the Andean highlands. Based on overall gestalt, species in the genus Sorocha are similar to species in the genus Pseudochlorota Ohaus ( Lasiocalina ), but they differ in the following respects: larger claw on all legs (simple in Sorocha ; widely split in Pseudochlorota ); unguitractor plate (flat and with two apical setae in Sorocha ; subcylindrical and with two or more setae in Pseudochlorota ); pronotal basolateral corner (quadrate in Sorocha ; rounded in Pseudochlorota ); and apex of the metatibia (lacking spinules in Sorocha ; possessing spinules in Pseudochlorota ).

This taxon requires phylogenetic analysis because we think some species are probably more appropriately placed in Pelidnota . Sorocha can be characterized, in part, by the following characters: disc of the frons with a V-shaped depressed region (shared with Pseudochlorota ); all claws simple; male protarsal claw with inner tubercle; bidentate mandibles; pronotum with bead complete or incomplete apically (complete laterally and basally); elytral base with a median “dimple” lateral of scutellum; elytral epipleuron shelf-like (not rounded); protibia with basal external tooth slightly removed from apical teeth; clypeal length shorter than length of frons; eyes large; apex of the metatibia biemarginate and lacking apical spinules; meso- and metatarsomere 5 lacking internomedial tooth; mesometasternal keel not surpassing mesocoxae; metasternum with dense pilosity.

Species in the genus are superficially similar, and identification is hampered due to lack of a key. Females cannot currently be identified due to similarity among species. Species in the genus are distributed at high elevations from Colombia and Venezuela to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. Larvae are not known. Soula (2006) stated that species in the genus are not readily attracted to lights at night.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Scarabaeidae