Euphoria subtomentosa ( Gory and Percheron, 1833 )

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 27-28

Euphoria subtomentosa ( Gory and Percheron, 1833)

(Appendix 4: Fig. 9 )

Cetonia subtomentosa Gory and Percheron 1833: 64 . Original combination.

Holotype at MHNG, examined.

Description (n = 444). Length 8.4 –11.8 mm; width 5.1–7.4 mm. Color: Head black, pronotum and elytra black or reddish brown. Elytra with bright yellow, thick, cretaceous markings distributed longitudinally on striae, covering elytral apex entirely. Pygidium almost entirely covered by cretaceous layer. Head: Frons flat, strongly strigose, densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish. Clypeus short, subtrapezoidal, moderately expanded anteriorly, strongly strigopunctate, sides not raised, apex strongly truncate, weakly reflexed. Antennal club shorter than stem, subequal in both sexes. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate, punctures small to moderate in size, confluent towards sides, densely setose, setae long, yellowish; sides weakly angulate to evenly rounded. Scutellum longer than wide, densely punctate, punctures lunulate, setigerous; setae moderate to long, yellowish. Base in front of scutellum weakly to strongly emarginate. Elytra: Surface moderately densely punctate, punctures lunulate, small to moderate in size, setigerous; setae short to long, yellowish. Posterior half of sutural costa raised in lateral view. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate; striae discontinuous, weakly impressed, moderately densely setose; setae short, yellowish. Legs: Protibial teeth sharp, apical and medial teeth closer to each other than to basal tooth. Mesotibial carina well developed into 1 long and 1 short spine. Metatibiae with carina oblique, apex moderately expanded, spurs subequal in length both sexes. Venter: Mesometasternal process extending anteriorly to same level as mesocoxae or slightly beyond, apex truncate to rounded, densely setose. Mesepimera, metasternum, and metacoxae setose, setae as on legs. Metasternum rugose, setose laterally, glabrous and impunctate at middle. Median sulcus vaguely to weakly defined. Abdominal sternites densely setose, setae as on rest of body; abdomen in lateral view subequal in shape in both sexes. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 9c .

Diagnosis. Euphoria subtomentosa is separated from other species in the group by the subtrapezoidal clypeus and the cretaceous markings on the elytra that are distributed longitudinally on the elytral striae.

Taxonomic History. Gory and Percheron (1833) described Cetonia tomentosa twice in their monograph under the same name from specimens labeled as being from Mexico. The first description (pages 63, 266), “ Cetonia tomentosa Klug. ”, corresponds to a mislabeled Anoplocheilus tomentosus from South Africa. The second specimen (pages 64, 278) “ Cetonia tomentosa Stéven ” constitutes a Mexican specimen. The fact that the same name was used for two different species, and the use of other authors names after the species name, has caused considerable confusion regarding the valid name for the Mexican species and to whom authorship should be attributed to (i. e., Dejean 1836; Mannerheim 1837; Bates 1889; Blackwelder 1944; Hardy 2001).

Dejean’ s catalogue, considered the “bible” for coleopterists at the time ( Barber and Bridwell 1940) indicated that, “Subtomentosa Hope”, “ Tomentosa Sturm ,” “Multipunctata Höpfner”, and “Spardalina Dupont” all referred to the same species. “Multipunctata Höpfner”, and “Spardalina Dupont” were never described and are considered nomina nuda. In Gory and Percheron (1833) and Dejean (1836), the name following a species does not necessarily refer to the species’ author, but can also refer to the collection from where the specimen came or to the collection where the specimen was observed with that name.

Mannerheim (1837), in his review of Gory and Percheron (1833), noted that Cetonia tomentosa Stéven was not named by Stéven but by Sturm (origin of the name, not the description). He also noted that Dejean (1836) adopted the name “Subtomentosa Hope” for the Mexican species because of the two homonyms.

Burmeister (1842) used Gory and Percheron as the authors of the species ( Cetonia subtomentosa ). In addition, he agreed with Mannerheim (1837) that Sturm was the originator of the name and not Stéven. Thomson (1878) also used Gory and Percheron as the authors of this species. Bates (1889), Schenkling (1921), and Blackwelder (1944) used Mannerheim as the author of the species. None of these three authors provided a rationale for this decision. Hardy (2001) used Dejean as the author of the species arguing Dejean used C. subtomentosa as a replacement name for “ tomentosa Sturm ”.

Gory and Percheron (1833) provided a short description of the species in Latin at the beginning of their book (Tableau Diagnostique) and a longer one in French later on. Both descriptions of C. tomentosa use this name in all parts of the book. In the case of the Mexican specimen, an additional name is given in the Tableau Diagnostique followed by the description (page 64): “ TOMENTOSA, Steven., Sub-Tomentosa. Hope. Mexique. Rubra , thorace corporeque obscurioribus vittis duabus longitudinabilus griseis in elytris, prima exteriore dentata , secunda posticali”. This constitutes the description of E. subtomentosa even in this rare two-names scenario. Gory and Percheron (1833) were probably illustrating the fact that there were specimens of this species in the Stéven collection under the name “Tomentosa” and some others in the Hope collection under the name “Sub-Tomentosa”. The fact that there is a description attached to the name of the species (“Sub-tomentosa”) and that the other name used in the description (“Tomentosa”) is currently a senior homonym for a South African specimen justifies the use of Gory and Percheron as the authors of this species.

Natural History. Adults of E. subtomentosa have been observed on various species of Asteraceae : Bidens odorata Cav. , Dyssodia pinnata (Cav.) , Helianthus annus L. flowers, and V. dentata . Adults have also been collected in A. mexicana debris piles ( Deloya 1988) and at elevations of 1,400 –2,200 m.

Temporal Distribution. April (1), May (1), June (17), July (4), August (4), September (148), October (172), November (27) ( Fig. 9d ).

Geographic Distribution. K n o w n f r o m Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Colima, Estado de México, Guerrero, Guanajuato ( Deloya et al. 1993), Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz, Mexico ( Fig. 9e ).

Specimens Examined (444). Type material: Holotype female at MHNG labeled “Gory/ TYPE// subtomentosa/ B/ tomentosa G.P./ Mexico ” and my holotype label. Other material: MEXICO (443): AGUASCALIENTES: Pabellón (1). CHIAPAS: Parque Nacional Cañon del Sumidero (6), Tuxtla Gutiérrez (16), no data (5); COLIMA: Colima (10); ESTADO DE MÉXICO: Coatlinchan (1), Xochimilco (1); GUERRERO: Chichihualco (22 km E) (2), Chilpancingo (7), Iguala (3), Mochitlán (3), Taxco (58), Teloloapan (2), Tixtla (2); HIDALGO: Zimapán (1); JALISCO: Ajijíc (45), Autlán (3), Barra de Navidad (1), Chapala (1), Cocula (1), Guadalajara (7), Huentitán (2), Jocotepec (8), Lago de Chapala (1), Melaque (1), San Fandia (3), San Gabriel (5), Sayula (2), Tecolotlán (1), Teocaltriche (1), Tequila (1), Tesistán (1), Tizapán (2), Tlaquepaque (2), Tuxcacuesco (1), Volcán Colima (28), Zapopan (3); MICHOACÁN: Acahuato (1), Cotija (2); MORELOS: Amacuzac (5), Cuernavaca (34), Tepoztlán (3), Tizapán (3), Xochicalco (15), Xochitepec (6), Yautepec (1), Zacatepec de Hidalgo (1); NAYARIT: Volcán El Ceboruco (1); OAXACA: Ocotepec (5), Huajuapan (9), San Francisco Huapanapa (1), Monte Albán (3), Oaxaca (11), Mitla (1), Nochixtlán (1), Puebla (1), San Juan Baustista Huicatlán (2), San Sebastian Tutla (2), Santiago Cacaloxtepec (13), Santiago Chazumba (37), no data (1); PUEBLA: Acatlán (4), Calipán (2), Coxcatlán (1), Izúcar de Matamoros (14), Petlalcingo (6), Piaxtla (1), Tehuacán (1), Tepexco (4), Zapotitlán (6); VERACRUZ: Córdoba (1), Xalapa (1); NO DATA: Mexico (1), no data (4).

Figures

Fig. 9. Euphoria subtomentosa. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d) Temporal distribution, e) Geographic distribution in Mexico.