Dicrania laevipennis Moser, 1921

Clavijo-Bustos, Julián, Moreno, Jhon Cesar Neita & Fuhrmann, Juares, 2024, The genus Dicrania LePeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1828 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactylini) from Colombia with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5458 (4), pp. 572-580 : 576-580

Dicrania laevipennis Moser, 1921

Figures 1A, C–D , 4

Dicrania laevipennis Moser, 1921: 171 .

Type material. Syntype. Male deposited in MFNB: “R. Meta / Columb.” // “ Dicrania / laevipeniis / Type Moser ” // “ Typus ” .

Additional material examined (2♂♂, 1♀). COLOMBIA: Amazonas , Leticia, 14.vii.1965 (2♂♂ ICN-E 025143–025144 ) . FRENCH GUIANA: Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (1♂ NHMB) .

Type locality. Colombia: River Meta .

Diagnosis. Antenna with nine antennomeres; eyes small and head about 1.4 times wider than the minor interocular distance; pronotum with posterolateral areas of pronotum without setae or punctures; elytra with puncture indistinct, disc glabrous; protarsomere 1 with a truncate inner tooth, protarsomere 2 wider than long; mesotarsomere 1 with an inner spatulate tooth; metatarsomere 2 with sparse setae, medial setae shorter than the length of tarsomere. Female with elytral striae distinct and the ventrite VI with a medial tubercle-like process.

Redescription. Body length: 12.0− 15.5 mm. Body maximum width (at half of elytra): 6.3−7.3 mm. Male ( Figs. 1A , C−D, 4A−E). Color: Entirely black, head black and body reddish brown, or reddish brown with head, scutellum, or elytra dark or not. Setae yellowish white. Head ( Fig. 1A ): Small (pronotum about 2.4 times wider than head), eyes small and head about 1.4 times wider than the minor interocular distance, frontoclypeal suture slightly sinuous. Clypeus trapezoid, punctate as frons; anterior angles obtuse and deflected. Antenna with nine antennomeres, antennal club about 2.5 times longer than wide, and with three lamellae.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1A ): Anterior half punctate and setose, posterolateral area without punctures or setae, posterior margin with a barely distinct setae; setae thin, short, those from medial areas longer than those from anterior areas and posterior margin. Scutellum : With minute, barely distinct setae; without a longitudinal impunctate area medially. Elytra: Glossy, striae indistinct, humerus emarginate or rounded. Disc smooth, glabrous, and inconspicuously punctate. Distal margin with thin barely defined setae, length of setae about as long as the distance between related punctures. Ventrites: Ventrite V as long as ventrite VI or almost so. Pygidium: As wide as long or almost so, surface punctate and setose; setae thin, short or long; punctures well delimited and thin. Parameres ( Fig. 4D–E ): Deeply constricted medially in dorsal and lateral views. Legs: Protarsomere 1 with a truncate inner tooth, protarsomere 2 wider than long, and protarsomeres 2–4 deeply laterally compressed; each protarsal claw abruptly deflected, outer tooth about 1.2 times longer than and 0.8 as wide as the inner tooth. Mesotibia about 2.2 times longer than the width at apex; mesotarsomere 1 with a spatulate inner tooth. Apex of metatibia with inner area projected, projection blunt and about 0.4–0.5 times as long as the length of remainder of apex. Metatarsomere 2 with sparse setae, medial setae shorter than the length of tarsomere; metatarsomere 4 with distal inner setae slightly wider than other tarsomere setae; each metatarsal claw abruptly deflected, outer tooth about 1.4 times longer than and as wide as the inner tooth.

Female ( Fig. 4 F−G). Body length: 14.1 mm; Body maximum width (at half of elytra): 7.4 mm. Color: Reddish brown almost black, pronotum anterior and lateral areas light. Setae yellowish white, disc of pronotum with setae dark brown. Head: Small and pronotum about 2.2 times wider than head, eyes small and head about 1.4 times wider than the minor interocular distance, frontoclypeal suture sinuous. Clypeus trapezoid, as punctate as frons, anterior angles obtuse and deflected. Antenna with nine antennomeres, antennal club about 2.5 times longer than wide. Pronotum: Lateral angles distinct. Surface mainly punctate and setose, laterals of posterior area without punctures or setae, with a longitudinal impunctate line medially; setae thin, short; punctures well delimited and coarse. Scutellum : setose, without a longitudinal impunctate line. Elytra: Striae distinct, lateral margin with proximal area beaded and distal area not beaded. Disc smooth, with coarse punctures and short, thin, inconspicuous setae. Distal margin with thin setae, length of setae about 2.0 times longer than the distance between related punctures. Ventrites: Ventrite VI ( Fig. 4G ) rounded in lateral view and with a posterior tubercle. Propygidium : Punctate as disc of pygidium. Pygidium: Parabolic, as wide as long or almost so, surface punctate and setose; setae thin, short; punctures barely defined and coarse. Legs: Each protarsal claw abruptly deflected, outer tooth about 1.4 times longer than and 0.8 as wide as the inner tooth. Metafemur about 1.6 times longer than the width at middle; metatibia ( Fig. 4G ) about 1.6 times as long as the width at apex; metatarsus sparsely setose; each metatarsal claw abruptly deflected, outer tooth about 1.5 times longer than and as wide as the inner tooth.

Distribution. This species is known in Colombia from the departments of Amazonas (new departmental record) and Meta ( Fig. 5A–B ), and French Guiana ( Frey 1972).

Taxonomic remarks. Dicrania laevipennis is the only species of the D. castaneipennis species group with protarsomere 2 wider than long.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dicrania diagnostic morphological characters. A, Dicrania laevipennis Moser, 1921 male, head and pronotum in dorsal view; B, D. chimu new species male paratype, scutellum in dorsal view; C, D. laevipennis male, protibia; D, D. laevipennis male, metacoxa in dorsal view; E, D. chimu male paratype, metafemora in ventral view; F, D. chimu male paratype, lateral internal view of metatarsomeres 4–5.

FIGURE 4. Dicrania laevipennis Moser, 1921. A, Male from Colombia, dorsal view; B, male from Colombia, lateral view; C, male from Colombia, ventral view; D, male from Colombia, aedeagus in lateral view; E, male from Colombia, aedeagus in distal view; F, female from French Guiana, dorsal view; G, female from French Guiana, lateral view.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the Dicrania species from Colombia. A, Colombia; B, known distribution of Dicrania laevipennis Moser, 1921.