Symmela flavimana ( Gory, 1832 )

Pacheco, Thaynara L., Wipfler, Benedict, Monné, Marcela L. & Ahrens, Dirk, 2022, The genus Symmela Erichson, 1835 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini): taxonomy and phylogenetic analysis, Journal of Natural History 56 (9 - 12), pp. 607-705 : 639-641

Symmela flavimana ( Gory, 1832)

( Figures 9 , 30 (i))

Serica flavimana Gory, 1832 : Plate 24 bis, Figure 11 (image, original description); Gory, 1844: 98 (text, description)

Symmela instabilis flavimana: Burmeister 1855: 133 (revision); Harold 1869: 1126 (checklist); Evans 2003: 11, 48 (checklist); Evans 2003: 11, 48; Evans and Smith 2005: 30, 2007: 30, 2009: 31 (checklist)

Symmela instabilis flavimargo [sic]: Frey 1973: 321 (key)

Type material examined

Lectotype (here designated). ♂ ‘ flavimana Gory Brésil / Mus. Paris/ instabilis v. flavimana Gory det. G. Frey, 1972’ ( MNHN).

Redescription

Length: 7.1 mm. Elytral length: 4.1 mm. Width: 4 mm. Head black and yellow, iridescent, with erect, sparse setae. Labroclypeus as wide as frons, subtrapezoidal; surface convex; plain, without an anterior concavity on each side;anterior margin straight,not elevated, with a rim of dense, short setae behind anterior margin; lateral margin not incised anteriorly; punctation of surface posteriorly dense; suture between labrum and clypeus invisible. Smooth area in front of eye distinctly separated from frons by a suture. Frons anteriorly flat, punctation irregular, dense. Ocular canthus with terminal setae, ratio of length of ocular canthus/eye diameter: 1/3. Eyes evenly spherical, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.54. Antenna with eight antennomeres. Antennal club with three antennomeres, blackish, straight; width of antennal lamella much narrower than width of antennomeres of funiculus; apical lamella distinctly shorter than basal one; length ratio of antennal club vs remaining antennomeres combined: 1/1; length ratio of third vs fourth antennomere: 1/3; fourth antennomere without lateral projection; length ratio of fifth vs fourth antennomere: 1/5. Labrum anteriorly bluntly angled on each side, concave at middle. Setae on mentum moderately dense.

Head and pronotum with copper iridescent shine. Pronotum unicoloured, iridescent, black; widest at base, width subequal to width of elytral base at humerus; anterior marginal line not interrupted medially, posterior marginal line absent; lateral margin not serrated, generally bent at middle, otherwise straight, behind anterior angles straight, posteriorly straight; setae of lateral margin sparse; basal margin evenly curved; transverse impression beside basal margin absent; anterior angles not produced, blunt; antero-lateral and posterolateral angles not flattened dorso-ventrally; posterior angles blunt; surface with median longitudinal impression present over entire length of pronotum, two longitudinal and two posterior furrows on each side, punctation on disc moderately dense, simple and fine, without well-defined impunctate areas. Scutellum without punctures.

Elytra unicoloured, black; surface iridescent, without setae and microsculpture; striae and intervals distinct; punctation between striae absent; intervals flat; posterior edge convex; apical margin chitinous, without microtrichomes.

Abdomen: sternites flat in sagittal plane; lateral carina absent; first visible ventrite with row of setae on posterior edge; second visible ventrite with row of setae in medial region; basal ventrites medially with half length as laterally; ultimate and penultimate apical ventrites simple and flat; apical ventrite short (as long as preceding ventrite); penultimate apical ventrite with row of setae like preceding one; beside the robust row of setae, almost glabrous. Pygidium weakly convex.

Legs blackish and yellow. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.49. Metacoxa entirely plain, without elevated lateral longitudinal carina; with longer lateral bristles, setae on basal surface present, posterior margin glabrous. Metafemur with posterior margin straight. Metatibia widest at apex; ratio of width/length: 1/3.9; dorsal margin not carinated, smooth; interior surface more or less glabrous; median longitudinal punctation present on interior surface;interior margin of apex sharply and deeply truncate towards ventral margin; punctation on entire lateral face present; beside dorsal margin without a row of robust setae along entire length; basal group of spines reduced to a single robust spine; distal groups of spines disposed at two-thirds of metatibia length; ventral margin not serrated. Dorsal surface of tarsi glabrous, with dense punctures. Length ratio of dorsal tibial spur/first metatarsomere: 1/2. Metatarsi at apex weakly widened; first tarsomere straight, its length subequal to second and third tarsomeres combined; laterally not carinate; ventral margin serrated; ventral margin setose, ventral setae standing in a narrow line, fine, short; medial face glabrous. Protibia with two indistinct teeth; spur straight. First protarsomere curved, a little longer than second; width ratio of first protarsomere vs second protarsomere: 1.5/ 1; second protarsomere enlarged; third and fourth protarsomere elongate and narrow (distinctly longer than wide); fifth protarsomere circular in cross section, a little shorter than third and fourth protarsomere combined. Protarsal claws asymmetrical, shape of inner protarsal claw bifid, apex of basal tooth of inner protarsal claw convex.

Aedeagus: Figure 9 (d,e).

Female unknown.

Remarks

Source for the dating of the publication of Gory’s name is Gaedike et al. (2012), and Horn and Schenkling (1928–1929), referring to Cowan (1971) (http://sdei.senckenberg.de/ index/index.php).

The type specimen of Gory was located within mixed material at the Frey collection (!), found after we had searched a long time in Paris. This specimen is actually labelled with ‘Mus. Paris’, the typical label of collection provenience which many syntypes loaned by Frey bear (many from Berlin too!) which, however, were never returned to their original collections after his death. We communicated this fact to the respective curators in order that the types will be transferred again to their original place of preservation.

Figures

Figure 9. Symmela flavimana Gory,1832, lectotype ♂. (a) Habitus,dorsal view; (b) habitus,lateral view; (c) labels; (d) aedeagus,lateral view; (e) parameres, dorsal view. Scale bars: a, b = 1 mm; d, e = 0.5 mm.

Figure 11. Symmela guerlini sp. nov., holotype ♂. (a) Habitus, dorsal view; (b) habitus, lateral view; (c) parameres, dorsal view; (d) aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bars: a, b = 1 mm; c, d = 0.5 mm.

Figure 30. Heads of Symmela species. (a) S. beskei sp. nov.; (b) S. brasiliensis; (c) S. capixaba sp. nov.; (d) S. clarki sp. nov.; (e) S. clypeata; (f) S. corumbana; (g) S. elegans; (h) S. erichsoni sp. nov.; (i) S. flavimana; (j) S. fuhrmanni sp. nov.; (k) S. guerlini sp. nov.; (l) S. iannuzziae sp. nov.; (m) S. instabilis; (n) S. jatahyensis; (o) S. longula. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.