Symmela terezae Pacheco, Wipfler, Monné and Ahrens, 2022

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 : 688-691

Symmela terezae Pacheco, Wipfler, Monné and Ahrens sp. nov.

( Figures 27 , 29 (d), 31(k))

Type material examined

Holotype. ♂ ‘Poconé – Mt. 15-XII-1990 Noraney Almeida UFMT/ 37 Neotropical Sericini spec.’ ( CEMT) . Paratype: 1 ♂ ‘UFMT Cuiaba Mt. 29-X-1994 Alessandro Montoro’ ( ZFMK) .

Description

Length: 4.5 mm. Elytral length: 2.5 mm. Width: 2.2 mm. Head blackish brown, shiny and iridescent, with erect dense setae. Labroclypeus as wide as frons, subtrapezoidal; surface flat; plain, without an anterior concavity on each side; anterior margin straight, strongly reflexed, with a rim of setae behind anterior margin; lateral margin concavely incised behind anterior margin; punctation of surface posteriorly sparse; 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, yellowish, straight; width of antennal lamella equal to width of antennomeres of funiculus; apical lamella subequal to basal and median ones; length ratio of antennal club vs remaining antennomeres combined: 1/1.5; length ratio of third vs fourth antennomere: 1/2; fourth antennomere without lateral projection; length ratio of fifth vs fourth antennomere: 2/1 Labrum anteriorly without blunt processes. Setae on mentum moderately dense.

Head and pronotum without copper iridescent shine. Pronotum unicoloured, iridescent, blackish brown; widest before 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 strongly convex, behind anterior angles convex, posteriorly weakly convex; setae of lateral margin sparse; basal margin evenly curved; transverse impression beside basal margin present only laterally; anterior angles produced, sharply pointed; antero-lateral and postero-lateral angles not flattened dorsoventrally; posterior angles strongly rounded and nearly obsolete; surface without median longitudinal impression, transversal furrows or setae; punctation on disc dense, simple and fine, without well-defined impunctate areas. Scutellum without punctures.

Elytra unicoloured, blackish brown; surface iridescent, without setae and microsculpture; striae and intervals distinct; punctation between striae sparse, diameter of punctures compared to those of striae smaller; 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 of same 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 strongly convex.

Legs blackish and yellow. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.44. Metacoxa entirely plain, without elevated lateral longitudinal carina; without longer lateral bristles, with setae on basal surface, posterior margin glabrous. Metafemur with posterior margin straight. Metatibia widest at middle; ratio of width/length: 1/2.67; 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 glabrous; medial face glabrous. Protibia with one tooth. External teeth of protibia indistinct; spur straight. First protarsomere straight, its length subequal to second and third combined; width ratio of first protarsomere vs second protarsomere: ca. 1/2; second protarsomere enlarged; third and fourth protarsomere elongate and narrow (distinctly longer than wide); fifth protarsomere circular in cross section, as long as 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 27 (c,d).

Female unknown.

Variation

Length: 4.4–4.5 mm. Elytral length: 2.5–2.6 mm. Width: 2.2–2.3 mm. Elytra in paratype shortly behind middle with a yellow median spot.

Diagnosis

Symmela terezae sp. nov. differs from all other Symmela species by the protibia in the male having only one lateral tooth, and the strongly reflexed but subtrapezoidal labroclypeus; furthermore, the parameres possess a lateral tooth.

Etymology

This species is named after Tereza Augusta de Oliveira Lara (in memoriam), grandmother of the first author (TLP) (noun in genitive case).

Figures

Figure 27. Symmela terezae 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 29. Distribution map of the Symmela species.