Termitodius chaki Reyes-Castillo and Martínez

Skelley, Paul E., Clavijo-Bustos, Julian & Keller, Oliver, 2022, Extinct or extant? A new species of Termitodius Wasmann, 1894, (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini) with a short review of the genus, Insecta Mundi 2022 (915), pp. 1-14 : 5

Termitodius chaki Reyes-Castillo and Martínez

Figures 5–6

Termitodius chaki Reyes-Castillo and Martínez 1979: 125–128 ( Mexico) . Chalumeau 1981: 13, 16; Dellacasa 1988: 34, 267, 426; Dellacasa 1989: 301; Galante et al. 2003: 309; Howden 2003: 393; Skelley 2007: 8.

Diagnosis. A species of Termitodius with the pronotal paramedian costa having the anterior lobe elongate in dorsal view and anteriorly sloping in lateral view ( Fig. 5–6 ), posterior part of discolateral pronotal costa absent medially, elytra intercostal areas entirely with transverse wrinkles, the nearly globe-like caudal bulbs on the elytra, and in distribution ( Mexico and Guatemala).

Type. Holotype male and allotype female: “ México: Lacanjá-Chansayab, Selva Lacandona , Chiapas, 25-I-1977, P. Reyes, col., in nido de Coptotermes af. testaceus (Lin.) , selva alta perennefolia, alt. 350m. ” Reyes-Castillo and Martínez (1979) state the holotype is deposited in the collection of P. Reyes, now deposited in IEXA (not examined).

Materials examined. MEXICO: Chiapas: Lacania-Chansayab, 28-I-1977, P. Reyes-C. Col. selva alta perennifolia, alt. 350 m, en Hormiguero de Coptotermes (6 paratypes CMNC from Howden and Martínez collections; 1 paratype CEMT; 1 paratype FSCA) . GUATEMALA: Suchitepéquez: Patulul, Los Tarrales Private Reserve ; 1000m; 14°31.942′, −91°08.799′; w/termites under bark; 8.VII.2009; M.J. Paulsen (1 UNSM) .

Distribution. Termitodius chaki is distributed in the Mexican transition zone at the Chiapas Highlands province, and in the Veracruzan province of the Mesoamerican dominion of the Brazilian subregion ( Fig. 33 ).

Comments. “ Termitodius chaki R&M” illustrated in Galante et al. (2003) is not a Termitodius , it is a new species of Nanotermitodius Howden, 2003 , that is currently being described. This Oaxacan record needs to be removed.

Figures

Figure 33. Distribution of Termitodius species.

Figures 1–10. Termitodius species dorsal habitus and lateral pronotum. 1–2) T. coronatus, cotype. 3–4) T. araujoi. 5–6) T. chaki, paratype. 7–8) T. woodruffi, copal paratype. 9–10) T. woodruffi, holotype.