Termitodius araujoi 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 araujoi Reyes-Castillo and Martínez

Figures 3–4 , 18–19

Termitodius araujoi Reyes-Castillo and Martínez 1979: 120–125 ( Mexico) . Chalumeau 1981: 13; Dellacasa 1988: 28, 267, 426; Dellacasa 1989: 301; 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. 3–4 ), posterior part of discolateral pronotal costa weak medially (absent in some), elytra intercostal areas basally with transverse wrinkles and glossy toward apex, the nearly globe-like caudal bulbs on the elytra, and in distribution ( Mexico). Male genitalia ( Fig. 18–19 ) similar to that of T. woodruffi .

Type. Holotype male and allotype female: “ México: Palenque , Chiapas, 24-IV-1968, P.Reyes, col., in nido de Coptotermes crassus Snyder , selva alta perennifolia.” Reyes-Castillo and Martínez (1979) state the holotype is deposited in the collection of P. Reyes, now deposited in IEXA (not examined) . Allotype missing (pers. comm. Eder Mora).

Materials examined. MEXICO: Chiapas: Palenque, 24-IV-68, P. Reyes-leg, coll. Martinez, Selva Alta Perennifolia, en Termitodero de Coptotermes crassus (5 paratypes CMNC from Howden and Martínez collections) ; Palenque , 24-IV-1968, P. Reyes-C., selva tropical lluviosa, alt. 200 m., en termitero (3 FSCA) ; Palenque , 25-IV- 1968, P. Reyes-C., tropical rain forest (5 FSCA, with a vial containing larvae, pupae, and host termite in alcohol) . Veracruz: Lake Catemaco , Dos Amantes, 27-X- 1967, 300m, P. Reyes-C., termite galleries (16 FSCA). The adults and larvae in alcohol at the FSCA were sent to R. E. Woodruff by P. O. Ritcher and are likely the specimens referenced by Reyes-Castillo and Martínez (1979) .

Distribution. Termitodius araujoi is distributed in the province of Veracruz, in the Mesoamerican dominion of the Brazilian subregion ( Fig. 33 ).

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.

Figures 17–25. Images of Termitodius and host. 17) T. woodruffi, paratype, cut open in copal processing, note genitalia inside body (arrow). After photographing, genitalia removed for study.18–19) T. araujoi male genitalia, caudal and lateral view. 20–21) T. woodruffi male genitalia of paratype in Fig. 17, caudal and lateral view. 22) T. woodruffi with worker host termite.23) Soldier termite with T. woodruffi. 24–25) T. woodruffi, individual paratypes.