Phyllophaga (s.str.) collaroides, Moron, Lugo-Garcia & Aragon-Garcia, 2015

Morón, Miguel Ángel, Lugo-García, Gabriel A. & Aragón-García, Agustín, 2015, Five new species of Phyllophaga (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) of northwestern Mexico, Florida Entomologist 98 (4), pp. 1036-1043 : 1041-1043

Phyllophaga (s.str.) collaroides sp. nov. (Figs. 21–22, 33–37)

MALE HOLOTYPE

Total body length 15.6 mm, humeral width 5.8 mm. Head and pronotum glossy reddish brown, elytra glossy pale brownish yellow (Figs. 21–22). Clypeus wider than long (3.4:1.0), anterior border deeply sinuate medially, with margin raised, surface slightly convex, with scarce punctures and scattered long setae. Frons wider than long (2:1), convex, rugo-punctate, with scattered erect setae, 3.7× wider than 1 eye diameter. Canthus with 11 setae. Vertex rounded. Occipital area with scattered small punctures toward sides. Antenna 10-segmented; club 1.4× longer than preceding 6 segments combined.

Pronotum wider than long (2:1) and 2.0× wider than frons, 1.3× wider than head including eyes. Pronotal disc glabrous, with small, shallow punctures irregularly distributed on disc, but less dense laterally and basally; lateral margins obtusely angled, widest at middle, lateral marginal bead with small crenulations and long setae; anterior marginal bead with some setae at sides; anterior angles obtuse, scarcely prominent; posterior angles widely obtuse, rounded. Scutellum 1.4× wider than long, with 18 shallow, minute punctures. Elytron 2.5× longer than wide, disc glabrous, glossy, shallow and irregularly punctate, with striae vaguely indicated. Epipleural border with many short setae.

Propygidium densely covered with short yellow setae. Pygidium convex (Fig. 21), glossy, with sparse short setae throughout; apical margin widely rounded, with 10 short setae. Pterosternum with long, abundant yellowish setae. Second to fifh abdominal sternites convex, with many short setae; posterior border of 5th sternite slightly depressed; anal plate large, shallowly excavated, finely rugo-punctate with some erect setae, posterior margin widely curved, clearly notched at middle, with few short setae. Protibia as long as protarsus (1:1). Metatibia shorter than metatarsus (1.0:1.1). Tarsal claws with large tooth at middle of ventral border (Fig. 33).

Parameres symmetrical, long, fused dorsally, strongly curved downward with large tooth-like projection on the middle of distal surface; phallobase long, convex; sclerotized support of aedeagus widened apically and curved upward, and with sclerotized accessories on the dorsum of pre-apical membranous sac (Figs. 34–36). Length of genital capsule from the apex of parameres to the border of basal piece 5.0 mm.

FEMALE ALLOTYPE

Similar to male,except:Body length 19.0 mm.Humeral width 7.4 mm. Antennal club 0.9× longer than the preceding 5 segments combined. Sternites with dense vestiture of short setae. Anal plate convex,with posterior border widely projecting.Surface of pygidial disc punctate,with abundant erect setae; strongly prominent pre-apically, rounded. Ventral genital plates convex, glabrous, not fused, with inner border sinuate.Dorsal genital plates fused,sclerotized,with 2 longitudinal keels along midline, apical border widely rounded with few scattered setae (Fig. 37).

VARIATION

Male: The only other male examined has a body length of 17.3 mm and humeral width of 6.6 mm. Dorsal color slightly darker than holotype. Punctation of head is slightly denser, and vestiture of pronotum and abdomen is longer than in holotype.

Female: The second female examined has a body length of 19.3 mm and humeral width of 7.5 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL

HOLOTYPE: male — MEXICO: Sinaloa, Choix, Los Tascates , 09-VII-2009, 1,488 m, Adilene ( IEXA) . ALLOTYPE: female —same data as holotype except 20-VII-2009, Graciela ( IEXA) . PARATYPES: 1 female —same data as holotype except Graciela ( MXAL) . 1 male — MEXICO: Chihuahua, Morelos, Los Tascates , 09-VII-2009, 1,488 m, G. A. Lugo ( MXAL) .

TYPE LOCALITY

Los Tascates , Choix, Sinaloa, Mexico (26°38'45.4"N, 107°51'8.8"W) .

BIOLOGICAL DATA

Specimens of P. collaroides were collected in a pine–oak forest at 1,488 m elevation using a black-light trap and white-fluorescent–light trap in Jul (4 specimens). Other species of Phyllophaga flying at the same time and place were P. (Phytalus) obsoleta (Blanchard) , P. (Phyllophaga) ravida (Blanchard) , P. (P.) vetula (Horn) , P. (P.) opaca (Moser) , P. (P.) setifera (Burmeister) , P. (L.) reyesolivasi sp. nov., and P. (Listrochelus) tascatensis sp. nov.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS

Phyllophaga collaroides is part of the “blanchardi” species group (sensu Morón 1986). This group is one of the largest and most complex within the subgenus Phyllophaga (s.str.), with some undescribed Mexican species and subspecies, and frequently represented by large numbers in light-trap samples. The group is currently under study by the senior author. Phyllophaga collaroides looks quite different from P. collaris (Moser) externally, but the form of parameres of the 2 species is very similar. Shape of the clypeus, proportions of the antennomeres, form of the tarsal claws, and punctation of the elytra are similar between the two, but in P. collaris body size is much smaller (10.5–11.5 mm); the abdominal sternites have few setae; the pygidial surface is glabrous and coarsely rugose; the male anal plate is moderately expanded; and the female pygidium is uniformly convex. In P. collaroides body size is larger (15.5–17.3 mm); the abdominal sternites are covered with many short setae; the pygidial surface is densely punctate and setiferous; the male anal plate is widely expanded; and the female pygidium has a large pre-apical prominence.

ETYMOLOGY

The Latinized name of the new species references the genital similarity between it and Phyllophaga collaris (Moser) .