Quititinus sulcipennis ( Westwood, 1874 ), 2025

Rodrigues, Diego F., Grossi, Paschoal C. & Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z., 2025, Taxonomic revision of Cremastocheilini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) from South America and an updated key for the genera of the New World, Journal of Natural History 59 (17 - 20), pp. 1063-1125 : 1115-1118

Quititinus sulcipennis ( Westwood, 1874) comb. n.

( Figures 29 , 30 )

Genuchinus sulcipennis Westwood, 1874, p. 24 (original combination) Taxonomic history

Westwood 1874, p. 56 (original description). – Schenkling 1921: 377 (catalogue). – Blackwelder 1944: 265 (catalogue). – Krikken 1981: 411 (taxonomic review). – Krajčik 1999: 42 (catalogue). – Carvajal et al. 2011: 297 (catalogue). – Di Iorio 2013 (catalogue, appendix). – Schoolmeesters 2024 (catalogue).

Diagnosis

Quititinus sulcipennis is recognised by the following combination of characters: Frons has two longitudinal whitish velutinous lines on its surface. Pronotum has a more prominent callus on the posterior margin ( Figure 29 (C)). Pronotum also features two parallel whitish velutinous lines centrally, parallel to a central groove, and macules of whitish velutinous spots on the lateral and posterior margins, which may not be continous laterally. Elytra surface is regular, flat centrally with ocellate punctures that lack elevated delimitation, and ocellate-punctate laterally, without setae ( Figure 29 (A, E)).

Rescription

Female. Size: length: 8.5– 6.7 mm; width: 3.8– 2.7 mm. Colour: Body dorsally and ventrally glossy black, with sparse whitish velutinous spots on the surface ( Figure 29 (A–B)); legs occasionally reddish brown ( Figure 29 (D)); palps and antennomeres brownish. Eyes black or brown. Pronotum: Anterior margin slightly convex centrally between two concavities; posterior margin convex; lateral margin rounded, wider anteriorly, wider centrally, and narrow posteriorly, forming a callus at the angle connecting to the posterior margin ( Figure 29 (C)). Two lines of whitish velutinous present centrally, parallel to central groove, and macules of whitish velutinous on lateral and posterior margins of pronotum ( Figure 29 (C)). Fine, dispersed punctures, more concentrated in the central sulcus. Elytra: Disc elongate and evenly rounded, with one short anteapical umbone in each elytron and a shallow posthumeral emargination. Surface flat centrally, with ocellate punctures without elevated delimitation, and ocellate-punctate laterally ( Figure 29 (A, E)), without setae. Velutinous spots arranged on each elytron, inclunding marks surrounding the humeral tubercle, the anteapical umbone, a median spot close to the elytral suture, and another in the distomarginal region. Thoracic venter: Mesepimeron: Rugose, barely visible dorsally, with whitish velutinous spots. Metaventrite: Slightly punctate centrally, with a whitish velutinous surface latereally and ocellate-punctatures on the sides. Legs: Mesotibia shorter than metatibia, both dorsally flattened; ventral surface with striations forming cells, and punctures, with some setae. Abdomen: Ventrites ocellate-punctate and slightly puntate with setae. The fifth ventrite concave anteriorly, virtually sunken. Elevation around the spiracle of the last tergite always visible. The surface is almost completly covered in whitish velutinous. Pygidium: Convex, variably covered by whitish velutinous; ocellate-punctate, with sparse setae.

Morphological variation

Frons with two longitudinal whitish velutinous lines on its surface. Pronotum with two whitish velutinous lines in the centre, parallel to a central groove, with whitish velutinous macules on the lateral and posterior margins, may not be continuous laterally. Presence of marks may vary.

Geographical distribution

Quititinus sulcipennis is known from Amazon Forest in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, in the biogeographical province of Madeira, and Ucayali ( Figure 30 ).

Natural history

Collected by tapping in understory plant.

Remarks

We suspect that the specimen from Peru represents a new species, but since it is only a female, we will retain it as Quititinus sulcipennis for now. The specimen exhibits some size variations, with the specimen from Peru being smaller. This is reflected in slight differences in the pronotum and spot patterns, which is somewhat similar to some specimens of Genuchinus nevermanni Schauer, 1935 , a species that should probably be classified in Quititinus gen. n., but it does not occur in South America.

Type specimens examined (n = 1)

Holotype: ( Figure 31 (H, K)) Labels [1: handwritten text on pink label] ‘ G. sulcipennis West. Ecuador Buckley’./[2: handwritten text on white label] ‘ Genuchinus sulcipennis’/[3: printed text on red label] ‘Type SP’./[4: printed text on red label] ‘TYPE’/[5: printed text on white label with black margin] ‘Ex.Musae Parry’/[6: printed text on white label] ‘MUSÉUM PARIS 1952 COLL R OBERTHÜR’/[7: handwritten text on white label] ‘? 37 photo’ (1 at MNHN).

Non-type specimens examined (n = 2)

BRAZIL (1): Amazonas, Jurua, Mineruazinho, 03°34 ʹ 85”S/ 66°59 ʹ 15”W, 18/01/1996 P . Buhrnheim, N.O. Aguiar et al. col . Coletado por batiÇão em planta de sub-bosque [Collected by tapping an understory plant]. ( 1 ♀ CERPE 0000002 ) . PERU (1): Huánuco: Leoncio Prado: Tingo Maria , 6 .ii .1984, W.E. Clark ( 1 ♀ CMNC) .

Figures

Figure 29. Quititinus sulcipennis (Westwood, 1874) comb. n. Female at CMN (Peru, Huánuco, Leoncio Prado, Tingo Maria). (A) Habitus, dorsal view. (B) Habitus, ventral view. (C) Pronotum, dorsal view. (D) Protibia, dorsal view. (E) Habitus, dorsolateral view. (F) Habitus, lateral view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 30. Geographical distribution map of Quititinus parvulus (Krikken, 1981) comb. n. and Quititinus sulcippenis (Westwood, 1874) comb. n. ‘?’ indicates the exact locality is not known.

Figure 31. (A) Habitus of holotype of Cyclidinus velutinus Westwood, 1874 at MNHN. (B) Habitus and labels of holotype of Cyclidinus lugubris Westwood, 1874 at MNHN. (C) Habitus of holotype of Genuchinus muzo Krikken, 1981 at MNHN. (D) Labels of holotype of Cyclidinus velutinus. (E) Labels of holotype of Genuchinus muzo. (F) Habitus of holotype of Genuchinus parvulus Krikken, 1881 at RMNH. (G) Habitus of holotype of Genuchinus Moroni Martínez, 1992 at MACN. (H) Habitus of holotype of Genuchinus sulcipennis Westwood, 1874 at MNHN. (I) Labels of holotype of Genuchinus parvulus. (J) Labels of holotype of Genuchinus moroni. (K) Labels of holotype of Genuchinus sulcipennis.