Byrsopolis quadraticeps Blanchard, 1851

Medeiros, Rone A. F., Seidel, Matthias & Grossi, Paschoal C., 2022, Revision of the genus Byrsopolis Burmeister, 1844 (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), with the description of six new species endemic to Brazil and Paraguay, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 56 (29 - 32), pp. 1315-1364 : 1326-1329

Byrsopolis quadraticeps Blanchard, 1851 ( Figures 3 (a–e), 7(a–g))

Byrsopolis quadraticeps Blanchard 1851: 219 (original description); Lacordaire 1856: 364; Castelnau and Lucas 1857: 130 (distribution and illustration); Gemminger and Harold 1869: 1226 (checklist); Machatschke 1972: 3 (catalogue); Krajcik 2008: 58 (checklist); Carvalho and Grossi 2018: 372 (checklist, distribution); Menis and Rodrigues 2021: 3, 5 (citation); Vaz-de-Mello and Grossi 2022 (online catalogue).

Cotalpa (Byrsopolis) quadraticeps ( Blanchard, 1851) : 219; Ohaus 1918: 10 (catalogue, distribution); Ohaus 1934: 38 (citation, checklist); Blackwelder 1944: 235 (checklist).

Type locality. Brazil, Minas Gerais.

Type material. Holotype male, here designated. (a) ‘MUSEUM PARIS/OEST CAPIT e/DES MINES’, (b) ‘OUEST DE/LA CAPITE DES MINES [handwritten]’, (c) ‘ Byrsopolis / quadraticeps, Bl. [handwritten]’, (d) B. quadraticeps /Cat. Mus/Brésil./M. Aug. Saint-Hilaire [handwritten]’, (e) HOLOTYPE [red label]’, (f) ‘MNHN/EC1804’ (1♂ MNHN, specimen examined through images by A. Mantilleri; MNHN-EC-EC1804 , MNHN 2016) ( Figure 3 (a-e)).

Additional material. [59 specimens] Brazil, Minas Gerais. ‘ BRASIL: Minas Gerais. Buritis / Farm Querência . 03-xii-2012./ Light. C. M Oliveira’ (9♂ CEMT, 8♂ CERPE); ‘ IJACI , MG/ 15/X/ 03 / T. BERNARDO Col’ (1♂ CEMT). Mato Grosso. ‘ Rondonópolis /Mato Grosso/10.62’ (1♂ CMN); ‘ UNIVAG / Cuiabá – MT/ 13/10/2012 /Ana’ (1♂ CEMT); ‘ UNIVAG / V. Grande MT –/ 23/10/ 2004 / Pereira, Lucimar’ (1♂ CERPE); ‘ UNIVAG / Várzea Grande /MT/15/10.2004/ Vilma’ (1♂ CEMT); same, except ‘MT – V. Grande / 16.X.2004 / Danny Rotilli’ (1♂ CERPE). Goiás. ‘C. GOYAZ/ L. Bulhões / R. Spitz S. \ 10.xi.35 /a ♂ ’ // ‘ Ohaus determ’ (1♂ ZMHB); ‘ LEOPOLDO BULHOES / Est. Goyaz Dez. 37 / Dr. Nick’ (1♂ MNRJ); same (1♂ MNRJ); ‘ Brasil, Goiás, Cristalina,/ Fazenda Larga Grande /( Sorgatto ), 03–08.xi.2016,/ Luz, N.C.M. Souza leg’ (2♂ CERPE); ‘ LEOPOLDO/BULHOES /Est de Goias/(Brasil)/DIRINGS\XII. Dr. Nick’ (2♂ MZUSP); ‘ Leopoldo Bulhões / Goiaz /12.937’ // ‘Coll. J. Guerin’ (1♂ IBSP); ‘ Brazil, Goias, Cristalina / xi.1989 /unknown collector’ // ‘Coll. Matthias/Seidel 2016’ // ‘ Byrsopolis quadraticeps / Blanchard, 1851 /det. M. Seidel 2017’ // ‘WORLD/SCARAB./DATABASE/[ WSD00347498 - WSD00347499 ]’ (2♂ MSPC); same, except ‘WORLD/SCARAB./DATABASE/WSD00347500’ // ‘ ZMH 833674 ’ (1♂ ZMH). São Paulo. ‘Bresilien/Prov. S. Paulo/ Campinas / Alwine Braatz V’ (3♂ ZMHB); ‘ Pr. S. Paulo /Bras’. // ‘ ♂ ’ // ‘ Byrsopolis Bl. /quadraticeps/m.d. Type vergt./Paris 5. VII.1911 [handwritten by Ohaus]’ (1♂ ZMHB); ‘ Campinas /San Paulo/Bresilien’ // ‘quadraticeps Blanch’ (1♂ ZMHB); ‘ Bresilien /SanPaulo’ // ‘ Byrsopolis /quadraticeps Blanch’ (1♂ ZMHB); ‘ Pr. S. Paulo /Brasil’ // ‘ Byrsopolis quadraticeps /Blanch’ (1♂ ZMHB); ‘ Campin. [handwritten]’ // ‘ Byrsopolis /crassa Blch/?? Mey. [handwritten]’ // ‘ Byrsopolis /quadraticeps Blanch’ (1♂ ZMHB); ‘ Oct. 943/ Sao Paulo /P. Epitacio/Zellibor-leg/Coll. Martinez’ (1♂ CMN); ‘ Dic. 937/ Sao Paulo / Campinas /R. Spitz-leg./Coll. Martinez [handwritten]’ (1♂ CMN); ‘ Brasil _ SP Lins/ Faz Sta Clara / 19-IX-1981 / Luiz Evandro /Col: Solo’ (1♂ CEMT). Distrito Federal. ‘ Brasília DF/ Brasil XII 93 ’ // ‘ E. & P. Grossi /legs [handwritten]’ (2♂ EPGC); ‘Brasil: Distrito Federal / Planaltina . Embrapa Cerrados ./Área Agrícola. 15°36 ʹ 54’S / 47° 42 ʹ 51”W. 18-XI-2005./ Light / C. Oliveira’ (1♂ CERPE); same, except ‘ Fragmento Cerrado 15°36 ʹ 20’/S 47°42 ʹ 26”W. 18-xi-2005./ Light. C. Oliveira’ (1♂ CEMT); same, except ‘ Planaltina./ Embrapa Cerrados . Área Agrícola . 15°36’/20’S 47°42 ʹ 26”W’. (1♂ CEMT); same, except ‘ Planaltina ./ Embrapa Cerrados . Área Agrícola . 15°35 ʹ 54’S/47°42 ʹ 26”W. 18-xi-2005. Light./ C. Oliveira’ (1♂ CEMT); ‘ DF. PNB/ Cerrado / 11.ii.15 / pitfall / Marina Regina Frizzas’ (1♂ CERPE); ‘ Brazil, Brasilia D. F. / xi.1992 /local collector’ // ‘Coll. Matthias/Seidel 2017’ // ‘ Byrsopolis /quadraticeps/Bl, 1851/det. M. Seidel 2017’ // ‘WORLD/SCARAB./DATABASE/ [ WSD00347501 - WSD00347502 ]’ (2♂ MSPC). Paraná. ‘ Curitiba./Paraná/12.936’ // ‘Coll. J. Guerin’ (1♂ IBSP); ‘ Brasil – Paraná – Londrina / 15-IV-2002 /Col. André Manfio Maia’ (1♂ CEMT). No collection data (2♂ CERPE, ♂ 2 CEMT).

Diagnosis. Body yellowish to yellowish brown, without metallic green reflections; clypeus subrectangular with rounded angles, apex moderately bilobed; antennal club about 2x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined; scutellar plate subtriangular, base subacute; elytral apex with right angles; elytra with indistinct striae, punctate, humeri weakly punctate; protibial spur about 4x longer than wide; parameres symmetrical, weakly convergent, moderately elongated, weakly angled internally, proximal margin bisinuate.

Redescription. Male. Body. Oval, elongated, sides rounded; yellowish to yellowish brown, without green reflections, marginal areas orange-brown to dark-brown ( Figures 3 (a-b), 7 (a-b)); clypeal border darker, reddish to dark red; frontoclypeal suture darker than frons, reddish. Length 20.40–25.40 mm. Humeral width 9.50–12.83 mm. Elytral width 11.05– 14.29 mm. Head. Clypeus about 1.60x wider than long, subrectangular, rounded angles, weakly to moderately bilobed ( Figure 7 (a)); surface moderately concave; frontoclypeal suture almost straight between curvilinear extremities, rounded apical corners; punctures small to moderate, moderately to densely punctate; setae moderate to large, moderate to densely distributed; length of frons subequal to clypeus (0.95x shorter than clypeus); punctures small to moderately large, moderate to densely punctate; microsetae in moderate punctures; mandibles with small and sparse punctures and setae near scissorial region ( Figure 7 (d)); galea with three equidistant teeth, equidistant, apical tooth longer and thicker than basal tooth, basal tooth longer and thicker than medial tooth, basal tooth with two long setae ( Figure 7 (e)); last maxillary palpomere with oblong sensorial area; apex of prementum weakly emarginate; last labial palpomere about 2x longer than palpomere II ( Figure 7 (f)); labrum strongly emarginate ( Figure 7 (g)); antennomere III subcylindrical, antennomere IV subquadrate, antennomeres V–VII subconical; antennal club about 2x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined. Thorax. Pronotum transverse, about 1.5x wider than long ( Figure 7 (a)); punctures small to moderately large, moderately to densely punctate, glabrous; marginal areas sparsely to moderately punctate, with sparse setae; longitudinal midline formed by absence of punctures; scutellar plate subtriangular, subacute, sides almost right, base moderately rounded, small to moderate setae, punctures small to moderately large, moderately to densely punctate. Elytra. About 1.10x longer than wide; elytral surface smooth, without striae; punctures small to moderately large, moderately to densely punctate ( Figures 3 (a), 3(a)); microsetae in moderate punctures; humeri weakly punctate; interstriae without coalescent punctures, moderately distributed. Legs. Protibial spur about 4x longer than wide; mesotibiae with two carinae; metatibiae with one carina. Aedeagus. Parameres moderately elongated; basal margin bisinuate; apex rounded, symmetrical, subparallel, weakly convergent, separated by a Ushaped gap; apex with weakly sinuous internal angles; paramere with lateral margins longitudinally excavated forming a moderate carina; weak longitudinal concavity near base ( Figures 3 (d,e), 3(c)).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Some specimens exhibit asymmetrical maxillae, lacking apical and basal teeth in one or both galea; labial palps with different colour, one darker than another; some specimens have dark brown or black spots on elytral surface.

Etymology. The species name quadraticeps is derived from Latin words quadrātus (= quadrate) and ceps (= head) reffering to the quadrate shape of the head.

Distribution. Minas Gerais (Buritis and Ijaci), Goiás (Leopoldo de Bulhões and Cristalina), Distrito Federal (Brasília and Planaltina), São Paulo (São Paulo, Campinas) and Paraná (Curitiba, Londrina) ( Figure 19 ).

Remarks. This species was described from Minas Gerais in the original description of Blanchard (1851); however, he did not specify the city where Saint-Hilaire collected the specimens used for the description. The type was possibly collected in Serra do Espinhaço, occurring in sympatry with Byrsopolis laticollis . Byrsopolis quadraticeps was at the time of its description the only species within the genus with a bilobed and size-reduced clypeus compared to the remaining species. In the present study a second species similar to B. quadraticeps is described as Byrsopolis angelootatii sp. nov. (see below). Additionally, the records for the states of Goiás, Distrito Federal, São Paulo and Paraná are new state records. According to label data, this species is found in the Midwest, Southeast and South regions. It occurs predominantly in the Cerrado biome and can be collected with the aid of light traps.

Figures

Figure 3. Byrsopolis quadraticeps Blanchard, holotype (MNHN-EC-EC1804), dorsal and lateral habitus (a–b); labels attached (c); aedeagus caudal and lateral view (d–e). Images from Antoine Mantilleri (MNHN). Scale bars: a, b = 5 mm; d, e = 2 mm.

Figure 7. Byrsopolis quadraticeps Blanchard, Minas Gerais, Buritis. Dorsal and lateral habitus (a–b); caudal view of aedeagus (c); dorsal view of left mandible (d); ventral view of left maxilla (e); ventral view of mentum (f); dorsal view of labrum (g). Scale bars: a, b = 5 mm; c–g = 1 mm.

Figure 19. Distribution map of Byrsopolis species.