Byrsopolis crassa 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 : 1323-1326

Byrsopolis crassa Blanchard, 1851 ( Figures 2 (a–e), 6(a–g))

Byrsopolis crassa Blanchard 1851: 219 (original description); Lacordaire 1856: 364 (citation); Castelnau and Lucas 1857: 130 (distribution, illustration); Gemminger and Harold 1869: 1226 (checklist); Heyne and Taschenberg 1908: 89 (diagnosis, distribution); Machatschke 1972: 3 (catalogue, distribution); Krajcik 2008: 58 (checklist); Carvalho and Grossi 2018: 372 (checklist, distribution); Vaz-de-Mello and Grossi 2022 (online catalogue).

Cotalpa (Byrsopolis) crassa ( Blanchard, 1851) : Ohaus 1915: 256 (note); 1918: 10 (catalogue, distribution); 1934: 37 (citation and checklist); Blackwelder 1944: 235 (checklist).

Type locality. Brazil, Mato Grosso, Cuiabá.

Type material

Holotype. (a) ‘6/47’ [handwritten], (b) ‘MUSEUM PARIS’, (c) ‘GOYAZ CUYABA/DE CASTELNAU 6–47’, (d) ‘ Byrsopolis /crassa, Bl’. [handwritten], (e) ‘ B. crassa /Cat. Mus./ Goyaz/M de Castelnau’ [handwritten], (f) ‘HOLOTYPE’ [red label], (g) ‘ MNHN /EC1803’ (1♂ specimen examined through images by A. Mantilleri; MNHN-EC-EC1803 , MNHN 2016 ) ( Figure 2 ).

Additional material. [37 specimens] Brazil, Minas Gerais. ‘Brasil, Minas Gerais,/ Cordisburgo, Faz. Pontinha / i.1999, F.Z. Vaz-de-Melo’ (1♂ CERPE, 1♂ CEMT); ‘ Brasil, Minas Gerais, São Gonçalo do Rio Preto , Pq./Est. Rio Preto , Mirante ,/ 22.ii.2011, luz, R.Oliveira &/ Ferreira legs’ (1♂ CERPE); ‘ Minas Gerais’ // ‘Ohaus determ./ Byrsopolis / crassa Bl. / Klein. ♂ ’ (1♂ NHM); ‘ Fazenda/SÃO CAETANO – MG/ VALÉRIA LUSTOSA / 10/12/2006 ’ (1♂ CEMT); ‘ Minas Geraes [sic, Gerais]/ Ouropreto / II2 Magalhaes\Gomes S.G’. // ‘ Byrsopolis / crassa Blanch. /m.d. Type vergl./Paris 5.VII.1911 [handwritten by Ohaus]’ (1♂ ZMHB). Mato Grosso. ‘M. Grosso/xi.946 [handwritten]’ // ‘ 02 17/61 ’ // ‘ Areoda banksi Lap. /det M.L. Jameson 1997’ (1♂ MNRJ); ‘ UFMT/MT – RONDONÓPOLIS / 15.I.1991 / VILMA C. ELLER [handwritten]’ // ‘CEMT’ (1♂ CERPE); ‘ Brasil, Mato Grosso, Cuiabá,/ Fazenda Mutuca , 1998–1999,/ Peres Fo leg’ (1♂ CEMT); ‘ Rondonopolis /M. Grosso /1.64’ (1♂ CMN); ‘UFMT/MT – Barra do Garças / 9-V-1995 / Cláudia C. Queiroz’ // ‘UFMT/ Coleoptera /Scarabaeidae’ (1♂ CEMT). São Paulo. ‘ Brasil, São Paulo, Itirapina,/ Estação Ecológica Cerrado ,/ 600 m, 5.iv-5.v.2000, 22° 14 ʹ 30’S, 47°50 ʹ 05”W,/ pitfall G. Machado leg.’ (1♂ EPGC, 1♂ CERPE). Goiás. ‘ Faz. Nova Orlândia / Jataí , GO – Brasil /I.964 – Martins,/ Morgante & Silva’. // ‘ Byrsopolis crassa [handwritten]’ (1♂ MZUSP); ‘ BRASIL: Goiás. Mineiros./PNEmas. 17°54 ʹ 45’S;52°59 ʹ 20”/W. 845 mosl. hum/Dung. 15-III- /2011. M.F. Souza.’ (3♂ CERPE, 2♂ CEMT); same, except ‘845 mosl. hum. Dung . 15-/ III-2011. M.F. Souza’ (1♂ CEMT); same, except ‘PNEmas. 18° 04 ʹ 14’S;52°55 ʹ 57” (1♂ CERPE, 2♂ CEMT); same, expect, ‘WORLD/SCARAB./DATABASE/ WSD00344175 ’ (1♂ MSPC); same, except ‘PNEmas 18°01 ʹ 12’S;52°57 ʹ 52”/W. 874 mosl.’ (1♂ CERPE, 1♂ CEMT); same, except ‘18°04 ʹ 14’S, 52°55 ʹ 57”/W. 845 mosl. Hum. Dung . 15-/ III-2011. M.F. Souza’ (2♂ CEMT); same, except ‘845 mosl. Hum. Dung . 15-III- /2011. M. F. Souza’ (2♂ CEMT); ‘ BRASIL: GO Colinas do Sul/Serra da Mesa 2–15.XII.1995/ 14°01 ʹ S, 48° 12 ʹ W / C. Campaner col’ (2♂ MZUSP). Distrito Federal. ‘ 18/11/17 /PNB/35/ Marina Regina Frizzas’ (1♂ CEMT). No collection data (2♂ CERPE) .

Diagnosis. Body almost entirely orange to dark orange, darker brown at marginal areas, without green reflections; clypeus semioval, slightly to moderately concave; antennal club about 1.70x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined; scutellar plate with sides straight and base weakly rounded basis; elytral apex truncated; elytra with indistinct elytral costae and humeri moderately punctate; protibial spur about 4x longer than wide; parameres asymmetrical, moderately divergent, glabrous, apex with acute angles.

Redescription. Male. Body. Shape elongate oval; orange to brown-testaceous, without green reflections ( Figures 2 (a- b), 6(a-b)); frontoclypeal suture darker than clypeus and frons; antennae yellow to orange; marginal areas darker, brown. Length 23.34–29.50 mm. Humeral width 12.60–15.60 mm. Elytral width 15.00– 17.75 mm. Head. Clypeus about 2x wider than long, semioval; apex moderately concave; frontoclypeal suture moderately bisinuate, weakly curvilinear near extremities; punctures small to moderate, surface moderately to densely punctate, glabrous; frons about 1.30 times longer than clypeus; punctures small to moderate, disc moderately to densely punctate, glabrous; external border of mandibles forming a right angle with the scissorial region, small projection at middle, or with small setae, densely punctate ( Figure 6 (d)); galea with one long apical tooth, four small teeth at middle, basal tooth small; base of galea with four small setae ( Figure 6 (e)); last maxillary palpomere elliptic, sensorial area as long as palpomere; apex of prementum moderately emarginate, moderately setose; last labial palpomere about 1.90x longer than palpomere II ( Figure 6 (f)); labrum moderately emarginate ( Figure 6 (g)); antennomere II weakly rounded, with setae; antennomeres III to V slightly conical, antennomere VI subconical and antennomere VII subrectangular; antennal club about 1.70x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined. Thorax. Pronotum transverse, about 1.70x wider than long ( Figure 6 (a)); punctures small to moderate, moderately to densely punctate; marginal areas sparsely to moderately punctate, sparsely or moderately setose; small constriction near base; scutellar plate subtriangular, sides straight, base weakly rounded, apex with punctures and setae small to moderate, sparsely to moderately distributed; space between punctures forming a longitudinal midline. Elytra. About 1.10 times longer than wide; elytral surface without striae; punctures small to large, sparsely to densely punctate at disc, humeri moderately punctate; microsetae in moderate punctures; marginal areas with small to moderate punctures, sparsely to moderately punctate; interstriae without coalescent punctures, moderately punctate ( Figure 6 (a)). Legs. Protibial spur about 4x longer than wide; mesotibiae with two carinae; metatibiae with one carina. Aedeagus. Phallobase slightly asymmetrical; parameres moderately elongate; basal margin bisinuate; transverse striae in middle region; apex rounded, moderately divergent, asymmetrical, lateral margins with acute angles; weak concavity extending longitudinally at middle ( Figures 2 (d–e, 6(c))).

Female. Unknown.

Variation. Clypeal concavity weak to moderate, near apex; clypeus slightly shorter; mandibles with glabrous or hirsute apex; apex of prementum weakly to moderately emarginated; aedeagus can vary in length; parameres weakly to moderately asymmetrical, right paramere more divergent; transversal striae small and reduced; indistinct longitudinal concavity, very indistinct.

Etymology. The species name crassa (crassus) is derived from Latin referring to its size and width, larger and thicker than the other species so far described.

Distribution. Minas Gerais (Ouro Preto, Codisburgo and São Gonçalo do Rio Preto), Mato Grosso (Cuiabá, Diamantino and Rondonópolis), São Paulo (Itirapina), Distrito Federal (Brasília) and Goiás (Jataí, Mineiros and Colinas do Sul) ( Figure 19 ).

Remarks. The species is restricted to Cerrado biome areas with rocky outcrops, such as the Serra do Espinhaço complex (Minas Gerais), and open-field Cerrado biome areas in Mato Grosso state. Byrsopolis crassa has the second largest geographic distribution known in the genus, being found in four states, from the Midwest (Mato Grosso and Goiás) to the Southeast (São Paulo and Minas Gerais) of Brazil. The species has been collected in almost all seasons, showing great temporal plasticity. The records for the states of Minas Gerais (Cordisburgo and São Gonçalo do Rio Preto), Mato Grosso (Diamantino and Rondonópolis), Goiás (Jataí, Mineiros and Colinas do Sul), São Paulo (Itirapina), and Distrito Federal (Brasília) are new state records.

Figures

Figure 2. Byrsopolis crassa Blanchard, holotype (MNHN-EC-EC1803), dorsal and lateral habitus (a–b); labels attached (c); aedeagus caudal and lateral view (d–e). Images from Antoine Mantilleri (MNHN).

Figure 6. Byrsopolis crassa Blanchard, Goiás, Mineiros. 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); and dorsal view of labrum (g). Scale bars: a, b = 5 mm; c–g = 1 mm.

Figure 19. Distribution map of Byrsopolis species.