Heterogomphus eteocles Burmeister 1847

Alvarez, Héctor Jaime Gasca, da, Claudio Ruy Vasconcelos, Fonseca & Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2008, Synopsis of the Oryctini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from the Brazilian Amazon, Insecta Mundi 2008 (61), pp. 1-62 : 21-22

Heterogomphus eteocles Burmeister 1847

( Fig. 29-32 )

Heterogomphus eteocles Burmeister 1847: 228

Heterogomphus polynices Prell 1912: 109 (synonym)

DESCRIPTION. Length: 41.5-55.5 mm. Width: 24.5-26.0 mm. Color: Dark reddish brown to black; pronotum brown to black

Males. Head: Frons with long, recurved horn, posterior margin of horn with a small prominence, apex narrowly truncate, slightly bilobed, surface densely rugose. Eye canthus with apex rounded, surface punctate and rugose. Antenna with 10 segments, club subequal in length to segments 2-7. Mandibles with 2 long, subequal teeth, apices of teeth rounded. Pronotum: Prominence long, high, projecting at 90 o from the body; apex bifurcate forming 2 small quadrangular horns, horns projecting forward. Sides with broad rugose area in basal half. Fovea broad, surface smooth with small punctures. Elytra: Impressed sutural stria present. Surface usually smooth with small, sparse punctures, lateral margin weakly rugose. Pygidium: Surface finely punctate and rugose with a transverse band of long, reddish brown setae on posterior margin. Angles weakly rugose. Surface convex in lateral view. Legs: Protibia quadridentate. Apex of posterior tibia strongly crenulate. Apex of first tarsomere of posterior tarsus subtriangular, elongate, spur-like ( Fig. 29 ). Venter: Prosternal process short to moderate in length, conical, apex acuminate. Parameres: Oval, contracted toward apices, sides curved. Posterior region with deep punctures. Apex setigerous on inner margin ( Fig. 30-31 ).

Females. Females unavailable.

DIAGNOSIS. Adults of H. eteocles can be recognized by the pronotal horn projecting at 90 o from the body, bifurcate at the apex with two quadrangular lobes. The frontal horn is long, recurved, and weakly bilobed.

DISTRIBUTION. Heterogomphus eteocles is distributed only in South America, occurring from southern Brazil to northern Argentina. The specimens listed below from Amazonas and Pará states represent NEW RECORDS from the Brazilian Amazon.

LOCALITY RECORDS. ( Fig. 32 ) 2 specimens examined (2 males). Specimens were seen from the following collection : MZSP.

AMAZONAS (1): Benjamin Constant ( Rio Javari ) . PARÁ (1): Óbidos.

TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION. April (2)

BIOLOGY. Little is known about the biology of this species. Heterogomphus eteocles has been reported as a pest of Chusquea ramosissima Lindm. (Poaceae) in Argentina ( Keller 2003). In Brazilian Amazonia, adults have been collected from areas of seasonal whitewater inundation forest (várzea).

Figures

Figure 32. Distribution of Heterogomphus eteocles in Brazilian Amazonia.

Figure 29-31. Heterogomphus eteocles. 29) Metatarsus. 30) Parameres frontal view. 31) Parameres lateral view (scale line: 2 mm).