Strategus surinamensis surinamensis 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 : 49-51

Strategus surinamensis surinamensis Burmeister 1847

( Fig. 95-101 )

Strategus surinamensis surinamensis Burmeister 1847: 135

DESCRIPTION. Width: 15.4-21.6 mm (males); 15.4-19.2 mm (females). Length: 28.9-40.2 mm (males); 33.3-39.8 mm (females). Color: Castaneous to piceous.

Males. Head: Frons moderately rugose, surface with 2 small, conical, widely separated tubercles Eye canthus with surface punctate to rugose, apex rounded. Clypeus with apex narrow, weakly acuminate, moderately reflexed ( Fig. 96 ), surface rugose. Antenna with 10 segments, club subequal in length to segments 2-7. Mandibles with 3 lobes; basal lobe small, apex rounded; middle lobe large, subtriangular, apex rounded; apical lobe small, apex rounded. Pronotum: Base with rugopunctate band, band reduced to basal bead at middle. Anterior half with small, deep punctures. Sides rugose, with small punctures. Fovea deep, usually with a longitudinal carina extending posteriorly from base of anterior horn. Majors ( Fig. 97 ) with anterior horn long, slender, curving forward, apex rounded. Posterior horns long, stout, laterally compressed, apex rounded, subparallel in lateral view. Minors with anterior horn short, conical; posterior horns low and rounded, slightly laterally compressed. Elytra: Sutural stria strongly impressed, crenulate, deep. Surface granulate to punctate, punctures very small; occasionally with 1-3 feebly impressed striae. Sides with 2-3 short rows of moderately deep, ocellate punctures behind humerus. Pygidium: Surface finely granulate, sparsely punctate, punctures small. Posterior margin with a band of long, yellow to reddish brown setae. Angles rugose. In lateral view, strongly convex. Legs: Protibia quadridentate. Apex of posterior tibia with 2-3 teeth, median tooth reduced, with rounded apex. First tarsomere of posterior tarsus elongated, quadrangular ( Fig. 98 ). Venter: Prosternal process densely setose, long, apex rounded. Parameres: Oval, slightly variable in degree of curvature, apex setose on inner region ( Fig. 99-100 ).

Females. As males except in the following respects: Head: Frons rugose. Mandibles similar in size, middle lobe smaller. Pronotum: Sides with lateral margin punctate to rugose in posterior half. Fovea reduced, moderately deep, surface rugose. Tubercles conical, transverse. Pygidium: Surface completely rugose to punctate, densely setose, setae long. Apex with 2 small bands of setae. In lateral view, basal half convex, apical half moderately concave.

DIAGNOSIS. Strategus surinamensis surinamensis is distinguished from other Strategus species that occur in Brazilian Amazonia, especially S. surinamensis hirtus , by the sparsely punctate and finely granulate surface of the pygidium with a band of long setae in posterior region. In males, the posterior horns are more robust and erect.

DISTRIBUTION. Strategus surinamemsis surinamensis is distributed from the Amazon River north to Venezuela, with records in Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, and Trinidad ( Ratcliffe 1976).

LOCALITY RECORDS. ( Fig. 101 ) 36 specimens examined (13 males, 23 females). Specimens were seen from the following collections : INPA, CZPB, MZSP.

AMAZONAS (18): Itacoatiara (Fazenda Aruanã Am 10 km 215, Ponte Mamoud Amed Am 10), Manaus (Fazenda Esteio Am 10 km 60, Reserva Ducke, INPA), Parque Nacional do Jaú ( Rio Carabinani ) . PARÁ (5): Canindé, Óbidos. RORAIMA (10): Amajari (ilha de Maracá, Rio Uraricoera ) .

TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION. January (3), February (3), March (3, April (1), May (3), June (4), July (1), August (1), September (1), November (2), December (1).

BIOLOGY. Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to lights. Strategus surinamensis surinamensis was reported as a pest of Bactris gasipaes in Roraima, feeding at night on young palms and destroying the apical tissues (Trevisan and Fernandes Dias 2004).

In Brazilian Amazonia, adults have been collected from savannah, agricultural areas, ombrophilous forests, and areas of seasonal whitewater inundation forest (várzea) at elevations ranging from sea level to 80 meters.

Figures

Figure 101. Distribution of Strategus surinamensis surinamensis in Brazilian Amazonia.

Figure 95-100. Strategus surinamensis surinamensis. 95) Habitus. 96) Male head (dorsal view). 97) Male head and pronotum (lateral view). 98) Metatarsus (scale line: 5 mm). 99) Parameres frontal view. 100) Parameres lateral view (scale line: 1 mm).