Coprophanaeus (Metallophanaeus) punctatus ( Olsoufieff, 1924 )

Edmonds, W. D. & Zidek, J., 2010, A taxonomic review of the neotropical genus Coprophanaeus Olsoufieff, 1924 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae), Insecta Mundi 2010 (129), pp. 1-111 : 31-33

Coprophanaeus (Metallophanaeus) punctatus ( Olsoufieff, 1924)

Fig. 54, 62, 75-79

Phanaeus punctatus Olsoufieff, 1924: 71

Coprophanaeus punctatus (Olsoufieff) (recomb. Edmonds 1972: 843)

Type. Lectotype female (des. by Arnaud, 1982: 116), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (examined).

Diagnosis. General – Paraocular areas (genae) completely punctured, usually coarsely and densely so, at most only weakly convex, not carinate lateral to eyes. Pronotum smooth posteromedially, otherwise weakly granulorugose; posterior angle normal, basal fossae small, incorporated into inner ends of sulcus paralleling posterior margin. Anteromedian angle of metasternum (seen in profile, as in Fig. 59) rounded, not salient; angle capped with elongate thickening (bead). Elytral interstriae ( Fig. 54) weakly convex; striae (x5) weakly impressed, carinulate, appearing weakly punctate (x5; see Comments below); bases of striae 1-4 impressed, not distinctly fossate. Ventral surface of protibia lateral to longitudinal carina paralleling inner margin entirely punctatorugose. Pygidium lacking basal groove. Length 13-17 mm. Elytra black, pronotum with green to yellowish-green areas ( Fig. 75-78).

Male ( Fig. 77-79) – Head with evenly tapering long horn whose base is not abruptly swollen. Pronotum with pair of closely set, apically convergent processes near posterior margin, separated by strong concavity; disk anterior to processes lacking concavities. Pronotal disk punctate posteromedially, otherwise granulorugose. Apical processes of parameres rounded.

Female ( Fig. 75-76) – Pronotum with small, weakly trituberculate crest adjacent to anterior margin followed by weak concavity bounded posteriorly by pair of weak tumosities near middle of disk. Pronotum finely granulorugose on disk and sides, punctate posteromedially.

Specimens examined – 6.

Distribution. Known only from isolated localities in northern Brazilian Atlantic Forest province ( Fig. 62).

Collection Records. BRAZIL: Espiritu Santo – Fazenda Lagoa do Macuco [Mun. Linhares], 19 o 03’50”S 39 o 58’43”W, 10 m (Jan). Pernambuco – Igarassú [Reserva Ecologica Charles Darwin] (Mar, May-Jul, Oct).

Comments. Olsoufieff (1924) had only three females at hand when he described this species. But he was rightly suspicious of placing it in Coprophanaeus s. str., noting “L’absence des tarses antérieurs et la forme de l’epistome les font placer ici [ Coprophanaeus s. str.], ou les ranger au groupe du Ph. saphirinus , dont elles ont le caractère general. Ce n’est qu’en trouvant les [two male symbols] que l’on pourra résoudre cette question.” Arnaud (2002c) confirmed its placement in this subgenus.

Olsoufieff’s name refers to apparent puncturing of the elytral striae. But strial puncturing in this species (x10) is in fact vague and virtually effaced. The illusion of obvious puncturing is produced by serial widening of the striae to produce a beaded (“moniliform”) appearance. Each wide spot of the stria encloses a flat area with a micropuncture in the middle.

Coprophanaeus punctatus is a scarce species of which we have seen, in addition to the type series and a single female from Espiritu Santo, only one recently collected series from the Reserva Ecologica Charles Darwin in Pernambuco. The only strongly developed male in the series (see Fig. 77-78) resembles that of C. saphirinus with the difference that the tooth-like posteromedian pronotal projections point upward rather than being inclined anteriorly.