Anomiopus cirulito Cano, 2018

Cano, Enio B., 2018, A new Anomiopus Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) from the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala, Insecta Mundi 659, pp. 1-9 : 2-3

Anomiopus cirulito Cano , new species

( Fig. 3–4 )

Description. Holotype (sex unknown): Length 5 mm, elongate, almost parallel sided ( Fig. 3a ). Dorsal and ventral surface glossy, brownish black, with mostly cupreous reflections (occasionally green); legs, pygidium and last abdominal sternite reddish brown with cupreous and some green reflections; anten- nal club yellowish brown.

Head ( Fig. 4a ): Clypeal margin with four reflexed teeth distributed as follows: two elongate, median semi-cylindrical teeth separated by deep, U-shaped emargination; and shorter, triangular lateral teeth each separated from adjacent median tooth by wide notch. Genal border slightly arcuate, with weak, wide tooth forming shallow V-shaped notch with adjacent clypeal tooth. Posterior one-half of frontoclypeal suture deeper than anterior one-half. Frons with two weak, conical, tubercles. Vertex with medial area concave; occipital bead complete. Dorsal surface of head punctate, punctures separated by at least 2.5 diameters; anterior and lateral borders, and vertex behind tubercles, strongly and deeply punctate, punctures separated by at most 1.5 diameters. Maximum width of head 1.44 mm. Dorsal surface of eyes narrow and elongated (maximum width of one eye 0.07 mm); interocular distance 0.93 mm. Clypeal ventral process cariniform.

Thorax: Pronotum evenly, broadly convex, completely finely punctate, punctures denser at sides and more dispersed and minute at disc and posteriorly. Disc with medial longitudinal sulcus distinct, shallow; sulcus extending from middle and occupying 2/3 of posterior half but not reaching posterior margin. Pronotal anterior and lateral bead present, thickening and forming strong callus at postero-lateral end ( Fig. 3c ); posterior margin not beaded. Protoracic margin ( Fig. 3c ) with marked median angle; anterolateral angles acute; posterolateral angles acute and forming a marked posteriorly-directed, tooth-like projection ( Fig. 3c ). Pronotal fossae visible and shallow. Propleuron with complete transverse carina; proepisternum widely and deeply concave, with scattered long setae; proepimeron shining and barely convex. Sternellum (prosternum) with acute apex. Mesosternum with median transverse carina, posterior half finely micro-striated. Metasternum shining, without micro-striations ( Fig. 4c ); disc flat, with medial longitudinal sulcus clearly impressed and 1.33 mm in length. Mesepimeron and metepisternum shining, without striations.

Elytra with seven moderately impressed striae; striae 3, 5, 6, and 7 effaced apically; third shorter than fourth with striae 8 and 9 absent. Interestriae moderately convex, with minute, sparse punctures.

Abdomen: Abdominal sternites smooth and shining, moderately convex; length of sternite VIII equal to combined lengths of sternites VI and VII. Pre-pygidium finely micro-striated.

Legs: Pro- meso- and metacoxae finely striated. Protibiae ( Fig. 4a, 4b ) with three apical teeth (wide at base in left tibia; slender and with an extra denticle between penultimate and antepenultimate teeth, and with two denticles between the last and penultimate teeth in the right tibia). Basal portion of lateral protibial margin with 8 (left leg) and 9 (right leg) denticles. Meso- and metatibiae rectangular, not appreciably narrowed at ends.

Metafemur with anterior longitudinal groove on ventral surface ( Fig. 3c ). Tarsi almost rectangular with the apical border truncated; length of first metatarsal segment slightly greater than that second and third combined.

Measurements: Total length (apex of clypeal teeth to pygidum): 5.0 mm; pronotal length: 1.62 mm; pronotal width: 2.25 mm; elytral length along suture: 2.31 mm; elytral length on sides: 2.75 mm; maximum elytral width: 2.25 mm.

Type material: Holotype: GUATEMALA, Petén Department, Mayan Biosphere Reserve, Río Azul National Park, El Cedro near aguada “ Los Monifatos ”; coordinates 17.72469, -89.50235; 299m elevation; 24 II 2004. A. Higueros. Deposited at the Colección Entomológica de la Escuela de Biología de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ( USAC).

Ecology. The holotype was collected in a pitfall trap baited with rotten fish. Approximately the other 45,000 specimens collected in the area did not include additional specimens of the new species. The type locality is dominated by tropical rain forest growing on karst ( Fig. 5 ). According to González (2015) the predominant vegetation of the zone includes Pseudobombax ellipticum (Kunth) Dugand , Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. , Pouteria spp., Brosimum alicastrum Sw. , Ampelocera hottlei (Standl.) Standl. , Swartzia cubensis (Britton & P. Wilson) Standl. , Ocotea lundelli Standl. , and Lonchocarpus guatemalensis Benth. Also ground vegetation includes escobo ( Cryosophila stauracantha (Heynh.) R. Evans ) and bayal ( Desmoncus sp.). According to González (2015) mammals frequently observed by camera traps were Cuniculus paca (L.), Dasyprocta punctata Gray , Leopardus pardalis L., Mazama spp., Nasua narica (L.), Panthera onca (L.), Puma concolor (L.), Tapirus bairdii (Gill) , and Tayassu pecari (Link) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is a reference to the size of the new species. Cirulito, applied here as a masculine noun in apposition, is the colloquial name for any very small thing in Guatemala.

Comments. The presence of a ventral longitudinal groove on the metafemur and the two strong apical clypeal teeth place Anomiopus cirulito n. sp. near A. panamensis ( Fig. 2 ), but it can be easily separated by its larger size (5 mm), the shallow and minute punctures on pronotum, and the smooth sternellum (prosternum), metasternum, and mesepimeron ( Fig. 3–4 ). In A. panamensis the size varies between 3.3 and 4.4 mm, the punctures on pronotum are deeper and stronger ( Fig. 2a, c ), and notably the surfaces of the sternellum (prosternum), mesepimeron and sides of metasternum are micro-striated ( Fig. 2d ).

Within the cuprarius group the new species belongs to a small group of three species sharing the presence of two small conical processes on the frons. Accordingly, the following changes to the key of species of the cuprarius group of Canhedo (2006: 359) must be inserted to accommodate this new species:

1. Frons with two conical processes at ends of frontoclypeal suture........................ 2

— Frons without conical processes..................................................... (to couplet 3 of the key to species of the cuprarius group in Canhedo (2006: 359])

2(1). Ventral surface of metafemur without anterior longitudinal groove; sternellum and metepisternum smooth, mesepimeron and sides of metasternum finely micro-striated. Colombia....................................... Anomiopus cuprarius (Harold)

— Ventral surface of metafemur with anterior longitudinal groove; sternellum, mesepimeron, metepisternum and sides of metasternum smooth or micro-striated. Central America, Colombia................................................................... 3

3(2). Sternellum, mesepimeron, metepisternum and sides of metasternum finely micro-striated; 3.3–4 mm in length. Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia...... Anomiopus panamensis (Paulian)

— Sternellum, mesepimeron, metepisternum, and metasternum smooth, without micro-striations; 5 mm in length. Guatemala........................ Anomiopus cirulito Cano n. sp.

Figures

Figure 2. Anomiopus panamensis. a) Dorsal habitus. b) Ventral habitus. c) Lateral view. d) Details of metasternum in latero-vental view. CxII = coxa II; Mt, metasternum; Mtp = metepisternum; Ms = mesepimeron.

Figure 3. Anomiopus cirulito n. sp. a) Dorsal habitus. b) Ventral habitus. c) Lateral view.

Figure 4. Anomiopus cirulito, n. sp. a) Head, pronotum and left tibia. b) Detail of right tibia. c) Details of metasternum in latero-ventral view. CxII = coxa II; Mt, metasternum; Mtp = metepisternum; Ms = mesepimeron.

Figure 5. Vegetation and mammals at the “aguada” (wetland) Los Monifatos, the type locality of A. cirulito n. sp., in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve. Image from a camera-trap, 23 II 2015, 12:17:25 hrs, courtesy of WCS Guatemala.