Hoplopygothrix Schürhoff, 1933

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2005, A Review of the South American Genus Hoplopygothrix Schürhoff (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 59 (1), pp. 136-142 : 138

Hoplopygothrix Schürhoff, 1933

Type Species. Gymnetis atropurpurea Schaum, 1841: 48 , by monotypy.

Description. Scarabaeidae , Cetoniinae, Gymnetini. Form: Rhomboidal, robust, sides slightly tapering toward apex of elytra, dorsum nearly flat. Color on dorsum velutinous black to dark reddish brown, venter shiny black. Surface of head, pronotum, elytra, and pygidium with distinct setae. Head: Shape subrectangular, longer than wide. Clypeus with apex beaded, emarginate, lobes either side of emargination rounded. Antenna 10-segmented, club subequal in length to segments 2–7. Pronotum: Shape subtrapezoidal, widest near base, gradually convergent to anterior angles, centerbase produced into posteriorly projecting lobe, lobe covering all but tip of scutellum, tip obscured by dense tuft of setae. Elytra: Widest at base, posthumeral emargination distinct, sutural costa elevated in posterior half. Pygidium: Surface punctate and/or with transverse, vermiform strigulae. Legs: Foretibia in males bidentate, teeth widely separated. Foretibia in females tridentate, teeth subequally spaced, middle tooth often reduced, occasionally obsolete. Venter: Mesometasternal process short, flat, apex rounded, nearly in same plane as longitudinal axis of body. Male abdominal sternites 1–5 deeply, longitudinally sulcate at middle; sternites in female simple, not sulcate.

Diagnosis. The following combination of characters distinguish Hoplopygothrix : head, pronotum, elytra, and pygidium with dense, short setae; color of dorsum velutinous black to dark reddish brown; clypeal apex beaded; foretibia bidentate in male, weakly tridentate in female; males with sternum longitudinally sulcate.

Hoplopygothrix is similar to Neocorvicoana Ratcliffe and Mico because they are both setose dorsally, a character not found in other genera of New World Gymnetini . They differ in that Hoplopygothrix has a marginal bead on the apex of the clypeus ( Neocorvicoana does not), bidentate foretibia in the male (tridentate in Neocorvicoana ), normally slender tarsomeres in the female (very short and compact in Neocorvicoana ), and males with longitudinally sulcate abdominal sternites (normally convex in Neocorvicoana ). Hoplopygothrix is easily separated from Hoplopyga (both with a beaded clypeal apex), because Hoplopygothrix is setose dorsally and Hoplopyga is glabrous.

Distribution. Southern Brazil.