Allorrhina denotata Abadie and Ratcliffe, 2015

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2015, A Revision of the Neotropical Genus Allorrhina Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (1), pp. 91-113 : 91-113

Allorrhina denotata Abadie and Ratcliffe , new species

( Figs. 9–12 )

Type Material. Holotype and paratype male labeled “ BRASIL: Minas Gerais / Machado Mineiro / 3 December 2012 / E. Abadie coll.” and with our red holotype and yellow paratype labels. Holotype deposited at UNSM (Lincoln, Nebraska, USA). Paratype deposited at EIAC (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Holotype. Male. Length 22.7 mm; width across humeri 14.5 mm. Head, pronotum, and pygidium (except on cretaceous areas) dark reddish brown to piceous, shiny; elytra opaque, reddish brown, lacking cretaceous marks. Pronotum with slender, cretaceous band on each lateral margin extending from anterior angle, around posterior angle, and across base to just mesad of middle of elytra ( Fig. 9 ), band slightly flared towards midline just before middle. Mesepimeron chalky on posterior half. Pygidium on each lateral third with transversely, suboval, cretaceous spot. Venter and legs shiny, reddish brown with cretaceous marks as follows: mesepimeron on posterior margin; metepisternum and metepimeron each with small spot; metasternum with small spot on anterolateral and posterolateral corners; metacoxa on lateral edge. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 each with large, broad spot on lateral margins. Setae of venter and legs tawny. Head: Frons and clypeus broadly concave at center, with moderately large, moderately dense, setigerous punctures; setae long, sparse, tawny. Each lateral margin with obliquely flared ridge. Clypeal apex with short, stout, spatulate horn, horn projecting forward and upwards, apex triangularly expanded with each tip recurved backwards; occipital horn short, tapering to narrowly rounded apex. Interocular width equals 5.5 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club slightly longer than antennomeres 2–7. Pronotum: Surface with punctures on disc small, round, moderate in density, punctures becoming slightly larger and denser on sides. Lateral margins slightly emarginate between middle and basal angle, with complete marginal bead, bead thicker on basal half. Elytra: Surface with 2 slightly elevated, parallel costae on disc, each terminating at prominent apical umbone. Disc with 5 incomplete rows of moderate to large, horseshoe-shaped punctures; sides with similar but smaller punctures not in distinct rows. Apices at suture obtusely angulate, not produced. Pygidium: Surface densely, transversely rugulose except at extreme apex where vaguely punctate, setigerous, setae short; surface on lateral cretaceous areas with dark, transverse, sparse punctures. In lateral view, surface weakly convex. Venter: Metasternum with large, dense, deep punctures on lateral thirds, center third nearly impunctate. Mesometasternal process, in lateral view, short, parallel to ventral axis of body; in ventral view, sides parallel, apex broadly rounded; metasternal portion of process with long, dense, tawny setae ( Fig. 10 ). Abdominal ventrites 1–5 with punctures moderately large, moderately dense, round and oval on lateral thirds; punctures small, sparse on central third and on sternite 6. Legs: Protibia tridentate, basal tooth slightly removed. Parameres: In caudal view, form subrectangular, apices broadly rounded, a small tooth before apex, tooth extending slightly past lateral margin ( Figs. 11–12 ). Basal piece twice as long as parameres.

Variation. Male (1 paratype). Length 22.4 mm; width across humeri 12.43 mm. The paratype does not differ significantly from the holotype. The first abdominal ventrite lacks a cretaceous spot on the lateral margin.

Etymology. The epithet is adjectival, agreeing in gender with the feminine generic name, Allorrhina . It is derived from the Latin denotatus indicating conspicuously marked and here used in reference to the conspicuously shiny pronotum with an extended cretaceous band on each lateral margin.

Distribution. Allorrhina denotata is known only from extreme northern Minas Gerais, only 13 km from the border with Bahia ( Fig. 13 ).

Locality Records. 2 specimens deposited in EIAC and UNSM. BRAZIL (2): MINAS GERAIS (2): Machado Mineiro.

Temporal Distribution. December (2).

Diagnosis. Allorrhina denotata is unique because of its shiny, reddish brown pronotum with a chalky band on each lateral margin that extends around the base to just laterad of the pronotal lobe ( Fig. 9 ). Only A. scabriuscula has a shiny pronotum (and elytra), but it lacks cretaceous marks. Allorrhina denotata is more similar in overall gestalt to A. menetriesii with regards to head armature and the cretaceous markings of the pygidium and venter, but the shiny pronotum and dense setae on the metasternal part of the mesometasternal process ( Fig. 10 ) of A. denotata distinguishes it.

Natural History. Nothing is known of the natural history of this species.

Figures

Figs. 9–12. Allorrhina denotata. 9) Habitus of holotype; 10) Mesometasternal process; 11–12) Parameres.

Fig. 13. Type locality of Allorrhina denotata at Machado Mineiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil, December 2012. Photograph by E. Abadie.