Cyclocephala hylaea Ratcliffe & Paz, 2022

Paz, Fernando, Ratcliffe, Brett C. & Figueroa, Luis, 2022, Three new species of Cyclocephala (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from Amazonian Peru and a checklist of Cyclocephala species in Peru, Zootaxa 5087 (3), pp. 427-440 : 432-435

Cyclocephala hylaea Ratcliffe & Paz , new species

( Figs. 13–20 )

Type material. Holotype male and allotype female labeled: “ PERU: Madre de Dios; / Rio Tambopata Res ; 30 air / km. SW Pto. Maldonado, 290m. / 11–15 XI 1979 J. B. Heppner / subtropical moist forest” and with our red holotype and allotype labels . Paratypes with same data except dates of “ 2–5 XI 1979 ” (6 males, 10 females) , “ 6–10 XI 1979 ” (16 males, 33 females) , “ 11–15 XI 1979 ” (97 males, 101 females) , “ 16–20 XI 1979 ” (24 males, 51 females) , “ 21–25 XI 1979 ” (32 males, 43 females) , and “ 26–30 XI 1979 ” (12 males, 16 females). Additional paratypes labeled “ PERU: Cusco; / Pilcopata , 600meters / 8–10 XII 1979 / J. B. Heppner, premontane / moist forest” (1 male, 1 female) and same data except “ 11–14 XII 1979 ” (8 males, 21 females) and “ MADRE DE DIOS / río Tambopata, 30 Km SO Pto. Maldonado / 290 m, 2-5.xi.1979 ” (3 males, 8 females) . Paratypes (483) each with our yellow paratype label. Holotype, allotype, and 392 paratypes (170 males, 222 females) deposited in USNM.Additional paratypes deposited in BCRC (7 males, 6 females) , BMNH (3 males, 3 females) , CMNC (3 males, 3 females) , EGPC (3 males, 3 females) , JNNC (3 males, 3 females) , JPSC (3 males, 3 females) , MEKRB (5 males, 7 females) , MNHN (3 males, 3 females) , MSPC (2 males, 4 females) , MUSM (8 males, 12 females) , RDCC (6), SLTC (3 males, 3 females) , UNSM (3 males, 3 females) , and ZMHU (3 males, 3 females) .

Description. Holotype, male. ( Fig. 13 ). Length 12.7 mm; width 4.9 mm. Color testaceous except for black frons; 4 small, indistinct black marks on each side of pronotum; and 3 small black maculae on each elytron; pygidium, abdominal sternites, and tarsomeres reddish brown. Head: Frons and clypeus with punctures moderate in size and density, setigerous; setae short, tawny. Clypeal apex subtruncate, slightly reflexed. Interocular width equals 3.5 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7. Pronotum: Surface with punctures similar to those of frons, setigerous in anterior angles and along lateral margins; setae short, tawny. Base with marginal bead. Elytra: Surface weakly punctate-striate, punctures slightly larger and denser than those of pronotum, setigerous; setae minute, tawny, in rows. Pygidium: Surface opaque with small, moderately dense, setigerous punctures; setae long, dense, tawny. In lateral view, surface convex. Legs: Protibia bidentate. Protarsomere 4 with large, ventral flange directed forward. Protarsomere 5 enlarged, slightly bent, venter concave; medial claw large, strongly bent, apex entire ( Fig. 18 ). Metatarsus much longer than metatibia. Venter: Prosternal process small, conical, apex narrowly rounded. Parameres: In caudal view, form almost horseshoe-shaped, tapering, inner margin of each paramere with long, dense, tawny setae ( Fig. 16 ). In lateral view, basal piece almost 3 times longer than parameres ( Fig. 17 ).

Allotype, female ( Fig. 14 ). Length 12.0 mm; width across humeri 5.2 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Pronotum with 2 small spots and 1 short line on each side; elytral maculae slightly larger; pygidium testaceous. Head: Surface glabrous. Elytra: Epipleuron (ventral view) expanded at level of metacoxa and abruptly constricted with a subacute tooth at level of abdominal sternite 3 ( Fig. 19 ). In dorsal view, lateral margin slightly expanded above sternite 3. Pygidium: Surface finely reticulated, glabrous except for short, sparse setae on basal half. In lateral view, surface nearly flat. Legs: Protibia tridentate. Protarsus simple, not enlarged. Metatarsus only slightly longer than metatibia.

Variation. Males (199 paratypes). Length 10.5–13.0 mm; width across humeri 5.0– 6.2 mm. Female (284 paratypes). Length 10.6–12.8 mm; width across humeri 4.8–5.8 mm. The paratypes of both sexes display slight variation in the size of the black marks on the pronotum and elytra ( Fig. 15 ) as follows: Pronotum: Spots variably reduced or rarely coalesced into 2 longitudinal, black bands or more rarely coalesced into an almost C. lunulata Burmeister, 1847 -like pattern. Elytra: Spots variably reduced or rarely expanded in size where the post-scutellar and post-humeral spots connected by a zigzag band.

Etymology. The species name hylaea is from the Latin meaning “of the forest”, indicating its habitat. This name should be treated as an adjective in the nominative singular.

Distribution. 485 specimens examined ( Fig. 20 ). PERU (485): CUSCO (31): Pilcopata. MADRE DE DIOS (454): Reserva Nacional Rio Tambopata.

Temporal distribution. November (454), December (31).

Diagnosis. The most heavily patterned specimens display an almost “ C. lunulata ”- type pattern ( Fig. 15 ), but these specimens are not common. Cyclocephala hylaea is most similar to the sympatric C. discolor Herbst, 1790 in gestalt, but males can be differentiated by the form of the clypeus (apex subtruncate and marginal bead slender to obsolete versus clypeal apex rounded, parabolic, and with a raised, thick marginal bead in C. discolor ); large protarsal claw entire versus finely split in C. discolor ; and form of the parameres (inner margin of each paramere densely setose versus glabrous in C. discolor ). Females are most easily distinguished by the form of the prosternal process: small and conical in C. hylaea , but long, columnar, and with apex obliquely flattened with anterior half to 3/4 elevated into round “button” in C. discolor .

The parameres resemble those of C. amazona (Linnaeus, 1767) (but are broader and not as narrowly elongate), and the male protarsomere 5 is simple, whereas in C. amazona there is a distinct tooth near the base on the medio-ventral margin of the tarsomere. Females are very different because the elytral lateral margin is only slightly expanded above sternite 3 in C. hylaea , but C. amazona has a large, deeply emarginate swelling on the elytral lateral margin behind the middle.

Natural history. Cyclocephala hylaea was abundantly collected at lights in lowland rainforest at Reserva Nacional Tambopata and at Pilcopata at elevations of 290– 600 m.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of the new species of Peruvian Cyclocephala.

FIGURES 13–19. Cyclocephala hylaea. 13, Male holotype; 14, female allotype; 15, variation of pronotal and elytral markings, all specimens from same collecting event; 16–17, parameres of holotype; 18, protarsal claw of holotype; 19, epipleuron (ventral view) of allotype. Scale bar = 5 mm.