Cybocephalus flavocapitis T. R. Smith, 2007

López-Guerrero, Irma, 2007, Figs. 30 – 33. Attavicinus monstrosus. 30 in Comparison of Mouthpart Morphology of Three Species of Mexican Oniticellini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in Relation to Their Trophic Habits, The Coleopterists Bulletin 61 (4), pp. 503-508 : 503-508

Cybocephalus flavocapitis T. R. Smith , new species

( Figs. 1–5 )

Diagnosis. The male has the head, front legs, middle legs and antennae yellow with the thorax, elytra, hind legs and underside black or dark brown. The yellow head and black pronotum of males easily distinguishes this species from males of C. nipponicus and C. taiwanensis , both of which have a yellow to brown head and pronotum. Each antennomere of the antennal club is distinctly separated to form a serrated edge and the terminal antennomere is truncate ( Fig. 2 ). In males, the basal plate ( Fig. 5 ) and median lobe ( Figs. 3, 4 ) are easily distinguished from all other species.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word ‘‘flavus’’ meaning yellow and ‘‘caput’’ meaning head.

Description. Male. Form: Round, contractile; strongly convex dorsally ( Fig. 1 ). Length: 1.25 mm (measured from apex of clypeus to apex of elytra); breadth: 0.95 mm (measured across elytral humeri). Color: Head, front legs, middle legs, and antennae yellow or amber; pronotum and elytra black or dark brown, underside dark brown. Small impunctate area at elytral apices, and extreme lateral margin of pronotum translucent amber. Head: Broad and convex, clypeus moderately produced and relatively narrow. Eyes large, oblong, facets distinct. Dorsal surface distinctly alutaceous and minutely but uniformly punctate. Genae not visible from above. Antenna with 11 antennomeres including 3-segmented club. Club about K the width of the eye. Club flat and distinctly separated from funicle; all club antennomeres wider than long; terminal club antennomere truncate ( Fig. 2 ). Antennal club margin serrate. Antennomere 3 equal in length to 4 and 5 combined. Pronotum: Strongly convex, lateral margins curved; anterior angles more narrowly arcuate than posterior angles. Alutaceous and punctate. Scutellum: Triangular , alutaceous, margins slightly convex. Elytra: Uniform width narrowing at apical 1/5. Strongly convex, sides slightly sinuous and apices rounded, length shorter than combined width (32: 46). Punctation ending just before apices. Median margin and apices of elytra bordered. Underside: Abdominal sternites alutaceous and punctate with long coarse hairs thinly covering surface. Metasternum alutaceous, roughly punctured, and clothed in 506 long coarse hairs. Legs: All tibiae slightly but distinctly curved and dilated toward apex. Protibiae with short hairs along outer margin. Meso- and metatibiae with long, stiff hairs along outer margin. All femora shiny, wide, flattened and sparsely covered with short hairs. Metafemora expanded medially. Pro- and mesofemora slightly dilated medially. Four tarsomeres present, claw as long or subequal to proceeding two preceding tarsomeres. Median lobe: Sides parallel becoming acuminate apically ( Fig. 3 ). In profile, strongly curved from upper J ( Fig. 4 ). Median plate distinctly elevated ( Fig. 4 ). Basal plate: Parallel sides at base but quickly narrowing and ending in small flat area at apex ( Fig. 5 ).

Female. External morphology similar to male except head is black or dark brown and mesothoracic legs are brown instead of yellow.

Distribution. Taiwan.

Hosts. This species is known to feed on A. yasumatsui (from collection data).

Material Examined. The holotype, deposited in the USNM , is a male specimen glued to a point with the following labels: TAIWAN: Kenting; III- 2006; coll: R . Bailey; hand collected; feeding on Aulacaspis yasumatsui [white rectangular label]/ HOLOTYPE Cybocephalus flavocapitis T. R. Smith Det : Trevor Smith (printed) [red rectangular label]. The allotype, deposited in the USNM , is a female specimen glued to a point with the following labels: TAIWAN: Kenting; III-2006; coll: R . Bailey; hand collected; feeding on Aulacaspis yasumatsui [white rectangular label]/ ALLOTYPE Cybocephalus flavocapitis T. R. Smith Det : Trevor Smith (printed) [blue rectangular label]. Paratypes are labelled and deposited as follows: TAIWAN: Pingtung Co., Kenting, III-2006, coll. R . Bailey, hand collected, feeding on Aulacaspis yasumatsui (3 Oi, 2♀, FSCA, 3 Oi, 1♀, NCHU); Taitung Co. , Taitung, III-2006, coll. T .- C. Hsu, hand collected, feeding on Aulacaspis yasumatsui (1 Oi, 1♀, FSCA); Taitung Co. , Taitung, 30-I-2007, coll. T .- C. Hsu, hand collected, feeding on Aulacaspis yasumatsui (11 Oi, 7♀, FSCA, 3 Oi, 2♀, NCHU 2 Oi, 2♀ USNM); Taipei Co., FuShan , 450 m., 1-10-XI-2001, coll. L. Stange & H. Wang, Malaise trap, hardwood forest (1 Oi , FSCA); Taipei Co. , WuLai , 21-IX-4-X- 2002, 15-I-2003, 15-VII-2003, coll. L. Stange & H. Wang, Malaise trap, hardwood forest (2Oi, 2♀, FSCA) .

Remarks. This beetle is one of three Cybocephalus known from Taiwan and is the only species besides C. nipponicus known to feed on A. yasumatsui.

Figures

Fig. 1. Lateral habitus of Cybocephalus flavocapitis T. R. Smith, new species.

Figs. 2–5. Cybocephalus flavocapitis T. R. Smith, new species. 2) antenna; 3) median lobe, dorsal view; 4) median lobe, lateral view; 5) basal plate, ventral view.