Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) tascatensis, Moron, Lugo-Garcia & Aragon-Garcia, 2015

Morón, Miguel Ángel, Lugo-García, Gabriel A. & Aragón-García, Agustín, 2015, Five new species of Phyllophaga (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) of northwestern Mexico, Florida Entomologist 98 (4), pp. 1036-1043 : 1038-1039

Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) tascatensis sp. nov. ( Figs. 3–4, 11–16 )

MALE HOLOTYPE

Body length 16.9 mm; humeral width 6.0 mm. Head reddish yellow, body and legs testaceous ( Figs. 3–4 ). Clypeus wider than long (2.8:1.0), anterior border widely curved, with margin clearly elevated, surface convex at center, punctate laterally, glabrous. Frons wider than long (2.5:1.0), slightly concave, with regularly distributed, dense punctures, glabrous, 3.5 × wider than 1 eye diameter. Canthus with 15 setae. Vertex of head with a transverse carinate ridge. Occipital area without punctures. Antenna 10-segmented; club 1.1 × longer than preceding 6 segments combined.

Pronotum wider than long (1.6:1.0) and 2.2 × wider than frons, but only 1.4 × wider than head including eyes. Pronotal disc with shallow, small punctures regularly separated and distributed on disc, but less dense near midline; lateral margins obtusely angled, widest behind middle; lateral marginal bead irregularly crenulate, with long, slender setae; anterior marginal bead without setae; anterior angles obtuse, not prominent; posterior angles broadly obtuse, rounded. Scutellum 1.4× wider than long, with 10 shallow, minute, round punctures. Elytron 3.1× longer than wide, with shallow, rugose, round punctures along the striae and weakly rugo-punctate interstriae, with numerous erect, short setae. Pterosternum with long, abundant light yellowish setae. Protibia shorter than protarsus (1.0:1.4). Metatibia shorter than metatarsus (1.0:1.2). Tarsal claws regularly bi-pectinate ( Fig. 11 ).

Propygidium completely dull, regularly punctate, with many short setae. Pygidium strongly convex ( Fig. 3 ), prominent, glossy, with sparse, shallow setiferous punctures throughout; apical margin with 13 medium-size setae. Fifh abdominal sternite shallowly concave at the middle, weakly furrowed on midline; anal plate short, deeply furrowed on midline, with 40 short setae, posterior margin entire at middle. Parameres large, fused dorsally, clearly dentate on ventral margin, lateral border carinate; tectum large, uniformly convex; sclerotized support of aedeagus curved downward and widely bifurcate apically ( Figs. 12–14 ). Length of genital capsule from the apex of parameres to the border of basal piece 4.9 mm.

FEMALE ALLOTYPE

Similar to male, except: Body length 17.1 mm. Humeral width 6.0 mm. Antennal club as long as preceding 5 segments combined. Anterior border of clypeus nearly truncate at middle. Punctation on clypeus, frons, pronotum, and elytra more dense and deep. Pygidium flattened, with scattered setiferous punctures; marginal bead widened near apex, with 10 short setae. Fifh sternite widely convex with few lateral short setae. Anal plate convex, with numerous short and medium-size setae. Tarsal claws irregularly serrate-dentate along external ventral margin distad of tooth, and irregularly pectinate along internal ventral margin mesad of tooth ( Fig. 15 ). Ventral genital plates convex, with apical border widely emarginate. Dorsal genital plates fused, excavated, with angled and reflexed apical border, with few short setae near the apices ( Fig. 16 ).

VARIATION

Total body length 16.2–16.8 mm. Humeral width 5.0– 5.2 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL

HOLOTYPE: male — MEXICO: Chihuahua, Morelos, Los Tascates , 08-VIII-2009, 1,488 m, G. A. Lugo ( IEXA) . ALLOTYPE: female —same data as holotype except 09-VII-2009 ( IEXA) . PARATYPES: 2 females —same data as allotype ( IEXA, MXAL) ; 1 male —same data except 05-VIII-2009 ( MXAL) .

TYPE LOCALITY

Los Tascates , Chihuahua, México (26°38'45.4"N, 107°51’8.8"W) .

BIOLOGICAL DATA

Specimens of P. tascatensis were collected in pine–oak forest, at 1,488 m elevation in Jul (1 specimen) and Aug (4 specimens). Other species of Phyllophaga flying at the same time and place were P. (Phyllophaga) ravida (Blanchard) , P. (P.) vetula (Horn) , P. (P.) opaca (Moser) , P. (P.) setifera (Burmeister) , P. (Phytalus) obsoleta (Blanchard) , and P. (Listrochelus) reyesolivasi sp. nov.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS

Externally, P. tascatensis appears similar to P. granti Saylor , but in the latter the dorsal edge of the fused parameres has an acute and anteriorly curved projection, and the surface of elytra in both sexes is clothed with many setae. In order to accommodate this and the previously described new species,the key to male Listrochelus proposed by Saylor (1940) needs to be modified. The new species will key easily to couplet 19:

19 (15).— Elytra testaceous, surface never pruinose; sclerotized support of aedeagus symmetrical, curved downward and widely bifurcate apically......................................................................................................... 20

19’.— Elytra rufobrunneous to rufopiceous, usually at least slightly pruinose, especially on elytra; sclerotized support of aedeagus asymmetrical, with form variable..................................................................................... 21

20.— Elytral disc with many erect, short setae; sternites II–IV concave or furrowed; phallobase lacking keels...................... 20a

20’.— Elytral disc lacking short setae; sternites II–IV convex medially; phallobase with strong convergent keels ( Fig. 8 ). El Fuerte, Sinaloa ............................................................................................ P. balacachiana sp. nov.

20a.— Antennal club length equal to funicle; parameres simply convex or toothed dorsally..................................... 20b

20a’.— Antennal club longer than funicle; parameres with 1 curved projection medially along dorsal margin. Arizona, Sonora, and Sinaloa ................................................................................................... P. granti Saylor

20b.— Clypeal surface uniformly and closely punctate; fused parameres with 2 short teeth on dorsal margin. Arizona and New Mexico .................................................................................................. P. flavipennis (Horn)

20b’.— Clypeal surface lacking punctures medially; dorsal margin of parameres simple, convex, lacking teeth ( Fig. 13 ). Los Tascates, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa .............................................................................. P. tascatensis sp. nov.

ETYMOLOGY

Derived from the name of the type locality “Los Tascates,” “tascate” is a local popular name applied to the species of Juniperus tree found in Chihuahua and Sinaloa ( Martínez 1979).

Figures

Figs. 1–16. Habitus and morphological characters of Phyllophaga balacachiana, new species and Phyllophaga tascatensis, new species. 1–4. Habitus of males: 1–2. P. balacachiana, new species, 1. dorsal view, 2. lateral view; 3–4. P. tascatensis, new species, 3. lateral view, 4. dorsal view; scale bar = 2 mm. 5–10. Phyllophaga balacachiana, new species: 5. male tarsal claw; 6–8. male genital capsule: 6. lateral view, 7. distal view, 8. dorsal view; 9. female genital plates, ventral view; 10. female tarsal claw; scale bar = 1 mm, except in Figs. 5 and 10 = 0.5 mm. 11–16. Phyllophaga tascatensis, new species: 11. male tarsal claw; 12–14. male genital capsule: 12. lateral view, 13. distal view, 14. dorsal view; 15. female tarsal claw; 16. female genital plates, ventral view; scale bar = 1 mm, except in Figs. 11 and 15 = 0.5 mm.