Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) reyesolivasi, 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 : 1040-1041

Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) reyesolivasi sp. nov. (Figs. 19–20, 28–32)

MALE HOLOTYPE

Body length 14.0 mm; humeral width 5.1 mm. Head and pronotum reddish brown, elytra yellowish brown (Figs. 19–20). Clypeus wider than long (4.4:1.0), anterior border nearly straight, with margin clearly elevated, surface slightly concave, with deep punctures, glabrous. Frons wider than long (2:1), slightly convex, with sparsely distributed, deep punctures, glabrous, 5.4× wider than each eye’s dorsal diameter. Canthus with 7 setae. Vertex with a transverse carinate ridge. Occipital area with scattered small setiferous punctures. Antenna 10-segmented; club 1.4× longer than preceding 6 segments combined.

Pronotum wider than long (1.7:1.0) and 2.0× wider than frons, but only 1.5× wider than head including eyes. Pronotal disc with shallow punctures irregularly distributed on disc, but less dense near midline; lateral margins obtusely angled, widest just behind middle, lateral marginal bead irregularly crenulate, with long setae; anterior marginal bead without setae; anterior angles obtuse, not prominent; posterior angles widely obtuse, rounded. Scutellum 1.5× wider than long, with 24 shallow, minute, round punctures near edges. Elytron 2.5× longer than wide, with shallow, irregular punctures along the striae and deep punctures on interstriae, glabrous, with fine silky sheen.

Propygidium dull, with shallow transverse punctures regularly distributed. Pygidium strongly convex (Fig. 20), glossy, with sparse, shallow punctures throughout; apical margin nearly truncate, with 14 short setae. Pterosternum with long, abundant yellowish setae. Fifh abdominal sternite deeply furrowed on midline, with posterior border briefly notched at middle; anal plate short, shallowly furrowed on midline, posterior margin widely curved, with 12 short setae. Protibia shorter than protarsus (1.0:1.1). Metatibia as long as metatarsus (1:1). Tarsal claws irregularly uni-pectinate (Fig. 28).

Parameres short, fused dorsally, deeply excavated and with symmetrical curved blades on distal surface, apex strongly projecting ventrally; phallobase long, evenly convex; sclerotized support of aedeagus widened and laterally compressed apically, bifurcate and curved downward (Figs. 29–30). Length of genital capsule from the apex of parameres to the border of basal piece 5.0 mm.

FEMALE ALLOTYPE

Similar to male,except:Body length 14.0 mm. Humeral width 5.1 mm. Antennal club 1.1× longer than the preceding 5 segments combined. Pygidium convex, prominent towards the apex, apex with border curved, with 16 short setae. Anal plate convex, with numerous setiferous punctures, posterior border with 12 setae at each side. Tarsal claws with acute tooth before middle, and border posterior to tooth irregularly serrate (Fig. 31). Ventral genital plates convex, not fused, with projected apical border, with 3 setae on distal border.Dorsal genital plates fused,sclerotized,apical border briefly bi-sinuate, with 6 long setae at each lateral corner (Fig. 32).

VARIATION

Male. The only other male examined has a body length of 13.0 mm and humeral width of 4.6 mm. Clypeal surface more concave than in holotype.

Females. Total body length 11.1–12.5 mm, humeral width 4.2–4.8 mm. Clypeal surface less concave than in allotype; frons less rugo-punctate; antennal club as long as preceding 5 segments.

TYPE MATERIAL

HOLOTYPE: male — MEXICO: Chihuahua, Morelos, Los Tascates , 09-VII-2009, 1,488 m, Adilene ( IEXA) . ALLOTYPE: female —same data as holotype ( IEXA) . PARATYPES: 1 male and 2 females —same data as holotype ( IEXA, MXAL) .

TYPE LOCALITY

Los Tascates , Morelos, Chihuahua, México (26°38'45.4"N, 107°51'08.8"W) .

BIOLOGICAL DATA

Specimens of P. reyesolivasi were collected in a pine–oak forest of, 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. (Phytalus) obsoleta (Blanchard) , P. (Phyllophaga) ravida (Blanchard) , P. (P.) vetula (Horn) , P. (P.) opaca (Moser) , P. (P.) setifera (Burmeister) , P. (P.) collaroides sp. nov., and P. (Listrochelus) tascatensis sp. nov.

TAXONOMIC REMARKS

Phyllophaga reyesolivasi is member of the “cavata ” species group (sensu Morón 1986, 2004) and externally appears similar to P. cavata (Bates) , but in the latter the posterior border of 5th sternite is entire and the parameres are longer and less angulate apically (lateral view see Morón 2004: Fig. 7 ) giving a more gradually curved appearance. This species keys to couplet 8 in the key to males of the “cavata ” group proposed by Morón (2004). The key needs to be modified as follows:

8.— Parameres proportionately short, less than one half length of phallobase (Fig. 29), with acute apices touching or nearly so........ 8a

8’.— Parameres proportionately long, over one-half length of phallobase, with parallel, well separated apices. San Jose Babicora, Chihuahua .................................................................................................. P. babicora Morón

8a.— In lateral view, apical third of parameres curved; phallobase moderately lengthened basally, basal and apical sections equal in length; sclerotized support of aedeagus narrow, cylindrical. San Antonio and Buenos Aires, Durango ..................... P. meadei Saylor

8a’.— In lateral view, apical third of parameres straight; phallobase strongly lengthened basally, basal section longer than apical section (Fig. 30); sclerotized support of aedeagus expanded, compressed laterally and bifurcate apically. Tascates, Chihuahua .................................................................................................................... P. reyesolivasi sp. nov.

ETYMOLOGY

This new species is dedicated to Dr. Álvaro Reyes Olivas, Mexican botanist, teacher, and promoter of biotic studies in Sinaloa.

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.