Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) testudinea ( Klug, 1834 )

Moravec, Jiří & Dheurle, Charles, 2023, Taxonomic and nomenclatorial revision of the Neotropical genus Phaeoxantha Chaudoir (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Zootaxa 5386 (1), pp. 1-83 : 60-63

Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) testudinea ( Klug, 1834)

( Figs 259–269 )

Megacephala testudinea Klug, 1834: 6 .

Phaeoxantha testudinea : Chaudoir 1850: 7.

Tetracha testudinea : Thomson 1857: 46.

Phoeoxantha (sic!) testudinea : Lucas 1859: 26 (incorrect spelling of the genus-group name).

Phaeoxantha testudinea : Chaudoir 1865: 42.

Megacephala (Phaeoxantha) testudinea : Horn 1909b: 285, pl. 14, fig. 191.

Phaeoxantha testudinea : Cassola & Pearson 2001: 11.

Phaeoxantha testudinea : Wiesner 2020: 30.

Type locality. Brazil: central area of the Brazilian state of Pará.

Type material. Lectotype (designated here) ♂ in MFNB, labelled: “Parà Int. Sieber” [green, handwritten] // “testudinea / Klug*” [green, handwritten] // “26” [yellow, printed] // “ Type ” [red, printed] // “Hist.-Coll. ( Coleoptera ) / Nr. 26 / Phaeoxantha testudinea / Klug* / Para intern., Sieber / Zool. Mus. Berlin” [green with black frame, printed].

Note. The lectotype is designated here because apart from the fact that Klug (1834) obviously mentioned males, two males are also listed in a catalogue in MFNB. Unfortunately, the location of the second male is unknown (Bernd Jaeger, MFNB, pers com) .

Other material (examined from photographs by Bernd Jaeger, Figs 259-267 ). 1 ♀ in MFNB: “Araguay” // “Ex Cab Castelnau” // “ P. testudinea Klug ” // “col. V. de Poll ” // “ Phaeoxantha / testudinea Klg. / ♀ W.Horn descrips” / Dr. W. Horn det. 191” [incomplete number] .

Specimens observed from photographs by Ronald Huber ( Figs 268–269 ). 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in RLHC: “ Brasil, M. Grosso / 20-30.XI.1960 / B. Malkin leg” // “confluence / of R. Tapirape and / R. Araguaia ” . 2 ♀♀ in RLHC: “ Brasil, M. Grosso / 70 km. N. of Mato Verde / Rio Araguaia , XI:30:1960 / leg. B. Malkin ” // “sandy beach / at night” . 1 ♀ in RLHC: “ Brasil, Goias, Sta. / Isabel, Rio Araguaia, / Isla do Bananal / 29.XI.1960, on beach / B. Malkin, leg.” .

Differential diagnosis. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) testudinea is a variable species, but may be recognizable due to its dark brown coloration and elytral surface ( Figs 259 , 265–266 , 268 ) mostly with only diffusing black area on posterior part of elytral disc along sutures which diffuses towards anteapical area (but never in form of clearly circumscribed black anteapical macula), yet prevailingly black elytra also occur, as in one female and one male in RLHC ( Fig. 268 ); elytral disc with longitudinal rows of rather coarse punctures, in female ( Fig. 265 ) with rows of longitudinal impressions. Male mandibles ( Fig. 262 ) with third tooth in right mandible flattened (fin-like shaped), while long and acute in female right mandible ( Fig. 264 ). Aedeagus apex uniquely hooked dorsad, as obvious from the protruding aedeagus apex in the lectotype ( Fig. 259 ), as well as in the male ( RLHC, Fig. 269 ).

Distribution. The type locality was originally stated by Klug (1834) as a central area of the Brazilian state of Pará. The female (MFNB) labelled Rio Araguay [recently Rio Araguaia], a river in the state of Pará, comes probably from the same locality as the syntypes. Nevertheless, Rio Araguaia is a long river, rising in the state of Mato Grosso and running on the eastern margin of Amazon Basin, its estuary in the state of Pará near Belém and near the main Amazon estuary, obviously a very long distance from the localities of P. (E.) testudinea . Therefore, the type locality in Pará should be near the borders of the states of Pará, Mato Grosso and Tocantins, in accordance with the label data of other known specimens (one male and four females in RLHC) taken near the confluence of Rio Tapirape with Rio Araguaia. Rio Tapirape is a western branch of the river Araguaia which forms a local furcate basin.

Figures

FIGURES 259–262. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) testudinea (Klug.), ♂, LT, from Pará, Brazil (MFNB). 259—habitus, 25.3 mm; 260—labels; 261—head; 262—mandibles. Bar = 1 mm. Image credit Bernd Jaeger.

FIGURES 263–267. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) testudinea (Klug.), (MFNB), from Pará Brazil. 263–265—♀, Rio Ara- guay: 263—habitus, 24.5 mm; 264—buccal appendages; 265–266—elytra: 265—♀, Rio Araguay; 266—♂, LT; 267—prono- tum, ♂, LT. Bars = 1 mm. Image credit Bernd Jaeger.

FIGURES 268–269. Phaeoxantha (Euphaeoxantha) testudinea (Klug.) from Mato Grosso, Brasil (RLHC). 268—habitus, ♂, 23.8 mm; 269–aedeagus (missing its basal portion). Bars = 1 mm. Image credit Mark Ryan.