Apteroathlia Smith & Evans, 2018

Smith, Andrew B. T. & Evans, Arthur V., 2018, Taxonomic review of Athliini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), a new tribe of scarab beetles endemic to South America, Zootaxa 4471 (2), pp. 279-308 : 281-282

Apteroathlia Smith & Evans , new genus

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:778D2B0C-E445-46BC-84CB-338DA4F2F7F6

Type species. Apteroathlia translucida Smith & Evans , new species, here designated.

Description. Length 5.9–9.4 mm. Ovate, widest behind middle of elytra; testaceous to black, or black with testaceous appendages and partly or entirely testaceous pronotum; surfaces moderately to strongly shiny, and mostly glabrous. Head: labrum wide, broadly emarginate, evenly and shallowly reflexed anteriorly, completely fused to and slightly below plane of clypeus exposing anterior clypeal margin; labroclypeal suture distinct and terminating in small, marginal notches. Mentum longer than wide, narrowly emarginate in front, with sides gradually converging posteriorly. Antennae with 8 antennomeres, club with 3 short, thick lamellae. Pronotum: convex, wider than long, widest medially. Elytra: convex and without costae or distinct interval, punctostriate. Metathoracic wings absent. Abdomen: with lateral carinae on ventrites. Legs: protibia weakly tridentate on outer margin, spur present and reaching to basal third or half of protarsomere 1. Claws symmetrical and toothed with a short, bisetose onychium in between. Metatibial apices with spurs set in notch, each set on either side of tarsal articulation, longest spur reaching about two-thirds to three-quarters the length of first tarsomere. Male genitalia: symmetrical parameres simple in form, not split or with strong sinuations, and subequal in length to phallobase.

Etymology. Apteroathlia means “wingless Athlia ” to indicate the similarities with the genus Athlia . The name is feminine in gender to match Athlia .

Composition. Apteroathlia nox new species and Apteroathlia translucida new species.

Remarks. The two known species in this genus are both endemic to the region around Río de la Plata in

Uruguay and Argentina.