Cryptocanthon nebulinus Howden, 1973

Cook, Joyce, 2002, A Revision Of The Neotropical Genus Cryptocanthon Balthasar (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 1) 56, pp. 3-96 : 14-17

3. Cryptocanthon nebulinus Howden

( Figs. 21–25 )

Cryptocanthon nebulinus Howden 1973:45

Material Examined. Eighty-nine specimens (51 males, 38 females).

Type Material Examined. Holotype: ‘‘ VEN[EZUELA]: Edo. Aragua / Rancho Grande 1,500 m / 21–25.ii.1971, S. Peck / forest carrion t’’ ( CMNC) male . Allotype: same data as holotype ( CMNC) female . Paratypes (14): same data as holotype ( CMNC) 2 males, 2 females ; same data except ‘‘forest hum. dung t’’ ( CMNC) 5 males, 1 female ; ‘‘VEN.: Edo. Aragua / Rancho Grande 1,100 m / 19–21.ii.1971, S. Peck / Portachuelo, limburg t’’ ( CMNC) 2 males ; same data except ‘‘human dung’’ ( CMNC) 1 male, 1 female .

Non-type Material Examined. ‘‘ VENEZUELA, E. Aragua, Rancho Grande, Portachuelo, Oct. [1]972, Coll. Martínez ’’ ( CMNC) 1 female ; ‘‘ Aragua, Rancho Grande , 27–30.VIII.1983, B. Gill, 1,200 m ’’ ( BDGC) 24 males, 20 females, ( CMNC) 1 male, 1 female; same data as holotype ( CMNC) 1 female ; ‘‘ Aragua, Rancho Grande Biol. Stn. , 108219N, 678419W, 1,390 –1,420 m, 27 Feb. 1995, Robert W. Brooks, #004, ex. berlese leaf litter ( SEMC) 7 males, 3 females ; same data except ‘‘ 1,350 m, 28 Feb. 1995, #008’’ ( SEMC) 1 male, 2 females ; same data except ‘‘ 1,390 m, 26–28 Feb. 1995, #015’’ ( SEMC) 1 female ; same data except ‘‘ Pico Periquitos , 1,100 m, 27.II–6.III.1995, R. Brooks #052, ex. human feces trap ’’ ( CMNC) 1 male ; ‘‘ Aragua, P.N. Henri Pittier, E.B. Rancho Grande, LaCumbre , 108219150N, 678419110W, 1,450 m, 12.V.1998, 001 E, R. Anderson, cloud for. litter’’ ( CMNC) 1 female ; same data except ‘‘ 1,350 m, 002B, montane for. litter’’ ( CMNC) 2 males ; same data except ‘‘002C’’ ( CMNC) 1 male, 2 females ; same data except ‘‘camino a pico guacamaya, 1,450 m, 108219380N, 678409380W, 14.V.1998, 008A, cloud for. litter’’ ( CMNC) 1 male, 1 female ; same data except ‘‘008C’’ ( CMNC) 2 males .

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: vertical surface of clypeus foveate; eye weakly visible dorsally when head fully retracted; pronotal hypomeron not carinate; inflexed portion of elytron lacking basal fovea; metathoracic wings greatly reduced; pygidium with raised longitudinal swelling; parameres with apices divergent, narrowly rounded ( Fig. 24 ).

Description. Male. Total length 3.9–4.4 mm; greatest width 2.3–2.7 mm. Head. Clypeus not strongly produced anteriorly ( Fig. 22 ). Clypeal teeth moderately developed, widely separated, slightly reflexed. Clypeal emargination between teeth moderately, evenly rounded; vertical surface V-shaped with large, deep fovea. Apical margin of clypeus lateral to teeth very slightly convexly arcuate. Disc of clypeus concave, coarsely punctate, punctures separated by less than one diameter to two diameters. Clypeogenal suture not evident. Gena slightly produced, forming angle at junction with anterior margin of clypeus. Vertex and gena coarsely, densely punctate. Eye narrowly visible dorsally when head fully retracted. Pronotum. Convex medially, explanate laterally, with shallow lateral depressions and with median longitudinal depression in posterior half. Anterior angles approximately right-angled. Sides anterior and posterior to lateral angles nearly straight. Posterior angles broadly rounded, not incised. Pronotum coarsely punctate; laterally, punctures shallow, annulate; setae pale, arched. Pronotal hypomeron convex, coarsely punctate, not carinate posteriorly.

Elytra. Transversely moderately convex, longitudinally strongly convex; lateral carinae not strongly elevated. Each elytron dorsally with seven striae, each stria indicated by two wavy lines. Elytral intervals flat; each interval with row of small punctures on each side adjacent to striae; punctures bearing erect, apically curved, pale setae. Inflexed portion of elytron broad, evenly narrowed apically, lacking basal fovea, with scattered minute punctures; stria eight absent, nine present except at base, ten

23) aedeagus, lateral; 24) parameres, dorsal. Scale line 5 0.5 mm.

complete. Epipleuron with minute punctures along outer margin; shallow, annulate punctures along inner margin. Wings. Metathoracic wings reduced to knobs. Venter. Prosternum with small punctures medially, impunctate laterally. Mesosternum with shallow, annulate punctures. Meso-metasternal suture roundly angulate medially. Metasternum slightly convex medially with fine, scattered punctures; punctures larger posteriorly; laterally, punctures large, shallow, annulate. Legs. Profemur moderately densely punctate ventrally. Protibia ( Fig. 21 ) very slightly expanded medially in apical third; moderately notched medially before expanded apex. Mesofemur with small, elongate punctures ventrally. Metafemur with shallow, annulate punctures basally; elongate punctures apically. Metatrochanter unmodified. Metatibia moderately angulate, not crenulate; with minute lobe subapically on inner side. Abdomen. Apical sternite with small punctures medially, shallow, annulate punctures laterally. Pygidium with longitudinal convexity that is sharply declivous at base; base with short, broad, deep sulcus. Male genitalia. Parameres ( Figs. 23–24 ) with apices divergent, narrowly rounded, not setose.

Variation. Female. Total length 3.9–4.5 mm; greatest width 2.4–2.7 mm. Clypeal teeth longer, more strongly reflexed. Tibiae unmodified.

Bionomics. This species has been collected in forest carrion traps, dung traps, and limburger cheese traps in saturated surface litter ( Howden 1973) at 1,100 –1,500 m during February.

Geographic Distribution ( Fig. 25). This species occurs in the Cordillera de la Costa of northern Venezuela.

The Amazonian-Guianan Lowland Species Group. The four species ( C. campbellorum , C. galbao , C. peckorum and C. pumilus ) placed in this group are fully winged lowland rainforest inhabitants. These species retain many plesiomorphic characters, but share the narrow male protibia that is not expanded medially before the apex and is strongly expanded apically (cladogram, Fig. 191 ).

Figures

Figs. 21–24. Cryptocanthon nebulinus. 21) left protibia, male; 22) clypeal outline;

Fig. 191. Tree showing phylogenetic relationships among the species of Cryptocanthon. Black circles indicate homology, white circles indicate homoplasy. Character numbers are above each circle. The outgroup is Paracryptocanthon borgmeieri (Vulcano et al.). Tree length 5 53; consistency index 5 0.35; retention index 5 0.77.