Dichotomius (Luederwaldtinia) speciosus ( Waterhouse, 1891 )

Maldaner, Maria E., Nunes, Rafael V. & Vaz-De-Mello, Fernando Z., 2015, Taxonomic revision of the Dichotomius speciosus (Waterhouse, 1891) species group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), Zootaxa 3986 (5), pp. 549-560 : 552-553

Dichotomius (Luederwaldtinia) speciosus ( Waterhouse, 1891)

( Fig. 2 )

Pinotus speciosus Waterhouse 1891: 362 (description); Felsche 1901: 145; Felsche 1910: 342; Gillet 1911: 63; Blackwelder 1944: 208 (citations);

Pinotus (Selenocopris) speciosus Luederwaldt 1929: 105 ;

Pinotus (Selenocopris) opalescens Luederwaldt, 1929: 106 (misidentification);

Dichotomius (Luederwaldtinia) speciosus Pereira 1953: 293 –298 (redescription); Vaz-de-Mello 2000: 193; Nunes & Vaz-de- Mello 2013: 417 (citations);

Dichotomius (Luederwaldtinia) opalescens Pereira 1953: 298 (misidentification);

Specimens studied. Type: Holotype: Copris speciosa . mihi Waterh. L. in Brasilia Lacordaire (handwritten green label) / Type (round red bordered label)/ 367 / 6745 [NHML].

Non-type material. BRASIL: Minas Gerais: Aiuruoca. 1700m. X.1993. A. Machado [8♂ 6♀ CEMT]; Rio de Janeiro: Itatiaia. III.1995. C. Godinho Jr. [2♂ ♀ CEMT]; ♀ same data but XII.1991 [ CEMT]; São Paulo: Campos do Jordão. hum. faec. 26.XII.1998. Lincoln P. Almeida [7♂ 3♀ CEMT]; same locality but 06.II-1999. E. A. Pereira [5♂, 5♀ CEMT]; same locality, 1780m. 23.XII.1998. G. P. Almeida Neto [♂ ♀ CEMT]; same data but 1800m, XII.2003 [3♂ 3♀ CEMT]; same data, but 1780m. 20.XII.1998 [6♂ 2♀ CEMT]; same data, but I.2004 [6♂ 22♀ CEMT]; same data, but X.2002 [5♂ ♀ CEMT]; same locality but 16.XI.1984 [1♂ 3♀ CEMT].

Diagnosis. Within its species group, D. speciosus is separated by the following combination of characters: body surface green to red, always bearing red reflections ( Fig. 1–2 , 6 ); male cephalic carina bearing one horn at each end ( Fig. 1 H); male pronotum strongly excavated bearing a central triangular lobed projection ( Fig. 2 A).

Remarks. Luederwaldt (1929) considered that males of P. speciosus with a straight cephalic carina ( Fig. 1 E) should be classified as P. opalescens Felsche , citing both species from same or nearby localities. This was followed by Pereira (1953), who argued that these species might be synonymous. There is a comprehensive redescription of this species in Pereira (1953), including descriptions of the male genitalia and mouth parts. Therefore, we consider that a new redescription is not necessary as the species is diagnosed and included in the key herein. One should consider that Dichotomius speciosus may have a straight ( Fig. 1 E, 1G) or an arcuate ( Fig. 1 D, 1F) carina. The characteristics that Luederwaldt (1929) and Pereira (1953) used to recognize Dichotomius opalescens must be considered as morphological variations of D. speciosus . We based our diagnosis on the intraspecific variation because it occurs in males and females at all localities and without a specific association with color or any other morphological trait. Among our studied material, some individuals are almost entirely red or green, but they conserve other invariant characteristics of this species, including the form of the male paramera ( Fig. 2 C–D).

Distribution and conservation. Highlands of the Mantiqueira mountain range, around the triple border of the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro ( Fig. 7 B).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Diagnostic characters of the Dichotomius speciosus species group. (A) Ventral view of a male Dichotomius speciosus (Waterhouse) from Campos do Jordão—SP. (B) Anterior falciform calcar of a male Dichotomius speciosus. (C) Anterior falciform calcar of a male Dichotomius malyi n. sp. (D) Curved cephalic carina of a male D. speciosus. (E) Straight cephalic carina of a male D. speciosus. (F) Curved cephalic carina of a female D. speciosus. (G) Straight cephalic carina of a female D. speciosus. (H) Frontal view of the cephalic carina of a male D. speciosus.

FIGURE 2. (A) dorsal habitus of a male Dichotomius speciosus (Waterhouse). (B) Dorsal habitus of a female D. speciosus. (C) Ventral view of a male paramera. (D) Lateral view of a male paramera.

FIGURE 6. color variation of Dichotomius speciosus and D. opalescens. (A) green-to-red female D. speciosus. (B) green female D. speciosus. (C) red female D. speciosus. (D) dark blue female D. opalescens. (E) female D. opalescens with light brown elytra. All specimens of D. speciosus are from Campos do Jordão and all specimens of D. opalescens are from São Francisco de Paula.

FIGURE 7. distribution map of the Dichotomius speciosus (Waterhouse) species group, except for D. malyi, with uncertain locality. (A) Distribution of D. speciosus, D. opalescens (Felsche) and D. alvarengai n. sp. (B) detailed map of the distribution of D. speciosus and D. alvarengai n. sp. showing Serra da Mantiqueira and Serra da Boqueira Ranges. (C) Detailed distribution of D. opalescens showing the Serra Geral range.