Guatemalica fuliginosa ( Nonfried, 1894 )

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2014, A Review Of The Neotropical Genera Badelina Thomson, 1880, Balsameda Thomson, 1880, Guatemalica Neervoort Van De Poll, 1886, And Heterocotinis Martínez, 1948 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 68 (2), pp. 241-262 : 255-257

Guatemalica fuliginosa ( Nonfried, 1894) ( Figs. 29–32 )

Gymnetis fuliginosa Nonfried 1894: 130 (original combination). Holotype female (sex based upon distinctly tridentate protibia in description) not seen. Type locality: “ Santa Fé de Bogota ”, Colombia.

Description. Length 17.0– 20.3 mm; width across humeri 10.0– 11.1 mm. Color black, velutinous on dorsal surface except where yellow markings, shiny on ventral surface; head, pronotum, elytra, and pygidium with pale yellow markings as follows: clypeus with small spot on each lateral margin near apex; pronotum with small, transverse spot on lateral margin of each anterior angle; epimera completely yellow or not; elytra each with broad band on lateral margin extending from behind humerus to subapex, band occasionally broken into shorter bands or spots; pygidium with band across base and on each lateral margin either side of middle; mesosternum, metasternum, and metepisterna each partially yellow; metacoxa yellow on lateral third; abdominal ventrites 1–5 and rarely 6 each with band on lateral thirds either side of middle. All yellow markings may be variably reduced, one specimen entirely black. Head: Lateral margins weakly elevated. Surface of frons and clypeus slightly concave either side of weak, median, longitudinal tumescence with punctures moderate in size and density. Clypeus with apex bilobed, each lobe broadly rounded, feebly reflexed. Eyes moderate in size, interocular width 5.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club distinctly longer than antennomeres 2–7 in both sexes. Pronotum: Surface with sculpturing usually obscured by velutinous covering; when exposed, punctures sparse, small. Sides with slender marginal bead. Elytra: Surface with sculpturing usually obscured by velutinous covering; when exposed, punctures small, moderately dense, in distinct rows on disc, discal costae virtually obsolete. Apices at suture obtusely rounded. Pygidium: Surface in both sexes concentrically strigose with minute to short setae; setae tawny in males, black in females. In lateral view, profile convex in males, nearly flat in females. Venter: Setae long, brown to mostly black. Mesometasternal process bluntly rounded; in lateral view, protuberant and recurved ( Fig. 30 ). Abdominal ventrites in males nearly smooth in central third, lateral thirds with sparse, moderately large, crescent-shaped punctures; females sparsely punctate on central third, more densely punctate on lateral thirds. Legs: Protibia slender, weakly tridentate in males, distinctly broader and tridentate in females. Parameres ( Figs. 31–32 ): In caudal view, form subrectangular, apices broadly, bluntly rounded and with minute tooth on apicolateral edge.

Distribution. Guatemalica fuliginosa is a rare species known from Colombia and Venezuela. The data for the specimen labeled “ Honduras ” from the Nonfried collection (FMNH) is suspect, and I do not believe this species occurs in Central America.

Locality Records. 5 specimens from FMNH, MIZA, and ZMHU. COLOMBIA (2). BOYACÁ (1): Muzo. DISTRITO CAPITAL (1): Bogotá. HONDURAS (1). NO DATA (1). VENEZUELA (2). ZULIA (2): El Tucuco .

Temporal Distribution. April (1), October (1).

Diagnosis. Guatemalica fuliginosa is distinguished by the band (continuous or broken) of pale yellow along the lateral margin of the elytra (usually with three large, ochre or yellow spots in G. hueti ); no bifurcate spot near the combined elytral apices (a subapical, bifurcate spot with the bifurcations nearly meeting medially at suture so as to create an oval, dark spot surrounded by ochre or yellow at the combined elytral apices in G. hueti ); and pygidium with yellow spots but lacking a central dark spot completely surrounded by yellow (pygidium with a central dark spot surrounded by ochre or yellow in G. hueti ). The parameres are proportionally longer and more slender as opposed to the shorter and stouter parameres in G. hueti (compare Figs. 31 and 35 ).

Natural History. Nothing is known of the life history and habits of this uncommon species.

Figures

Figs. 29–32. Guatemalica fuliginosa. 29) Habitus; 30) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 31–32) Parameres.

Figs. 33–36. Guatemalica hueti. 33) Habitus; 34) Mesometasternal process, lateral view; 35–36) Parameres.