Aegidium gilli Frolov, Akhmetova

Frolov, Andrey V., Akhmetova, Lilia A. & Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z., 2017, Revision of the mainland species of the Neotropical genus Aegidium Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae), Journal of Natural History 51 (19 - 20), pp. 1035-1090 : 1072-1074

Aegidium gilli Frolov, Akhmetova and Vaz-de-Mello, sp. nov.

( Figure 10 (a–g))

Type locality

Venezuela, Aragua, Rancho Grande.

Type material examined

Holotype, male at BGCO labeled ‘ Venez: Aragua Rancho Grande 4.VII-9.VIII.86 B. Gill 1150m’ ( Figure 10 (b)). Paratypes: VENEZUELA. Aragua: four males and two females at BGCO labeled ‘ Venez: Aragua Rancho Grande 4.VII-9.VIII.86 B. Gill 1150m’. Distrito Capital: one male at MNHN labeled ‘ Museum Paris Venezuela Env. de Caracas P. Hastert 1923’. Lara: one female at BGCO labeled ‘ Venez., Lara Yacambu N.P. 14 km SE Sinaré 9°42 ʹ N, 69°34 ʹ W’. Mérida: one female at BGCO labeled ‘ Venez: Merida La Azulita 12–28.VII.86 B. Gill 1600m’; one male at BMNH labeled ‘15176/ Venezuela Merida’; one male at MNHN labeled ‘ Merida Venezuel’ ; one male at BMNH labeled ‘ Venezuela: Merida A. Paramanov . B.M. 1964–2’; one male at CEMT labeled ‘ Venezuela Mérida Sucre Jaji, 8° 40′18.26″N 71°24′37.36″. 2012m. 8/VII/2009. Cebo heces humanas. D.Mora, P. Colmenares, M.Córdova, M.Nuñez’. Miranda: one female at CEMT labeled ‘ VENEZUELA: Miranda. Altos de Pipe . Campus IVIC. 1500M. 10°23′51″N, 66°58′15″W, VII-2009. FZVazde-Mello’; one female at CMN labeled ‘ San Antonio de los Altos 1400 m; (Edo. Miranda); Venezuela leg. Bordon 15.8.63 ’; one female at CMN labeled ‘ San Antonio de los Altos, m 1800 Edo. Miranda), Venez./ 16-II-1964 C. Bordon leg.’; one male and one female at CEMT labeled ‘ VENEZUELA: Miranda. San Antonio de los Altos. 1400m. 10-VII-1964. C Bordón’ ; one female at BMNH labeled ‘ Venezuela 47.24’. BRAZIL: Pará, one male at MZUSP labeled ‘ Tirios, Alto Paru d’ Oeste, PA, Brasil I-II.1963 Machado & Pereira col’.

Diagnosis

Aegidium gilli sp. nov. can be separated from other Aegidium species by having short (0.45 times length of phallobase), strongly tapering parameres that are acute in dorsal view ( Figure 10 (d,e)).

Description

Holotype, male ( Figure 10 (a)). Body length 13.5 mm. Colour uniformly blackish brown.

Anterior margin of frontoclypeus slightly convex in middle, slightly sinuate each side of medial convexity, rounded laterally, with a narrow border. Frontoclypeus coarsely punctate with rounded punctures separated by about 1 puncture diameter; punctures on basal part of frontoclypeus 1.5–2 times larger than in apical part.

Eyes relatively large: width about 1/7 distance between eyes in dorsal view.

Pronotum with widely rounded lateral margins, as wide as elytra, 1.5 times wider than length, 0.5 times length of elytra. Posterior angles narrowly rounded. Anterior margin bordered, with a row of large punctures interrupted medially. Base of pronotum with a punctate furrow with a row of large, rounded, almost adjoining punctures. Pronotal disc excavated, with slightly convex area medially. Lateral pronotal processes triangular in lateral view, their apices not protruding past lateral margins of pronotum in dorsal view. Pronotum punctate with large rounded punctures separated by 2–3 puncture diameters on disc and with smaller but denser rounded punctures on sides.

Scutellum narrow subtriangular, about 1/11 length of elytra.

Elytra 1.25 times longer than wide, with humeral and apical umbones. Elytra widest in basal 1/3, slightly tapering apically in dorsal view. First elytral carina feebly distinct, second indistinct. Elytra covered with relatively dense rounded punctures separated by 1–1.5 puncture diameters; punctures becoming denser towards apices of elytra and are elongated oval in apical parts and along sutural margins.

Macropterous.

Mesotibiae without tuft of setae ventroapically. Inner apical spur of mesotibia shorter than basal mesotarsomere and not curved downwards.

Aedeagus with relatively short (0.45 times length of phallobase), strongly tapering parameres ( Figure 10 (d)). Apices of parameres acute in dorsal view. Parameres wider than apical part of phallobase in dorsal view ( Figure 10 (e)). Ventrobasal transverse plate of parameres distinct. Endophallus without strongly sclerotised sclerites. Cranial part of spiculum gastrale relatively wide, slightly tapering, rounded apically ( Figure 10 (f)).

Female ( Figure 10 (c)) differs from male in having protibial spur, relatively smaller pronotum without armature and in absence of inner protibial tooth.

Variation

Body length of the paratypes varies from 10.5 to 14.0 mm (males) and from 9.5 to 11.5 mm (females). Pronotum armature in males varies from rather high lateral processes (acute-angled in lateral view) to indistinct lateral processes and shallow concavity anteromedially; anteroapical pronotal process varies from tubercle to hornshaped.

Distribution

Aegidium gilli sp. nov. is known from a few localities in Venezuelan Andes (Cordillera de la Costa and Cordillera de Mérida) and from one locality in Upper Paru d’ Oeste River, northern Brazil ( Figure 10 (g)). The locality in Brazil is far from the main range of the species, and additional material from this locality is need to clarify the range of Ae. gilli sp. nov.

Etymology

The new species is named after Bruce D. Gill (Ottawa, Canada), who collected the type series.

Figures

Figure 10. Aegidium gilli, holotype male (a, b), paratype male (d–f), paratype female (c). Habitus in dorsal view (a, c), labels (b), aedeagus in lateral view (d), parameres in dorsal view (e), spiculum gastrale (f), locality map (g).