Monophylla pallipes Schaeffer, 1908

Burke, Alan & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2017, A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World, ZooKeys 179, pp. 75-157 : 129-131

Monophylla pallipes Schaeffer, 1908 Figs 4C, 20C

Type material not examined.

Type locality.

Brownsville, Texas. Type depository: United States National History Museum (USNM).

Holotype lost. Lectotype designated by Chapin (1949).

Distribution.

USA: AZ, CA, TX; Mexico: Chiapas, Jalisco, Morelos, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Yucatan; Central America: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras; South America: Chile (introduced).

Differential diagnosis.

Monophylla pallipes is very similar to M. californica . The two species are sympatric in distribution; therefore, they can be misidentified when collected simultaneously. Diagnostic characters are provided in the diagnosis of M. californica .

Redescription.

Male. Form: Small to moderately large, slender individuals. Color: Head, antennae, pronotum, scutellum and legs dark testaceous to almost piceous; the anterior and posterior margins of the pronotum have a narrow ferrugineous to testaceous band; thorax ferrugineous to almost black; elytra testaceous to piceous, each elytron may have a pale to yellowish fascia on the median region of the elytral disc that initiates on the epipleural fold and does not reach the elytral suture; mouthparts fuscous, abdominal segments light testaceous to fuscous (Fig. 4C).

Head: Including eyes narrower than pronotum; eyes small, taller than wide, feebly bulging laterally, antennal notch in front of eye emargination; integument coarsely to slightly punctate; clothed with fine, pale, semirecumbent and semi-erect setae intermixed with some scattered erect, pale setae; antennae consisting of 10 antennomeres; second antennomeres robust, rather short, antennomeres 3-4 small, conspicuously compacted; antennomeres 5-9 serrate, serration and size gradually increasing toward distal end, last antennomeres noticeably enlarged, conspicuously compressed laterally, much longer than remaining antennomeres combined (Fig. 4C); last antennomere sexually dimorphic.

Thorax: Pronotum subparallel, widest at middle, constricted toward posterior margin; pronotal surface moderately to conspicuously punctate, rugose to rugulose; pronotal disc flat; clothed with fine, short, pale and dark, semirecumbent setae interspersed with some long and very long, erect, dark setae; anterior transverse depression feebly impressed, subbasal tumescence absent. Prosternum as long as wide; strongly punctate; punctation fine, shallow; surface feebly clothed. Mesoventrite: Surface moderately to coarsely punctate; punctations wide, deep; vested with fine, pale, semi-erect setae. Metepisterna visible throughout their length, not covered by elytra. Metaventrite: Convex; integument punctate laterally; punctation wide and shallow; moderately clothed with fine, pale, recumbent setae; longitudinal depression present, metaventral process absent. Scutellum wide, clothed with pale, fine, recumbent setae, compressed medially.

Elytra: Anterior margin slightly broader than pronotum; elongate; subparallel, humeri inconspicuously indicated, rounded; sides gradually expanding toward distal end, widest on middle third then narrowing toward apex; elytral apices subtriangular; inconspicuously dehiscent; elytral declivity gradual; surface clothed with fine, short, pale and dark, semi-erect and erect setae; conspicuously punctate, punctations small and shallow, irregularly arranged, punctations reaching the elytral apex; interstices smooth, narrow. Epipleural fold gradually narrowing toward apex.

Legs: Femora rugulose to smooth; expanded behind middle; laterally compressed; clothed with some pale, fine, semi erect setae; surface feebly, shallowly punctate. Tibiae rugulose, slender, puncticulate; vestiture consisting of fine, pale, semi-erect setae mingled with some pale, semirecumbent setae.

Abdomen: Six visible ventrites. Ventrites 1-4 convex, smooth, shiny. First visible ventrite longer than second visible ventrite, feebly rugulose; ventrites 2-4 subquadrate; punctate; vested with fine, long, pale, recumbent setae; not compressed laterally; posterior margins truncate. Fifth visible ventrite convex; subquadrate; surface rugulose; puncticulate; vested with fine, pale, recumbent setae; lateral margins subparallel, arcuate; posterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate. Sixth visible ventrite subquadrate; surface slightly to moderately rugulose, convex to almost flat; feebly compressed on the median-posterior region; clothed with some long, erect setae, vestiture more abundant on anterolateral margins; lateral margins oblique, slightly arcuate; posterior margin broadly, deeply emarginate, U-shaped emarginate, posterolateral angles round. Fifth tergite subquadrate, surface convex; posterior margin truncate. Sixth tergite subquadrate; finely rugulose; surface convex posterior median region compressed; clothed with long, fine, pale and dark recumbent setae; lateral margins oblique; posterior margin broadly, moderately deeply emarginate, U-shaped emargination, posterolateral angles rounded. Sixth tergite slightly extending beyond apical margin of sixth visible ventrite, covering sixth ventrite in dorsal view.

Aedeagus: Phallobasic apodeme present; phallus with copulatory piece swollen at apex; phallic plate armed with a row of denticles; intraspicular plate present, elongate; phallobasic apodeme conspicuously short, expanded distally; phallobase sinuate; parameres free; tegmen incomplete, partially covering the phallus; parameres pointed anteriorly; endophallic struts long, conspicuously robust distally (Fig. 20C).

Sexual dimorphism: Females of M. pallipes differ from males based on the following characters: the tenth antennomere of females is shorter than in males; antennomeres 6-9 are larger and moderately serrate in females, but conspicuously reduced and compressed in males; and females have the last abdominal segment broadly rounded to feebly truncate, while males have this segment subquadrate in shape and emarginate posteriorly.

Material examined.

2 males, 2 females: Hidalgo Co., TX, IV-7-1950, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 males, 6 females: Brownsville, TX, V-25-1934, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 males, 5 females: Brownsville, TX, V-14, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 female: Brewster Co., TX, V-26-1948; 1 female: Cameron Co., TX, VI-4-1950, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 females: Corpus Christy, TX, III-30-1961, D. J. and J. N. Knull; l male: Gillespie Co., TX, IV-23, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 2 females: Hidalgo Co., TX, III-20-1952, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 1 female: Hidalgo Co., TX, III-29-1963, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male: Hidalgo Co., TX, III-26-1953, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 1 female: Starr Co., TX, IV-9-1963, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 males: Starr Co., TX, III-20-1952, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 female: Hidalgo Co., TX, 7-IV-1950, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 1 female: Hidalgo Co., TX, V-23-1953, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 males: Jackson Co., TX, V-22, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 males, 1 female: Brownsville, TX, V-19, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 3 males, 2 females: Uvalde Co., TX, VI-13-1949, J. N. Knull; 1 female: Santa Cruz Co., CA, Glenwood road, VI-16-1968, W. H. Tyson; 1 female: Gillespie Co., TX, VI-1, J. N. Knull; 1 male: Brownsville, TX, V-12, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male: Brownsville, TX, V-5, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 female: Brownsville, TX, XI-19-1911, in pasture, Garden; 1 female: Cameron Co., TX, 2 mi E Los Indios, V-13-1978, N. M. Downie; 1 female: Cameron Co., TX, Sabal Palm Grove, IV-20-30-1986, D. H. Heffern; 2 males, 3 females: San Patricio Co., TX, Welder Wildlife Ref., VII-10-20-1981, R. H. Turnbow; 3 males: Cameron Co., TX, Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary, III-16-1981, R. H. Turnbow; 2 males: Cameron Co., TX, Palm Groove Sanctuary, Brownsville, I-1977, F. T. Hovore; 1 female: Hidalgo Co., TX, Santa Ana National Refugee vic., Willow Lake, T. C. MacRae; 1 male: Starr Co., TX, Rio Grande City, X-10-1972, E. Giesbert; 1 female: San Patricio Co., TX, Welder Wildlife Refuge, V-10-12-1977, E. Giesbert; 1 male: TX, reared from mesquite logs, emerged X-10-1955, H. F. Howden; 1 male, 1 female: TX, Lake Corpus Christy State Park, VI-19-1971; G. H. Nelson; 1 male: Cameron Co., TX, Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary, III-20-1982, R. Turnbow. MEXICO: 1 male: Sinaloa, Mexico, 3 km E El Marmol, VIII-8-1983, E. Giesbert; 1 male, 2 females: San Luis Potosí, Mexico, 69.5 km N Tamazunchale, VI-5-1987, R. H. Turnbow; 2 males, 3 females: Jalisco, Mexico, 1.2 km S of La Cumbre, VII-19-2011, R. H. Turnbow; 2 males, 1 female: Tamaulipas, Mexico, 1-2 mi E Nuevo Morelos, VI-2-1982, R. H. Turnbow; 1 male: Guerrero, Mexico, 7.3 km NW Ixtapa, VII-17-1985, R. Turnbow; 2 males, 2 females: Quintana Roo, Mexico, highway 186, 17 km S jct. 307, V-30-1984, R. Turnbow; 1 female: Yucatan, Mexico, 2 km E Chichen Itza, V-26-1984, R. Turnbow; 1 female: Chiapas, Mexico, 4 mi NW of Pueblo Nuevo River Bajada, VII-15-1965, G. H. Nelson. CENTRAL AMERICA: 1 female: El Paraiso, Honduras, 31.5 km W Danli, VII-20-1995, R. Turnbow.

Remarks.

The holotype of M. pallipes was lost and a lectotype was designated by Chapin (1949).