Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) larai García-López & Morón, 2009

García-López, Alejandra, Morón, Miguel Ángel, Micó, Estefanía & Galante, Eduardo, 2009, Two new species of Phyllophaga Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from Costa Rica, Zootaxa 2062 (1), pp. 37-45 : 41-43

Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) larai García-López & Morón sp. nov.

( Figs. 5, 6–9 )

Description. Holotype. Male: Total body length: 21.5 mm. Humeral width: 9.0 mm. Clypeus, frons, pronotum and elytra reddish brown; head shiny with erect, slender, long setae; pronotum weakly pruinose, with erect, mixed long and short setae on entire surface; mouth parts, sterna, pygidium and legs shiny reddish brown ( Fig. 5). Clypeus 3.8 times wider than long, densely punctate, with scattered erect short setae. Frons 5.5 times wider than dorsal diameter of eye. Eye canthus long and wide, with 9–10 setae. Mentum with anterior border briefly sinuate. Pronotum 1.8 times wider than long and 2.4 wider than frons. Pronotal disk with deep, round punctures irregularly separated from one another by 1–4 diameters; lateral borders strongly angled, lateral marginal bead crenulate and progressively dentate toward posterior corner, with regularly located, long, slender setae; basal bead indicated by setiferous punctures; anterior angles nearly acute, prominent; posterior angles obtuse, prominent. Scutellum 1.6 times wider than long. Elytra 2.4 longer than wide, densely setiferous punctuate. Pygidium moderately convex, shiny, densely setiferous punctate, with scattered long, erect setae on distal half of disk; apical margin with 12 long, slender setae; basal margin effaced medially. Anal plate with row of 14 long setae near posterior border. Mesotibia with upper apical spur acute, 1.1 times longer than lower spur. Upper apical spur of the metatibia with apex rounded, 1.2 times longer than basal metatarsomere, and 1.3 times longer than lower spur. Protarsomeres 1–3 each with subapical, small tubercle. Genital capsule with one weak lateroapical rounded prominence at each side, apex straight, progressively narrowed, with apical border slightly notched ( Fig. 6–9 ). Aedeagus with large, wide sclerotized support and dorsoapical tuft of 4 long bristles and ventrobasal patches of minute spines; ventroapical border of the sclerotized support downturned, widely rounded; preapical area of inner sac ventrally with patches of microspines, ending in one triangular sclerotized plate covered with microspines ( Figs. 6–9 ). Length of genital capsule from apex of parameres to border of phallobase: 5.6 mm.

Material examined (5 specimens). Holotype male: COSTA RICA: Limón, Parque Nacional Hitoy- Cerere, Cerro Bitárkara , 1000 m, (9º 38’ 25’’ N, 83º 08’ 15’’ W), July 12, 2007. W. Arana. ( INBio) . Paratypes: same data as holotype except: June 14, 2007. W. Arana y R . González (2); Cartago, Jiménez, Pejibaye , Selva. Alb. El Copal , 1000 m, (9º 47’ 10” N, 83º 45’ 6” W). June 16, 2007. A. García, M. Moraga (1); Alajuela, Guatuso, P. N. V . Tenorio, Falda N cerro Montezuma , 1160 m, (10º 41' 45.00" N, 85º 0' 58.20" W), May 5, 2008. J. A. Azofeifa (1) . Paratypes deposited in CEUA, MXAL .

Paratype variation. Similar to the holotype except in total body length: 20.3–22.0 mm. The extension of the pruinose area of the pronotum is variable. Protibial apical spur straight, sharply pointed, shorter than basal protarsomere.

Type locality. Cerro Bitárkara. Área de Conservación La Amistad-Caribe, Parque Nacional Hitoy-Cerere. Province of Limón. Costa Rica. (9º 38’ 25’’ latitude N, 83º 08’ 15’’ longitude W) ( Fig. 10 ).

Biological data. Phenology: May–July. Other species of Phyllophaga flying at the same time and place were P. chorotega (Morón) , P. densata (Moser) , P. gigantea (Bates) , P. guanacasteca (Morón & Solís) , P. guapiles (Saylor) , P. guapiloides (Morón & Solís) , P. lissopyge (Bates) , P. lorencita (Morón & Solís) , P. nevermanni (Saylor) , P. orosina (Moser) , P. panamana (Chapin) , P. prolixus (Bates) , P. pruinosa (Blanchard) , P. setidorsis (Blanchard) and P. copalensis sp. nov.

Remarks. Phyllophaga larai is most closely related to P. copalensis . Phyllophaga larai is also closely related to P. guapiles Saylor from the same area of Costa Rica. The differences between P. larai and P. guapiles are identical to those found between P. copalensis and P. guapiles .

Etymology. With a sincere and warm embrace, this species is dedicated to the memory of Juan Ignacio Lara Pozuelo (Nacho), a tireless and eternal friend. His name will now inhabit the tropical forests forever.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Distribution of Phyllophaga larai, P. copalensis, P. guapiles and P. guapiloides in Costa Rica. Life Zones map provided by GIS Unit of Inbio. Distribution of P. guapiles and P. guapiloides taken from ATTA database (InBio).

FIGURES 6–9. Phyllophaga larai, male genital capsule. 6—parameres, dorsal view. 7—Lateral view with aedeagus extended. 8—Parameres, ventroapical view. 9—Aedeagus, distal view. Scale bar 1 mm.