Chalcoplethis Burmeister, 1844

Moore, Matthew R., Jameson, Mary L., Garner, Beulah H., Audibert, Cedric, Smith, Andrew B. T. & Seidel, Matthias, 2017, Synopsis of the pelidnotine scarabs (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae, Rutelini) and annotated catalog of the species and subspecies, ZooKeys 666, pp. 1-349 : 1

Chalcoplethis Burmeister, 1844 Fig. 6

Type species.

Chrysophora kirbii Gray, 1832.

Species.

2 subspecies; length 22-27 mm.

As circumscribed by Soula (2006), the genus Chalcoplethis includes only C. kirbii kirbii Gray and C. kirbii misionesensis Soula. Whereas F. Bates (1904), Ohaus (1934b), and Hardy (1975) considered Pelidnota (Chalcoplethis) to include a broad group of Pelidnota species with metallic green, rugose elytra, Soula considered Chalcoplethis as unique and monotypic. Soula (2006) also considered Epichalcoplethis to be separate and distinct from Chalcoplethis . It is clear that species of Chalcoplethis and Epichalcoplethis share a number of characters (form of the male genitalia, pronotal bead obsolete apicomedially, lack of spinules at apex of metatibia, well-developed prosternal process, and mesometasternal keel surpassing the mesocoxae). Relationships of these three genera need to be studied and placed within the broader context of ruteline genera.

Chalcoplethis kirbii is diagnosed by its metallic green color, striate elytra, elytral epipleuron shelf-like (not rounded), pronotum with bead incomplete apically (complete laterally and basally), metatibia of the male that is strongly compressed (less so in females) and lacking apical spinules, meso- and metatarsomere 5 lacking an internomedial tooth; mandibles that are bidentate externally, prosternal process well developed, and mesometasternal keel surpassing the mesocoxae. The species is distributed in the Atlantic Coastal Forest of Brazil from Bahia in the north to Rio Grande do Sul in the south. Larvae are not described.

Figures

Figure 6. Chalcoplethis kirbii misionesensis Soula holotype male from CCECL. A Dorsal habitus B Lateral habitus C Specimen labels D Male genitalia, lateral view E Male genitalia, dorsal view.