Hoplopelidnota F. Bates, 1904

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

Hoplopelidnota F. Bates, 1904 Figs 36 , 37

Type species.

Hoplopelidnota candezei F. Bates, 1904.

Species.

1 species; length 19-24 mm.

The monotypic genus Hoplopelidnota is rarely found in collections. Similar to species of Chalcoplethis and Catoclastus , it possesses metallic green, rugose elytra. Prior to this work, females were not associated with males. The elytral callus of the male possesses a well-developed spine (shared with the pelidnotine genus Mesomerodon ; lacking in females of both Mesomerodon and Hoplopelidnota ). In addition to the spinose elytra, several unusual characters serve to diagnose the genus: fringe of setae produced beyond apex of elytra; metatibial apex straight (lacking a corbel); mesosternum produced beyond the mesometasternal suture; metasternum with two parallel, longitudinal furrows; pygidium of female with a well-developed horizontal ridge and weak discal concavity; terminal sternite in the female with two deep emarginations on either side of the apex.

The genus includes one species, Hoplopelidnota metallica (Laporte), which has a turbulent nomenclatural history (see "Annotated Catalog"; Moore and Jameson 2013). No analyses have examined the relationships of the genus to other rutelines. Hoplopelidnota metallica is distributed in northern South America, and we provide country records for Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.

Figures

Figure 36. Hoplopelidnota metallica (Laporte) invalid neotype male from CCECL. A Dorsal habitus B Male parameres, caudal view C Specimen labels.

Figure 37. Hoplopelidnota metallica (Laporte) male from MSPC. A Dorsal habitus B Lateral habitus C Male genitalia, lateral view D Male parameres, caudal view.