Onthophagus martinpierai Moctezuma, Rossini & Zunino

Moctezuma, Victor, Rossini, Michele, Zunino, Mario & Halffter, Gonzalo, 2016, A contribution to the knowledge of the mountain entomofauna of Mexico with a description of two new species of Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae), ZooKeys 572, pp. 23-50 : 35-38

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Onthophagus martinpierai Moctezuma, Rossini & Zunino sp. n.

Material examined.

Holotypus ♂ labeled (In Spanish) "Mexico, El Pinal, Pue., at 2.5 km from Rincón, 23/VI/13, coprotrap 5h5, x- 97°55'7.1" W, y- 19°7'48.4" N, oak-pine forest, 2530 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col.". Paratypi: 4 ♀♀, with the same label as the Holotypus; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., a 2.5 km from Rincón, 23/VI/13, coprotrap 5c5, x- 97°55'3.5" W, y- 19°7'51.8" N, oak-pine forest, 2550 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 2.5 km from Rincón, 23/VI/13, coprotrap 5h1, x- 97°55'13" W, y- 19°7'52.9" N, oak-pine forest, 2530 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col.; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 2.5 km from Rincón, 23/VI/13, coprotrap 5h2, x- 97°55'11.4" W, y- 19°7'52" N, oak-pine forest, 2527 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 1 ♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, coprotrap 7c3, x- 97°54'5.8" W, y- 19°8'58.3" N, oak-pine forest, 2742 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 3 ♀ ♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, coprotrap 7h1, x- 97°53'53.9" W, y- 19°8'59" N, oak-pine forest, 2681 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 2 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km de Rincón, 5/VII/13, coprotrap 7h1, x- 97°53'53.9" W, y- 19°8'59" N, oak-pine forest, 2681 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 2 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, coprotrap 7h2, x- 97°53'55.8" W, y- 19°8'59.3" N, oak-pine forest, 2678 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 5/VII/13, coprotrap 7h2, x- 97°53'55.8" W, y- 19°8'59.3" N, oak-pine forest, 2678 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 1 ♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, coprotrap 7h3, x- 97°53'56.5" W, y- 19°9'1" N, oak-pine forest, 2674 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 5/VII/13, coprotrap 7h3, x- 97°53'56.5" W, y- 19°9'1" N, oak-pine forest, 2674 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 2 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, coprotrap 7h4, x- 97°53'57.7" W, y- 19°9'2.4" N, oak-pine forest, 2673 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 2 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, coprotrap 7h7, x- 97°54'1.8" W, y- 19°9'6.6" N, oak-pine forest, 2684 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 3 ♀♀, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 5/VII/13, coprotrap 7h7, x- 97°54'1.8" W, y- 19°9'6.6" N, oak-pine forest, 2684 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col."; 2 ♂♂, labeled “México, El Pinal, Pue., at 0.3 km from Rincón, 24/VI/13, C.D. human excrement, x- 97°53'59.3" W, y- 19°9'2.1" N, oak-pine forest, 2680 m a.s.l., Moctezuma J.V.P. Col.".

Other material examined.

Mexico: Hidalgo, Metztitlán, 15 June 2005, 1♂, 1 ♀; México: Hidalgo, Metztitlán, MSN, 22 June 2005, Verdú et al. col., 3♀♀; México: Hidalgo, Metztitlán, MSN, 27 June 2005, 7♀♀.

Description.

Holotype - Major male (Fig. 8). Length 5 mm, maximum width of pronotum 2.3 mm. Body black, dull and silky with cupreous-bronze casts, anten nal club black. Clypeal margin distinctly sinuate and slightly reflexed at the apex, head with lateral margins clearly sinuate in proximity of clypeo-genal suture, genal margin strongly widened and rounded, genal sutures evident. Clypeal carina feeble and evenly curved, frons with two aligned and transverse carinae clearly elevated and medially separated. Clypeal surface mostly flattened, slightly depressed near anterior margin, punctures fine and shallow on clypeal disc, strong and deeper near anterior margin, fronto-clypeal surface with scattered and irregular punctures, genae with few and stronger punctures, head surface with reticular microsculpture, some punctures are associated with short and yellowish setae.

Pronotum completely bordered, lateral and posterior margins evenly curved, anterior and superior side with a conical, tubercle-like protuberance. Pronotum with deep and setigerous punctures, some of them associated with a small and rounded granule on anterior margin, especially in proximity of anterior angles of pronotum; punctures less impressed near the posterior margin, reticular microsculpture evident. Elytral striae impressed, with simple to medium-sized punctures quite separated, interstriae almost flat, with small punctures associated with very tiny granules, less evident in females; same reticular microsculpture of pronotum. Pygidium with strong and dense punctures, punctuation smaller, shallower and less dense near base, pygidial surface with fine microsculpture, which is less evident at apex where pygidium appears shinier. Protibiae slender, elongated and apically strongly curved inward, inner margin wider at the apex, inner and apical angle with tuft of long, robust and yellowish setae; protibia with four external teeth well separated and distributed along apical half, external margin and intervals between external teeth serrated. Parameres and endophallic sclerites: Figs 10-12.

Variation. Minor male: Smaller than major males, clypeus more clearly trapezoidal, clypeal carina more evident, pronotal protuberance either absent or feebly indicated, foretibiae less elongated and curved at the apex, similar to those of the female.

Female (Fig. 9): Clypeus distinctly trapezoidal shaped and wider, clypeo-genal suture indicated by feeble depression on lateral margin of head, genae narrower, clypeal carina distinct and stronger than in male, frons with transversal carina slightly but clearly depressed at middle, clypeal punctuation stronger and evenly distributed. Pronotal protuberance either absent or very feebly indicated, protibiae shorter than in male and wider at apex, inner angle of the protibiae without tuft of setae, with few erected setae at most. Female genitalia: Fig. 13.

Derivatio nominis.

We dedicate this new species to Fermín Martín Piera (Madrid, Spain, 7 July 1954-ibid., 19 July 2001), entomologist and ecologist, who rescued modern Scarabaeoidology in Spain in the 1980s.

Synthesis of the localities of the type material.

MEXICO: State of Puebla, El Pinal mountain ( Rincón Citlaltépetl) at 0.3 km from Rincón Citlaltépetl, 2673-2742 m a.s.l.; El Pinal mountain (Santa Isabel Tepetzala) at 2.5 km from Rincón Citlaltépetl, 2530-2550 m a.s.l.

Type locality.

El Pinal mountain, Santa Isabel Tepetzala, state of Puebla, Mexico.

Type repository: Holotype and five paratypes in the GH Collection. Paratypes in the collections of VM, MR, MZ, MM, CNC and LD collections.

Affinities.

The morphology of Onthophagus martinpierai led us to include this new species of El Pinal in the landolti group ( Zunino and Halffter 1997). This group is widely distributed from the southern border of Ontario (Canada) to the central regions of Amazonia (MR, unpublished data), with the highest diversity found in North America. To our knowledge, the landolti group may include several complexes of species (e.g. lecontei -subopacus complex, Howden and Génier 2004), the taxonomy and systematics of which require a profound revision.

This new species shares significant diagnostic characters, possible synapomorphic traits, with Onthophagus dubitabilis Howden & Génier and Onthophagus mariozuninoi Delgado, Navarrete & Blackaller. These include the shape of the frontal carina in the male, shape of the parameres (Fig. 10) and the shape of the copulatory lamella (the latter has not been published for Onthophagus mariozuninoi ) (Fig. 11).

Distribution and ecology

(Maps 4-5). Onthophagus martinpierai , Onthophagus dubitabilis and Onthophagus mariozuninoi seem to represent a new complex of species within the landolti group, occurring from the southern mountain range of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the nearby Sierra Madre del Sur, across the entire TMVB. As has been observed and proposed for the fuscus complex of the chevrolati group, these three species appear to show a modern distribution centred in the TMVB, with the occurrence in the southern Sierra Madre Occidental and eastern TMVB representing a secondary and more recent expansion of these species.

Onthophagus mariozuninoi is distributed from the south-eastern Sierra Madre Occidental (Tequila, Jalisco) and south-western TMVB (Atenquique, Jalisco) to the central-eastern part of the TMVB (Tlayacapan, Morelos) (Map 4). We provide Patzcuaro and Morelia, Michoacan, as geographic data additional to the known distribution of Onthophagus mariozuninoi ( Delgado et al. 1993, Delgado 1997, Howden and Génier 2004).

Onthophagus dubitabilis has been described by Howden and Génier (2004) for Autlán, Jalisco. We add two new records for this species: El Tapeiztle, Minatitlán Municipality, Colima, 2300 m a.s.l., pasture, 14-VIII-1989. L.E. Rivera col., 1 male; Laboratorio Natural Las Joyas de Manantlán, Sierra de Manantlán mountains, Jalisco, 8-IX-1987, L.E. Rivera and V. Bedoy col., 1 female. These new localities, along with that provided by Howden and Génier (2004), are located in the mountainous region of the Sierra de Manantlán, which is located in the south-western part of Jalisco and northern region of Colima. The Sierra de Manantlán forms part of the Sierra Madre del Sur.

Onthophagus martinpierai has been found in El Pinal, in the easternmost part of the TMVB, the same locality as Onthophagus clavijeroi . However, it is very likely this species also occurs in other localities across the central-eastern part of the TMVB (eastern limit of Onthophagus mariozuninoi 's distribution).

Onthophagus martinpierai has been collected both directly and using pitfall traps baited with human excrement and horse dung, The large number of specimens collected mainly with excrement suggests the coprophagous habit of this species. It was found in areas with secondary pine-oak forests with pastures between 2530-2742 m a.s.l.

In contrast, Onthophagus mariozuninoi appears to be generalist since it has been collected in dog scats and pitfall traps baited with squid, even though the largest number of individuals has been captured on fungi. This species seems to occur between 1650-2370 m a.s.l. In Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, it was collected at 2150 m a.s.l. According to Delgado et al. (1993), this species is eurytopic and is found in mountain mesophilous and pine-oak forests. In Pátzcuaro, it was also collected in pine-oak forest.

The Sierra de Manantlán mountain range was originally a forested area, presenting distinct vegetation at different altitudes. Onthophagus dubitabilis has been collected in both mountain mesophilous forests and open habitats at between 1900-2300 m a.s.l.