Liogenys neoforcipata Cherman, 2021

Cherman, Mariana Alejandra, Basílio, Daniel Silva, Mise, Kleber Makoto, Frisch, Johannes & Almeida, Lúcia Massutti De, 2021, Liogenys Guérin-Méneville, 1831 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae Diplotaxini) from the Chacoan Province and its boundaries: taxonomic overview with four new species, Zootaxa 4938 (1), pp. 1-59 : 29-31

Liogenys neoforcipata Cherman , new species

Figs. 13 ; 27 .

http://zoobank.org/ D8037B33-8328-4A65-883D-C1306A12B0EB

Type material: Holotype labeled ( CNCI): [white, typeset and handwritten] “ ARGENTINA / Santi. del Estero / Colonia Dora / X.1956 ”, [red, typeset and handwritten] “ LIOGENYS / NEOFORCIPATA / HOLOTYPE / Cherman M. A.” . Paratype (1) male ( CNCI): [white typeset] “ ARGENTINA / Stgo. Del Estero / El Pinto [strikethrough], XI- 1956 ”, [yellow, typeset and handwritten] “ LIOGENYS / NEOFORCIPATA / PARATYPE Cherman M. A.” .

Holotype and paratype deposited at CNCI.

Diagnosis. Body elongate; brown, pronotum darker than elytra ( Fig. 13A ), head dark at vertex; clypeal emargination deep, rounded and wide; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; clypeal lateral margin with subangulate projection ( Fig. 13B ); basal apophysis of metacoxa not produced, scaly as well as the margin of trochanter ( Fig. 13E ); in males tarsi shiny, protarsi and mesotarsi slightly enlarged; pygidium flat or slightly convex; trapezoidal; pygidial disc glabrous ( Fig. 13D ); parameres glabrous, slightly convergent; narrowed apically and apex rounded, curved downwards ( Fig. 13 F–G).

Holotype. Male. Length: 9.4 mm; width: 5.1 mm. Brown. Head: distance between eyes almost twice the width of one eye; clypeal emargination deep, rounded and wide; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; inner margin of anterior teeth divergent, outer margin of anterior teeth shorter than the eye; clypeal lateral margin convex and strongly produced, forming a subangulate tooth-like projection; distance between clypeal lateral projection and anterior margin of the eye as long as one eye; distance between clypeal lateral projection and apex of the adjacent anterior tooth equal to the basal width of the anterior tooth; angle between outer side of anterior teeth and clypeal lateral projection approximately 90º; distal maxillary palpomere, maximum width more than twice the apical width; sensorial region smooth or forming a shallow fovea, extending past the transverse midline of the palpomere; antenna with 10 antennomeres, club lighter in color and slightly longer of the funicle. Thorax: anterior margin of pronotum slightly produced medially; pronotal disc glabrous, punctures coarse and sparse; posterior corners rounded; hypomere with short bristles, mesepisternum scaly; sides of metaventrite with sparse bristles; distance between mesocoxae and metacoxae up to twice the length of the metacoxa; scutellum ogival, sparsely and finely punctate. Elytra: shiny, glabrous, brownish, lighter in color than pronotum; elytral suture darker than elytron and elevated, pair of inner ridges more defined than the three outer pairs. Legs: three protibial teeth, middle and apical equal in size, slightly longer than the basal tooth; distance between basal and middle teeth slightly shorter than between middle and apical; mesofemural surface setose, thick erect bristles on posterior margin; mesotibia subquadrate in cross section, mesotibial surface coarsely sculptured; two transverse carinae, the apical carina complete and strong; metacoxa scaly beneath the leg; basal apophysis of metacoxa not produced beyond the outer margin of trochanter, outer margin of the trochanter and metacoxa scaly; metafemur abundantly setose; inner margin of metatibia carinate towards the apex, inner surface setose; two strong metatibial transverse carinae present posteriorly; metatibial apical spurs of different lengths; the larger equal in length to the diameter of the tibial apex; in males tarsi shiny; protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres I to III slightly enlarged; protarsomere II elongate; metatarsomere I slightly shorter than metatarsomere II; claw bifid, symmetrical, superior tooth of a claw longer and equal in width to the inferior, distance between teeth more than twice the length of the inferior tooth; teeth parallel. Abdomen: ventrites scarcely with bristles on disc, ventrite II more with bristles; propygidium slightly visible, glabrous; pygidium flat or slightly convex, subtrapezoidal, wide; pygidial width not exceeding distance between spiracles of propygidium; pygidial disc glabrous; pygidial apex subquadrate. Parameres: basal region as wide as both sections of the parameres at its maximum width, parameral split at 2/3; inner margins slightly convergent; apex rounded and curved downwards, inner margins slightly overlapped; parameres entirely glabrous; parameres in lateral view flattened and curved downwards from midline up to the apex; straight coplanar to the basal portion.

Variation. Male paratype. Length: 10.0 mm; width: 5.4 mm. The paratype matches the holotype in all other characters described above.

Etymology. Adjective in the nominative singular. Prefix from the Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “new, young”) + Latin forcipâtum (shaped like pincers or tongs). Liogenys neoforcipata is named in reference to the similarity with L. forcipata in external morphology, male genitalia, and geographical distribution.

Type locality. ARGENTINA, Santiago del Estero, Colonia Dora [28°36’03.0’’S 62°57’00.3’’W] .

Geographical distribution. ARGENTINA (Santiago del Estero).

Remarks. Liogenys neoforcipata strongly resembles L. forcipata (in parenthesis) ( Fig. 6 ), differing only in a few amount of features: the clypeal lateral projection weakly angulate (rounded); the antennal club shorter; the three protibial teeth almost equal in size, distance between basal and middle teeth slightly shorter than between middle and apical (middle and apical teeth equal in size, the three teeth equally spaced); the trochanter abundantly setose along its outer margin (glabrous, sparsely setose on its outer margin) ( Fig. 6D ); the mesotibia and metatibia subquadrate in cross section (cylindrical in cross section), the posterior carinae on metatibia stronger; the protarsi and mesotarsi shiny and slightly enlarged (opaque, almost twice the width of the metatarsomeres), the metatarsi are not enlarged (metatarsi enlarged); the space between the teeth of the tarsal claws is narrower than the width of the inferior tooth (more than twice the length of the inferior tooth); and in the shape of the parameres, with apex more rounded, not bilobed; the parameres are subapically glabrous, in lateral view flattened upon the apex and more curved downwards (setose, upon the apex uniform in height and straight). Females remain unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Liogenys forcipata Frey, 1970 male views: A) dorsal, B) head and pronotum, C) lateral, D) base of metatibia, white arrow indicates basal apophysis and metatrochanter, E) pygidium, and parameres in views: F) dorsal and G) lateral.

FIGURE 13. Liogenys neoforcipata Cherman, new species, male holotype views: A) dorsal, B) head and pronotum, C) lateral, D) pygidium, E) base of metatibia, white arrow indicates basal apophysis and metatrochanter, and parameres in views: F) dorsal, and G) lateral.

FIGURE 27. Geographical distribution of the Liogenys new species. Shaped points: new species; colors: Neotropical provinces (Morrone 2014) and Monte province from the South American Transition Zone (Roig-Juñent et al. 2018).