Hoplopyga foeda ( Schaum, 1848 )

Shaughney, Jennifer Marie & Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2015, A Monographic Revision of the Genus Hoplopyga Thomson, 1880 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (4), pp. 579-638 : 600-602

Hoplopyga foeda ( Schaum, 1848)

( Figs. 38–43 )

Gymnetis foeda Schaum 1848: 67 (original combination).

Lectotype male ( Ratcliffe 2004) at BMNH, examined. Type locality: “ Venezuelae .”

Gymnetis lucidiventris Thomson 1878:14 (original combination).

Holotype female at MNHN, labeled “ lucidiventris Thoms. Type/T. C. 14 Venez//ex Musaeo James Thomson//Th Type// Type//Museum Paris 1952 Coll. R. Oberthur // Hoplopyga foeda Schaum female symbol/compar au type.G. Ruter det. 1965”, examined. Type locality: “ Venezuela.” New synonymy.

Description. Length 15.8–21.1 mm; width across humeri 10.1–12.5 mm. Dorsal surface opaque or velutinous. Ground color of dorsum brownish yellow, grayish yellow, or black. Head with pitchy clouding either side of midline at base in both sexes. Pronotum usually with reddish brown or black clouding on middle and black M-shaped mark (obscured by clouding on black specimens). Elytra with pitchy clouding at base mesad of mesepimeron and at suture, with black markings on each elytron as follows: spot on humeral umbone, spot on mediodiscal area, and J-shaped mark or reversed J-shaped mark on apical umbone. Some specimens entirely black. Ventral surface opaque or shiny, ground color as on dorsum. Metasternum black, shiny at middle or entirely black, shiny. Mesometasternal process entirely black and shiny or reddish brown and shiny at apex only. Males with black clouding on middle of each sternite, or with middle third of each sternite entirely black, shiny. Females with sternites entirely black, shiny, with posterolateral spots on each sternite colored as on dorsum, opaque. Setae tawny, brown, or black. Head: Surface with large, dense, round and n-shaped punctures, punctures each with a short to long, tawny seta (setae longest in punctures on frons between eyes). Clypeal apex weakly emarginate at middle, weakly to moderately reflexed, weakly angulate either side of emargination. Antennal club slightly longer than antennomeres 2–7 combined. Pronotum: Lateral margins obtusely angulate, sometimes appearing broadly rounded. Surface with small or large, moderately dense, round punctures either side of middle, punctures becoming large, dense, and n-shaped laterally. Lateral margins with or without fragmented, black bead not reaching apical or basal angles. Elytra: Surface of each elytron with 2 distinctly elevated, discal costae, lateral costa on each elytron interrupted and depressed on mediodiscal area. Depressions between costae with n-shaped punctures; punctures large, dense, arranged longitudinally in striae, becoming smaller and extending to base near scutellum in 2 columns. Apical declivity with large, dense, n-shaped punctures. Lateral margins densely punctate. Sutural costae each elevated into longitudinal keel on posterior half. Apices at suture strongly spinose. Pygidium: Surface distinctly convex in both sexes, with large, dense, concentric, transversely vermiform punctures, punctures bearing short to long setae. Venter: Metasternum with large, dense, transversely vermiform punctures either side of middle, punctures usually with long, dense, tawny, brown, or black setae. Mesometasternal process, in lateral view, moderately protuberant beyond mesocoxae, either subparallel to horizontal axis of body, at a slight, oblique angle to horizontal axis of body, or distinctly deflexed; in ventral view ( Fig. 40 ), apex broadly rounded or with sides tapering to rounded apex, base of process with dense, minute punctures, punctures each with a long, dense seta or not. Abdominal sternites with large, dense, n-shaped punctures laterally, punctures each with a short to long seta. Legs: Protibia tridentate in both sexes. Parameres: Shape slightly variable, divergent between midpoint and apex ( Figs. 41–42 ). Apices each with distinct, lateral spur.

Distribution. Hoplopyga foeda is found in the Andes of northern and western South America ( Fig. 43 ).

Locality Records. 172 specimens from the following collections: AMNH, BCRC, BMNH, CASC, CCBM, DCCC, DEIC, FMNH, MIZA, MNHN, QCAZ, RMNH, SLTC, and ZMHU. BOLIVIA (18): COCHABAMBA (15): Arani. NO DATA (3). COLOMBIA (71): BOGOTÁ (1): Bogotá. CALDAS (3): Manizales. CAUCA (5): Quebrada Pereira, Quebrada Tomé, No data. CHOCÓ (4): Río Aguacate. CUNDINAMARCA (12): Fusagasuga, Río Panche ( SE Girardot), Viotá. META (2): Villavicencio. NORTE DE SANTANDER (1): Pamplona. TOLIMA (4): San Antonio, No data. VALLE DEL CAUCA (10): Cali, Calima Valley (45 km W Buga). NO DATA (29). ECUADOR (16): COTOPAXI (6): Las Pampas. LOJA (2): No data. NAPO (3): Baeza, Cosanga. PICHINCHA (2): Mindo, Quito. ZAMORA-CHINCHIPE (1): Zamora. NO DATA (2). PERU (2): JUNÍN (1): Río Oxabamba. NO DATA (1). VENEZUELA (61): ARAGUA (26): Portachuelo. CAPITAL DISTRICT (3): Caracas. MÉRIDA (16): Bailadores, Briceño, Monte Carmelo, La Pedregosa, Sierra Nevada, No data. MIRANDA (2): Guayabo, No data. NO DATA (14). NO DATA (5) .

Temporal Distribution. January (3), February (2), March (3), April (5), May (3), June (2), July (2), August (3), September (10), October (1).

Diagnosis. Hoplopyga foeda is differentiated from other species by its large size (15.8–19.6 mm), robust body, and setose appearance. Certain morphological characters of this species vary significantly across its range. The lectotype of this species ( Fig. 38 ) has a mesometasternal process that is distinctly deflexed, with the apex subquadrate in lateral view, which is a state we have not observed in other specimens of this species. Specimens from the eastern portion of the species’ range ( Venezuela) typically have the apex of the mesometasternal process at a slight oblique angle to the horizontal axis of the body and have short, dark setae on the metasternum. Specimens from the western portion of the species’ range ( Colombia and Ecuador) tend to have a mesometasternal process that is subparallel to the horizontal axis of the body and long, dense, tawny setae on the metasternum. The coloration of abdominal sternites varies as well. Sternites of male specimens have a black, shiny area on the middle of each sternite or not. The maculae on the posterolateral corners of each sternite in females vary from being inconspicuous to extremely noticeable. The form of the male parameres of this species varies but is consistent in that the shaft is divergent between the midpoint and the apex, and the apices each have a distinct, lateral spur. This species is similar to large H. liturata specimens but can be distinguished by having punctures on each elytron that continue to the base near the scutellum. Hoplopyga foeda is also similar to H. aequatorialis but can be separated based on the form of the male parameres ( Figs. 41–42 vs. Figs. 3–4 ) and by the amount of setae on the body. Hoplopyga foeda usually has a fringe of long, dense setae along the apex of the pygidium, which is lacking in H. aequatorialis , and the setae from the punctures on the metasternum in H. foeda are generally longer and denser.

Nomenclature. Thomson described Gymnetis lucidiventris based on an entirely black female specimen, and Schürhoff (1937) transferred G. lucidiventris to the genus Hoplopyga . This species is virtually identical to black female H. foeda specimens. Because of a lack of any significant differences between the species and the wide variation of character states known in H. foeda , we consider H. lucidiventris to be conspecific with H. foeda .

Natural History. Specimens have been caught at elevations up to 2,050 m ( Fig. 44 ) (label data). Otherwise, nothing is known of its life history.

Figures

Figs. 38–43. Hoplopyga foeda. 38) Lectotype, dorsal view; 39) Habitus; 40) Mesometasternal process, ventral view; 41–42) Parameres; 43) Distribution.

Figs. 1–5. Hoplopyga aequatorialis. 1) Habitus; 2) Mesometasternal process, ventral view; 3–4) Parameres; 5) Distribution.

Fig. 44. Hoplopyga foeda habitat at Portachuelo Pass, Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Aragua, Venezuela. Photograph by BCR.