Liogenys granadina Cherman, 2021

Cherman, Mariana A., Basílio, Daniel S., Mise, Kleber M., Frisch, Johannes, Smith, Andrew B. T. & Almeida, Lúcia M., 2021, Liogenys Guerin-Méneville, 1831 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae Diplotaxini) of northern South America and Central America: taxonomic overview with four new species, Zootaxa 4990 (2), pp. 201-226 : 209-212

Liogenys granadina Cherman , new species

Figs. 4 , 9 .

Type material. Holotype male, labeled: [white handwritten] “N. Grenada / Cartagena / coll[?] Chev.”, [red typeset and handwritten] “ LIOGENYS / GRANADINA / HOLOTYPE / Cherman M. A.”, genitalia mounted ( ZMHB) . Paratypes (45), all bearing the label [yellow, typeset and handwritten] “ LIOGENYS / GRANADINA / PARATYPE / Cherman M. A.”: One male bearing: [white handwritten] “ Venezuela / Orinoco river [?]”, [white typeset] “ Liogenys / [handwritten] quadri- / dens F / [typeset] det. G. Frey, 1968”, genitalia mounted ( ZMHB) . One female with the labels: [white handwritten] “nov. grenada”, [white typeset] “ Liogenys / [handwritten] quadridens / Mos / typeset] det. G. Frey, 1968” ( ZMHB) . One male with the data: [white, typeset] “ TRINIDAD: St. George Co. / Monos Island. 10º42’Nx / 61º41’W. 31 MAY 1987 / ROM#872012. M.L. Pickles ” ( ROME) . One male with the data: [pink, handwritten] “Columbia”, [white, typeset] “Pascoe / Coll. / 93—60”, [white, handwritten] “Telea / 4dentata / [illegible]” ( BMNH) . One male with the data: [green, handwritten] “Columbia / Lebas.”, [light blue, handwritten] “4-dentatus / Blanch. Cat. / p. 168”, [white, typeset] “So named / in Reiches / Collection. / C.W.”, [light blue, handwritten] “2259”, [green, handwritten] “ ♂ ”, [white, typeset] “67.45”, [white, handwritten] “4-dentatus. / Blanch. Dej. / brevicollis, / Reich. / Carthagena” ( BMNH) . Seven males and three females with the data [white, typeset] “ VENEZUELA, Guar. / 12kmS Carabozo / 6 II 1969 ”, [white, typeset] “P&PSpangler / Est. Bio. Los / Llanos uv lite” (two males and one female at CMNC, two males and one female at DZUP, three males and one female at USNM) . Paratypes of DZUP with the sequence of voucher numbers: [white typeset] “ DZUP / 402750 ” to “ DZUP / 402752 ” . Ten males and seven females with the data [white, typeset] “ VENEZUELA / Guar. 12 Km S. / Carabozo / II-6-12-1969 / P.&P. Spangler ”, [white, typeset] “Est. Biologica / Los Llanos / Black Light” (three males and two females at CMNC, two males and two females at CEMT, five males and three females at USNM) . Five males and two females with the data [white, typeset] “ VENEZUELA, Guar. / 12kmS Carabozo”, [white, typeset] “ 6-12 II 1969 / P&PSpangler / BiolSta uv lite” ( USNM) . One male with the data [white, typeset] “ VENEZUELA, Guar. / 12kmS Carabozo”, [white, typeset] “ 6-12 II 1969 / P&PSpangler” ( USNM) . One female with the data [white, typeset and handwritten] “Cd Bolivar / 23-6 Venez”, [white, typeset] “EA Klages / Collector” ( USNM) . One female with the data [white, typeset and handwritten] “Cd Bolivar / 20-6 Venez”, [white, typeset] “EA Klages / Collector”, [white, typeset and handwritten] “ Liogenys / quadri- / dens / det. G.Frey,1968” ( USNM) . One female with the data [white, typeset and handwritten] “Cd Bolivar / 20-6 Venez”, [white, typeset] “EA Klages / Collector” ( USNM) . One female with the data [white, typeset] “ VENEZUELA: Guarico / Hato Masaguaral / (44km S Calabozo) / May 3–10 1985 / Menke & Carpenter” ( USNM) . Two females with the data [white, typeset and handwritten] “ VENEZUELA / Maracay / 450 m. / 15.VI.1949. / H.E. Box ” ( USNM) .

Holotype and two paratypes deposited at ZMHB. Two paratypes at BMNH. Eight paratypes at CMNC. Three paratypes at DZUP. Four paratypes at CEMT. One paratype at ROME. Twenty-five paratypes at USNM.

Diagnosis. Body light brown, elongate, sides almost parallel; elytra light brown; pronotum reddish brown ( Fig. 4A ); clypeus quadridentate; clypeal emargination deep, rounded, and narrow; distance between lateral and anterior clypeal teeth longer than basal width of one anterior tooth; angle between lateral and anterior clypeal teeth 90º or slightly acute; pronotal corners rounded ( Fig. 4B ); mesotibia quadrate in cross section; pygidium convex; pygidial disc glabrous, with scattered bristles on apex ( Fig. 4D ); in males protarsomere II more than twice the length of protarsomere I in dorsal view ( Fig. 4C ); parameres four times the length of their apex; lateral expansion along the parameres only seen subapically; inner margins convergent; apex harpoon shaped, lateral spine projected at approximately a 45º angle, spine length as long as the apex ( Fig. 4E ).

Holotype. Male. Length: 9.2 mm, width: 4.6 mm. Light brown. Head: distance between eyes nearly twice the width of one eye; frons equal in length to clypeus; clypeal emargination deep, rounded, and narrow; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; outer margin of anterior teeth shorter than the eye in dorsal view; clypeus convex laterally and strongly produced forming a conspicuous tooth-like projection; distance between lateral and anterior teeth longer than basal width of one anterior tooth, distance between lateral tooth and anterior margin of eye longer than one eye length, angle between anterior and lateral teeth approximately 90º; canthus not exceeding the outer margin of the eye; distal maxillary palpomere not seen; antenna with 10 antennomeres, club lighter in color and longer than funicle. Thorax: pronotal anterior margin moderately produced medially, undulate and flanged; maximum length of pronotum exceeding the length of tarsomeres I–III combined; disc glabrous, punctures very sparse and coarse; pronotal posterior corners rounded; hypomere with long bristles; mesepisternum scaly; anterior portion and sides of metaventrite with bristles; distance between mesocoxae and metacoxae nearly twice the length of the metacoxa; scutellum triangular with sparse, coarse punctures, mainly at the sides. Elytra: shiny, uniform light brown, slightly lighter in color than the pronotum; elytra more than three times longer than the pronotum; elytral suture darker than the elytron and weakly elevated; all four elytral ridges weakly defined. Legs: procoxa with abundant, thin and long scales, outer surface with short scales; three protibial teeth, middle and apical teeth equal in size, distance between basal and middle teeth longer than between middle and apical teeth; protibial spur present; mesofemur with a row of long bristles on anterior and posterior margins, mesotibia subquadrate in cross section, surface coarsely sculptured on outer margin, mesotibia with two transverse carinae, the apical carina incomplete; metacoxa with bristles throughout, basal articular lobe of metacoxa produced beyond the outer margin of trochanter; inner margin of metatibia carinate and produced on apex, apical inner surface with sparse bristles, metatibial surface coarsely sculptured; metatibial transverse carina present posteriorly; protarsomere II elongate; protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres I–IV enlarged, protarsomeres wider than mesotarsomeres and two times wider than metatarsomeres; metatarsomere I slightly shorter than metatarsomere II; claw bifid, outer tooth of a claw longer and as wide as the inner tooth; distance between teeth shorter than the inner tooth. Abdomen: disc of ventrites with bristles; propygidium with bristles, pygidium convex, subquadrate, wide; pygidial width exceeding distance between spiracles of propygidium; pygidial disc glabrous and apex with few bristles, pygidial disc coarsely punctate; pygidial apex subquadrate. Parameres: basal region dorsally narrowed, equal to both sections of the parameres at its midline; parameral split at 2/3 the length of the basal region; parameres four times the length of their apex; inner margins convergent; lateral expansion along the parameres only seen subapically; apex harpoon-shaped, lateral spine projected straight, at approximately a 45º angle, spine length as long as the apex. Parameres concave in lateral view ( Fig. 4F ).

Variation. Female length: 9.5–11.4 mm, width 4.8–5.4 mm. Females as the holotype except in the size, head, and pronotum darker than elytra; pronotum wider, with pronotal corners obsolete; maximum width of distal maxillary palpomere slightly wider than at apex; fovea deep, extending up to the transverse midline of the palpomere; scutellum ogival. Male length: 8.4–10.2 mm, width 4.2–5.0 mm. Males as the holotype except in the scutellum ogival; punctures of pronotum and tibiae less marked; elytral suture unicolored with the elytron; ventral expansion of the outer margins of the parameres more apparent.

Etymology. This species is named after Nueva Grenada, a defunct nation corresponding to present-day Colombia and parts of many other countries in South America ( Brookes 1819). This name should be considered an adjective in the nominative singular.

Type locality. Nueva Grenada (Republic of New Grenada, today a region that comprises Panama, many South American countries, and the total territory of Colombia).

Geographical distribution. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO (Saint George), COLOMBIA (Cartagena), VENEZUELA (Guaricó, Maracay).

Remarks. Liogenys granadina Cherman , new species resembles L. quadridens in the shape of the quadridentate clypeus and of the pygidium. However, L. granadina is smaller than L. quadridens ; the distance between anterior and lateral clypeal teeth is shorter; and in the pronotal corners are defined (obsolete in L. quadridens ).

Frey (1969) considerated specimens of L. granadina as being L. quadridens , judging by his description in the key, one of the two parameres illustration (the other one corresponds to L. quadridens ), and because two paratypes (USNM and ZMHB) bear his determination label. Moreover, Frey (1969) refers to a specimen from Pernambuco, Brazil, which was found at the NHMB. This Brazilian specimen was identified as Liogenys piauiensis Cherman, 2017 by Cherman et al. (2019).

There are three specimens in the USNM that were intercepted at the port of Miami, Florida on 1 May 1964 with no other information on the host or origin. This indicates that some previous port interceptions or pest reports for L. quadridens possibly included or even all of them are specimens of L. granadina .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Liogenys granadina Cherman new species male holotype views: A) dorsal, B) clypeus and pronotum, C) lateral, D) pygidium, and parameres E) dorsal and F) lateral.

FIGURE 9. Geographical distribution of the Liogenys of A) the northern South America and Central America, overlapping records in B) Panama and in C) Venezuela.