Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) transversicollis (Moser, 1918)

Vallejo, Luís Fernando & Wolff, Martha, 2013, The genus Phyllophaga Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) in the Colombian Andean Mountains, Zootaxa 3722 (2), pp. 101-142 : 136

29. Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) transversicollis (Moser, 1918)

Redescription. Length 18 mm. Cranial surface is roughly punctate. Clypeus is slightly sinuous with raised margins. Antennae have 10 antennomeres, pronotum is wider than it is long, dorsum has numerous long, fine setae, irregularly punctate. Male genital capsule ( Fig. 130 ) is short and narrow; aedeagus is adorned with minute denticles on the basal surface, with 6–7 long whips in the form of a feathery crest, projected from the distal base.

Comments. The species was described from a male from “ Colombia ” deposited in the "Von Staudinger und Bang-Haas" collection. Moser considered this species similar to P. subopaca Moser from Venezuela. Frey (1975) located it among the group of species with the elytra covered in numerous, long setae, placing it close to P. macasana (Moser) from Ecuador, and adding the location of " Kolumbien, Umgebung Medellín". The illustration of the interesting genital capsule ( Fig. 130 ) results from the study of the holotype deposited at ZMHU and confirms that the pronotum is noticeably shorter than it is wide, from which its specific name is derived.

Figures

FIGURE 130. Phyllophaga transversicollis male genital capsule, lateral view (130). Scale: 1 mm.