Saprovisca sarangay, Skelley, 2015

Skelley, Paul E., 2015, Saprovisca sarangay, new species, a second species in an unusual Philippine genus of Eupariini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Insecta Mundi 2015 (419), pp. 1-6 : 3-5

Saprovisca sarangay , new species

Figures 4–19

Diagnosis. Compared with the type species, S. sarangay is easily recognized by having the clypeal lateral margin indented at juncture with clypeal-genal suture in dorsal view, pronotal disc with few scattered moderate punctures and bearing large impunctate areas, humeral denticle prominent, abdominal sternites with sutures deep and coarsely fluted, and flight wings fully developed. Saprovisca sarangay occurs on Mindanao and South Luzon, Philippines.

Description. Male major holotype ( Fig.4– 10 ): length from elytral apex to middle of clypeus 7.3 mm; length including clypeal teeth 8.0 mm, greatest width of pronotum 2.7 mm, of elytra 2.7 mm. Body elongate, shiny, glabrous, color carbon black, antennae and palpi brown.

Head very large, moderately convex at middle, approximately 1/3 wider than long (not including clypeal tooth) and as wide as base of elytra; clypeus with strong, horn-like, upturned teeth on each side of arcuate median emargination, length of tooth approximately equal to the distance between teeth; clypeus with anterior face abruptly slanted downward; lateral margin straight, distinctly indented at juncture with clypeal-genal suture in dorsal view; genae right-angled, subdepressed, strongly protruding; frontal suture slightly convex almost entire distance between eyes; clypeal surface punctures fine, close, separated by about their own diameters, those of occipital area a little larger and denser.

Pronotum rectangular, widest at anterior margin; anterior angles prominent, rounded and reflexed; sides finely margined; basal marginal line widely broken at middle, distinctly crenulate with close punctures; surface punctures moderate, almost lacking on disc which has large impunctate areas, denser laterally, closest in anterior angles.

Scutellum small, elongate triangular, impunctate.

Elytra parallel-sided, base without border; humeral denticle prominent, closely punctate laterally; striae impressed with moderate, distinct punctures crenating margins of intervals; intervals nearly flat on disc, convex on apical declivity, surface punctures very minute, scattered. Flight wings entire, not vestigial. Pygidium with transverse ridge at middle, with distinct eroded area posterior of ridge (as in Fig. 15–16 ).

Ventral sclerites nearly glabrous, impunctate; metasternum convex, midline slightly impressed, mesosternal carina narrow. Abdominal sternites eroded and coarsely fluted on either side of abdominal sutures, giving the deep sutures a doubly punctate appearance; terminal sternite narrowed with concave apex.

Femora nearly impunctate; protibia short, inner apical margin sharply angular behind protarsus, terminal spur lanceolate; meso- and metatibiae moderate in length, subcylindrical, widened toward apex and carinate; tarsi about 1/3 shorter than tibia with cylindrical segments; basal tarsomere of metatarsus slightly shorter than upper tibial spur and longer than following two tarsomeres combined.

Aedeagus in lateral view with parameres gradually narrowed to rounded apex, in dorsal view apex abruptly widened.

Variation. Length from apex of elytra to middle of clypeus (not including clypeal teeth) of allotype and paratypes 6.5-7.1 mm, width 2.4-2.6 mm. Epipharynx illustrated ( Fig. 19 ) is from a paratype male from Mindanao.

Male minor paratype ( Fig. 11–12 ). Similar to holotype except clypeal tooth length about 1/2 distance between teeth, and pronotal anterior angles not as prominent.

Female allotype ( Fig. 13–14 , 17–18 ). Similar to male in most characters except: clypeal teeth much smaller, tooth length less than 1/4 distance between teeth; clypeal lateral margin strongly curved between teeth and clypeal-genal suture; pronotal angles not as prominent, weakly reflexed; terminal abdominal sternite widened with convex apex; pygidium lacking eroded area caudal of the transverse ridge.

Materials examined. Major male holotype label data: 1) [white paper with black print] PHILIPPINES: Mindanao, N. Mindanao Region, Bukidnon: Kalatungan Mts.; 1–31.VIII- 2014, I.Lumawig. 2) [red paper with black print] HOLOTYPE Saprovisca sarangay P. E. Skelley. Deposited in the FSCA.

Allotype female and two paratype males (FSCA): Same data as holotype except, VI- 2014. One paratype male (AAC): PHILIPPINES: South Luzon, Camarines Sur, Ocampo, Jan- 2015.

Etymology. The ‘Sarangay’ is a horned mythical Philippine creature, half bull, half man. Name applied as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. The paratype male from South Luzon is similar to specimens from Mindanao, possessing similar diagnostic characters and all other characters studied. It is the smallest specimen studied and its horn development is intermediate between the major and minor males described.

The sexual dimorphism exhibited here is unlike anything else seen in eupariine scarabs. In general, such head ornamentation in the Aphodiinae, whether sexually dimorphic or not, is rare. In addition, having major and minor males makes members of this genus even more unusual. Such horn development is common in the Scarabaeinae and Dynastinae, where they have been studied from multiple aspects including taxonomically, behaviorally, physiologically, and developmentally (e.g., Arrow 1951). Why this occurs in Saprovisca and so few other aphodiines is open to speculation and further research.

Figures

Figures 4–8. Saprovisca sarangay, holotype, male major. 4) Dorsal habitus. 5) Ventral habitus. 6) Genitalia, lateral and dorsal. 7) Lateral habitus. 8) Head, anterior view.

Figures 9–14. Saprovisca sarangay, head and pronotum dorsal and anterolateral views. 9–10) Male major, holotype. 11–12) Male minor, paratype. 13–14) Female, allotype.

Figures 15–19. Saprovisca sarangay. 15–16) Abdominal sternites and pygidium, male paratype. 17–18) Abdominal sternites and pygidium, female allotype. 19) Epipharynx, male major paratype.