Ceraspis jaliscoensis Delgado and Navarrete­Heredia, 2004

Delgado, Leonardo & Navarrete-Heredia, José Luis, 2004, Ceraspis jaliscoensis, a new species from México (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Zootaxa 787, pp. 1-7 : 2-5

Ceraspis jaliscoensis Delgado and Navarrete­Heredia , new species ( Figs. 1–2 )

Type material: Holotype male deposited at CZUG labeled: " MÉXICO: Jalisco, Mascota, gasolinería de la desviación a Talpa, 5­VI­2004, Alt. 1,400 m, vegetación secundaria, sobre pasto, G. A. Quiroz­Rocha col." Three male paratypes deposited at CZUG and IEXA. Two paratypes labeled: " MÉXICO: Jalisco, Mascota, Cerro La Mona, 5­VI­2004, Alt. 1,433 m, bosque de encino­pino, 20º 27' 44.8'' N 104º 45' 2.2'' W, bajo musgo, G. A. Quiroz­Rocha col.” ( CZUG, IEXA). One paratype labeled: " MÉXICO: Jalisco, Mascota, El Atajo, carr. a San Sebastián del Oeste, BMM, 20º38'1.1''N, 104º51'45''W, Alt. 1,413 m, NTP calamar, 5.VI­3.VII.2004, J.L. Navarrete­Heredia and V.H. Gómez" ( CZUG).

Description. Male, total length 13.7 mm, maximum width (at middle of elytra) 5.8 mm. Body oval­elongate; color dull black on frons, pronotum, most of abdomen and thorax; dull reddish­brown on elytra and middle of abdomen; red on clypeus and legs; surface with small, lanceolate, whitish scales. Clypeus trapezoidal, sides straight, apex bilobed, sides and apex perpendicularly reflexed, surface flat; clypeus and frons densely and coarsely punctate with dense, recumbent scales; vertex sparsely punctate with sparse scales; antennae 9­segmented, club slightly shorter than segments 2–6 combined.

Pronotum swollen, semihexagonal, somewhat wider than long, anterior angles acute and posterior angles obtuse; base as wide as base of elytra, base anterior to scutellum fitting in scutellar base; pronotal surface with appressed scales in a pattern more or less longitudinal, forming glabrous areas as follows: along midline, 2 anterolaterad and 2 posterolaterad to midline and at lateral foveae. Scutellum heart­shaped with moderately dense, recumbent scales. Elytra longer than wide, elytral surface distinctly shagreened with costae scarcely elevated; elytral intervals with scarce, appressed scales smaller than those of pronotum, scales of first and second intervals coalescing at apical region; humeral umbones obtuse and prominent. Venter covered with scales (at sides), scale­like setae and slender and long setae (at midline). Prosternal process slightly curved, extending almost to apex of procoxae. Abdomen in lateral view strongly concave, first visible abdominal sternite broadly concave at middle; sternites 2–5 distinctly longer at sides than at middle; last abdominal sternite with longitudinal central 1/4 produced at apex, with moderately dense, long, yellowish setae, apical margin finely denticulate with narrow membranous border. Pygidium longer than wide, convex in lateral view, surface shagreened, with appressed scales except at basal 2/3 of midline, apex with dense, yellowish setae. Femora and tibiae with sparse, short, yellowish setae; tarsi with dense, long, golden setae. Protibiae tridentate with basal tooth small, without internal spur, with ventral keel serrate; meso and metatibiae with 2 short, apical spurs. Pro and metatarsi (minus claws) short and thickened, shorter than respective tibiae; first protarsomere with stout, spinose process on ventrolateral face, second protarsomere with same process but smaller; metatarsi (minus claws) slightly longer than metatibiae, less thickened than pro and mesotarsi, metatarsomeres 3–4 as long as wide. All claws simple; unguitractor plate distinctly produced beyond base of claws. Male genitalia with parameres asymmetrical, short, broadly separated, curved at sides and produced at base ( Figs. 1–2 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variation in paratypes. Three males, total length 11.2–12.2 mm, maximum width (at middle of elytra) 4.9–5.1 mm. The color on frons and pronotum is slightly shining black and density of setae and scales slightly varies. In other respects the paratypes do not differ significantly from the holotype.

Remarks. Ceraspis jaliscoensis is included in the Frey's group 3 based on the presence of scales on the dorsum and venter. C. jaliscoensis is most similar to C. oaxacaensis , C. jaliscoensis is distinguished from other species of this group (except C. oaxacaensis ), by the following combination of characters: pronotum not rounded, scales of pronotum and elytra arranged in a longitudinal pattern, claws simple and color of pronotum and elytra black or reddish brown. C. jaliscoensis is separated from C. oaxacaensis by the dorsum that is distinctly shagreened and dull or slightly shining (dorsum with scarce shagreened and shining or slightly dull in C. oaxacaensis ); by the color of elytra wholly reddish brown (wholly black or only with the elytral margins reddish brown in C. oaxacaensis ); and by the shape of male genitalia with the parameres shorter and produced at the base ( Figs. 1–2 ) (parameres longer and not produced at the base in C. oaxacaensis [ Figs. 3–4 ]).

The key of the Mexican species of Ceraspis ( Delgado 2001) should be modified as follows to include C. jaliscoensis :

1 Dorsum with vestiture of setae or scale­like setae (acicular shape and longer than wide) ....................................................................................................................................... 2

­ Dorsum with vestiture of scales (spear­shaped and broader)........................................ 3

2 Clypeus bilobed; pronotum almost evenly convex ......................... C. centralis (Sharp)

­ Clypeus straight or broadly emarginate; pronotum distinctly elevated........................... ........................................................................................................ C. mexicana Harold

3 Pronotum almost entirely covered with recumbent scales (reclining on the surface), not forming a longitudinal pattern ..................................................... C. velutina (Bates)

­ Pronotum with appressed scales (closely applied to the surface), forming a longitudi­ nal pattern...................................................................................................................... 4

4 Pronotum and elytra red ..................................................................... C. pilatei Harold

­ Pronotum and elytra black or reddish brown ................................................................ 5

5 Elytra almost wholly shining black.......................................... C. oaxacaensis Delgado

­ Elytra wholly dull reddish brown ........ C. jaliscoensis Delgado and Navarrete­Heredia

Distribution. The discovery of C. jaliscoensis extends the distribution of the genus Ceraspis from 18º 45' N to 20º 27' N ( Figs. 5–7 ). The new species is found at the highest altitude of any species of this genus (1,433 m). In México, others species are found below 1,000 m ( Delgado et al. 1987). Additionally, the distribution of C. jaliscoensis extends the range more than 670 km west in México (104º 45' W). Three species of Ceraspis are now endemic to México: C. oaxacaensis (Oaxaca) , C. velutina (Guerrero) , and C. jaliscoensis (Jalisco) ( Fig. 5 ). The remaining non­endemic species occur in southern Mexican states south to Panamá ( Figs. 6–7 ).

Bionomics. The adults were collected on grass (1 specimen), under moss (2) and, in a carrion trap baited with squid (1). The carrion­baited trap was probably an accidental capture, since the adults of this genus feed on flowers ( Capistrán and Aquino 1992).

Etymology. The specific epithet, jaliscoensis , refers to Jalisco, the state where was collected this species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the Mexican species of Ceraspis. C. jaliscoensis (triangles), C. oaxacaensis (square) and, C. velutina (circles).

FIGURE 6. Distribution of the Mexican species of Ceraspis. C. mexicana (circles) and, C. centralis (squares).

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Ceraspis pilatei (circles; empty diamonds, country record without specific data).

FIGURES 1 – 4. Parameres of male genitalia of Ceraspis species. 1, C. jaliscoensis holotype frontal view. 2, Same lateral view of left paramere. 3, C. oaxacaensis frontal view. 4, Same lateral view of left paramere. Scale line = 1 mm.