Macrodactylus sylphis Bates, 1887

Arce-Pérez, Roberto & Morón, Miguel-Angel, 2005, New species and new records of species of Macrodactylus Dejean (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactyini) from Honduras and Nicaragua, Zootaxa 1012 (1012), pp. 23-37 : 36

Macrodactylus sylphis Bates, 1887

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: antennal club entirely yellowish­brown; pronotum iridescent black or dark green with scattered scale­like setae along the midline and on the borders of disc; scutellum with abundant, yellow, scale­like setae; elytra orange­yellow with sericeous shine, glabrous except for 5–6 stout, long black setae near scutellum ( Fig. 6); pygidium dark brown or reddish­yellow, with scattered scale­like setae along the center of disc; abdomen black; femora and tibiae reddish­brown, apex of tibiae darkened; tarsi black without white setae; parameres widened, stout, with acute apex, and without setae on the external borders; female vestiture and color similar to male.

Material examined (2 males, 2 females) NICARAGUA: Chontales, Belt , male syntype ( CNC) . COSTA RICA: Guanacaste province, Arenal, Tilaran A.C., Tierras Morenas , 685 m, June 1994, Col. G. Rodríguez, 1 male, 1 female ( MXAL) ; Alajuela province, San Ramón de Dos Rios , 620 m, 26 June 1995, Col. F. A. Quezada, 1 female ( IEXA) .

Biology. This species inhabits wet montane forests located at altitudes from 620 to 800 m. Month of collection: June (3).

Distribution. Southern Nicaragua to central Panama (8° 50'– 12° 10' N, 79° 30'– 85° 20' W).

Remarks. This species was originally described with specimens from Chontales, Nicaragua and Bugaba, Panama. Bates noted the variation of color in the pygidium, which is dark brassy in the specimens from Chontales and yellow in the specimens from Bugaba. The form of the parameres is clearly different to the other species from Mexico to Nicaragua and in combination with other set of characters support the diagnosis of the fifth group of species in the genus. This group will be diagnosed and defined in a future publication.