Trox paulseni Ratcliffe, 2016

Ratcliffe, Brett C., 2016, Trox paulseni (Coleoptera: Trogidae), a new species from Nebraska and Kansas, USA, Insecta Mundi 2016 (482), pp. 1-6 : 2-4

Trox paulseni Ratcliffe , new species

( Fig. 1, 3, 5–6 , 8 )

Type Material. Holotype male ( UNSM) labeled: a) “ Long Pine , Brown Co. / NEBRASKA / VI-19-1975 / B. C. Ratcliffe ”; b) ex Collection of / B. C. Ratcliffe / Donated 2001”; c) my red holotype label . Allotype female ( UNSM) labeled as holotype and with my red allotype label. Five paratypes, 3 males, 2 females (3 at MJPC, 2 at FSCA) labeled: “ USA: NEBRASKA: Frontier / Co.: Red Willow Reservoir / SWMA: coyote scat / 40.40, -100.68, 800m / 16.V.2013; coll. MJ Paulsen ”. One paratype female ( MJPC) labeled “ NEBRASKA: ANTELOPE/ / BOONE co. line; 11 mi SW / of Elgin; 600m; 41.91533 / -98.27674; coyote scat / 24.VI.2009; MJ Paulsen”. One paratype male ( UNSM) labeled: a) “ West Point / Neb.”; b) “ Trox / insularis / Chevrolat / det. Dawson ”; one paratype male ( UNSM) labeled: a) “Sandhills Ag Lab / McPherson Co., Nebraska / VII-8-14-1973; b) ex Collection of / B. C. Ratcliffe / Donated 2001”. Two paratypes, 1 male, 1 female ( UNSM), labeled: a) “ USA: NEBRASKA: Rock / Co.: 11 km W of Rose / 42.222, -99.640; 770m / pitfall trap in wet meadow / 2.VI.2015; Patrick Wagner ”. Two paratype males ( UNSM), labeled: a) “ USA: NEBRASKA: Brown / Co.: nr. Clapper Lake , 32km / S of Johnstown; 42.321, / -100.069; 850m; pitfall trap / 30.VII.2015; Patrick Wagner ”. Eighteen paratypes, 10 males, 8 females (4 at UNSM, 10 at MJPC, 2 at CMNC, 2 at BMNH) labeled: “ USA: NEBRASKA: Frontier / Co.: Red Willow Reservoir / SWMA: coyote scat / 40.40, -100.68, 800m / 9.III.2016; coll. MJ Paulsen ”. Five paratypes, 3 males, 2 females, (3 at MJPC, 2 at UNSM) labeled: a) “ USA: NEBRASKA: Johnson / Co.: Hickory Ridge SWMA / 40º 18.966, -96º 21.341 / 425m; coyote scat in prairie / 14.III.2016, M.J. Paulsen ”. Seven paratypes, 6 males, 1 female ( SEMC) labeled: a) “ USA: KANSAS: Kiowa / Co., 10 mi NW Mullinville / 23 Feb. 1998, G. Salsbury / Coyote dung”; b) “ Trox / hamatus / Robinson ”; c) SEMC barcode database labels SEMC0926916 – SEMC0926920 , SEMC0926929 . One male paratype ( GASC) labeled “ USA: Kansas: Clark Co / State Lake , 13-26 Mar / 2003, coyote dung / G A Salsbury”. One male paratype ( GASC) labeled “ USA: Kansas: Crawford Co / 2W Pittsburg, 14-23 Apr / 2004, canopy trap / G A Salsbury”. All paratypes with my yellow paratype labels .

Holotype. Male ( Fig. 1 ). Length 6.0 mm; width across humeri 3.0 mm. Head: Frons with 4 low tubercles in transverse row (best seen in dorsal view). Clypeus triangular. Antenna reddish brown. Pronotum: Surface with moderately large punctures (usually obscured by tomentosity), and with 4 large, round, shallow foveae; 2 in center between median longitudinal ridges and 1 at each base either side of middle. Sides weakly arcuate, posterior angles obtusely right angled. Setae on lateral and basal margins short, thick, subcontiguous. Elytra: Surface tomentose with 4 elevated rows of tubercles between suture and humerus, top of each tubercle covered by cluster of short, stout, tawny setae. Sides weakly explanate, with a row of small granules. Marginal setae short, more slender than pronotal marginal setae, separated from one another by about 1 setal length. Legs: Protibia tridentate, apical 2 teeth subcontiguous. Metatibia broad, externally with weakly dentate, keel-like ridge ( Fig. 3 ); internally with large, subapical tooth usually partly concealed by long setae. Parameres: Apices of parameres bluntly rounded ( Fig. 6 ).

Allotype. Female. Length 5.5 mm; width across humeri 2.9 mm. The allotype does not differ from the holotype except in the following respects: Surface sculpturing more visible because of less tomentosity. Legs: Metatibia simple, lacking keel-like ridge on external surface and lacking subapical tooth on internal surface.

Variation (29 male and 15 female paratypes). Length 4.8–6.2 mm; width across humeri 2.7–3.4 mm. The paratypes do not differ significantly from the holotype or allotype.

Etymology. I am pleased to dedicate this species to its discoverer and my colleague, Dr. M. J. Paulsen (University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska).

Locality Records ( Fig. 8 ). Forty-six specimens examined. KANSAS (9): KIOWA CO. (7): 10 mi. NW of Mullinville; CLARK CO. (1): State Lake; CRAWFORD CO. (1): 2 mi. W Pittsburg. NEBRASKA (37): ANTELOPE/BOONE CO. (1): HWY 14 at county line; BROWN CO. (4): Clapper Lake, Long Pine; CUMING CO. (1): West Point; FRONTIER CO. (23): Red Willow Reservoir State Wildlife Management

Area; JOHNSON CO. (5): Hickory Ridge SWMA; McPHERSON CO. (1): Sandhills Ag Lab near Tryon; ROCK CO. (2): Rose.

Additional collecting in Kansas and Nebraska will undoubtedly reveal more specimens of T. paulseni . In addition, specimens currently residing in museum collections identified as T. hamatus may actually be T. paulseni .

Diagnosis. Trox paulseni and T. hamatus are superficially similar but may be distinguished by the metatibial external tooth nearly obsolete and instead keel-like in T. paulseni ( Fig. 3 ) (tooth large and distinct in T. hamatus , Fig. 4 ); apices of parameres bluntly rounded in T. paulseni ( Fig. 6 ) (apices acute in T. hamatus , Fig. 7 ); and color of the elytral scales: tawny in T. paulseni and dark orange in T. hamatus (compare Fig. 1–2 ).

Figures

Figure 8. Nebraska and Kansas distributions of Trox paulseni (orange) and Trox hamatus (blue).

Figures 1–7. Two species of Trox. 1) Trox paulseni Ratcliffe, new species, holotype. 2) Trox hamatus Robinson. 3–5) Left metatibia, ventral view. 3) T. paulseni male. 4) T. hamatus male. 5) Trox paulseni female. 6–7) Parameres, dorsal view. 6) Trox paulseni. 7) Trox hamatus.