Blaesia subrugosa Moser, 1905

Ratcliffe, Brett, 2010, A review of the Blaesiina (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae, Gymnetini), ZooKeys 34 (34), pp. 105-128 : 111-113

Blaesia subrugosa Moser, 1905

Figs 4–5

Blaesia subrugosa Moser, 1905: 211 . Lectotype female (Fig. 9) at ZMHU, labeled: S. Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia / Blaesia subrugosa Moser , Type / Blaesia subrugosa Moser , Type, G. Ruter det. 1966 / Type / with my red lectoallotype label. Paralec-

totype female at ZMHU with same locality label as lectotype and with my yellow paralectotype label ( Ratcliffe 2004).

Description. Length 12.0– 19.5 mm; width 7.5–11.8 mm. Color completely black, shining. Head: Surface densely punctate; punctures moderate to large, deep, nearly confluent to rugose on clypeus and between eyes. Frons and clypeus with weak, median, longitudinal ridge. Frons with sparse, dark brown setae. Clypeus with apex evenly, broadly rounded, thickened, slightly reflexed, subapex slightly wider than base, surface slightly longitudinally tumid at middle. Interocular width equals 5.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna black, with 10 segments, club slightly shorter than antennomeres 1–7. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate; punctures large, deep, round to slightly transverse, becoming confluent or rugose on sides; base at center narrowly depressed, impunctate or with numerous small, shallow punctures. Apex at center with small, broad, flattened, opaque tumosity. Sides margined. Mesepimeron with a few large, setigerous punctures anteriorly, setae long, black. Elytra: Surface densely punctate to rugopunctate, punctures moderate (on sides) to large (on disc), round to ∩-shaped. Bead present on lateral margin. Apical umbone pronounced. Apices nearly right-angled. Pygidium: Surface with short, transverse strigae (on disc) (often reduced) to transversely strigose (on base and sides). Base usually with sparse, short, black setae. In lateral view surface weakly convex. Venter: Setae black. Mesometasternal process short, flat, apex rounded, nearly obsolete. Abdominal sternites with transverse, irregular row of large punctures; punctures mostly large with short, black setae. Legs: Femora and tibiae with fringe of mostly short, black setae on both median and lateral surfaces. Protibia tridentate, apical tooth longer, narrower, curving slightly. Metafemur greatly enlarged, broad. Metatibia in male with apex extended into long, thick, acute spine and with 1 long, articulated spur with acute apex; metatibia in female with short, subtriangular extension and with 2 long, articulated apical spurs with apices rounded. Metatrochanter with long, acute spur, spur with apex projecting almost perpendicular to posterior margin of metafemur in both sexes. Parameres: Fig. 4.

Figures 3–4. Parameres, caudal and lateral views, of 3 B. atra and 4 B. subrugosa .

Distribution ( Fig. 5). 27 specimens examined from AMIC, BMNH, CASC, CMNC, FMNH, ISNB, MACN, MLPA, MNHN.

ARGENTINA (23). BUENOS AIRES (8): Buenos Aires; SALTA (4): Tobatirenda, No data ; TUCUMAN (1): Buruyacú; NO DATA (10): Gran Chaco region.

BOLIVIA (4). SANTA CRUZ (2): Santa Cruz de la Sierra; NO DATA (2) .

Temporal Distribution. March (5), December (1). Too few specimens have label data with the month of collection to indicate a reliable temporal distribution.

Biology. Nothing is known of the biology of this species. Krikken (1984) suggested the possibility that this species is termitophilous, while Morón & Nogueira (2007) suggested myrmecophily.