Paraegidium howdeni Frolov, Akhmetova

Frolov, Andrey V., Akhmetova, Lilia A. & Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z., 2017, Revision of the South American genus Paraegidium Vulcano et al. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 51 (17 - 18), pp. 995-1014 : 1010-1012

Paraegidium howdeni Frolov, Akhmetova & Vaz-de-Mello, sp. nov.

( Figures 5 (a–h), 7)

Type locality

Peru, Madre de Dios, Rio Palma Real Grande.

Type material examined

Holotype. Male at CMNC labelled ‘ PERU, Madre de Dios: Rio Palma Real Grande, Limon Camp 12°32 ʹ 20S 68°51 ʹ 40W Flight intercept trap, 220 m T. Larsen, X-1999 /H. & A. HOWDEN COLLECTION Ottawa, Canada’.

Paratypes. PERU . Madre de Dios: three males at CMNC with the same label as the holotypes . BRAZIL. Mato Grosso: one male at CEMT labelled ‘V .VERA, M. Grosso , Brasil, X .1973 M. Alvarenga / Lon 55 36 ʹ W 12 46 ʹ S /coleção M . Alvarenga’ . Pará: one male at CMNC labelled ‘ BRASIL Eº PARA Itaituba Maller-leg . Coll . Martinez Nov. 963/H. & A. HOWDEN COLLECTION ex. A. Martinez coll .’; one male and one female at CEMT labelled ‘ BRASIL: PA . Redenção Pinkaiti – AIK 31 .X .1998 07°46 ʹ S 51°58 ʹ W P.Y. Scheffler’ ; two males and four females at CEMT and EPGC labelled ‘ BRASIL: PA . Redenção Pinkaiti – AIK X .1999 07°46 ʹ S 51°58 ʹ W P.Y. Scheffler’ ; one female at CEMT labelled ‘ BRASIL: PA . Redenção Pinkaiti – AIK 07°46 ʹ S 51°58 ʹ W F .T.T. XI.1998 P&T Scheffler’. Rondônia: one male and one female at CEMT labelled ‘ BRASIL, Rondonia: Porto Velho BR 364, km 20–30 . 24. X.1980 Eq. INPA’; one male at MNRJ labelled ‘BRASIL-Rondônia Vilhena XI .1987 O. Roppa, P. Magno / Museu Nacional de Rio de Janeiro / Paraegidium sp . Vaz-de-Mello det 2003’.

Additional material examined

PERU. Cusco: La Convención, Echarate, Timpia, 429 m, 20 October 2009, M . Alvarado and E . Rázuri leg ., one female ( UNMSM); La Convención, Echarate, Timpia, 371 m, 22 October 2009, M . Alvarado and E . Rázuri leg ., one female ( UNMSM); La Convención, Echarate, Timpia, 442 m, 16 October 2009, M . Alvarado and E . Rázuri leg ., one female ( UNMSM) . BRAZIL. Roraima: Pacaraima, September 1996, Ribeiro and Vaz-de-Mello leg ., one male ( CEMT) .

Diagnosis

In the shape of the anterior frontoclypeal processes, larger males of P. howdeni sp. nov. are similar to P. monneorum sp. nov., while smaller males are similar to the smaller males of P. oliveirai sp. nov. From both species P. howdeni sp. nov. differs in the shape and relative length of the parameres ( Figure 5 (f, g)).

Description

Holotype, male ( Figure 5 (a, f, g)).

Body length 7.6 mm. Colour uniformly brown.

Anterior frontoclypeal process long and wide, slightly narrower than head, with angulate sinuation medially, with slightly asymmetric, apically truncated lateral lobes.

Pronotum narrower than elytra, deeply excavated in middle. Lateral pronotal processes depressed, somewhat ridge-shaped, their hind margins with carinae reaching base of pronotum. Pronotum coarsely punctate to rugose except for very apices of lateral pronotal processes and a narrow area near anterior margin.

Aedeagus with short parameres: ratio phallobase width/paramere width 2.5. Apices of parameres acute in lateral view and wide in dorsal view ( Figure 5 (f, g)). Endophallus with a group of spinules ( Figure 5 (h)).

Female ( Figure 5 (b)) differs from male in having a distinct protibial spur, relatively smaller pronotum without processes and excavations, and in the absence of the frontoclypeal process.

Variation

Body length of the paratypes varies from 6.3 to 7.5 mm (males) and from 7.0 to 7.5 mm (females). The paratypes have less developed anterior frontoclypeal and pronotal processes ( Figure 5 (c–e)) than the holotype.

Distribution

The species as treated here has a wide range in central Brazil and eastern Peru ( Figure 7 ). However, the specimens from the two outermost localities, Echarate (Peruvian Yungas, the westernmost locality for the genus) and Pacaraima (Guiana Shield, northernmost locality for the genus), are tentatively identified as P. howdeni sp. nov. and thus are not included in the type series. They may belong to other, yet undescribed species, however additional material is needed for more reliable identification.

Etymology

The species is named after scarabaeoidologist Henry F. Howden (1925–2014).

Figures

Figure 5. Paraegidium howdeni, holotype male (a, f, g); paratype female (b); paratype males (c–e, h). Habitus in dorsal view (a, b); pronotum and head (c–e); aedeagus in lateral view (f); parameres in dorsal view (g); endophallus (h).

Figure 7. Paraegidium spp. locality map.