Amaurina schuelei, Perissinotto & Malec, 2024

Perissinotto, Renzo & Malec, Petr, 2024, Review of the Amaurina Kolbe, 1895 of Angola, with description of a new species (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae, Leucocelina), Fragmenta entomologica 56 (1), pp. 1-12 : 2

Amaurina schuelei sp. nov.

(Figs 1, 4)

Diagnosis. Amaurina schuelei is most closely related to A. spoliata ( Harold, 1879) , with which it occurs sympatrically at least in parts of Angola (e.g. Huila Province). It differs though remarkably from this and all other related species in its dorsal chromatic ornamentation and particularly in the shape of its aedeagal parameres. In particular, its dorsal habitus exhibits a white cretaceous lining along the entire perimeter of both pronotum and elytra, a brightly green pronotum with two longitudinal lines of well-developed white maculae and a dark green scutellum and elytral sutural area on a testaceous elytral background colour (Fig. 1 A). This pattern appears to be unique within the genus Amaurina . On the ventral side, the mesosternal lobe is poorly produced forward and the apex is straight, rather than sinuate, like in A. spoliata , and engulfed with very long tawny setae (Fig. 1 B). Furthermore, the new species differs significantly from A. spoliata in its aedeal parameres, which show a similar internal cavity but very reduced external lobes (Fig. 1 F), in comparison to those of the latter species ( Fig. 2 F ). Amaurina schuelei is also smaller in size that A. spoliata (i.e. 8 mm vs 10.5-12 mm) and exhibits a shorter clypeus with dense clusters of long to medium tawny setae, while the clypeus of A. spoliata is virtually glabrous (Figs 1 A, C, D and 4 A, C).

Figures

Fig. 2 – Amaurina spoliata (Harold, 1879): ♂ A, dorsal habitus; B, ♂ ventral habitus; C, ♂ lateral habitus; D, ♂ clypeus; E, ♂ pygidium; F, parameres, dorsal view; G, parameres, lateral view. Photos: Lubos Dembicky.