Byrsopolis blanchardi Medeiros, Seidel and Grossi, 2022

Medeiros, Rone A. F., Seidel, Matthias & Grossi, Paschoal C., 2022, Revision of the genus Byrsopolis Burmeister, 1844 (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), with the description of six new species endemic to Brazil and Paraguay, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 56 (29 - 32), pp. 1315-1364 : 1348-1350

Byrsopolis blanchardi Medeiros, Seidel and Grossi , sp. nov. ( Figure 15 (a–f))

Holotype. Male, dissected, labelled. Bahia. (a) ‘Águas Vermelhas ixi.1992, E.J. Grossi leg’ (1♂ EPGC).

Paratypes [2 specimens]. Males , dissected, labelled . Minas Gerais. (a) ‘ Brasil, Minas Gerais, Divisa / Alegre . entroncamento/BR116-MG000. 13.xii.2012./ Pto .08. manual dia. E.& P./ Grossi legs’ (1♂ CERPE); (a) ‘ Brasil, Bahia / Encruzilhada /BR 116/ Divisa xi ./1970. O. Roppa col’ (1♂ MZFS) .

Diagnosis. Body with uniform colouration; from reddish-brown to black, with metallic green reflections ventrally; clypeus trapezoidal, with broadly rounded angles; antennal club about 1.75x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined; scutellar plate subtriangular, moderately rounded at basis, laterally straight; elytral apex truncate; elytra strongly striate, humeri moderately punctate; protibial spur about 4.4x longer than wide; parameres symmetrical, thin, weakly divergent.

Description of holotype. Body. Oval rounded; reddish-brown to black, frontoclypeal suture dark reddish-brown to black ( Figure 15 (a)); metallic green reflections ventrally. Length 23.30 mm. Humeral width 12.60 mm. Elytral width 15.00 mm.

Head. Clypeus about 2.2x wider than long; subtrapezoidal, broadly rounded angles; weakly concave; frontoclypeal suture with curvilinear extremities weakly rounded, almost straight laterally, with obtuse angles; punctures small to moderately large, moderately to densely punctate; frons about 1.1x longer than clypeus; punctures small to moderately large, base sparsely to moderately punctate, apex densely punctate, glabrous; mandibles with a weak projection at middle, with three small sparse setae, weakly punctate ( Figure 15 (c)); galea with two teeth, one apical tooth, basal tooth small, truncate, with small setae ( Figure 15 (d)); last maxillary palpomere with moderate elliptic sensorial area; apex of prementum weakly emarginate; last labial palpomere about 2.20x longer than palpomere II ( Figure 15 (e)); labrum moderately emarginate, moderately setose ( Figure 15 (f)); antennomere III subcylindrical, antennomeres IV–V subquadrate, antennomeres VI–VII subconical; antennal club about 1.75x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined. Thorax. Pronotum transverse, about 1.7x wider than long ( Figure 15 (a)); punctures small to moderately large, moderately punctate, base densely punctate; longitudinal midline with punctures; glabrous; scutellar plate subtriangular, base moderately rounded, laterally straight; glabrous ( Figure 15 (a)); punctures small, base moderately punctate, apex sparsely to moderately punctate, base densely punctate. Elytra. About 1.1x longer than wide; strongly striated; humeri with small to moderate punctures, moderately punctate; elytral punctures small to large, moderately to densely punctate; interstriae near elytral suture with strong coalescent punctures ( Figure 15 (a)); elytral apex truncate; humeri with microsetae in moderate punctures. Legs. Protibial spur about 4.4x longer than wide; mesotibiae and metatibiae with two carinae. Aedeagus. Parameres weakly sinuous, weakly divergent, narrow, asymmetrical, thin, apex rounded; rounded gap between parameres ( Figure 15 (b)); lateral paramere margins moderately excavated, longer on left paramere, forming a carina; proximal margin weakly bisinuate; longitudinal midline weakly concave; glabrous.

Female. Unkown.

Variation. Length 23.30–26.00 mm. Humeral width 12.60–13.50 mm. Elytral width 15.00– 16.50 mm.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a atribute to the great French zoologist and entomologist Charles Émile Blanchard (1819–1900), whose significant contributions also include the description of one Byrsopolis species.

Distribution. This species occurs in the south of Bahia state, in the municipality of Encruzilhada and in the north of Minas Gerais state, in the cities of Divisa Alegre and Águas Vermelhas ( Figure 19 ), considered a transition zone, with vegetations and faunas of Atlantic Forest, Caatinga and Cerado biomes, called Mata Seca.

Remarks. The species resembles Byrsopolis laticollis , and differs by the frons and clypeus subequal in size; scutellar shield with punctures sparsely distributed at the base and densely distributed at the apex; elytral apex truncate; parameres slender. Byrsopolis laticollis have frons 1.3x longer than clypeus; scutellar shield sparsely to moderately distributed at the marginal areas

Figures

Figure 15. Byrsopolis blanchardi sp. nov. Dorsal habitus (a); caudal view of aedeagus (b); dorsal view left mandible (c); ventral view of left maxilla (d); ventral view of mentum (e); and dorsal view of labrum (f). Scale bars: a = 5 mm; b–f = 1 mm.

Figure 19. Distribution map of Byrsopolis species.