Byrsopolis burmeisteri 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 : 1341-1344

Byrsopolis burmeisteri Medeiros, Seidel and Grossi , sp. nov. ( Figure 12 (a–h))

Holotype. Male, dissected, labelled (a) ‘ S. Paulo / Cantareira / L. Guimarães [handwritten]/ XI.940’, (b) ‘MZUSP’ (1♂ MZUSP).

Paratypes [13 specimens]. Males and females, dissected (only males), labelled: (a) ‘Coleção Entomológica Adolph/Hempel – Instituto Biológico/IBSP – IB – 0.006.537’, (b) ‘Cantareira./S. Paulo./11.936’, (c) ‘Coll. J. Guerin./S. Paulo. Brasil./3995’, (d) ‘ Cotalpa cribicolis Ohs. [sic, cribricollis]’ (1♀ IBSP); (a) ‘Coleção Entomológica Adolph/Hempel – Instituto Biológico/IBSP – IB – 0.006.536’, (b) ‘Cantareira./S. Paulo./12.936’, (c) ‘Coll. J. Guerin./S. Paulo. Brasil./2039’, (d) ‘ Cotalpa / castanea Burm. /comp. M. P. 1936’ (1♂ IBSP); (a) ‘Coleção Entomológica Adolph/Hempel – Instituto Biológico/IBSP – IB – 0.006.535’, (b) ‘Cantareira./ S. Paulo./12.935’ (c) ‘Coll. J. Guerin./S. Paulo. Brasil./3597’ (1♂ IBSP); (a) ‘Brasil – S. Paulo/Est. S. Paulo’, (b) ‘ Byrsopolis /castanea/Burm. [handwritten]’, (c) ‘MNRJ’ (1♀ MNRJ); (a) ‘ BRASIL / Cantareira/Bairro S. Paulo/Dirings\ XII.1939 ’ (b) ‘Birsopolis castanea Burm. [sic, Byrsopolis , handwritten]/Dr. Nick determ’. (c) ‘MZUSP’ (1♂ MZUSP); (a) ‘Cantareira/I.53. [handwritten]/ Est. S; Paulo/Coll. H. Zellibor’ (1♂ CEMT); (a) ‘Cantareira 20.I.54 [date handwritten]/Est. S. Paulo/Coll. H. Zellibor’ (1♂ CERPE); (a) ‘S. Paŭlo [sic, Paulo]/Campinas [handwritten]’ (b) ‘ Byrsopolis / castanea Burmeister /Museum f. Naturkunde/ Berlin’ (1♀ ZMHB); (a) ‘Cantareira/S. Paulo 31.xii.39/Coll. Zellibor-Hauff’, (b) ‘H. & A. HOWDEN/Collection/ex. A. Martinez coll’, (c) ‘ Cotalpa /castanea/Burm./A. Martinez-DET 1948’ (specimen examined through images), (1♂ CMN); same, except (a) ‘Cantareira/S. Paulo 1.I.41/Coll.H.Zellibor’ (specimen examined through images), (1♂ CMN); same, except (a) ‘10.xii.41’ (specimen examined through images), (1♂ CMN); São Paulo. ‘S. Paŭlo [sic, Paulo]/Mogy das Crŭzes [sic, Cruzes]/C. P. Vianna S’ (1♂ ZMHB); (a) ‘ Sao Paulo, Brasil./Serra da Cantareira/ 1000 m 20.11.52/leg.G.H.Nick’ (b) ‘WORLD/SCARAB./DATABASE/WSD00347503’ (1♂ ZSM).

Diagnosis. Body brown-reddish to dark brown with metallic green reflections; elytra orange, dark orange to dark brown borders; clypeus subrectangular, with anterior margin weakly emarginate, almost straight; antennal club about 1.2x (female) to 1.7x (male) longer than antennomeres II–VII combined; scutellar plate with broadly rounded basis; elytral apex with right angles; elytra with strong striae, humeri moderately punctate; protibial spur about 4x longer than wide; parameres symmetrical, strongly divergent and angulose, proximal margin weakly bisinuate.

Description of holotype. Body. Oval, elongated; reddish-brown to dark brown; metallic green reflections on legs, marginal areas of pronotum and pygidial disc; frontoclypeal suture dark brown to black; antennae orangish to dark brown; elytra orange, dark orange to dark brown; interstriae with dark brown to black punctures ( Figure 12 (a,b)). Length 25.85 mm. Humeral width 12.82 mm. Elytral width 15.03. Head. Clypeus about 1.80x wider than long; subrectangular, moderately rounded at angles, apex weakly emarginate, almost straight ( Figure 12 (a)); clypeal longitudinal midline moderately concave, weak concavity at sides and apex; frontoclypeal suture with weak curvilinear extremities, almost straight; sinuosities weakly rounded at apex, rounded corners; surface of clypeus moderately striate; base with small to moderate punctures, moderately to densely punctate; glabrous; frons about 0.90x shorter than clypeus; punctures moderate to large, densely punctate; glabrous; two concavities near frontoclypeal suture; mandibles with weak concavity at middle of scissorial region, rounded apex; setae near marginal areas of scissorial region, small to moderate, moderately to densely distributed; punctures small, sparsely to moderately punctate near scissorial region ( Figure 12 (e)); maxillary galea with three teeth, middle and basal teeth closest; apical tooth longer and larger than basal tooth, basal tooth longer and larger than median tooth; basal tooth with elongated setae ( Figure 12 (f)); last maxillary palpomere with elliptic sensorial area; apex of prementum with strong emargination; last labial palpomere about 2.50x longer than palpomere II ( Figure 12 (g)); labrum moderately emarginate, sparsely setose ( Figure 12 (h)); antennomere III subcylindrical, IV–V subquadrate, VI–VII subconical; antennal club about 1.70x antennomeres II–VII combined. Thorax. Pronotum transverse, about 1.60x wider than long; punctures small to moderately large, moderately to densely punctate; glabrous; two small lateral concavities near posterior margin; marginal punctures small to moderate, sparsely to densely punctate; setae at marginal areas near to humeri small and moderately distributed; punctures forming a longitudinal midline; scutellar plate subtriangular, base broadly rounded ( Figure 12 (a)); punctures small to moderately large, sparsely to moderately puctate at base and densely punctate at apex and disc surface; scutellar plate with apical setae small to moderate, moderately to densely punctate. Elytra. About 1.10x longer than wide; strongly striate; punctures small to large, moderately to densely punctate; glabrous ( Figure 12 (a,b)); humeri with punctures moderately distributed; border with few setae; interstriae with large, coalescent punctures. Legs. Protibial spur about 4x longer than wide; mesotibiae and metatibiae with two carinae. Aedeagus. Parameres strongly sinuous laterally, strongly divergent ( Figure 12 (c)); symmetrical dorsally, asymmetrical laterally and ventrally; right paramere with thicker base; lateral margins weakly excavated longitudinally, forming a small carina; basal margin weakly bisinuate.

Description of paratype female. Similar to holotype, differing in the following aspects.

Body. Oval, elongate, to weakly spheroidal, more robust than male ( Figure 12 (d)). Head. Antennal club about 1.20x longer than antennomeres II–VII combined. Thorax. Pronotum with two concavities at base and near to humeri; scutellar plate with rounded base ( Figure 12 (d)), moderately punctate; border sparsely to moderately punctate; metallic green or red reflections.

Variation. Males. Length 25.85–29.07 mm. Humeral width 12.82–15.00 mm. Elytral width 15.03–16.35 mm. Females. Length 30.78–37.81 mm. Humeral width 17.16–20.73 mm. Elytral width 19.90–22.37 mm. Some males show distinct colouration with pronotum the same colour as elytra, which can be caused by natural wear with the storage time.

Some specimens exhibit metallic green reflections on some parts of the body such as the ventral side, pygidial disc and pronotal concavity.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a atribute to German entomologist Carl Hermann Conrad Burmeister (1807–1892), who described the genus Byrsopolis and two species within it.

Distribution. São Paulo (São Paulo and Mogi das Cruzes). The distribution ranges where the species occur are located in the rock formations of the Serra do Mar and Mantiqueira (São Paulo state), which constitutes the denominated Planalto Atlântico with vegetation typical of the Atlantic Forest and high elevations ( Figure 19 ).

Figures

Figure 12. Byrsopolis burmeisteri sp. nov. Male dorsal habitus (a) and lateral habitus (b); caudal view of aedeagus (c); female dorsal habitus (d); dorsal view of male left mandible (e); ventral view of right maxilla (f); ventral view of mentum (g); and dorsal view of labrum (h). Scale bars: a, b, d = 5 mm; c, d–h = 1 mm.

Figure 19. Distribution map of Byrsopolis species.