Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) ruficollis (Moser, 1918)

Vallejo, Luís Fernando & Wolff, Martha, 2013, The genus Phyllophaga Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) in the Colombian Andean Mountains, Zootaxa 3722 (2), pp. 101-142 : 118

12. Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) ruficollis (Moser, 1918)

Redescription. Length 18 mm. Dorsal surface is pruinose, with a roughly punctate head; the clypeus is rounded with raised margins; antennae have 10 antennomeres with a narrow, elongate antennal club. The male genital capsule ( Fig. 61 ) is long and cylindrical; parameres are short, heavily sclerotized, compact, and have two laterally acute and sharp projections; the aedeagus is membranous, adorned with numerous minute spines on its basal portion, from which a small feathery crest extends, with short, fine setae that extend beyond the mid-section.

Comments. This species was described from a male specimen from "Columbien (Bogota)". Moser indicated that it is similar to P. subopaca (Moser) and the specimen was labeled as " L. testaceipennis Reiche " in the Chevrolat collection. Blackwelder (1944) accepted the distribution for Colombia, but Frey (1975) did not include it in his key. Study of the holotype, deposited in ZMHU, confirmed the setiferous surface of the elytra and the grainy central texture of the fifth sternites, as well as the proportions of the parameres ( Fig. 61 ).

Figures

FIGURE 61. Phyllophaga ruficollis male genital capsule, lateral view (61) (after Morón 2001). Scale: 1 mm.