Blackburneus caracaensis (Petrovitz, 1970)

Dellacasa, Marco, Dellacasa, Giovanni & Gordon, Robert D., 2011, Systematic revision of the American taxa belonging to the genera Alloblackburneus Bordat, 2009, and Blackburneus Schmidt, 1913, with description of seven new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Insecta Mundi 2011 (204), pp. 1-52 : 20

Blackburneus caracaensis (Petrovitz, 1970)

( Fig. 71-75 )

Aphodius (Blackburneus) caracaensis Petrovitz, 1970: 228 ; Dellacasa 1988: 233.

Aphodius (Blackburneus) brasilicola Balthasar, 1971: 60 ; Petrovitz 1973: 146 (as synonym of A. caracaensis ); Dellacasa 1988: 233.

Blackburneus caracaensis ; Skelley et al. 2007: 2.

Typelocality. Serra Caraça, M[inas]. G[erais]., Brazil.

Type repository. University of São Paulo, Dept. Zoologia, Secret. da Agricult., São Paulo, Brazil (Type not examined).

Redescription. Length 2.5-3.0 mm; oblong, moderately convex, more or less shiny; glabrous. Piceous to brownish-red; sides of pronotum and elytral margins paler; legs pale reddish; antennal club testaceous. Head with epistome gibbous on disc, evenly rather finely not closely punctured; clypeus subtruncate anteriorly, round at sides, lateral margins almost straight very thinly bordered, edge upturned, almost imperceptibly sparsely bristled; genae round, almost imperceptibly ciliate; not protruding from the eyes; frontal suture finely impressed; front evenly distinctly punctured. Pronotum weakly transverse, convex, dually punctured; large punctures, three to four times larger than small ones, widely lacking on disc, irregularly scattered on sides but wanting also closely to lateral margins; latter feebly arcuate, very thinly bordered, edge glabrous; hind angles obtusely round, base feebly bisinuate. Scutellum somewhat convex, sparsely irregularly distinctly puncturedon basal half. Elytra moderately elongate, convex, deeply striate; striae rather fine, superficially punctured, subcrenulate, deeper and wider on preapical declivity; interstriae moderately convex and superficially microreticulate on disc, finely irregularly sparsely punctured, more convex and more strongly microreticulate, thus rather dull, toward apex. Hind tibiae superior apical spur almost as long as the half of first tarsal segment; latter only almost as long as following three combined. Male: fore tibiae apical spur somewhat stouter and more strongly curved downward; elytral interstriae distinctlymicroreticulate mostly on preapical declivity thusweakly shiny; metasternal plate somewhatmore incavate, more distinctlypunctured andwith somewhat deeperlongitudinal groove; aedeagus Fig. 73-74 . Female: fore tibiae apical spur somewhat slender and feebly curved downward; elytralinterstriaesuperficially microreticulate thusalmost shiny; metasternalplatesomewhatlessincavate and with longitudinal groove less deep.

Material examined. ARGENTINA: Pr. Salta, P. Nac. Finca El Rey, m 800, 21.II.1984, leg. C. Bordón (10 exx., DCGI) ; Prov. Salta, El Rey Nat. Park, Pozo Verde Trail , Km 7, m 1000, 5-15.XII.1987, leg. S. & J. Peck (malaise FIT, Yungas forest ) (3 exx., CNCI) ; Prov. Salta, Carrillos , INTA, 5-9.II.1982, leg. H. & A. Howden (2 exx., CNCI) ; BRAZIL: Amazonas , Santarem (2 exx., DCGI) ; Bahia, Encruzilhada , 980 m, XI.1972, leg M. Alvarenga (33 exx., FSCA; 4 exx., DCGI) ; Mato Grosso, Varzea Grande County, Cuiabá, Parque de Exposição , 18.III.1972, leg. W. H. Whitcomb, (Black light trap) (21 exx. FSCA; 3 exx., DCGI) ; Nova Teutonia (1 ex., coll. Petrovitz, MHNG) ; Minas Gerais, Serra Caraça , m 1380, XI.1961, leg. Kloss, Lenko, Martins & Silva (1 ex., holotype of brasilicola Balthasar, NMPC ) ; PARAGUAY: Dpto. Conception, Zanja Moroti , 19.XI.2004 (1 ex., BCBG) ; idem, 20.XII.2005 (3 exx., BCBG) ; Dpto. Cordillera, Naranjo , 15.X.2005 (2 exx., BCBG) .

Distribution. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay.

Bionomics. Almost unknown. The specimens examined were collected in Winter and early Spring.

Figures

Figures 71-83. Blackburneus caracaensis (Petrovitz, 1970) (Sierra Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil). 71-72) Habitus (morphological details and length ideogram). 73-74) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral view). 75) Epipharynx. Blackburneus charmionus (Bates, 1887) (Cuiyachapa, Municipio Coscomatepec, Estado Veracruz, Mexico). 76) Epipharynx. 77-78) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral view). 79-82) Habitus (length ideogram and colour variations). 83) Habitus (morphological details).