Blackburneus diminutus (Bates, 1887)

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 : 22

Blackburneus diminutus (Bates, 1887)

( Fig. 84-88 )

Aphodius diminutus Bates, 1887: 89 ; Blackwelder 1944: 212.

Aphodius (Blackburneus) diminutus ; Schmidt 1913: 137; Dellacasa 1988: 121.

Blackburneus diminutus ; Dellacasa et al. 2002: 203; Skelley et al. 2007: 2.

Typelocality. Dueñas, Guatemala.

Type repository. Natural History Museum, London (type examined).

Redescription. Length 2.5-3.5 mm; oblong, moderatelyconvex, rather shiny, glabrous. Brownish; head anteriorly, and pronotum sides reddish; elytra shadowy reddish toward base; legs testaceous; antennal club dark brown. Head with epistome feebly convex, superficially microreticulate, coarsely, densely and regularly punctured; clypeus faintly sinuate at middle, round at sides, thinly bordered, edge near imperceptibly bristled; genae round, very shortly bristled, not protruding from the eyes; frontal suture distinct; front coarsely, rather densely and regularly punctured. Pronotum transverse, convex, distinctly, densely and somewhat irregularly punctured; punctationcoarser and denser laterally and basally, lacking along a longitudinalareola on disc; sides thinly bordered, edge glabrous; hind angles obtusely round, with extremelyshort bristles, base almost regularly arcuate. Scutellum very elongate, with curved sides, sparsely punctured and grooved laterally. Elytra oval-elongate, regularly convex, finely but deeply striate; striae feebly crenulate; interstriae moderately convex, superficially microreticulate apically, distinctly, almost coarsely and rather sparsely punctured. Hind tibiae superior apical spur stout, nearly as long as inferior one, distinctly shorter than first tarsal segment; latter longer than following two segments combined. Male: pronotum somewhatmore transverse; metasternalplate distinctlygrooved; aedeagus Fig. 87-88 . Female: pronotum somewhat narrower frontward; metasternal plate nearly flat.

Material examined. EL SALVADOR: Dept. San Miguel, Lake Olomega , 14.VIII.1925, leg. R. A. Stirton (1 ex. CNCI) ; Cerro Verde , 18.VI.1958, leg. O. L. Cartwright (3 exx., USNM) ; GUATEMALA: Alta Verapaz, Coban (1 ex., DCGI) ; Zapote , VI-VII.1932, leg. H. E. Hinton & R. L. Usinger (2 exx., DCGI) .

Distribution. El Salvador, Guatemala.

Bionomics. Almost unknown. The specimens examined were collected in summer.

Figures

Figures 84-93. Blackburneus diminutus (Bates, 1887) (Dueñas, Secatepéquez, Guatemala). 84) Epipharynx. 85- 86) Habitus (length ideogram and morphological details). 87-88) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral view). Blackburneus erythrinus (Bates, 1887) (Bugaba, Panama). 89) Epipharynx. 90-91) Habitus (morphological details and length ideogram). 92-93) Aedeagus (dorsal and lateral view).