Liogenys piauiensis Cherman

Cherman, Mariana Alejandra, Mise, Kleber Makoto, Moron †, Miguel Angel, Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z. & Almeida, Lucia Massutti de, 2017, A taxonomic revision of Liogenys occurring in Brazil with an interactive key and remarks on New World Diplotaxini (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae), ZooKeys 699, pp. 1-120 : 82-83

Liogenys piauiensis Cherman sp. n. Figs 81, 89

Type-specimen.

Holotype male, pinned, with genitalia mounted. Original labels: [White, outlined, printed] "TERESINA/PIAUI BRASIL/[handwritten]1. 1953/[printed]A. K. OLIVEIRA", [red printed] “HOLOTYPE” (MNRJ). Paratypes (4): Male paratype and three female paratypes with the same data of the holotype (MNRJ), plus the label: [red printed] “PARATYPE”. Holotype and four paratypes deposited at MNRJ, Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro.

Diagnosis.

Body brown; elongate; elytra brownish, pronotum slightly darker; clypeus quadridentate due to the tooth-like projection of the lateral margin; clypeal emargination deep, rounded; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; clypeal lateral margin convex; anterior margin of pronotum depressed throughout; pronotal posterior corners sub-angled, obtuse (Fig. 81D); mesotibia sub-quadrate to cylindrical in cross section; pygidium convex, sub-quadrate; pygidial width exceeding distance between spiracles of propygidium; total length of parameres near three times the length of their apex; slightly narrowed medially; apex harpoon-like with lateral angle projecting straight downward (Fig. 81F).

Holotype.

Male. Length: 9.1 mm; width: 4.7 mm. Brownish. Head: distance between eyes nearly twice the width of one eye; frons equal to clypeus; clypeal emargination deep, rounded and wide; outer sides of anterior teeth parallel; outer margin of anterior teeth shorter than the eye; lateral margin convex and strongly produced forming a tooth-like projection; distance between lateral and anterior tooth equal to basal width of anterior tooth, distance between lateral tooth and anterior margin of eye longer than one eye, right angle between anterior and lateral teeth; canthus not exceeding the outer margin of the eye; distal maxillary palpomere, maximum width less than twice width of apex; fovea shallow extending up to the transverse midline of the palpomere; labium transversely carinated, as wide as it is long; antenna 10-articulated, lamellae lighter in color and longer than the flagellum. Thorax: anterior margin of pronotum straight and depressed throughout (Fig. 81D); maximum length of pronotum exceeding the length of tarsomeres I, II and III together; disc glabrous, punctures coarse and sparse; pronotal posterior corners sub-angled, obtuse; proepisternum with long bristles; mesepisternum scarcely scaly; sides of metasternum with short bristles and few long ones on the anterior margin; distance between meso- and metacoxae up twice the length of the metacoxa; scutellum sub-rounded, disc finely punctured at the base. Elytra: shiny, glabrous, light brown, lighter in color than pronotum; elytra more than three times longer than the pronotum; elytral suture slightly darker than elytron and slightly elevated; the two inner pairs of ridges and the outer one more noticeable than the third. Legs: procoxa bristled on infra-carinal and outer surface, smooth at 12 × magnification; three protibial teeth, the middle the longest; distance between basal and middle teeth longer than between middle and apical; protibial inner apical spur present; mesofemural disc glabrous, a row of long bristles on the anterior margin; mesotibia sub-quadrate in cross section; disc coarsely sculptured, two mesotibial transverse carinae, the apical incomplete; metacoxa, scarcely bristled and finely punctured on the anterior or posterior margins, smooth on the metacoxal disc; basal apophysis of metacoxa produced beyond the outer margin of trochanter; inner margin of metatibia carinated towards apex, apical inner surface setose; metatibial disc finely sculptured; metatibial transverse carina present posteriorly and with posterior discontinuous longitudinal carina; metatibial apical spurs of different lengths, the longest one equal to the diameter of the tibial apex; protarsomere II long; pro- and mesotarsomeres I to IV enlarged, protarsomeres slightly wider than the mesotarsomeres; less than two-fold wider than metatarsi; the basal metatarsomere shorter and slightly wider than tarsomere II; claw bifid, symmetrical, superior tooth longer and narrower than the inferior; distance between teeth shorter than the inferior tooth. Abdomen: ventrites with few sparse bristles on disc; propygidium hidden by the elytra; pygidium convex, sub-quadrate, as wide as it is long; pygidial width exceeding distance between spiracles of propygidium; pygidial disc glabrous, bristled at the margin of the apex; very shiny, wrinkled, coarsely punctured; pygidial apex in males sub-quadrate. Parameres: basal region wider than the parameres together at its transverse midline; parameral split at the third portion; total length of parameres near three times the length of their apex; slightly narrowed medially; inner margins of parameres convergent; apex harpoon-like with lateral angle projecting straight downward (Fig. 81F). In lateral view parameres concave (Fig. 81G).

Female paratype. Length: 9.8 mm; width: 5.0 mm. As the holotype except in the lamellae and flagellum equal in length; protibial teeth equally spaced; metatibial apical transverse carina complete. Variation. Male paratype. Length: 9.0 mm; width: 4.7 mm, As the holotype.

Etymology.

Adjective in the nominative singular. Piauí (Brazilian State) + Latin suffix -ensis ("of or from a place").The species name is a toponym derived from the State of the type-locality, Piauí

Type-locality.

BRAZIL, Piauí: Teresina [42°48'07"W; 5°05'22"S], Jan 1953, A. K. Oliveira Col.

Geographical distribution.

BRAZIL (PI).

Remarks.

Liogenys piauiensis Cherman, sp. n. resembles L. parva in the size and shape of the body, as well as in the quadridentate clypeus. Liogenys piauiensis Cherman, sp. n. differs in the color of the elytra slightly darker, clypeal emargination slightly narrower; disc of metacoxa smooth (in common with L. rotundicollis Cherman, sp. n.) (Fig. 82), few punctures on metacoxal anterior margin and postero-external corner slightly produced; male genitalia with shape of parameres also distinctive, narrowed medially.