Triodontus itremoi Paulian, 1977

Frolov, Andrey V., Montreuil, Olivier & Akhmetova, Lilia A., 2016, Review of the Madagascan Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a revision of the genus Triodontus Westwood, Zootaxa 4207 (1), pp. 1-93 : 83-86

Triodontus itremoi Paulian, 1977

( Figs. 43 A–I)

Triodontus itremoi Paulian, 1977: 1210 .

Type material examined. Holotype ( Figs. 43 A–C), male, “ MADAGASCAR CENTRE massif de l'Itremo / A. Peyrieras II.1974 / Triodontus itremoi n. sp. R. Paulian det. / TYPE ” ( MNHN) .

Paratypes: three males and six females with the same locality data (MNHN).

Additional material examined. MADAGASCAR: Toamasina: one male, “ Madagascar route Tamatave PK 181 Beforona [road Tamatave PK 181, Beforona , 18°58′00″S, 48°34′59″E] 8-X-1973 / R.Viossat ” ( MNHN) ; four males, “ Perinet [18°55′59″S, 48°25′00″E]” ( MNHN) ; one male, one female, “ Madagascar C. Moramanga env. [ Moramanga environs, 18°55′59″S, 48°12′00″E] 10–18.XII.1997 P.Pacholatko leg.” ( NHMB) ; four males, two females, “ MADAGASCAR: Toamasina Ambatovy, 12.4 km NE Moramanga elev 1040 m pitfall trap , 5–8 March 2007 18˚ 51' 29" S 048˚ 17' 06" E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B.L.Fisher et al. grassland BLF16919” ( CASC) ; one male, “ MADAGASCAR: Toamasina Ambatovy, 12.4 km NE Moramanga elev 1080 m pitfall trap , 4–7 March 2007 18˚ 50' 22" S 048˚ 18' 30" E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B.L.Fisher et al. montane rainforest BLF16917” ( CASC) ; one male, “ Madagascar Andasibe [18°55′48″S, 48°25′12″E] XI 2005 O.Montreuil leg.” ( MNHN) ; one male, “ Madagascar Centr. Plat., Andasibe, Perinet 950 m [18°55′59″S, 48°25′00″E], 1– 5.01. 2002 V. Dolin & R.Andreeva ” ( NMPC) ; one male, two females, “ Madagascar 135 km E Antananarivo Andasibe env. h= 900 m [ Andasibe environs, 900 m, 18°55′48″S, 48°25′12″E] 20–30.XII.2000 S.Murzin leg” ( ABCB) ; Antananarivo: three males, “ Tananarive Lamberton [ Antananarive , 18°55′00″S, 47°31′00″E, Lamberton leg.]” ( MNHN) ; Fianarantsoa: three males, two females, “ Madagascar Ranomafana NP, Vatoharana transect trail S 600 m [21°18′00″S, 47°30′00″E], 15.1.2001, Johana Rainio leg.” ( UHHF) ; one male, “Deans Cowan Betsileo Madagascar [Betsileo, D. Cowan leg.] / 1881 3000 ft 4000 ft [3000–4000 ft, 1881]” ( SMTFD); two males, “[Ranomafana NP H.Viljanen] Nov 21 -[20]02 PFT Primary forest S725” Ranomafana National Park, primary forest, 21°18′00″S, 47°30′00″E , 21.XI.2002, H.Viljanen leg., ( ZIN); six males, 10 females, “ Madagascar, Fianarantsoa Prov., Foret d'Atsirakambiaty, 7.6 km 285° WNW Itremo , elev 1550 m. , 22–26 January 2003 / 20°35′36″S, 046°33′48″E colls. Fisher Griswold et al. Calif. Acad. of Sci. pitfall trap - montane rainforest collection code BLF7150” (CASC); Toliara: one male, “S.- P. Tsiroanomandidy [...] du Bongolava 1300 m. A.Peyrieras 6/ 13.XII.1974 [Tsiroanomandidy District, Bongolava , 1300 m, 18°30′00″S, 45°30′00″E, 6– 13.XII.1974, A. Peyrieras]” ( MNHN) ; Madagascar (no precise locality): one male ( MNHN) ; one male (IRSNB).

Diagnosis. Males of T. itremoi are most similar to T. copridoides especially in the shape of the parameres and internal sac armature. Triodontus itremoi can be separated from the later by having the abdominal sternite 8 without trace of concavity (as opposed to being slightly but distinctly concave in T. copridoides ), reasonably larger tubercles laterad of each eye, and somewhat longer and more oblique fossae on the lateral sides of outer lobes of the parameres.

Description. Male. Body length varied from 12.5–14.5 mm. Color of head, pronotum, and elytra dark brown; legs, antennae, and underside of the body paler, castaneous ( Figs. 43 A–B).

Frontoclypeus slightly convex anteriorly, rounded laterally, anterior margin crenulate and setose in dorsal view. Eyes relatively small (diameter slightly smaller than the distance between eye and gula in ventral view), incompletely divided by canthus into small dorsal and large ventral parts. Frontoclypeus with tubercles mediad of each eye and with long horn in center of frontoclypeus. The horn is longer than width of head, acutely rounded apically, somewhat curved caudally, slightly rugose on posterior side.

Pronotum with a bulge medially in distal 1/3, with large excavations aside the bulge, and with 2 ridge-shaped tubercles laterally of each excavation. The median bulge is rounded and somewhat depressed on the top, without distinct tubercles but with a longitudinal depression receiving frontoclypeal horn. Pronotal and head armature is less developed in some specimens. Lateral margins with wide border appearing somewhat crenulate on the hind angles (in dorsal view), with a row of brown setae. Anterior margin with wide, smooth border. Posterior margin with fine border; not crenulate; punctate with small, narrow, longitudinal punctures. Surface of most pronotum smooth, anterior and posterior angles with sparse and coarse punctation.

Scutellum rounded apically, visible part is about 1/15 length of elytra.

Elytra convex, with distinct humeral humps. Maximum width approximately at the middle. Elytra with 10 feebly visible striae on disc and with oblique line from base of 6th stria to approximately middle of 8th stria. Stria with small punctures. Intervals with minute punctures, almost smooth. Base of elytra with an irregular row of coarse punctures each bearing small, yellow seta.

Abdominal sternite 8 medially about 1.5 as short as other sternites combined, with slight excavation in ventral view, without any tubercles or concavities in the middle ( Figs. 43 E right, H).

Parameres ( Fig. 43 F) with outer lobes somewhat depressed, with feebly sclerotized wide apices, with deep oblique fossae on lateral sides ( Fig. 43 F, arrow). Internal sac of aedeagus with long, sclerotized sclerites ( Fig.

43G).

Female. Females ( Figs. 43 D–E left) differ from males in having long apical spur on protibiae; absence of head and pronotum armature including tubercles mediad of each eye; coarsely punctate dorsal side of head; and longer abdominal sternites including 6th sternite, which is evenly rounded apically. Body length of examined females varied from 12.0–13.0 mm.

Distribution and habitat. Triodontus itremoi is known from a few localities in central and eastern Madagascar ( Fig. 43 I). Most of the localities are situated within primary rain forests.

Figures

FIGURE 43. Triodontus itremoi, holotype male (A, B, C), paratype male (E right, F, G, H), paratype female (E left, D). Habitus in dorsal (A, D) and dorsolateral view (B), labels (C), abdomen (E, H), aedeagus in lateral view and parameres in dorsal and ventral view (F), internal sac of aedeagus (G), distributional records (I).