Cyphochilus rohingyae, Sabatinelli, 2020

Sabatinelli, Guido, 2020, Taxonomic notes on the genus Cyphochilus Waterhouse, 1867 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Melolonthinae) with description of 10 new species, Revue suisse de Zoologie 127 (1), pp. 157-181 : 177-178

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.35929/RSZ.0014

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5743509

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AA41AD4E-7153-FFE9-7CD2-FEF7FEBBFC56

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Cyphochilus rohingyae
status

sp. nov.

Cyphochilus rohingyae n. sp.

Figs 71-73 View Figs 71-79 , 90-91 View Figs 80-91

Holotype: MHNG ( MHNG-ENTO-81702 ); 1 ♂; MALAYASIA: // W. Malaysia, Pahang / Frasier’s Hill , ca 1300 m / 17-21.III.1993, light trap / Löbl & Calame, #14 (P) // HOLOTYPUS ♂ / Cyphochilus / rohingyae mihi / G. Sabatinelli, 2020 (T on red) //. ( Fig. 90 View Figs 80-91 ).

Paratypes: 57 specimens.

MALAYSIA: MHNG; 27 ♂, 16 ♀; Malaysia, Perak State, Taiping ; II.1982 . – MHNG; 2 ♂, 2♀; Malaysia Peninsula, Pahang, Frasier’s Hill , 1300 m; 22.III.-1.IV.2013; leg. Azarov . – MHNG; 2 ♂; West Malaysia, Perak, Taiping, Buki Larut (Maxwell Hill); 14.IV.1996; leg. S. Becwar. ISNB ( Fig. 91 View Figs 80-91 ); 4 ♀; Malaysia, Perak, Taiping ; IV.1981. ZMHB; 3 ♂, 1 ♀; Malaysia, Tenasserim ; III.1995; leg. S. Steinke. PCMN; 3 ♂; Malaysia, Bukit Fraser , 1-5.V.2003; leg B. Mkovský. PCDK; 1 ♂, Cameron Highlands .

Description of the holotype male: Size – BL: 17.8 mm, BW: 6.9 mm, BWX: 9.2. 4 mm, situated at midpoint of elytra. Color – Integument dark shiny brown; dorsal surface with white-silver scales densely aggregated along the sides of pronotum and margins of elytra. Head – CW/L: 3.2; anterolateral edges of clypeus rounded, lateral edges of clypeus curved divergent posteriad; frons large, making eyes relatively small, not prominent (F/O: 4.9); antennal club longer than antennomeres 2-7 (A2-7/CL: 1.7). Pronotum – Transverse (PnW/L: 1.9), strongly convex; apical angles and lateral margins flattened, apical angles acute and protuberant; basal lateral margins straight, basal angles obtuse and smooth. Elytra – Without any visible striae. Thoracic sterna – Surface with short, white pubescence and scales; mesosternum slightly developed anteriorly (MstL: 0.27 mm) however, visible in lateral view between the mesocoxae. Abdomen – Sternites with sparse scales; pygidium convex with apical margin reflected. Legs – Protibia bidentate; slender apical tooth longer than the basal tooth. Aedeagus – Parameres strongly asymmetric with four appendices ( Figs 71-73 View Figs 71-79 ); the two appendices on the right paramere merged for most of their length.

Variability: BL in males: 15.8-19.2 mm (x = 17.7, n = 34). Cyphochilus rohingyae shows a great variability in the color of scales in males and a strong sexual dimorphism (see below). While the holotype and 52% of male specimens have the integument with whitesilver scales ( Fig. 90 View Figs 80-91 ), in the other 48% of specimens the scales are yellow-ochre. Some of specimens with yellow-ochre scales have humeri and scutellum with patches of white scales ( Fig. 91 View Figs 80-91 ).

Females: The females are substantially larger than the males: BL: 19-21.5 mm (x = 19.5, n = 23); antennal club ovate, shorter than preceding antennomeres (A2-7/ CL: 1.6). All female specimens have dorsal cover of uniform white-silver scales.

Etymology: Dedicated to the Rohingya people, an indigenous ethnic group of western Myanmar who were forced to flee in the recent years to Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Type locality: Fraser’s Hill (in Malay: Bukit Fraser) is a hill resort located on the Titiwangsa Ridge in Raub District of Pahang State in West Malaysia; the resort is situated 64.6 miles (104 km) from the national capital city Kuala Lumpur.

Distribution: Cyphochilus rohingyae is known from the Pahang and Perak States of Western Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. A large series of specimens was collected in Taiping, the wettest location in Peninsular Malaysia where the high rainfall (ca 4000 mm) has led to a profuse flora and century-old rainforest trees.

Remarks: Cyphochilus rohingyae , C. feae and C. proximus have similar conformation of parameres and they are present in Myanmar and Malaysian Peninsula. They can be readily separated mainly by the different shape of the apical part of the right paramere ( Figs 65 View Figs 59-70 , 53 View Figs 47-58 , 71 View Figs 71-79 )

MHNG

Switzerland, Geneva, Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

ISNB

Belgium, Brussels, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique

ZMHB

Germany, Berlin, Museum fuer Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universitaet

MHNG

Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Melolonthidae

Genus

Cyphochilus

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