Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2016

Mondaca, José, 2016, A New, High-Elevation Species of the GenusAncognathaErichson (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from Chile, The Coleopterists Bulletin 70 (1), pp. 59-64 : 59-64

Ancognatha aymara Mondaca , new species ( Figs. 1–6 )

Type Specimens. Holotype male at MNNC, labeled: a) “SOCOROMA / Prov. Parinacota / I

REG. 3.000 m / 22–MAR–2007 / Leg. F. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / HOLOTYPE ” (typeset red label). Allotype female at MNNC, labeled: a) “ CHILE –I REGION / PUTRE / 22–FEB–1999 / LEG. M. BEECHE” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha / lutea Erichson / Det. M. Beéche 1999” (typeset), c) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / ALLOTYPE ” (typeset red label). One paratype male at FRFC, labeled: a) “SOCOROMA / Prov. Parinacota / I Reg. 3000 m. / 18–MAR–2006 / Leg. F. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha / lutea / Erichson / F. Ramírez Det 2006” (handwritten), c) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ” (typeset red label). One paratype male at UNSM, labeled: a) “SOCOROMA / Prov. Parinacota / I Reg. 3000 m. / 18–MAR–2006 / Leg. F. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE male”. One paratype male at ARCC, labeled: a) “Socoroma / Prov. Parinacota / I Reg. 3000 m. / 18–Mar–2006 / Leg. A. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE (typeset red label)”. One paratype male at ARCC, labeled: a) “SOCOROMA / Prov. Parinacota / XV Reg. 3000 m. / 22–Marzo–2007 / Leg. F. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ”. One paratype female at FRFC, labeled: a) “SOCOROMA / Prov. Parinacota / XV REG. 3000 m. / 16–ABR– 2007 / Leg. F. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ”. One paratype male at JMEC, labeled: a) “SOCOROMA / Prov. Parinacota / I REG. 3000 m. / 18–MAR– 2006 / Leg. A. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ”. One paratype male at JMEC, labeled: a) “ CHILE PARINACOTA / Socoroma 3000 m / 16–IV– 2007 / col. F. Ramírez ” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ”. One

paratype female at MBCC, labeled: a) “ CHILE –I REGION / PUTRE / 24–FEB–1999 / LEG. M. BEECHE” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ” (typeset red label). One paratype female at MBCC, labeled: a) “ CHILE –I REGION / PUTRE / 20– MAR –2006 / LEG. M. BEECHE” (typeset), b) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ” (typeset red label). One paratype male at PVGH, labeled: a) “Putre, Parinacota / Febr. 1994 / leg: Peña, Ugarte” (handwritten), b) “ Ancognatha / erythrodera Bl / G. ARRIAGADA DET. 1997” (handwritten and typeset), c) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ” (typeset red label). One paratype female at UCCC, labeled: a) “Arica / Putre / 3.650 m / 26-2-48” (handwritten), b) “ Ancognatha / lutea Erich / R. Gutiérrez-Det.50” (handwritten and typeset), c) “ Ancognatha aymara Mondaca, 2015 / PARATYPE ” (typeset red label) .

Description. Holotype. Length 13.0 mm; width across humeri 5.5 mm. Color: Dorsally and ventrally castaneus, shiny; elytra slightly darker than pronotum; head, scutellum, and legs brown; each side of pronotum with a dark spot ( Fig. 1 ). Head: Wider than long, surface punctate, glabrous. Clypeus semicircular, apex narrowly rounded and slightly reflexed; lateral margins not reflexed; surface densely punctate, punctures large ( Fig. 4 ). Frontoclypeal suture sinuous, obsolete medially, posteriorly with a low tubercle at middle situated between suture and frons. Ocular canthus wide basally, smooth, with some setae near apex. Interocular width equals 4.0 transverse eye diameters. Frons slightly convex, densely punctate, punctures moderate in size. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club longer than antennomeres 2–7. Mandibles long, narrow, acute, protruding laterally from clypeus in dorsal view, extending past apex of clypeus. Mentum longer than wide, emarginate apically; surface convex, moderately setose. Pronotum: Slightly convex, rounded laterally, anterior and posterior margins dark brown; posterior half furrowed longitudinally with a short, dark line; apical angles subacute, basal angles rounded; posterior margin lacking marginal bead; dorsal surface with small, moderately dense punctures. Prosternal process cylindrical, shorter than length of procoxae, apex truncate; process covered with dense, long setae. Legs: Protibia tridentate, lateral edge black, dorsally with row of setae; apical and medial teeth robust, subequally spaced; basal tooth smaller, slightly removed from others. Protarsus enlarged, medial large claw split at apex; protarsomeres 1–4 short, progressively widened (protarsomere 1 longer than others); protarsomere 5 long, internal border without teeth; protarsal claw as long as protarsomere 5, twice as long as protarsomeres 1–4 combined; unguitractor plate as long as smaller claw on protarsus ( Fig. 3 ). Mesotibia laterally with weak, transverse carina, apical notch slightly depressed, apex dentate, setae robust, spiniform. Metatibia in cross section with carina weakly defined, apex dentate. Scutellum: Subtriangular, glabrous, sparsely punctate. Elytra: Convex, widened in posterior third; surface punctate, glabrous; punctures small, ocellate; elytral suture dark. Pygidium: Convex, castaneus, shiny; surface moderately punctate; punctures small. Venter: Apex of last sternite with moderately dense fringe of long, pale yellow setae. Aedeagus: Parameres short, basally widened, apex obtuse, lateral excavation with deep, semicircular notch ( Fig. 5 ). Phallobase 1.3 times longer than parameres ( Fig. 6 ).

Allotype. Length 19.0 mm; width across humeri 8.5 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Color: Dorsally and ventrally reddish brown, shiny. Pronotum: Lacking dark spots and short, dark line at middle ( Fig. 2 ). Legs: Protibia wider, reddish brown; protarsus not enlarged, claw simple at apex. Elytra: Surface with some striae near humerus. Pygidium: Nearly flat, shiny; surface moderately punctate; punctures small. Venter: Abdomen with sternites convex.

Variation. Males (seven paratypes). Length 13.9–18.9 mm; width across humeri 6.0– 8.9 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: body color reddish brown (six specimens), some specimens with clypeal broadly rounded and protibial teeth worn by abrasion. Females (three paratypes): Length 14.7–20.1 mm; width across humeri 6.0–11.0 mm. As allotype except in the following respects: body color yellowish brown, shiny (one specimen).

Distribution. Ancognatha aymara is known only from Parinacota Province (Arica and Parinacota Regions) in northern Chile ( Fig. 9 ).

Natural History. Larvae of A. aymara were observed feeding on grass roots (“coiron”, “paja brava”) high in the altiplano steppe (4,200 m). Adults are active at night and often attracted to lights. All specimens were collected in the high Andes between 3,000–3,650 m. Some adult specimens were also found drowned in a reservoir of water (“tranque”) in the locality of Socoroma.

Ancognatha aymara seems to be endemic in the mountains located east of the city of Arica in northern Chile. The native vegetation at the type locality consists principally of resinous shrubs, herbaceous plants, cacti, and coarse grasses. There are also terraces of some Andean subsistence crops. The distribution corresponds to the Puna biogeographic province that also extends into eastern Bolivia, southern Peru, northern Argentina, and Chile ( Morrone 2001). Ancognatha aymara was also found in dry hills with grasses and small, sparse shrubs ( Figs. 10–11 ) .

Etymology. This species is dedicated to the Aymara people, an indigenous nation that currently inhabits the Altiplano regions of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.

Diagnosis. The male of A. aymara is similar to the male of A. erythrodera but differs from it in smaller body size, unicolored body ( Fig. 1 ), clypeus semicircular or broadly rounded, and scutel- lum longer than wide. The parameres of A. aymara ( Figs. 5–6 ) are different from those of A. erythrodera ( Figs. 7–8 ). The female of A. aymara differs from the female of A. erythrodera by a unicolored body and not having dark spots or dark lines on the midline of the pronotum ( Fig. 2 ), clypeus semicircular or broadly rounded (parabolic in A. erythrodera ), and widest point of the elytral epipleura adjacent to the base of ventrite 2 (widest point adjacent to base of ventrite 1 in A. erythrodera ).

Figures

Figs. 1–4. Ancognatha aymara. 1) Holotype, dorsal view; 2) Allotype, dorsal view. 3) Right protarsus of male, medial view; 4) Head of male, dorsal view. Scale bars = 5.0 mm.

Figs. 5–8. Ancognatha species, parameres. 5–6) A. aymara, caudal and lateral views; 7–8) A. erythrodera, caudal and lateral views. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 9. Known distribution of Ancognatha aymara.

Figs. 10–11. Montane habitats of Ancognatha aymara in northern Chile.