Euphoria avita Janson, 1881

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 61-62

Euphoria avita Janson, 1881

(Appendix 4: Fig. 27 )

Euphoria avita Janson 1881: 584 . Original combination.

Holotype at RMNH, examined.

Description (n = 61). Length 10.7–11.4 mm; width 5.8–7.1 mm. Color: Dorsal surface yellowish brown to reddish brown, tomentous, rarely shiny. Pronotum with 2 black, longitudinal vittae covering most of pronotum except midline; each vitta frequently with a medial, round, yellowish brown spot. Elytra with black, irregular markings occasionally covering the elytra almost entirely. Ventral surface, including legs, light brown to black, abdominal sternites sometimes bicolored. Head: Frons flat, densely punctate; punctures round, deep, moderate in size, many confluent, moderately densely to densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish. Clypeus subrectangular, lateral declivity moderately expanded, sides strongly raised in males, flat in females; apex flat to vaguely reflexed in frontal view, strongly reflexed and deeply sinuate in frontal view in males, vaguely reflexed and moderately emarginate in frontal view in females; surface as on frons. Antennal club longer than stem in males, shorter in females. Pronotum: Surface moderately densely to densely punctate; punctures round to lunulate, small to moderate, moderately to densely setose; setae short to moderate, yellowish. Sides moderately angulate, anterior corners with few rugae. Base in front of scutellum moderately to strongly emarginate. Scutellum sparsely to moderately densely punctate, punctures frequently on anterior half. Elytra: Surface sparsely to moderately densely punctate, striae bearing 2–3 rows of small, lunulate, and irregular punctures, sparsely to moderately densely setose; setae moderate in size, yellowish; apex and posterior end of sides weakly rugose, costae weakly to strongly developed. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate; striae dense, discontinuous, sparsely to moderately densely setose, setae as on pronotum. Legs: Protibiae slender in males, robust in females, basal tooth frequently weakly developed in males. Mesotibial carina weakly developed, carina often ending in 1 or 2 sharp spines. Metatibiae not expanded at apex in males, expanded apically in females; metatarsi longer than metatibiae in males, shorter in females; apical spurs slender in males, thick in females. Venter: Mesometasternal process weakly compressed laterally, extending anteriorly slightly or well beyond mesocoxae, apex variably rounded. Mesepimera, metasternum, and metacoxae setose, setae as on legs. Metasternum rugose, setose laterally, glabrous and weakly punctate at middle; median sulcus weakly impressed. Abdomen in lateral view flat to vaguely concave in males, strongly convex in females. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 27c .

Diagnosis. This species is separated from other species in the group by the strongly raised apex of the clypeus in males, elytral striae bearing 2–3 rows of small, lunulate, and irregular punctures, and form of the parameres. The small size (<12 mm) is also useful to identify the species. More elongated specimens ( Fig. 27d ) are frequently found in the southern limits of the distribution.

The only two female specimens examined are slightly different in body shape. A female specimen from Acatenango , Guatemala is noticeably robust in comparison with the males, while the female holotype is of the same body shape as the males examined. This is probably within the normal intraspecific variation of the species.

Taxonomic History. Janson (1881) described the species based on a dark female from Guatemala. Hardy (2001) incorrectly listed E. longula , a synonym of E. eximia , as a synonym of this species. Sakai and Nagai (1998) possibly misidentified this species as E. mystica (Appendix 5).

Natural History. Nothing is known regarding the natural history of the species.

Temporal Distribution. May (1), J une (5), July (2), August (16), September (13), October (1) ( Fig. 27e ).

Geographic Distribution. Known from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico ( Fig. 27f ).

Specimens Examined (61). Ty p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype female at RMNH labeled “Guate/ mala // Euphoria / avita/ O./ ♀/ TYPE// Euphoria / avita, O. Jans. / Type Cent.Amer// Museum Leiden/ verz. F. T. Valck/ Lucassen/ (O.E. Janson)// avita// seen by/ Hardy 1978// type”. Other material: EL SALVADOR (4): CHALATENANGO: La Palma (1); SANTA ANA: Parque Los Andes (2); SONSONATE: Parque Nacional Cerro Verde (1). GUATEMALA (50): CHIMALTENANGO: Acatenango (22), San Pedro Yepocapa (1), Zaragoza (7); GUATEMALA: Ciudad de Guatemala (3), Santa Elena Barrillas (1); PETÉN: EL Remate (1); QUICHÉ: Nebaj (1); SACATEPÉQUEZ: Antigua (9), Cerro Alux (1), San Lucas Sacatepéquez (1), Volcán de Agua (1); SOLOLÁ: Panajachel (2). HONDURAS (1): “Honduras” (1). MEXICO (2): “ Mexico ” (2). NO DATA (3): No data (3).

Figures

Fig. 27. Euphoria avita. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d) Color variation, e) Temporal distribution, f) Geographic distribution in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico; open square indicates country record only.