Euphoria sonorae Bates, 1889

Orozco, Jesús, 2012, Monographic Revision of the American Genus Euphoria Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 11) 66, pp. 1-182 : 26

Euphoria sonorae Bates, 1889 revised status

(Appendix 4: Fig. 8 )

Euphoria histrionica var. sonorae Bates 1889: 374 . Original combination.

Neotype at USNM here designated. As synonym of Euphoria histrionica Thomson by Hardy (2001).

Euphoria scabiosa Casey 1915: 316 . New synonymy.

Lectotype and one paralectotype at USNM, examined.

Description (n = 608). Length 8.3–17.7 mm; width 5.1–7.3 mm. Color: Head and pronotum black, elytra black, brown, or reddish brown. Elytra with light yellow cretaceous markings; markings irregular, extending from the sides towards the middle, frequently more abundant on posterior half, frequently covering tip of elytra and pygidium entirely. Head: Frons flat, strongly strigose, densely setose; setae long, moderate to long, yellowish. Clypeus subquadrate, strongly strigopunctate, apex and sides not raised. Antennal club shorter than stem, subequal in length in both sexes. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate, punctures moderate in size, lunulate, denser towards sides; moderately densely to densely setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish to whitish. Base in front of scutellum weakly to moderately emarginate. Scutellum longer than wide, densely punctate; punctures lunulate, with moderate to long setae. Elytra: Surface densely punctate; striae bearing 3 rows of lunulate, moderate in size punctures. Costae well defined. Posterior half of sutural costa raised in lateral view. Pygidium: Surface subconcentrically striate, striae discontinuous, setose; setae moderate to long, yellowish. Legs: Protibial teeth sharp, apical and medial teeth closer to each other than to basal tooth. Mesotibial carina well developed into 2 sharp teeth. Metatibial carina transverse, metatibial apex weakly expanded apically. Venter: Mesometasternal process extending anteriorly to same level as mesocoxae or slightly beyond, apex weakly truncate, moderately densely setose. Mesepimera, metasternum, and metacoxae setose, setae as on legs. Metasternum rugose, setose laterally, glabrous, impunctate at middle. Median sulcus vaguely to weakly defined. Abdominal sternites densely setose, setae as on rest of body; abdomen in lateral view subequal in shape in both sexes, occasionally slightly convex in females. Male genitalia: Parameres as in Fig. 8c .

Diagnosis. Euphoria sonorae is separated from other species in the group by the subquadrate clypeus, moderately densely to densely setose dorsal surface, and the cretaceous markings covering the tip of elytra and the entire pygidium. Euphoria histrionica can be separated from this species by the bright coloration of the cretaceous markings (lighter in E. sonorae ) and by the impunctate scutellum (densely punctate in E. sonorae ).

Taxonomic History. Euphoria sonorae has been confused in the literature with E. histrionica almost since it was described. Bates (1889) described E. sonorae from Sonora, Mexico as a variety of the Mexican E. histrionica . Since then, E. histrionica has been used as the valid name for the species found in Arizona and northern Mexico, and the real E. histrionica has been left without an identity. Casey (1915) synonymized E. sonorae with E. histrionica and described E. scabiosa from southern Arizona based on a slender specimen of E. sonorae . The type of E. sonorae is considered lost as it could not be found at the BMNH or in any of the other collections examined. I hereby designate the lectotype of E. scabiosa as the neotype of E. sonorae .

Natural History. Adult specimens have been found on Ambrosia sp. , Simsia exaristata Gray , and Viguiera cordifolia Gray (all Asteraceae ), in nests of N. albigula , and attracted to Japanese beetle traps. Adults have also been observed feeding on anthers of Helianthus sp.

Temporal Distribution. April (2), June (1), July (13), August (47), September (440), October (47), November (3) ( Fig. 8f ).

Geographic Distribution. Known from Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora, and in Arizona and New Mexico, USA ( Fig. 8g ).

Specimens Examined (608). Type material: Euphoria sonorae Bates, 1889 ; neotype at USNM here designated labeled “Ariz// CASEY/ bequest/ 1925// TYPE UNSM/ 48673// scabiosa/ Csy// Euphoria / scabiosa/ Casey// LECTOTYPE / Euphoria / scabiosa Csy. / By. A.R. Hardy 1978” and my neotype label. Euphoria scabiosa Casey, 1915 ; paralectotype female at USNM “Ariz// CASEY/ bequest/ 1925// scabiosa. 2/ PARATYPE UNSM/ 48673// PARALECTOTYPE / Euphoria / scabiosa Csy. ” . Other material: MEXICO (39): CHIHUAHUA: Matamoros (2), Río Urique (4); DURANGO: El Palmito (1), no data (1); JALISCO: Guadalajara (1), Jocotepec (1), Villa Hidalgo (1); NAYARIT: San Blas (1); SINALOA: La Capilla del Taxte (2); SONORA: El Cobre (6), Nogales (2), Sierra San José (17). USA (567): ARIZONA. Cochise Co. : Bowie (8), Chiricahua Mountains (30), Douglas (21), Huachuca Mountains (31), Miller Canyon (1), Palmerlee (35), Paradise (2), Pearce (1), Portal (15), Sunizona (8), Timber Mountain (2), Wilcox (1); Gila Co. : Globe (87), Payson (54), Pinal Mountains (51), Salt River Canyon (7), San Carlos (5), Seneca (1), Sierra Ancha (2), no data (1); Graham Co.: Blue River (1), Graham Mountain (1); Maricopa Co. : Sunflower (3); Pima Co. : Baboquivari Mountains (22), Madera Canyon (12), Santa Catalina Mountains (2), Big Dry Creek (1), Sonoita (1), Tucson (2); Pinal Co.: Superior (45); Santa Cruz Co.: Atascosa Mountains (1), Duquesne (2), Elgin (1), Madera Canyon (1), Nogales (2), Patagonia Mountains (2), Santa Rita Mountains (1), Sonoita (4), Sycamore Canyon (4); Yavapai Co.: Bloody Basin (1), Congress (1), Prescott (68), Verde Valley (1); No data: “S. Arizona” (19). NEW MEXICO. Catron Co.: Big Dry Creek (1), Pleasanton (1); Grant Co.: No data (2); Hidalgo Co.: Peloncillo Mountains (1). No data: (1).

Figures

Fig. 8. Euphoria sonorae. a) Habitus, b) Head, c) Parameres, d-e) Color variation, f) Temporal distribution, g) Geographic distribution in Mexico and the United States.