Liothorax subaeneus ( LeConte, 1857 ) LeConte, 1857

Dellacasa, Marco, Gordon, Robert D. & Dellacasa, Giovanni, 2007, Systematic review to the genus Liothorax (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Zootaxa 1407, pp. 23-42 : 37-38

Liothorax subaeneus ( LeConte, 1857) , new combination

( Figs. 54–60 )

Aphodius subaeneus: LeConte 1857: 41 , Horn 1887: 21, Gordon 1977: 159 (lectotype designation) Aphodius (Volinus) subaeneus: Schmidt 1913: 43 , Schmidt 1922: 176, Hatch, 1971: 454

Aphodius gentneri: Hatch 1971: 457 , Gordon 1977: 159 (as a synonym of A. subaeneus ), Dellacasa 1988: 335 Aphodius perpolitus: Gordon 1973: 439 , Gordon 1977: 159 (as a synonym of A. subaeneus ), Dellacasa 1988: 236 Aphodius (Chilothorax) subaeneus: Dellacasa 1988: 203

Type locality: San Francisco, California, U.S.A. (for Liothorax subaeneus ).

Type depository: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. U.S.A. (for Liothorax subaeneus ).

Redescription: Length 4.0–5.0 mm; body oblong, moderately convex, weakly shiny except second and fourth elytral interstriae roughly alutaceous so strongly dull, glabrous. Color black; clypeal margin and pronotal sides weakly red; pronotum with aeneous tinge; elytra widely dirty yellow on disc with first interstria and lateral margin black; antennal club piceous; legs rufo-piceous ( Fig. 60 ); some individuals have elytra black with dirty yellow rounded spot on preapical declivity ( Fig. 59 ); some individuals have elytra entirely black ( Fig. 58 ). Head anteriorly at middle moderately convex, with coarse evenly spaced punctures, punctation denser distally. Clypeus moderately sinuate medially, widely rounded laterally, with thin border, border weakly upturned; genae widely rounded, with short setae, protruding beyond eyes; frontal suture obsolete; front with coarse evenly spaced punctures. Pronotum transverse, convex, with evenly spaced coarse moderately dense punctures throughout but with a smooth median longitudinal line; lateral margins weakly arcuate anteriorly, subparallel posteriorly, with distinct border; hind angles obtuse; base evenly arcuate with vestiges of border near hind angles. Scutellum weakly excavate, alutaceous, with fine and sparse punctures. Elytra oval-elongate, finely striate; striae with fine and close punctures, not crenulate; interstriae flat, second and fourth roughly alutaceous so strongly dull, other polished, all with small punctures irregularly spaced. Hind tibiae with superior apical spur nearly as long as first tarsomere, first tarsomere somewhat longer than following two combined. Male fore tibiae with apical spur hooked inward at apex; pronotum more transverse, less convex and with punctures more sparse than in female. Female fore tibiae with apical spur evenly acuminate apically.

Distribution: Canada (Vernon, British Columbia) and U.S.A. (from northern Oregon to southern California).

Bionomy: This species is active in spring and early summer and is collected at pond margins (Gordon, personal observation).

Systematic remarks: This is a polymorphic species varying in elytral sculpture and color. These morphological characters overlap, and Gordon (1977) considered them as simple variations of the same taxon.

Figures

FIGURES 54 – 60. Liothorax subaeneus (LeConte, 1857) (Modesto, California, U. S. A.): 54. habitus of male; 55 – 56. aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view; 57. epipharynx; 58 – 60. color variations.