A new genus for Drepanocanthoides larreae (Horn, 1887) and description of a new congeneric Mexican species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae)
Author
Dellacasa, Marco
Author
Dellacasa, Giovanni
Author
Gordon, Robert D.
text
Insecta Mundi
2015
2015-02-12
2015
407
1
6
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5181505
1942-1354
5181505
E5325B6C-B594-4564-A8BB-E6B161DC702C
Hornosus larreae
(
Horn, 1887
)
new combination
(
Fig. 1–8
)
Aphodius larreae
Horn, 1887: 41
.
Aphodius bifrons
Bates, 1887: 90
;
1889: 392
(as synonym of
A. larreae
);
Blackwelder 1944: 212
;
Dellacasa 1988: 97
;
Gordon and Skelley 2007: 329
(
lectotype
designation).
Aphodius
(
Erytus
)
larreae
;
Schmidt 1913: 127
;
1922: 81
;
Blackwelder 1944: 212
;
Dellacasa 1988: 150
.
Drepanocanthoides larreae
;
Dellacasa et al. 2002: 208
;
Gordon and Skelley 2007: 329
(
lectotype
designation and new combination);
Skelley et al. 2007: 4
.
Type
locality.
El Paso,
Texas
[
U.S.A.
].
Type
repository.
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (
U.S.A.
) (
type
not examined).
Redescription.
Length 4.0–5.0 mm; oblong, moderately convex, alutaceous, glabrous except elytra laterally and subapically pubescent. Entirely yellowish; pronotum often with cloudy brownish spot at middle of each side; elytral suture narrowly darkened. Head with epistome feebly convex, distinctly, rather finely and evenly punctured throughout, punctation laterally coarser, median subclypeal depression impunctate; clypeus deeply sinuate in middle and strongly lobate on either side, lobes upturned, sides arcuate, thickly bordered, edge glabrous; genae round, elongately ciliate, not protruding from eyes; latter rather large; frontal suture distinctly impressed, not tuberculate; frons distinctly and sparsely punctured. Pronotum moderately transverse, moderately convex, rather unevenly punctured, punctation coarser and denser on sides; lateral margins arcuate, thinly bordered, edge elongately and sparsely ciliate; hind angles round; base evenly arcuate, very thinly bordered. Scutellum with curved sides, flat, distinctly punctured basally, punctures shortly setigerous. Elytra elongately oval, convex, slightly widened posteriorly, finely striate, striae rather fine, superficially but distinctly punctured, crenulate; interstices slightly convex, finely microreticulate, unevenly but distinctly punctured; pubescent on preapical declivity; epipleural margin fimbriate, with long pale setae. Upper spur of hind tibiae shorter than first tarsal segment; latter longer than following two segments combined. Male: clypeus relatively more deeply and narrowly sinuate in middle (
Fig. 2
); foretibiae with somewhat sinuate inner margin and with spur cultrate (
Fig. 4
); aedeagus
Fig. 7–8
. Female: clypeus relatively less deeply and more broadly sinuate in middle (
Fig. 3
); foretibiae with straight inner margin and with spur slender and acuminate.
Material examined.
MEXICO
:
Chihuahua
:
C[iudad].
Juarez
(
1 ex.
,
DCGI
)
;
Coahuila
:
Boquilla del Carmen
, 1850’,
23.
V
.1959
, leg.
Howden
&
Becker
, at light (
1 ex.
,
DCGI
)
;
San Pedro de Colonias
, 3700’,
20.VIII.1947
, leg.
Gertsch
(
1 ex.
,
DCGI
)
;
Torreon
,
28.
V
.1937
(
1 ex.
,
DCGI
)
.
U.S.A.
:
Arizona
:
Florence
,
VIII.1903
, leg.
Biederman
(
1 ex.
,
DCGI
)
;
Phoenix
(
1 ex.
,
DCGI
)
.
Distribution.
Southern
U.S.A.
(
Arizona
,
New Mexico
,
Texas
),
Mexico
(
Chihuahua
,
Coahuila
).
Biology.
Almost unknown; most of specimens were taken in spring and summer, mostly at light.
Horn (1887: 42)
reported that
Aphodius larreae
was “taken […..] on the flowers of
Larrea mexicana
” [Family
Zygophyllaceae
], which is a poisonous plant from semi-arid zones of the western areas between
U.S.A.
and
Mexico
, with resinous leaves and yellow solitary flowers, that usually blooms from April to May.