The genus Gromphas Brullé, 1837 in Peru (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Phanaeini)
Author
Figueroa, Luis
Author
Edmonds, W. D.
Author
Meza-Velez, Felipe
text
Insecta Mundi
2012
2012-08-24
2012
248
1
8
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5174634
1942-1354
5174634
Gromphas amazonica
Bates, 1870
(
Fig. 3-4
,
12-13
,
19-23
)
Diagnosis
. Length
12-18 mm
. Dorsum shining black with weak dark green to blue highlights (
Fig. 3-4
). Clypeal margin slightly expanded and upturned near notch (
Fig. 12
, arrow), not evenly curved. Head of both sexes with a weakly bituberculate, median gibbosity, never with a conical horn (
Fig. 12
). Pronotum of both sexes evenly convex, lacking any trace of a median prominence (
Fig. 3-4
). Pronotum densely and finely granulate, granulation becoming almost effaced posteromedially. Inner apical angle of male protibia drawn out into an acute spine (
Fig. 20
, arrow); outer edge of protibial spur of both sexes strongly expanded subapically (
Fig. 20-21
). Apical protarsal segment prolonged apically (
Fig. 19
).
Geographical Distribution.
(
Fig. 5
)
Recorded
from
Brazil, Colombia
and
Peru
.
In
Peru
known from isolated localities in
Amazonian
lowlands of
Loreto
,
San Martin
and
Ucayali
.
Peruvian
collecting data:
LORETO
:
Prov.
Ucayali
,
Distr. Padre Marquez,
CCNN
Santa Ana
(
7
o
52’S
,
75
o
31' W
)
224 m
[Oct]
MUSM
;
Contamana
(
7
o
21’S
,
75
o
01’W
)
134 m
[Dec]
MUSM
,
WDEC
.
SAN MARTIN
:
Prov. El Porvenir
,
Bosque El Pelejo (
6
o
16’S
,
75
o
50’W
)
161 m
[May] MUSM.
UCAYALI
:
Prov. Coronel Portillo
,
Pucallpa (
8
o
25’S
,
74
o
28’W
) [Aug] MUSM, (
8
o
22’S
,
74
o
34’W
) [Jul-Aug, Dec] CMNC.
Ecology
. The ecology of this species is not understood. Specimens examined with precise data were collected with pitfall traps baited with human feces in forest habitats; in one case, several individuals were found in secondary growth associated with mandioca cultivation (cassava, “yuca”;
Manihot esculenta
Crantz
). Trond Larsen (pers. comm.) points out the possibility that it may be a narrow ecological specialist; he has not collected
G. amazonica
during several years of intensive collection and ecological monitoring of the dung beetle fauna in
Madre de Díos
(southeastern
Peru
).