Chrysina paulseni Hawks 2017, new species
Creators: name: Hawks, David C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Rutelidae
Chrysina
Chrysina paulseni

description: Chrysina paulseni Hawks, new species   Figures 4, 14–16, 19.  
 Type data. Holotype male (deposited at CASC), labeled: a) “ MEXICO: Chiapas / Cinco Cerros / vii.1995 / T. W. Taylor ”; b) on red paper, “ Chrysina / paulseni male symbol / Hawks, 2015 / HOLOTYPE ”. Paratypes (9M, 4F) labeled: a) as holotype. Paratype male labeled: a) handwritten “ MEX: Chiapas / 1 km W Cinco Cerros / 9 Aug. 1988 / T.W. Taylor”. Paratype male labeled: a) “ MEXICO: Chiapas, / Cinco Cerros, km 30 / on Hwy 190 1500 m, / 19. VI. 1989, H. Howden ”; b) “at light”; c) “ H. & A. Howden / Collection”; d) “[Plusiotis / psittacina (Sturm) / Bates] / M.A. Morón, det. [1990]”. Paratype male labeled: a) “ MEXICO: Chiapas / 1 km N Cinco Cerros / 25-VI-1990 / M.C. Thomas”. Paratypes (2M) labeled: a) “ MEX: Chiapas / Cinco Cerros / 860 m, 9. VI. 1990 / H. & A. Howden ”; b) “at light”. Paratype male labeled: a) handwritten “ P. psittacina / 10 – Agosto – 90 / Chiapas, Mex.”. Paratype male labeled: a) handwritten “ MEX: Chiapas / Las Minas / 7 Aug. 1992 / T.W. Taylor”. Paratype male labeled: a) handwritten “ MX: Chiapas / 27 km W of / Cintalapa / 9 July 1990 ”. Paratype male labeled: a) handwritten “los Chimalapas / OAXACA, MEX. / 1200 m 10-Ag-90 / Col. G. Nogueira ”; b) handwritten “ Plusiotis / psittacina / M”. Paratype male labeled: a) handwritten “ P. psittacina F. / 9 – Agosto – 90 / Chiapas, Mex.”. Paratype male labeled: a) “ MEXICO: Chiapas: Mpio. Villa Flores / Rd. to Agronomis Mexicanos, 36 -37 / km. E. Jct. Hwy 195, 1200 m. / 19-June-1992, Tropical Deciduous / Pine-Oak Trans., B.D. Streit + R.A. / Cunningham Colls. MV, BL, BLB ”. Paratype female labeled: a) handwritten “ MX: Chiapas / 29 mi SW of / Cintalapa / 7 July 1971 ”. Paratype (1M) labeled: a) “Mex: Chiapas / Las Minas / 20 July 1991 / T. Taylor collector”. Paratype (1M) labeled: a) “Mex: Chiapas / near Rizo de Oro / VII-93 / Nogueira col.”. All paratypes (22M, 5F) with paratype label on yellow paper, “ Chrysina / paulseni male or female symbol / Hawks, 2015 / PARATYPE ”.   
 Description, holotype male. Length 32 mm, width 17 mm. Color of dorsal surface of frons, pronotum, apical calli, and pygidium mostly iridescent bluish green, pronotal and elytral margins, parts of elytral disc somewhat more yellowish green; clypeus green at base becoming cupreous near black anterior margin; ventral surface of body, femora iridescent green; tibiae yellowish green to almost cupreous; tarsi iridescent emerald green; antennal scape iridescent yellowish green to cupreous dorsally; remainder of antenna brown.   
 Head. Form almost semicircular. Dorsal surface of head with dense, large punctures on clypeus, becoming smaller and sparser on frons towards posterior. Clypeus slightly convex in lateral view. Anterior border of labrum strongly emarginate, deeply notched at center. Mandibles nearly symmetrical semicircular, convex dorsally, lacking internal teeth; visible in dorsal view. Eye size moderate with ratio of interocular distance to width of pronotum at base = 1: 3.7. Ratio of antennal club length to interocular distance = 1:1.8.   
 Thorax. Pronotal basal margin entire. Pronotal surface with sparse, small and fine mixed punctures on disc, becoming denser laterally. Mesosternal process short, laterally compressed, rounded at apex. Each elytron with 9 distinct striae, punctures similar to those on pronotum; interstriae 2 with similarly large punctures, other interstriae weakly punctate; epipleural fold narrow, terminating just posterior to first abdominal sternite.   
 Abdomen. Surface smooth, densely, micropunctate; margin with short, fine, pale setae. Genitalia: Genital capsule length 11.0 mm. Parameres (Fig. 14–16) reflexed ventrally, slightly asymmetrical, short, subtrapezoidal, apical margin produced (right acutely, left obtusely) at anterolateral corners; ventral keel present. Ventral plates nearly symmetrical, acute, apices curved inward.   
 Male paratype variation (n= 22). Length 28–32 mm, width 15.5–16.5 mm. Male paratypes differ from the holotype in the following characters. Two specimens exhibit a uniformly purple color form. Color of clypeus varying from green to cupreous green.   
 Female paratype variation (n= 5). Length 30–35 mm, width 17–20.5 mm. Females are similar to males in terms of gross morphological and coloration characteristics, except with clypeus more distinctly cupreous, sharply demarcated from green frons. As is common in the genus, the female body is slightly more convex in profile, legs and tarsi are relatively slightly smaller, and the antennal club is shorter. Ratio of interocular distance to width of pronotum at base = 1: 2.3. Ratio of antennal club length to interocular distance = 2.1. Inferior genital plates (Fig. 19) broadly falcate.   
 Diagnosis. Chrysina paulseni is a member of the auripes group (Hawks 2001), and is most similar to Chrysina auripes Gray based on the form of the male parameres and female inferior genital plates. The parameres in C. paulseni are strongly asymmetrical, unlike those of C. auripes. The female inferior plates are distinctive from those of C. auripes, with the disc extending further apically before terminating in the thicker, falcate processes. All other members of the auripes group are smaller on average, and typically of a lighter yellowish green color. Chrysina paulseni previously had been incorrectly identified as Plusiotis psittacina (Sturm) in the unrelated (Chrysina) psittacina group sensu Hawks 2001 (Morón 1990; see discussion under C. auripes in Hawks (2001)).   
 Etymology. This new species is named for my friend, Dr. M. J. Paulsen of the University of Nebraska State Museum. M.J. is an expert on several groups of scarabaeoids, and is my main colleague and collaborator in all projects related to scarabaeoid research. He contributed greatly to the preparation of this publication.   
 Remarks. Photographs of Chrysina paulseni specimens were included in Morón (1990), identified as Plusiotis psittacina. They consist of “One male of the «typical [green] form» and a female of the «red form» collected in Finca Prusia, Albino Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.”
description: Published as part of Hawks, David C., 2017, Five new species of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), pp. 1-9 in Insecta Mundi 2017 (544) on pages 4-6, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5172560