Deltochilum (Deltohyboma) gigante Silva & Vaz-De-Mello, 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Silva, Fernando A. B.
name: Vaz-De-Mello, Fernando Z.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Deltochilum
Deltochilum gigante

description: Deltochilum (Deltohyboma) gigante sp. nov.
(Fig. 1–2)
Etymology. The species name refers to the body size, gigante meaning "giant" in both the Portuguese and Spanish languages. The species epithet is a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. The new species is placed in the group of species that comprises D. spinipes, probably D. aequinoctiale (Buquet 1844) (type specimens not examined), and D. speciosissimum Balthasar, 1939. This group is characterized by the following characters: size equal or greater than 13 mm; apical tubercles or carinae on interstriae 3-4-5-6, very weak or lacking on interstria 7; elytra lacking foveate punctures on discal striae. In this group of species, D. aequinoctiale and D. speciosissimum have a microgranulated opaque dorsal integument, while D. spinipes and D. gigante share a smooth and shiny surface of the elytra and pronotum (punctures might be present but surface lacks microgranulation). Deltochilum spinipes differs from D. gigante by its significantly smaller size and the lack of the posterior metasternal spiniform projections as well as the internal tooth on protibia. In addition, D. spinipes has a stronger mesofemur with a larger tubercle on posterior margin, and a conspicuous apical carina on the seventh elytral stria. Furthermore, D. gigante can be differentiated from all the remaining species in this subgenus by its larger body size.
Description (Holotype). Colour. Completely metallic blue, with green to violaceous sheen (Figures 1 A, B). Length. 24 mm. Head. Dorsal surface with dense foveiform punctures, closer on lateral portions (Figure 1 C). Clypeal margin with two small, triangular, sharp, central teeth, separated by approximately five times the width of their basal portion. Margin between clypeal teeth and clypeo-genal suture almost straight. Margin of gena strongly curved outward. Clypeo-genal suture slightly impressed. Clypeo-frontal suture brighter than surrounding surface. Dorsal interocular width eight times the eye width (Figure 1 C). Antennae 9-segmented, club 3-segmented. Posterior dorsal margin of head (occipital region of front) completely marginated by fine carina. Thorax. W/L = 1.3; pronotum strongly convex, with a smooth longitudinal depression medially (Figure 1 A). Dorsal surface with dense and small foveiform punctures, randomly spaced; punctures larger and closer on anterior angles and lateral portions of pronotum. Anterior margin deeply emarginated. Anterior angles acute, directed forward (Figure 1 C). Lateral pronotal impressions with a small rounded tubercle, poorly differentiated from surrounding surface. Margin between anterior and lateral angles oblique, slightly curved outward. Margin between lateral and posterior angles distinctly curved outward. Hypomera not excavated (Figure 1 D); lacking carina separating the anterior and posterior area; foveiform punctures denser on anterior and posterior portions, with some long setae on anterior portion; median portion with sparse or absent punctures. Meso- and metepisternum with foveiform punctures. Mesosternum with dense foveiform punctures, almost touching on lateral portion. Mesometasternal suture arched, angulate medially. Metasternum with dense foveiform punctures on lateral and anterior portions; disc smooth, with a strong triangular depression (Figure 1 B); anterior portion of depression with a strong spiniform projection; posterior portion with two smaller spiniform projections. Elytra. Elongated, with lateral margins slightly curved outward (Figure 1 A). Elytral striae weakly impressed (Figure 1 E), with foveiform punctures separated by approximately four or five times their diameter on elytral disc. Interstriae flattened. Interstrial surface with setigerous foveiform punctures, randomly spaced. Basal carina of seventh interstria inconspicuous. Basal carina of ninth interstria reaches approximately half the length of elytra. Apical tubercle of second elytral interstria absent. Apical tubercle of third interstria rounded. Apical carina of fifth and sixth interstriae longer than fourth. Apical carina of seventh interstria inconspicuous. Pseudepipleural carina complete, visible for entire length of epipleuron. Abdomen. First sternite expanded medially, occupying 2/3 of the abdominal length (Figure 1 F); anterior portion of sternite with two tubercles on its medial portion (Figure 1 F). Sternites 2, 3 and 4 not visible medially. Lateral region of sternites 1 – 5 with numerous foveiform punctures closer to anterior margin. Sixth sternite smaller medially than fourth. Pygidium separate from propygidium by carina, with dense setigerous foveiform punctures on its surface, punctures closer along the midline. Pygidium as wide as high, apically rounded, clearly margined. Legs. Protrochanter with a cluster of bristles on the anterior edge. Meso and metatrochanter with a cluster of bristles on the posterior edge (Figure 1 B). Femora with numerous foveiform punctures, randomly spaced. Profemur with clusters of bristles on basal third of anterior margin (Figure 1 B). Mesofemur widened at the middle portion, with a small denticle on basal third of posterior margin (Figure 1 B). Metafemur widened at its apical third. Protibia widened at 2/3 of the internal margin; apical third of the internal margin angularly lobed, with a concave curvature, forming a strong triangular tooth and fourteen spiniform denticles between tibial base and that tooth (Figure 1 G). External margin with three teeth on its apical third, apical one larger than basal two (Figure 1 G). Meso- and metatibiae arched toward body. Mesotibia with an internal, apical, spur-like denticle, about the length of the first tarsomere; smaller spur shorter than the sum of the length of second and third metatarsomeres; larger spur approximately the sum of three basal tarsomeres in length (Figure 1 H). Basal third of metatibia with small denticles on the internal margin (Figure 1 A). Internal angle of apex of metatibia prolonged beyond insertion of tarsus in spiniform process, with the same length of tarsus (Figure 2 A). Length of metatibial spur less than that of tarsal claws. Protarsus absent. Length of first meso- and metatarsomeres short, about half the second tarsomere, obliquely truncated at apex (Figures 1 H, 2A). Tarsal claws without basal teeth. Male genital organ. Symmetrical parameres (Figures 2 B, C). Genital sclerite with internal arms elongated and weakly sclerotized (Figure 2 D). Endophallus with small basal lobe (Figure 2 E). Lamella copulatrix (LC): left and right lobes subrectangular (Figure 2 F). Superior right peripheral sclerite (SRP) circular (Figure 2 G). Fronto-lateral peripheral sclerite (FLP) and complex of axial and subaxial sclerites (A+ AS) as in Figure 2 H.
Variation: In the collection of the MNHN (Paris), we found a female lacking an abdomen and without locality data. We strongly believe that Paulian (1938) considered this female, 24 mm in length, to be conspecific with D. spinipe s specimens due to their body size overlap (see below notes for D. spinipe s), because he states in his original description that specimens belonging to this species reach up to 24 mm, and specimens of that size (or near) were found identified as D. spinipes by Paulian in MNHN. Although this female was found in a box of specimens used by Paulian in his revision (Paulian 1938, 1939), since it lacks any label, we cannot be sure that it is a syntype of D. spinipes. Nevertheless, we are confident that this female belongs to the species herein described and have made this unlabeled female the paratype.
This female differs from the male holotype in the following aspects: body sheen green, brighter than in holotype. Head with longer clypeal teeth and more protruding clypeo-genal angle. Pronotum smaller in relation to elytra, with four rounded feeble depressions on each side of disc. Metathorax feebly concave on disc, with only indications of anterior and posterior spiniform projections. Profemur less strong, protibiae lacking internal tooth, with reduced basal internal denticles, somewhat dilated in the apical 2/5, and with three external teeth in the apical 2/5, the middle tooth smaller than the others, apical teeth less developed than in male. Meso- and metafemur straighter and weaker than in male. Meso- and metatibia less curved than in male, internal and apical denticles absent. Internal angle of apex of metatibia not prolonged in spiniform process. Middle and hind tibial spurs much longer than in male. Meso- and metatarsi about 1/7 longer than in male.
Type material. Holotype: 1 ♂ (white label, handwritten). COLOMBIA: Huila, Nat. Park Las Cuevas, 1,80 dm, 23.V.76, M. Cooper./ 2 (white label, handwritten). Parque Nacional Las Cuevas de los Guácharos, Cloud forest, Forest of Quercus humboldtii/ 3 (white label, printed in black). BMNH {E} 2004275 M. Cooper/ 4 (white label, printed in black). BMNH (E) #943732 / 5 (red label, printed and handwritten in black). HOLOTYPE ♂, Deltochilum gigante sp. nov., Silva and Vaz-de-Mello, des. 2013 (BMNH). Paratype: 1 ♀, no locality label, no abdomen (MNHN). 1 (yellow label, printed in black). PARATYPE./ 2 (white label, printed and handwritten in black) Deltochilum gigante sp. nov., Silva and Vaz-de-Mello, des. 2013 PARAT.
description: Published as part of Silva, Fernando A. B. & Vaz-De-Mello, Fernando Z., 2014, A new giant species of Deltochilum subgenus Deltohyboma (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) from Colombia, with notes on D. spinipes Paulian, 1938, pp. 276-284 in Zootaxa 3802 (2) on pages 277-278, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3802.2.8, http://zenodo.org/record/230060