Bothynus cyclops
Creators: name: Duarte, Paulo R. M.
name: Dupuis, Fabien
name: Grossi, Paschoal C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Bothynus
Bothynus cyclops

description: Bothynus cyclops (Burmeister, 1847)
(Figures 2 (c), 3(d), 5(b,f), 11(b), 12(b), 13(d), 14(d), 15(e), 19(g), 20(a), 25)
Corynoscelis cyclops
Burmeister 1847: 127 (original combination); Heyne and Taschenberg 1908: 93 (name citation, etymology).
Bothynus cyclops
Arrow 1937b: 40 (new combination, catalogue); Blackwelder 1944: 255 (checklist); Endrödi 1969: 113 (identification key), 117 (illustration of aedeagus [figs. 170–171]), 136 (redescription, lectotype designation, distribution); Endrödi 1985: 276 (identification key, illustration of the aedeagus [figs. 1134–1135]); Krajcik 2005: 38 (checklist); Abadie et al. 2008, pl. 13 (Figure 4, distribution); López-García 2016: 496 (checklist); Ferreira and Grossi 2017: 109 (distribution); Hielkema et al. 2019: 205–206 (checklist, distributional notes).
Diagnosis
Bothynus cyclops resembles B. gisae sp. n. by the aspect of clypeus with subtriangular format, strongly narrowed laterally, bearing the posterior width about 4.0–4.7 times wider than anterior, besides the conical clypeal teeth; moreover, the apical tooth of mandible is strongly acuminated, the elytral punctures are also large, and the male possesses an incised inner protarsal claw. However, B. cyclops is distinguished by the following combination of characters: Protarsomere 5 of male abruptly widened towards apex (Figure 11b); parameres without apical plate (Figure 13 (d)); tergite 8 of female entirely covered with setae arranged on its entire surface (Figure 19 (g)), combined with a discal region bearing coarse rugopuncture (Figure 20 (a)). The parameres of B. cyclops is unique within the ascanius group in being without apical plate.
Type material
The holotype of B. cyclops preserved at HNHM is recognised by a green label on its left side, handwritten by Burmeister with the following information within a rectangle: ‘ Cyclops */Guyan. Frk’. (Figure 2 (d)). Holotype male, labelled: (a) ‘Jhtt’. [green label]; (b) ‘ Lectotypus / Bothynus [indistinguishable]/(Corynoscelys)/cyclops Burm’. [rectangle label bordered in red, partly handwritten]; (c) ‘Zool. Inst. Halle’ (HNHM) (Figure 2 (c)).
Additional material
BRAZIL: Bahia: Encruzilhada, 11.xii.2007, 800 m, Grossi, Rafael and Parizotto legs. – 1 male (CERPE); Erico Cardoso, Pico do Barbado, Capão, 1.ii.2007, 1300 m, Mielke and Casagrande legs. – 1 male (EPGC). Espírito Santo: ConceiÇão do Castelo, Ribeirão do Meio, 20°17'35''S, 41°14'20''W, 1050 m, xi/ xii.2010, R. Falqueto leg. – 1 female (CEMT); ConceiÇão do Castelo, Ribeirão do Meio, BR 262, Posto Pinga Fogo, ii.2009, R. Falqueto leg. – 2 females (CEMT). Minas Gerais: Águas Vermelhas, xi.1994, E. Grossi leg. – 1 male (CERPE); Águas Vermelhas, 16.xii.2012, E. and. P. Grossi legs. – 1 male, 2 females (CERPE); Águas Vermelhas, x.1993, 680 m. – 1 female (FDPC); Aguas Vermelhas, xii.1997, A. Bello – 1 female (CEMT); Caxambú, i.1980, Col. A. Belo – 1 male (CEMT); Lavras, 30.ii.2008, B.P. Oliveira leg. – 1 male (CERPE); Lavras, 18.ix.2015, B. Gazolla leg. – 1 male (CERPE); Lima Duarte, Parque Nacional do Ibitipoca, 21.xi.2010, C.A.O Antunes leg. – 1 male (CERPE); Passa Quatro, 22.xi.2014, M.G. Hermes leg. – 1 male (CERPE); ViÇosa, xi.1999, A. Bello (Ex. Colection) – 1 female (CEMT). Paraná: Curitiba, 25.ii.2003, Pereira. H. R. leg. – 1 male (CERPE); Ibiporã, Fazenda Doralice, 27.v.2007, A.A. Santos leg. – 1 male (EPGC); São José dos Pinhais, xi. 2016, 896 m, A.C. Domahovski leg. – 1 female, 2 males (CERPE); Tibagi, Parque Estadual do Guartelá, 02. xi.2009, 900 m, P.C. Grossi leg. – 1 male (CERPE). Pernambuco: Caruaru, Brejo dos Cavalos, 02.v.2008, luz, Cavalcanti et al. legs. – 1 female (CEMT); Caruaru, Brejo dos Cavalos, 06–07. viii.2015, 900 m, Grossi, Rafael and Duarte legs. – 1 female (CERPE); Recife, 25.xi.2018, D. Ximenes leg. – 1 male (CERPE). Rio de Janeiro: Arcádia, Miguel Pereira, 09.xi.2002, F. Racca leg. – 1 male (CERPE); Copacabana, ii.2004, Col. A. Bello – 1 male (CEMT); Cordeiro, 15–16. xi.1996, Joss leg. – 2 males, 2 females (FDPC); Cordeiro, xi.1991, Col. R. salgado – 1 male (CEMT); Mendes, Arvoredo Porto, p3, pitfall 2, 24.ii–3.iii.2015– 2 males (CEMT); Na Friburgo, Sans Souci, xii.2009/ ii.2010, E. and P. Grossi legs. – 1 female (CERPE); Na Friburgo, Sítio Caturama, 31.xii.2007, 1100 m, E. and P. Grossi legs. – 1 female (CERPE); Na Friburgo, xi.2014, luz, P.C. Grossi leg. – 2 females, 2 males (CERPE); Na Friburgo, xi.1998, Col. Grossi – 1 male (CEMT); Seropédica, 3.x.2016, L. Oliveira leg. – 1 male (CERPE). Rio Grande do Sul: Cerro Azul, xi.1958. – 3 females (CHNCA). Santa Catarina: Timbó, light, 5–6.i.2017, F.R. Tortato leg. – 1 male (CEMT). G. Pross leg., with no additional data – 1 female, 2 males (CERPE).
Male redescription (Figure 3 (d)
Length: 18.9–26.0 mm. Width: 10.1–15.0 mm. Colour: From reddish brown to black. Head: Clypeus subtriangular (posterior width about 4.0–4.7 times wider than anterior); lateral margins sinuous, constricted laterally towards anterior half; anterior teeth conical, usually pointed on apex; surface transversely rugose, glabrous. Frontoclypeal carina usually arched. Frons strongly rugose; rugosity arched, transversely arranged; setae scarce; posterior area smooth. Interocular width about 3.7 times transverse eye diameters. Ocular canthus from rectangular to subtriangular. Mouthparts: Apical and medial mandibular teeth tapered, strongly raised, slightly back produced laterally to clypeus, both separated by a deep gap (Figure 5 (b, f)); medial tooth larger than apical; mandibular basal tooth subtriangular, smaller. Maxillary galea bearing 4–5 pointed teeth increasing in size from basal to apical tooth. Labium subtriangular, mostly rugopunctate, densely setose laterally, scarcely setose on disc. Antennae: Club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7 combined. Prothorax: Pronotal tubercle strong, conical, slightly back produced; cavity usually wide (occupying half of anterior area), rounded, deep. Pronotal anterior corners bearing dense, large, deep, from contiguous to coalescent punctures; sides with small, shallow punctures, scattered about 2–5 puncture diameters apart; punctures on posterior disc minute; cavity transversely rugose, limited laterally by large, coalescent punctures. Pterothorax: Scutellar plate parabolic, usually smooth. Elytra deeply striated; each stria bearing large, deep, ocellate, dense punctures, spaced about 1–2 puncture diameters apart; interstriae convex, nearly smooth, except for scarce punctures, denser on juxtasutural interstria. Legs: Inner protarsal claw deeply incised, with inner branch larger and longer compared to outer one. Protarsomere 5 abruptly widening towards apex, ventral area bearing a subapical, pointed process (Figure 11 (b)). Mesofemur bearing a disc with scarce setae ventrally arranged. Ventral area of metafemur bearing glabrous disc. Mesoand metatibia usually with 2 carinae produced on outer surface. Metatibial apex broader compared to mesotibia. Abdomen: Tergite 7 with stridulatory apparatus formed by numerous striae, well marked and separated into 2 bands by a midline; striae well marked on anterior area, becoming barely marked and merged towards posterior margin. Tergite 8 glabrous, surrounded by dense wrinkles; disc densely punctate; punctures from small to minute, oval, transverse. Sternite 3 completely setose; sternites 4–7 with dense and setose punctures on sides, disc weakly punctate; sternite 8 with dense punctures and scarce setae confined on corners, disc finely punctate and glabrous. Spiculum gastrale: Y-shaped; medial branch rounded apically, usually wider compared to lateral branches (Figure 12 (b)). Hemisternite formed by 2 oval, transverse, contiguous plates, covered with about 18 setae on apical margin. Aedeagus: Parameres, in caudal view, smooth, wide at basal half, constricted laterally to a narrow apical half, without apical lobes (Figure 13 (d)). In lateral view, arched dorsally, ventrally bearing a basal carina produced laterally, apex slightly deflexed, acute (Figure 14 (d)).
Female redescription (Figure 15 (e))
Length: 16.0– 24.2 mm. Width: 8.9–14.0 mm. As for male, except the following: Head: Frons scarcely setose. Prothorax: Pronotal anterior tubercle small; cavity shallow, declivous. Pterothorax: Elytral punctures dense, deep and larger compared those on male. Legs: Inner protarsal claw simple, equal to outer claw. Abdomen: Tergite 8 bearing scarce setae scattered on entire surface (Figure 19 (g)); surface nearly entirely rugose, except for a coarsely rugopunctate disc (Figure 20 (a)).
Distribution
Brazil (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Santa Catarina) (Figure 25). There are records from Argentina and Paraguay (Endrödi 1985; Abadie et al. 2008).
Remarks
Burmeister (1847) based the species description on one exemplar from Guyana. However, this locality is dubious because there is not a defined record from Guyana or adjacent areas, such as the French Guiana (Hielkema and Hielkema 2019) or Suriname. The specimen was likely mislabelled.
description: Published as part of Duarte, Paulo R. M., Dupuis, Fabien & Grossi, Paschoal C., 2025, Taxonomic revision of the Bothynus ascanius (Kirby, 1819) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae) species group, pp. 663-737 in Journal of Natural History 59 (9 - 12) on pages 685-692, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2025.2456579, http://zenodo.org/record/14971553