Beckhoplia bicolor Dombrow 2020, new species
Creators: name: Dombrow, Holger E.
name: Colville, Jonathan F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Beckhoplia
Beckhoplia bicolor

description: Beckhoplia bicolor Dombrow, new species
(Figs. 40, 94–95, 116
http://zoobank.org/ 4CC61FC4-17AB-4996-98E5-0BE7A186C663
Type locality. [RSA, NCP]: R357, Nieuwoudtville to Loeriesfontein.
Type material. [1] Holotype ♂: white label pr « RSA, NCP, R357 to Loeriesfont. | 5 km E Nieuwoudtville | 31°17’39’’S– 19°08’08’’E | 27.8.2012, lg. Colville/Melin» || green label pr «Host plant: | Didelta spinosa » || blue label pr «Bioregion: | Sandstone Fynbos | Vegetation Type: FFs1 – | Bokkeveld Sandstone Fynbos» || yellow label hw «50» pr «447 | coll. Dombrow » || yellow label pr «SAM–COL | A071218» || red label pr « Holotype | Beckhoplia | bicolor sp.n. | det.: H. Dombrow 2019» (SAMC).
Condition of holotype. Good. Glued on a card. Dissected, parameres and spiculum gastrale glued behind beetle. Left mesothoracic tibia with tarsus missing.
Remark. The locality description requires an adjustment, as the GPS coordinate on the locality label actually indicates a locality ~ 10 km NE Nieuwoudtville on the R357 to Loeriesfontein.
Differential diagnosis. Differs from B. dolichiocnemis: Elytra of B. bicolor partly covering propygidium. Elytra of B. dolichiocnemis protruding propygidium. Elytra of B. bicolor transparently pale-brown with broadly blackened lateral margins. Elytra of B. dolichiocnemis transparently pale red brown with narrowly blackened lateral margins. Interno-posterior margin of parameres of B. bicolor u-shaped in dorsal view (Figs. 94, 116). Interno-posterior margin of parameres of B. dolichiocnemis parabola-shaped in dorsal view (Figs. 96, 117). Externo-posterior margin of parameres of B. bicolor concave with a broad convex median extension in dorsal view (Figs. 94, 116). Externo-posterior margin of parameres of B. dolichiocnemis undulate in dorsal view (Figs. 96, 117).
Description
Measurements: length 8.3 mm; width 3.8 mm.
Integument: Black; elytra transparently yellowish pale-brown, lateral and posterior margin broadly blackened.
Tegument: Clypeus and lateral margin bare; inner side of reflexed anterior margin sparse setose with short, erect, black setae. Head loose setose with medium-long, erect, black setae. Eye canthus with a loose setose ciliary of long, black setae. Scapus loose setose with long, black setae, pale-brown ventrally, sparse and medium-long on pedicellus; funiculum with few very short, erect, brown and black setae, shorter and semi-erect on clavus. Pronotum loose setose with long, erect, black setae, shorter towards posterior margin; with loose setose ciliary of distinctly long, black setae on lateral margin. Scutellum loose setose with short and medium-long, semi-erect, brown setae. Elytra without pattern. Loose setose with short, reclinate, brown setae; medium-long, erect, black setae interspersed; few short, reclinate, whitish setae below apical torus; with two loose, longitudinal rows of long, erect, black setae: a juxta-sutural row from anterior margin crossing scutellar torus towards apical torus, shorter in posterior third; a juxta-humeral row from anterior margin between humerus and scutellar torus towards apical torus. Suture with a loose row of short and long, robust, semi-erect, black setae. Thorax and pleurites loose pilose with long, black hairs. Ventrite I–V loose setose with short, reclinate, white and medium-long, black setae; long, semi-erect, black setae interspersed. Propygidium loose squamose with reclinate, narrowly-lanceolate, greyish scales; long, semi-erect, black setae interspersed. Pygidium sparse setose with long, erect, black setae; tip with a loose setose ciliary of long, black setae. Prothoracic femur loose pilose with long, black hairs; bare internally. Prothoracic tibia loose setose with short, reclinate, greyish setae; medium-long, semi-erect, black setae interspersed; long ventrally; with a sparse setose longitudinal row of medium-long, erect, black setae dorsally; with a loose ciliary of mediumlong, black and whitish setae on internal ridge; a sparse ciliary of short pale-brown setae on external ridge; a setaceous ciliary of short, black setae on anterior margin, more robust towards internal ridge; a medium-long downwards pointing setose ciliary of pale-brown setae along anterior margin of apical tooth. Mesothoracic femur loose pilose with long, black hairs; distinctly long ventrally; bare internally. Mesothoracic tibia sparse setose with short, reclinate, white setae; medium-long, semi-erect, robust, black setae interspersed, long and finer internally. Posterior margin with a bristled ciliary of short, black bristles; lengthening dorsally; missing internally. Metathoracic femur loose setose with long, semi-erect, black setae; bare internally. Metathoracic tibia sparse setose with short, reclinate, brown and black setae; medium-long, semi-erect, robust, black setae interspersed; long and fine internally. Posterior margin with a loose bristled outer marginal ciliary of short, black bristles, lengthening dorsally and ventrally, more robust ventrally. Prothoracic tarsomeres I–IV bare. Mesothoracic and metathoracic tarsomeres I–IV sparse setose with very short, reclinate, pale-brown setae. Tarsomere I–IV of all thoracic legs with a setaceous, apical, marginal ciliary of short, black setae, lengthening towards metathoracic tarsomeres, fine dorsally and more robust ventrally. Pretarsomere of all thoracic legs with few, medium-long, semi-erect, black setae at apical margin, shorter and dark-brown ventrally. Mesothoracic and metathoracic pretarsomere additionally sparse setose with short, reclinate, brown setae.
Head: Suture between head and clypeus undulate, crenated. Head dense punctate with small, shallow, roundish, partly merging punctures, micropunctate within. Funicle I cylindrical, slightly thickened medially; funicle II cylindrical; funicle III short asymmetric frustum-shaped; clavus long elliptic, slightly shorter than scapus, pedicellus and funiculum combined.
Pronotum: Widest in anterior two fifth; loose punctate with shallow, very small and small, roundish punctures, dense laterally and posteriorly and within posterior half of medial furrow. Anterior corner obtuse. Lateral margin convex. With an indistinct, shortened, shallow medial furrow from posterior margin terminating on disk. Posterior corner rounded.
Scutellum: Buckler-shaped; as broad as long; dense punctate with shallow, very small and small, roundish punctures, partly merging, micropunctate within; with a shortened, median, longitudinal, narrow, smooth stripe from anterior margin terminating in anterior fifth. Lateral margin linearly attenuated in anterior quarter, stronger apically. Tip rounded.
Elytra: Ovate; longer than broad; widest in anterior third; partly covering propygidium. Lateral margin slightly convex attenuate apically. Sculpture indistinct; almost complanate laterally; humerus indistinct; with a broad roundish torus beside scutellum; lateral trench missing; complanate along scutellum and suture. Loose punctate with extremely small to very small, shallow, roundish punctures, micropunctures in-between; with two loose, longitudinal rows of small, deep, roundish punctures: a juxta-sutural row from anterior margin crossing scutellar torus to apical torus; a supra-humeral row from anterior margin between humerus and scutellar torus to apical torus.
Abdomen: Ventrite I extremely shortened medially; ventrite V broadest, not constricted ventrally. Propygidium with a slightly projected stoma at posterior corner. Pygidium slightly pulvinate longitudinally and laterally; upper margin slightly convex, linear medially; lateral margin linearly attenuate apically; tip rounded.
Prothoracic leg: Femur and tibia slender. Tibia smooth ventrally. Median tooth robust. Basal tooth rudimentary. Interspace between teeth almost equal. Shape of interspace between teeth concave. Tarsomere I–IV combined extremely short; equal in length; slightly more than 1 / 2 in length of tibia. Tarsomere IV with a single ventral extension. Pretarsomere distinctly thickened; smooth ventrally; slightly more than 9 / 10 in length of tarsomere I–IV combined. Internal claw as long as pretarsomere. External claw slightly less than 9 / 10 in length of internal claw.
Mesothoracic leg: Tibia slightly more than 4 / 5 in length of femur. Tarsomere I–IV combined extremely short; slightly less than 2 / 5 in length of tibia. Pretarsomere with a shortened smooth ridge ventrally, followed by a roundish cutting apically; slightly less than 1 / 10 more in length of tarsomere I–IV combined. External claw slightly less than 9 / 10 in length of pretarsomere. Internal claw shorter than external claw.
Metathoracic leg: Tibia slightly longer than femur. Tarsomere I–IV combined distinctly short; slightly more than 7 / 10 in length of tibia. Pretarsomere slightly thickened; with an undulate ridge ventrally; slightly less than 1 / 2 in length of tarsomere I–IV combined. External claw slightly less than 1 / 10 more in length of pretarsomere. Internal claw slightly more than 4 / 5 in length of external claw.
Parameres: (Figs. 94–95, 116).
♀: Unknown.
Distribution. Northern Cape Province (Fig. 140), only known from the type locality.
Vegetation Type. Bokkeveld Sandstone Fynbos [FFs 1].
Host Plants. Asteraceae: Didelta spinosa (L. f.) W. T. Aiton.
Etymology. The name derives from the bicoloured elytra [Latin: bi = two; Latin: color = colour].
description: Published as part of Dombrow, Holger E. & Colville, Jonathan F., 2020, Review of the genus Beckhoplia Dombrow, 2005 with the description of fifteen new species from South Africa and observations on its biogeography (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini), pp. 1-79 in Zootaxa 4823 on pages 67-69, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4823.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4401916