Rhytomus larseni Saxton & Genier 2025, new species
Creators: name: Génier, François
name: Gunter, Nicole L.
name: Saxton, Natalie A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Rhytomus
Rhytomus larseni

description: Rhytomus larseni Saxton & Génier, new species
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 277D719A-381F-4447-8665-B42E8617FA3A
Fig. 7D, 8D, 9D, 11B, 11C, 12D
Name-bearing type data. Holotype ♂ (CMNC): || PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Western | Prov., P’nvang, CI RAP Survey | Camp 1. 05º29.5S 141º32.6E | 573 m. May 2013. T. Larsen ||; || Canadian Museum of | Musée canadien de la | NATURE | CMNEN 00049307 || [QR code label]; || HOLOTYPE ♂ | Rhytomus | larseni | Des. N. Saxton & F. Génier, 2024 || [red card].
Material examined (163 ♂♂, 90 ♀♀). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: WESTERN PROVINCE, CI RAP Survey Camp 1, P’nvang, 575 m, 05°29’S, 141°32’E, v.2013, T. Larsen — 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (ANIC), 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (NHMUK), ♂ holotype, ♀ allotype, 101 ♂♂, 54 ♀♀ paratypes (CMNC), 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (MNHN), 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (NMPC), 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (USNM); CI RAP Survey Camp 2, P’nvang, 800 m, 05°30’S, 141°34’E, v.2013, T. Larsen — 49 ♂♂, 23 ♀♀ paratypes (CMNC), 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (QM).
Description. Measurements. Body length 4.1–5.4 mm, maximum body width 2.7–3.1 mm. Holotype: body length 4.7 mm, maximum body width 3.0 mm. Body. Overall body shape in dorsal view elongate-oval, elytral edge slightly subangular at apical third. Head. Clypeal edge lateral to clypeal teeth lacking emargination, head margin at clypeogenal suture of females slightly protruding. Dorsal parts of eyes semi-ovoid, separated by an interocular space of about 5.5 times eye width. Pronotum. Pronotal width to length along midline ratio 1.8, lateral pronotal edge sharply defined throughout, pronotal pubescence long and conspicuous, pronotal basal portion along midline lacking fine longitudinal depression. Elytra. Elytral maximum width to length along suture ratio 1.0, elytral outline moderately convex in lateral view, elytral pubescence long and conspicuous, elytral surface between punctures with distinct microsculptures (Fig. 11B), basal elytral pit wide and deep (Fig. 11C), basal surface of pseudepipleuron with sharply defined simple punctures, interstriae 3–5 on basal fifth with two rows of punctures along striae, with at most a few scattered punctures in some individuals. Legs. Profemoral anterior surface deeply furrowed, male metatibial apicointernal tooth set anteriorly to posterior tibial edge (Fig. 12D). Pygidium. Pygidial groove terminating in a pit at each end, pygidial surface along midline with punctures similar in density to rest of discs, pygidial surface along basal groove smooth between punctures (Fig. 8D), pygidium of female evenly convex. Aedeagus. Left paramere apex produced into a rounded oblique projection (Fig. 9D). Female genitalia. Spermatheca lacking apodemes.
Etymology. This specific epithet of this species is the Latinized genitive form of “Larsen”, in honor of Trond H. Larsen who collected all the specimens in the type series and contributed greatly to the number of Rhytomus specimens available for study from PNG.
description: Published as part of Génier, François, Gunter, Nicole L. & Saxton, Natalie A., 2025, Rhytomus Génier & Saxton: A new dung beetle genus from New Guinea with five new species and phylogenetic insights (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), pp. 87-110 in Zootaxa 5575 (1) on pages 100-101, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5575.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14746442