Aegopsis vazdemelloi Sobral & Grossi & De Morais 2018, new species
Creators: name: Sobral, Rafael
name: Grossi, Paschoal C.
name: De Morais, José W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Aegopsis
Aegopsis vazdemelloi

description: Aegopsis vazdemelloi Sobral & Grossi, new species
(Fig. 2–8, 10–11)
Diagnosis. Males: clypeus subrectangular, apex slightly emarginate (Fig. 2E); internal lobe of mandibles strongly sclerotized, mesal brush not crossing the internal lobe (Fig. 5C); mentum subtriangular (Fig. 5F); labrum slightly prominent at middle, sides round (Fig. 4G); small punctures on posterior angles of pronotum with micropunctures between them (Fig. 2F); parameres, in ventral view, with apex acute, ventral carina basally acute, inferior edge of parameres round (Fig. 6H). Females: clypeus round, punctures deep and coalescent on vertex (Fig. 7E); distance from canthi carina to canthi apex larger than canthi thickness (Fig. 3F); sensorial area of maxillary palpus rugose (Fig. 4I).
Holotype description, male. Color: Surface lustrous; dorsum, venter, and appendages reddish brown with a weak metallic shine (Fig. 10A). Head: Frons sparsely punctate, punctures small. Vertex almost four times wider than eye width. Cephalic horns moderately punctate; punctures small, mixed with larger punctures dorsally on lateral side. Clypeus densely punctate, punctures larger and marked basally, punctures fine apically; clypeus subrectangular, apex slightly emarginate at middle (Fig. 2E). Ocular canthi anteriorly almost straight, posteriorly projecting with a round tip; canthi carina oblique, almost straight, continuous with canthi anteriorly (Fig. 3E). Mouthparts: Labrum setose, almost semicircular, slightly prominent at middle, sides round (Fig. 4G). Mandibles subtriangular with two prominent teeth apically and two ventral carina; apical protuberance absent; in ventral view, internal lobe strongly sclerotized, mesal brush not crossing internal lobe (Fig. 5C). Maxilla with galea subtriangular, strongly oblique, teeth absent, anterior margin of external edge concave; maxillary palpomere IV 3.6 times longer than wide, sensorial area sparsely striate (Fig. 4H). Mentum subtriangular, carina absent (Fig. 5F). Prothorax: Pronotum bordered, disc weakly gibbous and distinctly punctate. Thoracic horn strong, apex slightly downturned. Punctures sparse medially, becoming denser laterally; small punctures on posterior angles of pronotum with micropunctures between them (Fig. 2F). Anterior angles and lateral edges of horn completely wrinkled. Scutellum: Subtriangular, apex distinctly acute; punctures sparse and weak anteriorly, absent posteriorly, no setae. Elytra: Form 1.7 times longer than wide. Surface glabrous, irregularly covered by ocellate punctures, microsculpture slightly wrinkled. Elytral punctures generally irregular, with distinct sutural striae; striae not impressed, punctures large. Humeral umbone strong, apical umbone distinct crossing elytral external edges in dorsal view. Legs: Protibial surface with punctures coalescent dorsally; protibia with three well-developed external teeth, posteriorly decreasing in size; punctures weak and small on external edge of teeth. Pygidium: Form 2.5 times wider than longer, strongly convex. Disc glabrous on middle and posterior edges, hirsute laterally. Disc completely wrinkled with sparse punctures medially. Genitalia: Parameres, in dorsal view, as in Fig. 6I; in lateral view, almost with same thickness as apex of phallobase, lateral carina distinctly curved at base (Fig. 6G); in ventral view, apex acute, ventral carina basally acute, inferior edge of parameres round (Fig. 6H).
Measurement of holotype. Body length: 32.1 mm. Cephalic horns length: 7.3 mm. Elytral length: 17.6 mm. Elytral width: 10.0 mm. Pronotal width: 14.2 mm. Protibial length: 8.9 mm.
Paratypes variation, males. Major males with cephalic horns 2–4 times longer than vertex; body length 24.4– 34.2 mm (n = 14) and pronotal width 12.1–14.5 mm (n = 14), sometimes ocular canthi anteriorly rounder but never protruding. Thoracic horn 0.5 or one time longer than vertex. Minor males (Fig. 10B) with cephalic horns smaller than vertex or with same length; body length 16.2–23.0 mm (n = 8) and pronotal width 9.8–11.0 mm (n = 8), thoracic horn short, like a tubercle, not crossing anterior margin of pronotum. Ocular canthi shorter, posteriorly more distinct; punctures of pronotum larger and denser than holotype.
Measurements of male paratypes. Body length: 16.2–34.2 mm. Cephalic horns length: 1.2–6.7 mm. Elytral length: 12.7–16.6 mm. Elytral width: 7.9–9.4 mm. Pronotal width: 9.8–14.5 mm. Protibial length: 6.4–8.1 mm.
Paratype description, females. Females as males in general aspect, except the following (Fig. 10C). Head: Cephalic horns absent; frons with two inconspicuous tubercles (Fig. 7F); clypeus round, slightly concave from frontoclypeal suture to apex; punctures larger and denser especially on clypeus, wrinkles in front of tubercles (Fig. 7E). Ocular canthi convex anteriorly, concave posteriorly with tip thick and round; distance from canthi carina to canthi apex longer than canthi thickness (Fig. 3F). Mouthparts: Labrum thinner, sides acute. Mandibles and teeth shorter, mesal brush reaching internal lobe but less hirsute than apex, internal lobe less sclerotized (Fig. 8C). Maxilla shorter, galea apically acute, maxillary palpomere IV 2.8 times longer than wide, sensorial area shorter, rugose (Fig. 4I). Mentum shorter and less triangular, apex longer (Fig. 8F). Pronotum: Weakly convex; prothoracic horn absent; punctures larger and denser, sparser on sides, wrinkles absent. Scutellum: Punctures sparser on middle, larger and denser near base. Pygidium: Convex, apex sharp. Surface weakly setose laterally and medially. Coalescent punctures denser laterally, round large and dense punctures on middle, wrinkles on sides and posterior edge.
Measurements of female paratypes. Body length: 18.3–24.1 mm. Elytral length: 11.9–16.1 mm. Elytral width: 6.8–9.3 mm. Head length: 2.6–3.2 mm. Pronotal width: 9–11.2 mm. Protibial length: 4.6–6.7 mm.
Geographic distribution. Brazil: Mato Grosso (Fig. 11).
Material examined. Holotype male dissected, labeled: a) “ BRASIL: Mato Grosso. / Chapada dos Guimarães. / Centro. X-2010 FZ Vaz-de- / Mello”; b) “ Aegopsis vazdemelloi n. sp. / male HOLOTYPUS / R. Sobral & P.C. Grossi det. 2016”. Holotype at CERPE. Paratypes: 10 males and 3 females (CERPE) with same data as holotype; 3 males and 3 females (INPA) with same data as holotype; 12 males and 2 females (CEMT) with same data as holotype; 3 males (EPGC) with same data as holotype; 2 males (EPGC) with the following data: “ BRASIL: Mato Grosso. / Chapada dos Guimarães. / 15.XI.2008 AAS Pinto”; 1 female (EPGC) with the following data: “ BRASIL: Mato Grosso. / Cuiabá. Tijucal. Manual. / 25.IX.2010 / A.P. Pinheiro ”; 6 males and 3 females (EPGC) with the following data: “ BRASIL: MT. Chapada / dos Guimarães. / 26.XI.2006 / F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello ”.
Etymology. This name is in honor of Dr. Fernando Zagury Vaz-de-Mello (UFMT), a scarab beetle specialist who collected most of the type series.
Remarks. Aegopsis vazdemelloi was found only in Chapada dos Guimarães municipality, a region with a formation of mountain ranges within the Cerrado in the south-central portion of Mato Grosso. The environmental conditions of the Chapada dos Guimarães are distinct from the other Cerrado areas, where A. diceratops and A. bolboceridus were found, generally being more humid and with extensive valley forests, covering the crevices and recesses of rocky walls (Pinto & Oliveira-Filho 1999). Aegopsis vazdemelloi is very similar to A. bolboceridus but differs in males by having the vertex four times wider than the eye width (Fig. 2E), the mentum subtriangular (Fig. 5F), and the presence of small punctures on the posterior pronotal angles, with micropunctation between them (Fig. 2F). On the contrary, in A. bolboceridus the vertex is 3.5 times wider than the eye width (Fig. 2A), the mentum is subrectangular (Fig. 5D), and the micropunctures are absent between the punctures on the posterior angles, instead with the surface smooth (Fig. 2B). Also, males of A. vazdemelloi differ from A. diceratops in having the apex of the clypeus emarginate (Fig. 2E), ocular canthi anteriorly almost straight (Fig. 3E), and the ventral carina of the parameres basally acute (Fig. 6H). In A. diceratops the apex of the clypeus is round (Fig. 2C), ocular canthi anteriorly protruded (Fig. 3C), and the ventral carina of the parameres is basally round (Fig. 6E). Females of A. vazdemelloi can be distinguished by the deeper and coalescent punctures on the vertex (Fig. 7E), the distance from canthus carina to canthus apex longer than the canthus thickness (Fig. 3F), the pronotum rounder (Fig. 10C), and the sensorial area of maxillary palpi rugose (Fig. 4I). In A. bolboceridus, the punctures are shallower and annular on the vertex (Fig. 7A), the distance from canthus carina to canthus apex is subequal to the canthus thickness (Fig. 3B), and the sensorial area of the maxillary palpi striate (Fig. 4C). In A. diceratops, the clypeus is trapezoidal, and punctures are absent on the vertex (Fig. 7C), while in A. vazdemelloi the clypeus is round, and the punctures are deeper and coalescent on the vertex (Fig. 7E).
description: Published as part of Sobral, Rafael, Grossi, Paschoal C. & De Morais, José W., 2018, Two new species of Aegopsis Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from the central Brazilian Cerrado, pp. 175-194 in Zootaxa 4526 (2) on pages 190-192, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4526.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/2611530