Bothynus rufipennis Duarte, Dupuis and Grossi 2025, sp. n.
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 rufipennis

description: Bothynus rufipennis Duarte, Dupuis and Grossi sp. n.
(Figures 4 (b), 9(k,l), 13(n), 14(n), 16(c), 17(i,j), 19(k), 21(c), 22)
Diagnosis
Bothynus rufipennis sp. n. appears related to B. sapukai sp. n. at first glance, but B. rufipennis can be distinguished by the following characters: Parameres with narrow apical lobes (Figure 13 (n)); anterior tubercle of the female pronotum strong and conical, combined with a deep and wide cavity (Figure 7 (i)); both sexes with elongate setae scattered on tergite 8 (Figure 19 (k)). Futhermore, B. rufipennis sp. n. is also larger (19–24 mm) than B. sapukai sp. n. (18–20 mm). Bothynus sapukai sp. n. instead exhibits the following characters: Apical lobes of parameres distinctly broader (Figure 13 (o)); female pronotum bearing a small anterior tubercle, associated with a shallow cavity (Figure 16 (d)); tergite 8, in both sexes, glabrous or with short and poorly apparent setae (Figure 19 (i)).
Holotype Male, dissected, labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Santiago del Estero, Chuna Pampa, 10 km de Lugones, Railway de Rosarario à Tucuman, E. R. Wagner 1909, décembre’ (MNHN).
Paratypes One male (MNHN) and one female (FDPC), labelled: ‘ ARGENTINA: Santiago del Estero, Bords du Rio Salado, Env. d’Icaňo. Mistal Paso. E.R. Wagner Leg., 12/1909-1910’. One female with same data as other paratypes, except for: ‘04/1909’ (FDPC).
Holotype description (Figure 4 (b))
Length: 19.4 mm. Width: 10.2 mm. Colour: Head, pronotum and underside dark reddish brown, elytra clear reddish brown. Head: Clypeus subtriangular; anterior margin truncate with 2 weak teeth widely separated; sides bearing a thin and straight edge; surface densely rugose, bearing long reddish setae on lateral margins. Frontoclypeal carina finely marked, straight, not reaching the lateral sides. Frons densely and transversely rugose; setae scarce, confined to posterolateral margins. Interocular width equals 5.4 transverse eye diameters. Ocular canthus rounded and crenulate, bearing a fringe of long, reddish setae. Mouthparts: Mandible bearing 3 teeth on outer margin; apical tooth subtriangular, diagonally truncated apically; medial tooth rounded apically, slightly smaller compared to apical one; basal tooth not individualised, fused to the median tooth to form a broad rounded lobe, smaller than previous ones. Maxilla with 3 small, triangular teeth on apex of galea. Labium subtriangular, slightly rounded laterally, concave at basis; surface strongly rugopunctate; margins bearing long, dense, reddish setae. Antennae: Club globular, subequal to antennomeres 2–7 combined. Prothorax: Anterior angles sharp, posterior angles rounded; posterior margin reborded except at the middle; cavity deep, wide and transverse, limited posteriorly and laterally by a rounded carina; presence of a high and acuminated tubercle in front and of a short emargination at the middle of posterior carina; surface transversally wrinkled in the cavity and towards anterior angles, strongly and densely punctate towards sides and back of discal region (Figure 9 (k,l)). Pterothorax: Scutellar plate subtriangular, rounded at apex; surface with irregular punctures, bearing a few long reddish setae at basis. Elytral punctures ocellate, irregular, forming superficial striae. Interstriae bearing similar punctures, nearly aligned; minute punctures scarce, irregularly spaced. Legs: Inner protarsal bend downward, deeply incised, with inner branch broader and longer than outer one. Protarsomere 5 bearing a ventrolateral, subapical process. Meso- and metatibia with a single median carina produced on outer side. Abdomen: Tergite 7 with a stridulatory area formed by fine and regular striae. Tergite 8 finely rugose on sides, becoming rugopunctate on discal region; setae scarce. Ventrite 4 densely setose and transversally rugose. Ventrite 5–8 transversally rugose in anterior half, sparsely punctate and more shining in posterior half, and with a row of long setae in the middle and some shorter and sparser setae behind. Aedeagus: Parameres, in caudal view, smooth, wide and rounded at basal half, strongly constricted lateroventrally towards apical half; apical lobes narrowly oval with inner margins convergent to apex (Figure 13 (n)). Parameres, in lateral view, with arched dorsal surface and rounded apex (Figure 14 (n)).
Variation in the paratypes
Males. Length: 20.2 mm. Width: 11.1 mm. Head: Interocular width equals 5.7 transverse eye diameters. For other characters, similar to holotype. Females (Figure 16 (c)). Length: 22.1– 23.8 mm. Width: 11.9–12.8 mm. Head: Interocular width equals 5.8 transverse eye diameters. Prothorax: Anterior tubercle of pronotum smaller; cavity smaller, shallow and transverse (Figure 17); posterior margin of cavity simply sinuated, not emarginated as in the males. Legs: Inner protarsal claw simple, similar to outer claw. Tarsomere 5 without lateroventral process. Abdomen: Tergite 8 and ventrite 8 longer than in males, entirely rugopunctate and densely covered with long setae (Figure 19 (k)). Sternites 4–8 densely covered with setae on discal region (Figure 21 (c)).
Distribution
Known from the north of Argentina (Santiago del Estero) (Figure 22).
Etymology
The species name refers to the clear reddish-brown colour of all the specimens of the type series.
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 721-723, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2025.2456579, http://zenodo.org/record/14971553