Rhytomus sodalis 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 sodalis

description: Rhytomus sodalis Saxton & Génier, new species
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7168813D-24AF-4CCA-8B46-B5168014A9E3
Figs. 7H, 8H, 10C, 12C
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 00049583 || [QR code label]; || HOLOTYPE ♂ | Rhytomus | sodalis | Des. N. Saxton & F. Génier, 2024 || [red card].
Material examined (69 ♂♂, 24 ♀♀). 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 ♂♂, 1 ♀ paratypes (ANIC), 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ paratypes (NHMUK), ♂ holotype, ♀ allotype, 23 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀ paratypes (CMNC), 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ paratypes (MNHN), 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ paratypes (NMPC), 1 ♂, 1 ♀ paratypes (USNM); CI RAP Survey Camp 2, P’nvang, 800 m, 05°30’S, 141°34’E, v.2013, T. Larsen — 15 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ paratypes (CMNC); CI RAP Survey Camp 3, P’nvang, 1110 m, 05°32’S, 141°33’E, v.2013, T. Larsen — 19 ♂♂, 1 ♀ paratypes (CMNC), 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ paratypes (QM).
Description. Measurements. Body length 3.0– 4.6 mm, maximum body width 2.1–2.7 mm. Holotype: body length 3.8 mm, maximum body width 2.5 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 3.2 times eye width. Pronotum. Pronotal width to length along midline ratio 1.7, lateral pronotal edge sharply defined throughout, pronotal pubescence short and fine, 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 appearing glossy, at most with ill-defined microsculptures, basal elytral pit wide and deep, basal surface of pseudepipleuron with irregularly distributed more or less defined 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 flat or might appear furrowed in some individuals, male metatibial apicointernal tooth approximately in line with posterior tibial edge (Fig. 12C). Pygidium. Pygidial surface along midline with punctures similar in density to rest of discs, pygidial surface along basal groove with coarse transverse microsculptures (Fig. 8H), pygidium of female depressed basally. Aedeagus. Left paramere apex truncated apically, distinctly angular externally (Fig. 10C). Female genitalia. Spermatheca with two apodemes basally and one apodeme apically.
Etymology. The specific epithet of this species is a masculine noun in apposition “sŏdālis ” (companion, mate, fellow) relating to the fact that it was collected along with R. larseni and R. latidentatus.
Remarks. One female specimen (excluded from type series) was discovered from the same collecting event (i.e., Camp 1, 575 m) that had coarser pronotal punctation and a barely indicated meso-metaventrite suture. This specimen likely represents a fourth species. However, because no male specimens could be found at the time of this study, we refrain from describing it.
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 104-106, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5575.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14746442