Beckhoplia pulchra 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 pulchra

description: Beckhoplia pulchra Dombrow, new species
(Figs. 53, 74–75, 106)
http://zoobank.org/ AB9FCC8F-A5DA-4004-8143-DE08345C578B
Type locality. [RSA, NCP]: 2km SW Farm Papkuilsfontein.
Type material. [1] Holotype ♂: white label pr «AFRIKA: Südafrika, Kapprovinz | 2km SW Farm Papkuilsfontein | 31°34’21”S, 19°10’52”E, 680 m | 30.08.1989, leg. Fritz » || green label pr «Host plant: | Babiana vanziliae » || blue label pr «Bioregion: | Trans-Escarpment Succulent Karroo | Vegetation Type: SKt2 – | Hantam Karroo» || yellow label hw «54», pr «.921 | coll. Dombrow » || red label pr « Holotype | Beckhoplia | pulchra sp.n. | det.: H. Dombrow 2019» (ZSM).
Condition of holotype. Excellent. Glued on card. Dissected, parameres and spiculum gastrale glued behind beetle.
Differential diagnosis. Differs from B. colvillei: Lateral margin of pronotum of B. pulchra widest at posterior corner. Lateral margin of pronotum of B. colvillei widest in anterior half. Externo-posterior margin of parameres of B. pulchra undulate in dorsal view (Figs. 74, 106). Externo-posterior margin of parameres of B. colvillei linear with a median convex extension in dorsal view (Figs. 72, 105). Interno-posterior margin of parameres of B. pulchra broad curly bracket-shaped in dorsal view (Figs. 74, 106). Interno-posterior margin of parameres of B. colvillei very narrow curly bracket-shaped in dorsal view (Figs. 72, 105).
Description
Measurements: length 7.8 mm; width 4.0 mm.
Integument: Black; elytra transparently brown.
Tegument: Clypeus bare; sparse setose with very short, erect, brown setae on the inner side of the vertically reflexed anterior and lateral margin. Head loose setose with medium-long to long, erect, black setae. Eye canthus with a loose setose ciliary of medium-long, black setae. Scapus loose setose with medium-long, erect, black setae, brown ventrally, sparse and short on pedicellus; funiculum with few very short, erect, black setae; clavus sparse setose with extremely short, semi-erect, brown setae. Pronotum loose setose with medium-long and long, erect, black setae; with a loose setose ciliary of long to distinctly long, black setae on lateral margin. Scutellum loose setose with short to medium-long, semi-erect, brown setae, with a longitudinal, median, bar strip in anterior half. Elytra without pattern; sparse setose with very short, reclinate, brownish setae; short to medium-long, semi-erect, black setae interspersed, lengthening towards anterior margin; reclinate, narrowly-lanceolate, white scales interspersed medially behind disk and around apical torus; with a sparse juxta-sutural row of robust, long, erect, black setae, from anterior margin, crossing scutellar torus towards apical torus. Suture with a loose row of short to long, robust, semi-erect, black setae. Thorax and pleurites loose pilose with long, black hairs. Ventrite I–V sparse setose with short, semi-erect, white setae; medium-long to long, semi-erect, black setae interspersed. Propygidium sparse setose with medium-long, semi-erect, black setae; short, reclinate, white setae interspersed at posterior margin. Pygidium loose setose with medium-long and long, erect, black setae; tip with a sparse ciliary of medium-long, black setae. Prothoracic femur loose pilose with long, black hairs; bare internally. Prothoracic tibia sparse setose with short, semi-erect, offwhite setae, sparser ventrally; medium-long, semi-erect, brown setae interspersed, longer and erect ventrally; with a sparse setose longitudinal row of medium-long, erect, black setae dorsally; a loose setose ciliary of short, black setae on internal ridge; a setaceous ciliary of short, brown setae on anterior margin; a longer, downwards pointing setose ciliary of brown setae along anterior margin of apical tooth. Mesothoracic femur loose pilose with long, black hairs, distinctly long and brown ventrally; bare internally. Mesothoracic tibia sparse setose with short, reclinate, whitish setae; medium-long, semi-erect, black, robust setae interspersed, sparser, finer, medium-long internally. Posterior margin with a bristled ciliary of short, black bristles, lengthening dorsally, missing internally. Metathoracic femur loose setose with long to distinctly long, erect, black setae; pale-brown ventrally; bare internally. Metathoracic tibia sparse setose with very short and short, reclinate, brown setae; medium-long and long, robust, semi-erect, black setae interspersed, finer and longer internally. Posterior margin with a loose bristled outer marginal ciliary of short and medium-long, brown bristles, lengthening dorsally and ventrally. Tarsomere I–IV of all thoracic legs sparse setose with extremely short, reclinate, black setae; 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 sparse setose with very short, reclinate, pale-brown setae; few, medium-long to long, semi-erect, black setae at apical margin, shorter and red-brown ventrally.
Head: Suture between head and clypeus linear, complanate. Head dense punctate with small, shallow, roundish, not merging punctures. Funicle I–II cylindrical, slightly thickened medially; funicle III asymmetric frustum-shaped; clavus elliptic, slightly longer than pedicellus and funiculum combined.
Pronotum: Widest at anterior two fifth; loose punctate with shallow, very small, roundish punctures, dense in posterior third of medial furrow. Anterior corner obtuse. Lateral margin linearly attenuate anteriorly, subparallel posteriorly. With an indistinct, complete, shallow medial furrow. Posterior corner rounded.
Scutellum: Parabola-shaped; longer than broad; dense punctate with shallow, small to large, roundish punctures, micropunctate within; with a shortened, median, longitudinal, narrow, smooth stripe from anterior margin terminating medially. Lateral margin slightly convex. Tip pointed.
Elytra: Ovate; broader than long; widest in anterior third; protruding propygidium. Lateral margin slightly convex attenuate apically. Sculpture indistinct; slightly pulvinate laterally; humerus indistinct; with a very broad roundish torus around scutellum; lateral trench missing; complanate beside scutellum and along suture. Loose punctate with very small, shallow, roundish punctures, micropunctures in-between; a sparse juxta-sutural row of small, shallow, roundish punctures from anterior margin, crossing scutellar torus towards apical torus; a sparse supra-humeral row of small, shallow, roundish punctures from anterior margin between humerus and scutellar torus towards apical torus.
Abdomen: Ventrite I extremely shortened medially; ventrite V broadest, not constricted ventrally. Propygidium with an indistinct stoma at posterior corner. Pygidium slightly pulvinate longitudinally and laterally; upper margin slightly convex; lateral margin subparallel in upper quarter, linearly attenuate apically; tip rounded.
Prothoracic leg: Femur and tibia slender. Tibia smooth ventrally. Median tooth elongate. Basal tooth very small. Interspace between teeth almost equal. Shape of interspace between teeth concave. Tarsomere I–IV combined extremely short; lengthening from tarsomere I–IV; 2 / 5 in length of tibia. Pretarsomere slightly thickened; with two small, triangular-shaped, median teeth consecutive ventrally; slightly more than 2 / 5 in length of tarsomere I–IV combined. Internal claw as long as pretarsomere. External claw 7 / 10 in length of internal claw.
Mesothoracic leg: Tibia 7 / 10 in length of femur. Tarsomere I–IV combined very short; slightly more than 2 / 5 in length of tibia. Pretarsomere with a shortened granulate ridge ventrally, followed by a roundish cutting apically; 9 / 10 in length of tarsomere I–IV combined. External claw slightly less than 9 / 10 in length of pretarsomere. Internal claw slightly more than 9 / 10 in length of external claw.
Metathoracic leg: Tibia slightly more than 9 / 10 in length of femur. Tarsomere I–IV combined distinctly short; slightly more than 7 / 10 in length of tibia. Pretarsomere slender; with an undulate ridge ventrally; slightly less than 1 / 2 in length of tarsomere I–IV combined. External claw slightly more than 1 / 10 more in length of pretarsomere. Internal claw slightly more than 4 / 5 in length of external claw.
Parameres: (Figs. 74–75, 106).
♀: Unknown.
Distribution. Northern Cape Province (Fig. 140), only known from the type locality.
Vegetation Type. Hantam Karroo (SKt 2).
Host Plants. Iridaceae: Babiana vanziliae L. Bolus.
Etymology. The name derives from the [Latin: pulchr- = beautiful].
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 36-37, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4823.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4401916