Compsodactylus mendax Fuhrmann & Smith 2021, new species
Creators: name: Fuhrmann, Juares
name: Smith, Andrew B. T.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Compsodactylus
Compsodactylus mendax

description: Compsodactylus mendax Fuhrmann & Smith, new species
(Figs. 1−8, 15−16, 19−26)
Type material. Male holotype (FSCA, Figs. 1−4), allotype (FSCA, Figs; 6−8), and male paratype (CMNC) all labeled (Fig. 5): “ PERU: Dept. Lima / Sta. Eulalia 1035m / 30−31 Mar 2011 / J.B. Heppner & C. Carrera ”. These specimens also have our corresponding red holotype and allotype labels and yellow paratype label.
Diagnosis. Length greater than 8.0 mm; dorsal surface with metallic green reflections; antennae with 10 antennomers; clypeus elongate with expanded apex in males (Fig. 4); clypeus with short, spiny setae along apex and lateral edges in males; apex of protarsomere I 2 times wider than apex of protarsomere II in males; elytral striae distinctly punctate; male metatibial apex with an inner truncate, twisted process (Fig. 16); genitalia of females with gonostyle, and gonocoxite about 2.5 times longer than wide (Figs. 23−25).
Holotype description. Length 9.0 mm, width 4.0 mm at the middle of elytra. Dorsal and ventral surface of head and thorax (except lateral edges of pronotum) black with metallic green reflections (Figs. 1−4); dorsal surface of elytra and lateral edges of pronotum yellowish brown with light metallic green reflections; ventral surface of abdomen shiny reddish brown, ventrite VI with anterior dark stripe; legs bicolored, reddish brown with dark sections and markings. Head with clypeus elongate, strongly expanded at apex (Fig. 4), surface glabrous medially and with short, spiny setae along apex and lateral edges. Frons surface with rugose punctures and densely setose, setae long, thin. Interocular distance 5 times wider than dorsal eye width. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club longer than antennomeres II– VI combined. Pronotum surface rugose with long, dense setae, anterior margin with some minute, spiny setae. Elytra surface with moderately dense setae, striae distinctly punctate. Pygidium and ventral surface with dense punctures and hair-like setae. Protibia with 2 outer teeth, protarsomere I greatly enlarged with a padlike granulate ventral surface. Metafemur not strongly enlarged (about 2.1−2.4 times longer than wide, Fig. 15), inner margin without spines or carina and with some spiny setae. Metatibial apex with an inner, twisted process; metatibial spurs absent (Fig. 16).
Variation. The allotype is 8.5 mm in length with the following sexually dimorphic characters: clypeus not elongate, without glabrous area, and with apex subquadrate, not expanded; frons with short, spiny setae; protarsomere I cylindrical, not enlarged; metatibial apex without inner process and with 2 spurs. Female terminalia bearing a pair of elongate paraprocts; gonocoxite about 2.5 longer than wide and divided in a proximal and a distal piece; a lateral plate between paraproct and proximal piece of gonocoxite is present, gonostyle present (Figs. 23−25). The elytral suture is yellow in holotype and black with metallic green reflections in the allotype and paratype.
Distribution. The holotype, allotype, and a single paratype were collected in Santa Eulalia, Lima Department, Peru (approximately 11.902°S, 76.666°W) at 1035 m.
Etymology. From the Latin mendax meaning liar, in reference to the elongate clypeus being reminiscent of Pinocchio’s nose. This name is a noun in apposition.
Remarks. Compsodactylus mendax new species is easily distinguished from the other four species in the genus because the clypeal apex is enlarged in males while the other species have a trapezoidal clypeus (Fig. 4); the dorsal surface has green metallic reflections and antennae have 10 antennomeres in females, a character combination not found in other species. Compsodactylus mendax is similar to C. martinezi (Frey, 1972) and C. vallejoi Figueroa & Neita-Moreno, 2019 in that all three species have the apical spine of metatibia thick and projecting perpendicular to length of the tibiae in males (Figs. 13−18) and females have gonostyles. Compsodactylus argentinus and C. parvulus differ from these three species in that the apical spine of metatibia is thin and projecting parallel to the length of the tibia in males (Figs. 9−12) and females do not have gonostyles.
Compsodactylus mendax is distinguished from C. martinezi and C. vallejoi by (characters of 1− C. martinezi and 2− C. vallejoi given in brackets): dorsal surface with metallic green reflections (1−as C. mendax; 2−without green reflections); antennae with 10 antennomeres (1−nine antennomeres; 2−as C. mendax: Jhon C. Neita Moreno, personal communication); male protarsomere I greatly enlarged (1−slightly enlarged; 2−as C. mendax); male metafemur slightly enlarged and approximately 2.1−2.4 times longer than wide (1 and 2−greatly enlarged and approximately 1.5−1.7 times longer than wide; Figs. 13, 15, 17); male metatarsus somewhat filiform (1−somewhat moniliform; 2−as C. mendax); male pygidium with hair-like setae (1−with scale-like setae; 2−as C. mendax); females with long gonocoxite (Figs. 23−25; 1 −wide; 2−comma-like).
description: Published as part of Fuhrmann, Juares & Smith, Andrew B. T., 2021, Compsodactylus Fuhrmann, 2012 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) distributional notes and a new species, pp. 387-393 in Zootaxa 4990 (2) on pages 388-391, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4990.2.12, http://zenodo.org/record/5026053