Chrysina alexae Monzon 2017, new species
Creators: name: Sierra, José Monzón
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Rutelidae
Chrysina
Chrysina alexae

description: <i>Chrysina alexae</i> Monzón, new species (Figures 1, 2, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 28, 32, 33, 40) <b>Type material.</b> <b>Holotype</b> male (UVGC) labeled “ GUATEMALA, Baja Verapáz, Cerca Purulhá, Ranchitos del Quetzal, 1656 m. 16 JULIO 2001. 15.215747 -90.219087. Colector José Monzón S.”; on red paper, “ HOLOTYPE <i>Chrysina alexae</i> Monzón ”. <b>Paratypes</b> (79 males and 40 females) with data as follows: Same data as holotype (3 males); same data except “ 14 SEPT 2012 ” (4 males and 1 female); same data except “ 15 JULIO 2008 ” (2 males and 1 female); same data except “ 13 SEPT 2009 ” (2 males and 1 female); same data except “ 2 SEPTIEMBRE 2010 ” (1 female); same data except “ 13 JULIO 2009 ” (2 males and 2 females); same data except “ 25 JUNIO 2014 ” (3 males and 2 females); same data except “ 2 AGOSTO 2011 ” (5 males); same data except “ 26 JULIO 2011 ” (1 male); same data except “ 16 AGOSTO 2013 ” (2 males and 2 females); same data except “ 17 JUNIO 2001, Col. Monzón y Bailey ” (3 males); same data except “ Dept. Baja Verapaz, nr Purulha Ranchites, elev 5480´, N 15 degrees 12.935&amp;Dot;, W 90 degrees 13.148´; 2-7 July 2008, D.C. Robacker” (1 male); same data except “ 24 July 2011 ” (1 male and 2 females); same data except “ 16 July 2001 ” (1 male and 1 female); same data except “ Rt CA-14, hotel Ranchito del Quetzel, 1600m, N15°12.929´W90°13.149´, 25 June 2014, R. S. Zack collr. BL/ MV light traps” (2 males and 2 females); same data except “CA-14, nr Purulha, Hotel Ranchito del Quetzal, 1600 m, N° 15 12.93 W 90°13.13, 25/ 26 June 2014, Peter J. Landolt, BL/ MV lights (2 males); same data except “ Purulha, 1500 m, 16 July 2001, MV light R. D. Cave, D.C. Hawks, J. Monzón” (1 male); same data except “ 1500 m, 27-29 July 1992, MV light J. Monzon” (5 males and 1 female); same data except “ 26 August 1992 ” (1 male); same data except “ 1 June 1992 ” (1 male); same data except “ Purulha 5 km N., Junio 1993, Jose Monzon” (1 male and 1 female); same data except “0,5 mi SE Purulha 1590m, 15°13´N, 90°12´W, 17-18 June 2001, BL-MV, R.A. Cunningham Collector ” (25 males and 15 females)”; same data except “vic. Biotopo Quetzal, May 24-31 1989, J.E. Wappes ” (1 male); same data except “ Purulhá, 27.vii.1992, MV [no collector data]” (1 male); same data except “Biotopo Quetzal, 28ix2000, 1600m J. Monzón y D. Copeland, Colección J. Monzón ” (6 males and 2 females); same data except “ 1600 m, 17 July 2001, MV light, R. D. Cave, D.C. Hawks, J. Monzon ” (1 male and 2 females); same data except “ 1680 m, MVBL, 1.7 km S Purulha N15°12.82´W90°13.03´, VI-30 to VII-1-2009, Ratcliffe <i>et al.</i> colls.” (2 males and 4 females). All paratypes with label, on yellow paper “ PARATYPE <i>Chrysina alexae</i> Monzón ”. Paratypes deposited in the DCH, DR, FSCA, GB, JMS, KP, MD, MNHUB, PJL, THP, UVGC and WSUC collections. <b>Description. Holotype male.</b> Length 32.5 mm; width at elytral humeri 15.0 mm; maximum width (middle of elytra) 17.5 mm. Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and elytra yellowish green (Fig. 1); lateral sides of clypeus yellowish orange; antennal club dark brown with greenish hues, scape dorsally yellowish orange and golden green; pronotal margins and scutellum slightly yellowish. Color of venter yellowish green except for metasternum and internal surface of meso and meta femora and tibiae which are purplish green (Fig. 2); external surface of legs and coxae purplish orange; pygidium yellowish green with slight purplish tint and reddish golden apical margins; mentum and ventral surface of mandibles yellowish green with golden reflections; tarsi bluish silver. Clypeus (Fig. 9) with free margins, semicircular in dorsal view, slightly reflexed; surface with fine punctures; interocular distance 2.0 times wider than antennal club length. Mentum quadrate (Fig. 13); anterior depression broad, rugopunctate, punctures large and dense; lateral depressions anteriorly narrow and posteriorly broad covering angles; posterior margin with central narrow depression; surface with scattered deep punctures, except anterior depression. Pronotum at base 2.8 as wide as interocular distance; sculpture similar to frons. Lateral margin completely beaded, slightly effaced between inner borders of eyes and almost inexistent in front of scutellum. Elytra smooth, striae with sparse and fine punctures; intervals weakly convex. Elytron 21.5 mm long and 3.0 times as long as pronotum; lateral margin completely beaded, except close to pygidium. Pygidium (Fig. 17) finely punctate with one row of sparse, fine, pale setae along external margin; surface moderately convex. Venter with mesometasternal protrusion (Fig. 21) long and extending past mesofemoral base, rounded, slightly depressed. Metasternum slightly expanded (maximum height at coxa 13.5 mm), punctate, setae sparse, short and pale. Apical sternite with depression. Legs with protibiae tridentate, apical and middle teeth well developed, third vestigial. Metatrochanter with apex not protruding beyond metafemoral margin (Fig. 25); hind femora enlarged and widened (5.0 mm maximum width); apical spine long and well developed (Fig. 28); hind tibia curved. Genitalia dark reddish brown with parameres symmetrical, tightly narrowing at apical third and expanding slightly at apex, apically constricted and recurved, fused almost completely except for apex; length of genital capsule 10.0 mm (Fig. 32, 33). <b>Female.</b> Similar to male except body more convex; tarsi less robust; clypeus semiparabolic; epipleural fold wide, terminating in sulcus; hind tibiae slightly curved and apical sternite not depressed. Inferior genital plates simple (Fig. 40) asymmetrical, left one with wide apical prominence to the right, left plate with corresponding indentation; distal margin slightly crenulated with sparse short setae (based on female with database label “ JMS10797 ”). <b>Variation.</b> Males: length 25.0– 32.5 mm; width at elytral humeri 12.0–15.0 mm; maximum width 15.0–18.0 mm; metasternum height 10.0–14.0 mm (at posterior coxae); maximum posterior femoral width 4.0–6.0 mm. Females: length 29.0– 35.5 mm; width at elytral humeri 14.0–16.0 mm; maximum width 17.0–20.0 mm (at epipleural fold). Color in type series varies in amount of purple in venter. <b>Etymology.</b> Named for Alexa B. Price, young naturalist and daughter of my great friend and avid <i>Chrysina</i> researcher Kelly Price. <b>Diagnosis.</b> This is one of the seven species in the macropus group in Central America, including the two described in this publication. The most similar species in the group are <i>C. prototelica</i> (Morón and Howden), <i>C. halffteri</i> (Morón) and <i>C. karschi</i> (Nonfried); all have the metatrochanter not or slightly protruding beyond the metafemoral margin. Of these three the most similar is <i>C. karschi</i> (Nonfried), which inhabits Guatemala and Honduras east of the Motagua Valley. It can be differentiated by its purple venter, shape and size of metafemoral distal spine (compare spine with a typical <i>C. karschi</i> from Honduras (Fig. 29)) and male genitalia which is narrow close to apex and slightly broadens and rounded at tip compared to flat and square in <i>C. karschi</i>. <b>Distribution and remarks.</b> This species is currently known only from the cloud forests around the town of Purulhá, Baja Verapáz (Fig. 44). It is very interesting that there are several populations of <i>C. karschi</i> in Honduras (including the type locality) and east of the Motagua valley in Guatemala in the departments of Izabal and Chiquimula. It would be very important to conduct more in depth research (morphological and DNA) on the relationships between all of these similar populations to learn if they represent a species complex.
description: Published as part of <i>Sierra, José Monzón, 2017, Four new species of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from Guatemala and Honduras, pp. 1-12 in Insecta Mundi 2017 (543)</i> on pages 2-4, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5172539