Liogenys elguetai Cherman & Basílio & Clarkson & Mondaca & Bezděk & Smith & Almeida 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Cherman, Mariana A.
name: Basílio, Daniel S.
name: Clarkson, Bruno
name: Mondaca, José
name: Bezděk, Aleš
name: Smith, Andrew B. T.
name: Almeida, Lúcia M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Liogenys
Liogenys elguetai

description: Liogenys elguetai Cherman and Smith, sp. nov.
(Figs 8A–G, 16B)
Type material: Holotype ♂, pinned, with labium and genitalia mounted (MNNC): [white, typeset] ‘ Chile Atacama / 60 Km. S. Copiapó / 20 Nov. 1998 / Leg. M. Guerrero’, [white, handwriten] ‘ Liogenys / sp. nov. / [typeset] Det. M. Elgueta 199’, [red typeset and handwriten] ‘ LIOGENYS / ELGUETAI / HOLOTYPE / Cherman M. A. and Smith A. B. T’.. Paratypes (175) bearing the label [yellow typeset and / or handwriten] ‘ LIOGENYS / ELGUETAI / PARTYPE / Cherman M. A. and Smith A. B. T’. Eleven ♀ and three ♂ paratypes (MNNC), four ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE ATACAMA / Este Totoral / 28 Noviembre 1997 / 27.57.58s 70.39.09w / Leg. P. Vidal GH’, one ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ Chile Atacama / Totoral / 20 Nov 1999 / Leg. M. Guerrero’, two ♀: [white, typeset] ‘P.N. Llanos de Challe / Prov. Huasco, III R, Chile / 15 de octubre de 1997 / Jaime Pizarro Araya Coll’. One ♀: [white, typeset] ‘Llanos de Challe / Huasco III Region, Chile / 1997 / J. Pizarro-Araya coll’, [white, handwriten] ‘ Liogenys ♀ / sp. nov. / [typeset] Det. M. Elgueta 199’, three ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE. IV Región / Limari, Socos / 27–29 -Dic - 2002 / Col. Alejandro Vera’, one ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ Chile Atacama / Huasco; Punta / Blanca, 30.09.1981 / Coll. M. Elgueta’, two ♂ with the same locality label as the later, one of the ♂ plus a label [white, handwriten] ‘ Liogenys sp. nov. / [white typeset] Det. M. Elgueta 199’, one ♂: [white, typeset] ‘Cisterna Sur / La Serena: IVR. Chile / Enero 9 de 1998 / Coll: Solange Vega’. Sixty four ♂ and 32 ♀ paratypes (FMNH), 38 ♂ and 20 ♀ with the labels: [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / SW.Est.Castilla / 17.Oct.1957 / Coll: L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, and a label: [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005XXX’, each ♂ with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005101–138, each ♀ SSSA3005190–210. Four ♂ and one ♀ with the same labels as the later plus: [white, handwriten and typeset] ‘ Liogenys / sp. nov. / Det.A.Martinez 1971’, each ♂ with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005147–50, the ♀: SSSA3005215. Twelve ♂ and five ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / 10Km.E.Totoral / 18.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, and the label [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA30051XX’, each ♂ with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005157–69, each ♀ with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005222–226. One ♂ with the same labels as the later plus: [white, handwriten and typeset] ‘ Liogenys / sp. nov. / Det.A.Martinez 1971’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005172’. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / 20Km.N.Vallenar / 8.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005173’. Tree ♂: [white, handwriten] ‘Castilla / Atacama / Nov. 57’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, and the label: [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA30051XX’, each with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005174–76. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘Q.ALGODONES / Carrizal Bajo / Atacama’, [white, typeset] ‘ 18.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005177’. One ♀: [white, typeset] ‘SW.Est.Castilla / Atacama / 17-Oct-57 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005216’. One ♂ and three ♀: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / Huasco / 5 Nov.1965 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, the ♂ with the label: [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005181’, each ♀ with a number of the sequence SSSA3005229–231, two of the ♀ plus the label: [white, handwriten and typeset] ‘ Liogenys / sp. nov. / Det.A.Martinez 1971’. Tree ♂ and two ♀: [white, typeset] ‘Q.BOQUERON / 16 Km E Totoral / Atacama’, [white, typeset] ‘ 18.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, and the label: [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005XXX’ each ♂ with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005178-180, each ♀: SSSA3005232-234. Fourteen ♂ and nine ♀ paratypes (CMNC), eight ♂ and two ♀ with the labels: ‘ ATACAMA / SW.Est.Castilla / 17.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN000320XX’, each ♂ with a number of the sequence: CMNEN00032049–56, each ♀: CMNEN00032063–64; two ♂ and one ♀ with the same locality label as the later plus: [white, handwriten and typeset] ‘ Liogenys / sp. nov. / Det.A.Martinez 1971’, [white, typeset] ‘H. and A. HOWDEN / COLLECTION / ex. A.Martinez coll’., the ♂ with the numbers of the sequence: CMNEN00032057–58, the ♀ CMNEN00032065, four ♀ with the same locality label as the later plus: [white, typeset] ‘H. and A. HOWDEN / COLLECTION / ex. A.Martinez coll.’, and [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN000320XX’, each with a number of the sequence: CMNEN00032066–69. One ♂: [white, handwriten] ‘Castilla / Atacama / Nov. 57’, [white typeset] ‘H. and A. HOWDEN / COLLECTION / ex. A.Martinez coll.’, [white, typeset] ‘Southern Neotropical Scarabs / database # AS 2614888 / Liogenys palpalis / (Eschscholtz, 1822) ♂ / DET: A.B.T.SMITH 2008’. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / 10Km.E.Totoral / 18.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN00032060’, two ♀ with the same locality label as the later plus: [white, typeset] ‘H. and A. HOWDEN / COLLECTION / ex. A.Martinez coll’., and [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN000320XX’, each with a number of the sequence: CMNEN00032070–71. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / Huasco / 5 Nov.1965 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, handwriten and typeset] ‘ Liogenys / sp. nov. / Det.A.Martinez 1971’, [white typeset] ‘H. and A. HOWDEN / COLLECTION / ex. A.Martinez coll.’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN00032059’. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / 60kms.N.Caldera / 19,20- Nov.1972 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN00032061’. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / 12Kms.N.Huasco / 26,27- Nov-1972 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘Canadian Museum of / Musée canadien de la / NATURE / CMNEN00032062’. Five ♂ and five ♀ paratypes (MEUC), one ♀: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / 12 Kms. N. Huasco / 26,27- Nov. 1972 / Coll: L. E. Pena’, two ♂ with the same label as the later plus: [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005XXX’, the ♂ with the sequence: SSSA3005187–188, the ♀: SSSA3005236. Two ♀: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / 60 Kms. N. Caldera / 19,20- Nov. 1972 / Coll: L. E. Pena’, two ♂ and one ♀ with the same label as the later plus the sequence SSSA3005183–184, the ♀ SSSA3005235. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘Prov. ATACAMA / N.Est.Castilla / 25-XI-1972 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005186’. Six ♂ and four ♀ paratypes (CEMT), two ♂ and one ♀ paratypes: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE REG. ATACAMA / Freirina, Playa Tontado / 25-XI-2008 / col. F. M. Alfaro’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’, two ♂ paratypes: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE REG. ATACAMA / Freirina, Playa Tontado / 17-XII-2011 / col. J. Pizarro’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’, one ♂ paratype: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE COQUIMBO / Norte de Vallenar / 9-X-2011 / col. P. Pinto’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’. One ♀ paratype: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE COQUIMBO / Illapel, Huintil / 7-XII-1999 / col. M. Guerrero’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’. One ♂ paratype: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE. REG ATACAMA / Huasco. Llanos del / Challe. 5.XI.2015 / col. J. Pizarro’, [white typeset] ‘M.A. CHERMAN / DNA BARCODE VOUCHER / SPECIMEN MAC030’. Two ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / SW.Est. Castilla / 17.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, and [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA30052XX’, each with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005211–12. Five ♂ and four ♀ paratypes (DZUP), one ♂: [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / 10Km.E.Totoral / 18.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, [white, typeset with QR code] “SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA3005170. One ♂ and one ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE REG. ATACAMA / Freirina, Playa Tontado / 25-XI-2008 / col. F. M. Alfaro’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE REG. ATACAMA / Freirina, Playa Tontado / 17-XII-2011 / col. J. Pizarro’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’, [white typeset] ‘M.A. CHERMAN / DNA BARCODE VOUCHER / SPECIMEN MAC006’, [white typeset] ‘EXTRCTION CODE / LSBC35 / (from dried specimen)’. One ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE COQUIMBO / Norte de Vallenar / 9-X-2011 / col. P. Pinto’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’, [white typeset] ‘M.A. CHERMAN / DNA BARCODE VOUCHER / SPECIMEN MAC007’, [white typeset] ‘EXTRCTION CODE / LSBC36 / (from dried specimen)’. One ♂ paratype: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE. REG ATACAMA / Huasco. Llanos del / Challe. 5.XI.2015 / col. J. Pizarro’, [white typeset] ‘M.A. CHERMAN / DNA BARCODE VOUCHER / SPECIMEN MAC029’, [white typeset] ‘EXTRCTION CODE / LSBC57 / (from fresh specimen)’. One ♂: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE REG. ATACAMA / Huasco, Quebrada / Baratillo, 23-XII-2005 / col. N. Zambrano’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’. One ♀: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE REG. ATACAMA / P. N. Llanos del Challe / 21-X-2000 / col. J. Pizarro A.’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’. One ♀ paratype with the label: [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE COQUIMBO / Illapel, Huintil / 7-XII-1999 / col. M. Guerrero’, [white, typeset] ‘CJME’. Four ♂ paratypes (CERPE): [white, typeset] ‘ ATACAMA / SW.Est. Castilla / 17.Oct.1957 / Coll:L.E.Pena’, [white, typeset] ‘FMNH986 / L.PeñaColl. / Acc#17-422’, and the label [white, typeset with QR code] ‘SCARBS OF / SOUTHERN / SOUTH / AMERICA / SSSA30051XX’, each one with a number of the sequence: SSSA3005139–42. Four ♂ paratypes (MZSP): [White, typeset] ‘ CHILE / Q. BOQUERON / 16 km. E. Totoral / X. 1957 DIRINGS’. Tree ♂ paratypes (VMDC): [white, typeset] ‘ CHILE III REGIÓN / Hacienda Castilla / 10 Octubre 2014 / Leg. G. Arriagada / Colecta a la luz’, [white, typeset] ‘COLECCIÓN / V. M. DIÉGUEZ M’.. One ♂ paratype (MZUC): [white, handwriten] ‘HUASCO BAJO / ATACAMA / 11-Dic 1972 / [typeset] MARIO PINO’, [white, typeset] ‘Ex colección / Mario Pino / Jun. 1989 ’.
Holotype and 15 paratypes deposited at MNNC. Ninety-six paratypes deposited at FMNH. Twenty-three paratypes deposited at CMNC. Ten paratypes deposited at MEUC. Ten paratypes deposited at CEMT. Nine paratypes deposited at DZUP. Four paratypes deposited at CERPE. Four paratypes deposited at MZSP. Tree paratypes deposited at VMDC. One paratype deposited at MZUC.
Diagnosis: Body reddish brown, elongate; elytra three times the pronotal length, semi-opaque; glabrous (Fig. 8A); meso- and metaventrite covered with abundant, hair-like bristles, shorter than the other Chilean Liogenys; clypeal emargination shallow, subangled and wide; outer sides of anterior teeth follow the lateral edge of clypeus (Fig. 8B); protibial teeth almost equally spaced; pygidium subquadrate, long, bristled throughout, bristles very short, decumbent, longer towards apex (Fig. 8D); males with inner edge of metatibia (Fig. 8E) carinate and strongly produced from subapical region towards apex, apical portion curved backwards; protarsal claws with superior tooth very long in relation to the inferior tooth, this one reduced (Fig. 8C); parameres with apex spatulate (Fig. 8F), in lateral view parameres straight, basal region and parameres almost coplanar (Fig. 8G).
Holotype: ♂. Length: 15.5 mm; width: 7.5 mm. Body and elytra brown. Head: Distance between eyes nearly four times the width of one eye; frons swollen, clypeal emargination subangled, shallow and wide; outer sides of anterior teeth straight, follow the lateral edge of clypeus; clypeal lateral edge straight; canthus exceeding outer edge of eye; distal maxillary palpomere, maximum width more than twice width of the apex; fovea deep, elongate, almost sulcate, extending past the transverse midline of the palpomere; antenna with 10 antennomeres, lamellae slightly lighter in colour and longer than flagellum. Thorax: Anterior edge of pronotum flanged and slightly produced medially; maximum length of pronotum exceeding the length of tarsomeres 1, 2, and 3 together; disc glabrous, coarsely punctate; pronotal posterior corners obtuse angled; base of prothorax with abundant short and few long bristles; pro-, meso-, sides of metaventrite and metacoxae with abundant hair-like bristles, distance between meso- and metacoxae twice longer than the metacoxa length; scutellum ogival, long; finely punctate at the base. Elytra: Semi-opaque, uniformly reddish brown; elytral suture unicoloured with elytron and barely elevated; all four elytral ridges barely noticeable. Legs: Procoxa scaly on base, bristled on infracarinal surface; bristled and scaly on outer surface; basal protibial teeth slightly smaller than the other two, protibial teeth almost equally spaced; mesotibia cylindrical in cross-section, disc coarsely sculptured; two mesotibial transverse carinae, the basal barely noticeable, the apical carina complete; basal articular lobe of metacoxa slightly produced beyond the outer edge of trochanter; inner edge of metatibia carinate and abruptly subapically produced towards apex, with inner surface setose; metatibial surface finely sculptured; two metatibial transverse carinae present posteriorly, the basal carina barely visible; metatibial spurs of different lengths, the longest spur shorter than the diameter of the tibial apex; protarsomere 2 long; pro- and mesotarsomeres 1 to 4 enlarged; claw bifid, symmetrical; protarsal claws with superior tooth very long in relation to the inferior tooth, this one reduced. Abdomen: Disc of ventrites with scarce long bristles; pygidium slightly convex; subquadrate, long; pygidial disc bristled throughout, bristles very short, sparse, long setae on apex, finely punctate; pygidial apex quadrate. Parameres: Width of basal region equal to maximum width of parameres together, parameral split at two-thirds; inner margins straight, separated; apex spatulate. In lateral view parameres straight, almost coplanar. Variation: Female paratypes: Length: 16.0– 18.1 mm; width: 8.7–9.3 mm. As the holotype except in the size larger; lammelae equal in length to flagellum and metatibial apical spurs enlarged; protarsal claws with superior tooth longer than and as wide as the inferior; distance between teeth longer than the inferior tooth. Some female paratypes of Huasco Province show elytra pruinose; sutural and inner ridges more elevated. Male paratypes. Length: 15.6– 18.5 mm; width: 7.9–9.9 mm. Other characters as in holotype.
Etymology: Noun in the genitive case. Te species is dedicated to MSc. Mario Elgueta, curator of the MNNC, who loaned the material and previously inferred that the species could be new, on a label pinned to the specimen designated as the holotype.
Type locality: CHILE, Atacama, 60 km south of Copiapó [27º57 ʹ W; 70º20 ʹ S].
Geographical distribution: CHILE. Atacama (Copiapó, Huasco). Coquimbo (Elqui, Limarí, Choapa).
Remarks: Liogenys elguetai is, together with L. grandis, the largest species among all Liogenys, being easily distinguished from L. grandis (in parenthesis) mainly by the elytra glabrous (abundantly bristled); also, somewhat in the shape of clypeus with lateral edge slightly concave (straight). Liogenys elguetai has unique characters among the Chilean species, with the frons swollen; the pronotum flater, less than twice longer and up to twice wider than head; hair-like bristles of meso- and metaventrite less dense; protibial teeth almost equally spaced; males with the protarsal claws with superior tooth very long in relation to the inferior tooth, this one reduced.
description: Published as part of Cherman, Mariana A., Basílio, Daniel S., Clarkson, Bruno, Mondaca, José, Bezděk, Aleš, Smith, Andrew B. T. & Almeida, Lúcia M., 2025, Taxonomic revision of Chilean Liogenys (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae) and molecular assessment of a species complex, pp. 1-38 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (zlae 147) (zlae 147) 203 (1) on pages 15-18, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae147