Anomala mersa Filippini, Galante, and Mico, new species
Creators: name: Filippini, V.
name: Galante, E.
name: Micó, E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Rutelidae
Anomala
Anomala mersa

description: Anomala mersa Filippini, Galante, and Micó, new species   
(Figs. 4, 12, 20, 28, 34)  
 Type Material. Holotype: ♂ " COSTA RICA, Prov. Guanacaste, Bagaces, P.N. Palo Verde, Sector Palo Verde. 0–50m. 29 NOV-15 DIC 1999. W. Porras. Manual L_N_260952_385020 #57243 / INB0003151362" deposited at MNCR. Paratypes (4): 4♂ " COSTA RICA, Prov. Guanacaste, Bagaces, P.N. Palo Verde, Sector Palo Verde. 0–50m. 29 NOV-15 DIC 1999. W. Porras. Manual L_N_ 260952_385020 #57243" / CEUA00106201, INB0003151360, INB0003151358 and INB000 3151412. Three paratypes are deposited at MNCR and one at Universidad de Alicante.   
 Holotype. Male (Fig. 4). Body oval. Length 9.31 mm, width 4.73 mm. Head reddish brown. Pronotum dark brown with wide, ochre sides, with green luster. Scutellum brown. Elytra dark brown with large ochre maculae on basal part and 2 small, ochre maculae at apex. Pygidium light brown with ochre apex and sides at base. Legs ochre with reddish brown tarsus, metatibia, and apical part of pro- and mesotibiae. Venter ochre on sternum, with darker median suture, and reddish brown abdominal sternites. Head: Clypeus trapezoidal, surface densely punctate-reticulate, flat. Anterior margin straight, clypeus thin in frontal view, width/ length ratio 1.98. Frons densely punctate, convex on suture with clypeus. Ocular canthus long, thin, with rounded apex. Ratio of interocular width/ width of eye 3.46. Ratio antennal funiculus/club 0.71. Pronotum: Subtrapezoidal, basal portions of lateral margins nearly parallel. Ratio width/ length 1.66. Lateral margins angulated at 1/3 of pronotal length from the anterior margins. Anterior angles quadrate, posterior angles quadrate. Basal margin sinuate, subapical bead complete. Surface with dense punctures. Scutellum: Subtriangular, with rounded sides and acute apex. Ratio width/ length 1.24. Surface densely punctate. Elytra: With striae defined by regular rows of punctures. Subsutural interstice with 1–2 rows of sparse punctures, 2 nd –4 th interstices with 1 irregular, secondary stria. Surface covered with secondary punctures. Pygidium: Strigate with long setae on posterior margin. Ratio width/length 1.60. Venter: Space between mesocoxae narrow, slightly convex. Mesometasternal suture well-defined at base of mesocoxae. Abdominal sternites with 1 row of setae and 5–6 rows of punctures per sternite. Last sternite strigate, with subapical bead thin and sinuate, apical membrane thin. Legs: Protibia (Fig. 12) bidentate, apical tooth long and curved, basal tooth below internal apex of protibia triangular, sharp. Metatibia slightly narrower subapically. Ratio length/ width 2.92. First external carina with a row of sparse setae. Surface rugose. Internal protarsal claw bifurcate, with upper branch slightly shorter and 2/3 width of lower one, inferior margin curved. Male genitalia: Parameres with blunt apex in lateral view (Fig. 20), ventral angle acute. Endophallus (Fig. 28) with a long sacculus covered with short setae, a patch of sclerotized spines at base. Ejaculatory duct opening on lateral inflation.   
 Female. Unknown.   
 Variation. Four paratypes. Posterior margin of pronotum dark or with two ochre median maculae, size of ochre maculae on elytra variable, pygidium varies from ochre to ochre with light brown maculae on lateral depressions to light brown; venter varies from ochre with brown bands on abdominal sternites to mainly brown. Body length 8.93–9.31 mm, body width 4.73–5.00 mm. Clypeal width/length ratio 1.80–2.02. Ratio of interocular width/width of eye 3.13–3.61. Ratio of antennal funiculus/club 0.57–0.71. Pronotal width/length ratio 1.66–1.70. Scutellar width/length ratio 1.21–1.37. Pygidial width/length ratio 1.54–1.62. Metatibial length/ width ratio 2.82–3.11.   
 Etymology. From the past participle of the Latin verb mergo, dipped, for the black apical portion of the elytra, which appears as if it was dipped into black dye.   
 Distribution. Anomala mersa inhabits the dry forest of Parque Nacional Palo Verde on the northern side of Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica, from 0 to 50 m elevation (Fig. 34).   
 Diagnosis. This species is recognized by its small size, elytra dark brown with large, ochre maculae on the basal part, and parameres with blunt apex in lateral view and ventral angle acute. The particular elytral pattern easily sets this species apart from other Anomala. Species with similar patterns are dark specimens of Anomala pseudoeucoma Filippini, Micó, and Galante, 2013 (Costa Rica) and Anomala nigrosellata Ohaus, 1905 (Venezuela), which are much larger in size. The former species has the entire surface covered in dense setae and longer parameres with an acute apex and sinuate ventral margin. The latter species has a squared, dark macula on the elytra, hence the lateral elytral margins are ochre, coarser punctures on the elytra, and narrow parameres with a sinuate ventral margin.
description: Published as part of Filippini, V., Galante, E. & Micó, E., 2015, Descriptions of New Species ofAnomalaSamouelle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from Costa Rica, pp. 463-476 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (3) on page 471, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x-69.3.463, http://zenodo.org/record/10106050