Symmela iannuzziae Pacheco, Wipfler, Monne and Ahrens 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pacheco, Thaynara L.
name: Wipfler, Benedict
name: Monné, Marcela L.
name: Ahrens, Dirk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Symmela
Symmela iannuzziae

description: Symmela iannuzziae Pacheco, Wipfler, Monné and Ahrens sp. nov.
(Figures 12, 29 (b), 30(l))
Type material examined
Holotype. ♂ ‘ Brasil Pernambuco Recife. Dois Irmãos, alunos UFPE/ 32 Neotropical Sericini spec.’ (CEMT). Paratypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀ ‘PE, Recife, P.E. de Dois Irmãos, 17.iii.2022, E.J. Galdino & A.O. Lira’ (CERPE), 1 ♂ ‘PE, Recife, P.E. de Dois Irmãos, 12.iv.2022, E.J. Galdino & P.E. Costa’ (CERPE).
Description
Length: 4.9 mm. Elytral length: 2.9 mm. Width: 2.5 mm. Head blackish brown, shiny, with erect, sparse setae. Labroclypeus as wide as frons, subtrapezoidal; surface flat; plain, without an anterior concavity on each side; anterior margin weakly emarginated medially, weakly reflexed, with a rim of dense, short setae behind anterior margin; lateral margin not incised anteriorly; punctation of surface posteriorly dense; suture between labrum and clypeus invisible. Smooth area in front of eye distinctly separated from frons by a suture. Frons anteriorly flat, punctation even, moderately dense. Ocular canthus with terminal setae, ratio of length of ocular canthus/eye diameter: 1/3. Eyes evenly spherical, ratio of diameter/interocular width: 0.5. Antenna with eight antennomeres. Antennal club with three antennomeres, blackish, straight; width of antennal lamella much narrower than width of antennomeres of funiculus; apical lamella subequal to basal and median ones; length ratio of antennal club vs remaining antennomeres combined: 1/1.5; length ratio of third vs fourth antennomere: 1/3; fourth antennomere without lateral projection; length ratio of fifth vs fourth antennomere: 1/3. Labrum anteriorly without blunt processes. Setae on mentum moderately dense.
Head and pronotum without copper iridescent shine. Pronotum bicoloured, iridescent, blackish brown; widest at middle, width subequal to width of elytral base at humerus; anterior marginal line not interrupted medially, posterior marginal line absent; lateral margin not serrated, generally bent at middle, otherwise straight, behind anterior angles straight, posteriorly straight; setae of lateral margin sparse; basal margin evenly curved; transverse impression beside basal margin absent; anterior angles produced, sharply pointed; antero-lateral and postero-lateral angles not flattened dorso-ventrally; posterior angles blunt; surface without median longitudinal impression, transversal furrows or setae; punctation on disc sparse, simple and fine, without well-defined impunctate areas. Scutellum without punctures.
Elytra bicoloured, yellowish brown in major part, margins blackish; surface iridescent, without setae and microsculpture; striae and intervals distinct; punctation between striae sparse, diameter of punctures compared to those of striae equal; intervals flat; posterior edge convex; apical margin chitinous, without microtrichomes.
Abdomen: sternites flat in sagittal plane; lateral carina absent; first visible ventrite with row of setae on posterior edge; second visible ventrite with row of setae in medial region; basal ventrites medially with half length as laterally; ultimate and penultimate apical ventrites simple and flat; apical ventrite very short (half as long as preceding ventrite); penultimate apical ventrite with row of setae like preceding one; beside the robust row of setae, almost glabrous. Pygidium strongly convex.
Legs blackish and yellow. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.39. Metacoxa entirely plain, without elevated lateral longitudinal carina; without longer lateral bristles and setae on basal surface, posterior margin glabrous. Metafemur with posterior margin straight. Metatibia widest at middle; ratio of width/length: 1/2.4; dorsal margin not carinated, smooth; interior surface more or less glabrous; median longitudinal punctation present on interior surface; interior margin of apex weakly and shallowly truncate towards ventral margin; punctation on entire lateral face present; beside dorsal margin without a row of robust setae along entire length; basal group of spines comprising at least two robust spines at same level of metatibial length; distal groups of spines disposed at nearly half of metatibia length; ventral margin not serrated. Dorsal surface of tarsi glabrous, with very sparse punctures. Length ratio of dorsal tibial spur/first metatarsomere: 1/2. Metatarsi at apex weakly widened; first tarsomere straight, its length subequal to second and third tarsomeres combined; laterally not carinate; ventral margin serrated; ventral margin glabrous; medial face glabrous. Protibia with two distinct teeth; spur straight. First protarsomere straight, a little longer than second; width ratio of first protarsomere vs second protarsomere: 1.5/1; second protarsomere narrow and straight; third and fourth protarsomere elongate and narrow (distinctly longer than wide); fifth protarsomere circular in cross section, a little shorter than third and fourth protarsomere combined. Protarsal claws asymmetrical, shape of inner protarsal claw bifid, apex of basal tooth of inner protarsal claw convex.
Aedeagus: Figure 12 (c,d).
Female unknown.
Diagnosis
Symmela iannuzziae sp. nov. differs from the very similar S. fuhrmanni (both species share the mesally widened metatibiae) by the non-reflexed labroclypeus, the bidentate protibia (male), and the basally wide, short and flattened parameres (Figure 12 (d)), which are in S. fuhrmanni more elongate and subparallel in dorsal view.
Etymology
The new species is named after Luciana Iannuzzi, a Brazillian entomologist (noun in genitive case).
description: Published as part of Pacheco, Thaynara L., Wipfler, Benedict, Monné, Marcela L. & Ahrens, Dirk, 2022, The genus Symmela Erichson, 1835 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini): taxonomy and phylogenetic analysis, pp. 607-705 in Journal of Natural History 56 (9 - 12) on pages 647-649, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2022.2084649, http://zenodo.org/record/7012522