Bothynus deiphobus
Creators: name: Duarte, Paulo R. M.
name: Dupuis, Fabien
name: Grossi, Paschoal C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Bothynus
Bothynus deiphobus

description: Bothynus deiphobus (Burmeister, 1847)
(Figures 2 (e), 3(f), 12(d), 13(f), 14(f), 15(g), 18(d), 19(a,c), 24)
Podalgus deiphobus
Burmeister 1847: 123 (original combination).
Scaptophilus deiphobus
Lacordaire 1856: 413 (new combination); Gemminger and Harold 1869: 1251 (name citation, catalogue).
Bothynus deiphobus
Arrow 1937b: 40 (as new combination, catalogue); Blackwelder 1944: 255 (checklist); Endrödi 1969: 113 (identification key), 117 (illustration of aedeagus [figs. 168–169]), 135–136 (redescription), 136 (lectotype designation and distribution); Endrödi 1985: 276 (identification key, illustration of aedeagus [figs. 1132–1133]); Krajcik 2005: 38 (checklist); Abadie et al. 2008: 108, appendix 1 (distribution); López-García et al. 2016: 496 (checklist).
Diagnosis
Bothynus deiphobus resembles B. fabius in the inner protarsal claw of male with no incision or ventromedial process, dorsal surface of body glabrous and parameres without apparent ventrobasal carina. The shape of parameres are also nearly identical in both species. However, B. deiphobus is distinguished by the following combination of characters: Metatarsomere 1 with outer apex angularly projected in both sexes (Figure 18 (d)); tergite 7 with barely marked stridulatory striae in both sexes (Figure 19 (a)); hemisternite complete, not totally or partially separated at middle by a longitudinal midline (Figure 12 (d)); tergite 8 of female flattened on sides, with no apparent cavity (Figure 19 (c)).
Type material
The type series of B. deiphobus preserved at HNHM is recognised by a green label on the specimens’ left side, handwritten by Burmeister’s with the following information within a rectangle: ‘ Deiphobus * / juvencus Dj./Bras’. (Figure 2 (e)). Lectotype female, labelled: (a) ‘Zoll. Inst. Halle’; (b) ‘ Lectotypus /Endröedi/ Bothynus /(podalgus)/ deiphobus Burm’. [label bordered in red, partly handwritten] (HNHM) (Figure 2 (e)). Paralectotype female, labelled: (a) ‘Zoll. Inst. Halle’; (b) ‘ Paratypus / Podalgus /deiphobus/Burm’ [label bordered in red, partly handwritten] (HNHM).
Additional material
BRAZIL: Bahia: Piatã, xii.1976. J. Becker – 1 male (CERPE). Mato Grosso: Diamantino, Reserva Vale da Solidão, 14°22'S, 56°07'W, 450 m, 20.x.2013, E. Furtado leg. – 1 male (CEMT); Diamantino, Reserva Vale da Solidão, 14°22ʹS, 56°07ʹW, 450 m, 21.x.2014, Furtado leg. – 3 males (CEMT). Mato Grosso do Sul: Cassilândia: 5.xi.2014, luz, C.A.F. Barbosa leg. – 1 male (CERPE). Paraná: Curitiba, i.1935. – 1 female (IBSP); Jaguariaíva, Parque Estadual do Cerrado, 800 m, 1–4.ii.2011, Parizotto, Leivas, Herzog and Manfio legs. – 1 female (EPGC); Palmas, 1.iv.2013, V.R.I. Rosário leg. – 1 female (CERPE); Palmas, 21.v.2011, R. Teixeira leg. – 1 male (CERPE). Pernambuco: Recife, 16.i.2014, P.M.M. Evaristo leg. – 1 male (CERPE). Rio Grande do Sul: Arroio do Meio, 2.i.1949. J. Becker – 1 female (CERPE); Porto Alegre, ii.1942. – 1 male, 1 female (MZUSP); same data but 17.xii.1943. J. Beker – 1 male (CERPE). Santa Catarina: Praia Grande, Pousada Aracema, luz, D. Santa leg. – 2 females (CERPE). No data. – 1 male (DZUP).
Male redescription (Figure 3 (e))
Length: 20.9–25.9 mm. Width: 11.0–14.0 mm. Colour: Mostly reddish brown. Head: Clypeus subtrapezoidal (posterior width about 3.6–3.8 times wider than anterior); lateral margins convergent, from substraight to sinuous; surface coarsely punctate. Frontoclypeal carina well marked, slightly arched in frontal view, sometimes with a small notch at middle. Frons strongly rugopunctate; rugosity transverse, arched; punctures small, deep, dense, arranged between each pair of rugosities; setae scarce, sometimes absent. Interocular width equal to 4.3 transverse eye diameters. Anterior margin of ocular canthus slightly arched. Mouthparts: Apical and medial mandibular teeth triangular; basal tooth from triangular to lobed, smaller. Maxilla with galea bearing 3 subequal teeth at apex. Labrum slightly emarginate apically, surface densely setose. Antennae: Club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–7 combined. Prothorax: Pronotal anterior tubercle usually strong, conical, slightly back produced apically; cavity usually deep, rounded, wide (occupying 1/2 of the anterior pronotal area), rarely interrupted behind. Pronotal surface densely rugopuncate on anterior corners; sides with minute punctures, except for an area close to lateral margins bearing large, deep, dense, contiguous punctures; punctures on posterior disc minute; cavity transversely rugose. Pterothorax: Scutellar plate from smooth to covered with minute punctures. Elytral surface deeply striated, usually covered by small, ocellated punctures; punctures contiguous on sutural stria; separated by 1–4 puncture diameters on other striae; lateral punctures smaller compared those on disc; punctures on interstriae scarce, from minute to small. Legs: Inner protarsal claw simple, similar to outer claw. Meso- and metatarsomere 1 with projected outer apex (Figure 18 (d)). Meso- and metatibia with 2 carinae on outer surface. Abdomen: Tergite 7 bearing stridulatory apparatus forming 1 band of finely marked striae (Figure 19 (a)). Tergite 8 glabrous, densely rugose on sides; discal area punctate; punctures small, oval. Sternite 4–7 with an incomplete row of setose punctures confined on sides, disc from smooth to covered with scarce, small punctures; sternite 8 rugopunctate on corners, disc weakly punctate. Spiculum gastrale: Y-shaped, branches subequal in length; lateral branches convergent towards apex, medial branch divergent towards a rounded apex (Figure 12 (d)). Hemisternite broadly rounded, entire, transversely covered with a row of 41–45 setae on apical margin. Aedeagus: Parameres, in caudal view, smooth, gradually narrowed towards apical half, apically with 2 shortened, oval lobes (Figure 13 (f)). Parameres, in lateral view, lacking ventrobasal carina; apex rounded (Figure 14 (f)).
Female redescription (Figures 15 (g))
Length: 21.0–23.0 mm. Width: 11.2–13.0 mm. Quite similar to male, except in the following: Pterothorax: Pronotum with small anterior tubercle; cavity shallow, entirely rugose; pronotal posterior area weakly convex in lateral view. Elytral punctures slightly larger compared to those on male. Abdomen: Tergite 8 flattened (Figure 19 (c)). Sternite 8 triangular, bearing entire posterior margin.
Distribution
Brazil (Bahia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina) (Figure 24). Historically, the species was known only from the states of Amazonas, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul (Endrödi 1969, 1985). The former is situated in the northern Brazilian region, while the latter two are in the southern region, these regions being about 3100 km apart. No specimen from Amazonas was found among the material examined. We suspected the record from Amazonas may have been caused by a mislabelled specimen or misidentification.
Remarks
The lectotype designated as male by Endrödi (1969) is in fact a female, as already mentioned by Burmeister (1847) in the original species description. The species was originally described within Podalgus Burmeister, 1847 along with other species that also currently belong to Bothynus [Bothynus complanus (Burmeister, 1847), Bothynus dasypleurus (Burmeister, 1847), Bothynus exaratus (Burmeister 1847)]. Lacordaire (1856) mentioned that Burmeister had already included the species in Scaptophilus Burmeister, 1847 and thus it should be retained in this last genus. Finally, B. deiphobus first appears in its current combination in Arrow (1937b), along with other Bothynus species that anteriorly figured in Scaptophilus.
description: Published as part of Duarte, Paulo R. M., Dupuis, Fabien & Grossi, Paschoal C., 2025, Taxonomic revision of the Bothynus ascanius (Kirby, 1819) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae) species group, pp. 663-737 in Journal of Natural History 59 (9 - 12) on pages 697-700, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2025.2456579, http://zenodo.org/record/14971553