Neocorvicoana tricolor (Schürhoff) 1933

Ratcliffe, Brett C. & Micó, Estefania, 2001, A Review Of The Neotropical Genus Neocorvicoana Ratcliffe And Micó, New Genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (3), pp. 279-296 : 294-295

Neocorvicoana tricolor (Schürhoff) 1933 , new combination

Figs. 5 , 8 , 11–12

Heteropodia tricolor Schürhoff 1933:95 .

Holotype male at ZSMC (Munich), examined.

Description. Male. Length 10.3–12.5 mm; width across humeri 6.0– 6.8 mm. Ground color shiny black. Head with frons mostly black, occasionally with flecks of ochre, orange, or blue; clypeus rarely black, usually with enamel­like tan, ochre, orange, or pale green interspersed with black punctures. Pronotum varies from mostly black with enamel­like tan, ochre, orange, or pale green along lateral margins to same enamel­like color on disc with dark reddish brown spots surrounding punctures. Mesepimeron shining black anteriorly and with enamel­like tan, ochre, orange, or pale green posteriorly. Elytra ochre with dark reddish brown spots surrounding punctures; ochre color often with enamel­like orange or pale green reflections; reddish brown circles surrounding punctures often confluent, especially around margins and at base, occasionally entire elytron reddish brown. Pygidium with large, irregularly­shaped macula on each lateral margin at about middle; macula with enamel­like ochre, cream­white, or pale green color; macula occasionally broken into pieces, disc occasionally with colored flecks. Legs rarely entirely black, usually protibia (rarely profemur), meso­ and metafemora, and tibiae with enamellike cream, ochre, orange, or pale green color. Sternites on lateral edges usually with similarly colored enamel­like spot. Head: Frons densely punctate to rugopunctate; punctures small to moderate in size, setigerous; setae dense, long, tawny. Clypeus with surface densely punctate at base, becoming moderately or sparsely punctate on disc and apex; punctures vary from small (everywhere) to moderately large (especially on sides and/or base where some punctures confluent); punctures at base of clypeus with dense, long, tawny setae; apex moderately emarginate at middle, lobes broadly rounded either side of middle. Interocular width equals 5.0–6.5 transverse eye diameters when viewed from above. Antenna with 10 segments, club broad, almost as long as shaft. Pronotum: Surface densely punctate (less so on colored areas); punctures moderate to moderately large, round to crescent­shaped to inversely U­shaped, setigerous; setae dense, long, tawny. Marginal bead along lateral edge varies from complete to broken to absent in anterior half. Basomedian lobe not covering all of scutellum ( Fig. 5 ). Mesepimeron densely punctate in black area, sparsely punctate on colored area; punctures moderate to moderately large, setigerous; setae dense, long, tawny. Elytra: Disc with 2 parallel, slightly elevated, rounded carinae that converge at apical umbone (slightly more distinct in green specimens). Pygidium: Surface sparsely to densely covered with very shallow, setigerous, inversely U­shaped punctures and transverse, curved, vermiform strigulae (surface appears reticulated); setae sparse, short, tawny. Disc in center with feeble, longitudinal ridge. In lateral view, surface nearly flat to weakly convex. Legs: Foretibia ( Fig. 8a ) tridentate, basal tooth widely separated from others. Meso­ and metatibia each with strong, acute tooth at middle on lateral edge. Pro­ and mesotarsi slightly longer than respective tibiae; metatarsus slightly shorter than metatibia. All tarsi with only a few short setae beneath. Venter: Setae of mentum and procoxae tawny. Mesometasternal process short, not extending anteriorly past mesocoxae, apex acute in lateral view, broadly rounded in ventral view; ventral surface flat, with long setae except at apex which is glabrous; anterior face with long, sparse, setae that curl around apex of process. Lateral edges of sternites with sparse punctures; punctures moderate to large, oval to transverse, setigerous; setae sparse, short, tawny. Parameres: Figure 11 .

Female. Length 11.8–14.3 mm; width across humeri 7.1–8.4 mm. As males except in the following respects: Color of frons, pronotum, and elytra mostly enamel­like light to medium green (with or without orange reflections) or orange (occasionally with light green reflections), with black punctures; frons and pronotum and elytra usually with varying amounts of black, especially either side of midline and near base on pronotum and on lateral and apical margins of elytra; pronotum at base (occasionally) and elytra (always) with moderate to large, dark reddish brown or piceous spots surrounding punctures. Clypeus black. Legs black. Head: Clypeal apex with lobes either side of middle slightly larger, more rounded. Pronotum: Punctation on shiny black areas similar to that of male. Punctures on enamel­like, colored areas moderate to dense, moderate to large in size, irregular, often confluent in large patches either side of middle and at base, each surrounded by moderate to large, dark reddish brown spot. Legs: Tibiae shorter, broader. Tarsi compact and short: foretarsus slightly shorter than foretibia, mesotarsus subequal in length to mesotibia, metatarsus less than half length of metatibia; tarsomeres 1–4 on all legs with width subequal to or greater than length ( Fig. 8b ).

Distribution. Neocorvicoana tricolor is known from southern Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Locality Records ( Fig. 12 ). A total of 17 specimens were seen from the following collections: AMIC, CMNC, CASC, MLPA, ZMHU, ZSMC. BRAZIL (3): SAO PAULO (1): São Paulo; NO DATA (2). ARGENTINA (11): CÓDOBA (1): No data; ENTRE RIOS (1): Concordia; LA PAMPA (1): Pico; MISIONES (4): Loreto; NEUQUEN (3): Zapala, Piedra del Aguila; SALTA (1): Lerma. URUGUAY (2): CERRO LARGO (2): Cañada de los Burros. NO DATA (1).

Temporal Distribution. August (1), September (3), October (3), November (3).

Remarks. Neocorvicoana tricolor is highly variable in color and punctation. It is distinguished from other species in the genus by the absence of setae on the center of the abdominal sternites, presence of enamel­like, metallic maculae or flecks, tawny setae on the mentum and procoxae, and shape of the parameres.

Figures

Figs. 4–5. Dorsal view of pronotum, mesepimeron, and scutellum. 4) N. reticulata; 5) N. chalybea.

Figs. 6–8. Dorsal view of left foretibia and tarsus. 6) N. chalybea male; 7) N. reticulata (a) male and (b) female; 8) D. tricolor (a) male and (b) female.

Figs. 9–11. Parameres [caudal view (a) and lateral view (b)]. 9) N. chalybea; 10) N. reticulata; 11) N. tricolor.

Fig. 12. Distribution map of the species of Neocorvicoana.