Neocorvicoana reticulata (Kirby) 1818

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 : 292-293

Neocorvicoana reticulata (Kirby) 1818 , new combination

Figs. 2–4 , 7 , 10 , 12

Cetonia reticulata Kirby 1818:410 .

Holotype male at BMNH (London), examined .

Gymnetis anoguttata Gory and Percheron 1833:72 . Type not found at MNHN (Paris).

Gymnetis carbonaria Gory and Percheron 1833:72 . Type not found at MNHN (Paris).

Gymnetis varia Gory and Percheron 1833:72 .

Holotype female at MNHN (Paris), examined.

Description. Male ( Fig. 2 ). Length 11.4–14.3 mm; width across humeri 6.6–8.4 mm. Color dorsally varies from velutinous cream color to ochre with black, piceous, or reddish brown punctures and large, round spots (melanistic form completely black on head, pronotum, and elytra); pygidium with velutinous cream colored or ochre spots on lateral margins either side of middle, sometimes with similar colored flecks on disc. Venter shining black with velutinous ochre marks on lateral margins of sternites, on metafemur, usually on mesofemur, and often as a spot on profemur. Head: Frons densely punctate; punctures small, usually round, setigerous; setae dense, moderate in length, tawny and dark brown mixed. Clypeus with surface moderately punctate, punctures becoming sparse at apex; punctures small, usually round, setigerous; setae similar to those of frons, becoming shorter and sparser anteriorly; clypeal apex weakly emarginate medially, broadly rounded either side of emargination. Interocular width equals 4.0 transverse eye diameters as seen from above. Antenna with 10 segments, club slightly longer than segments 2–7. Pronotum: Surface moderately to densely punctate; punctures setigerous, mostly small except where confluent and then larger; larger, denser, often confluent punctures in 4 longitudinal bands, bands occasionally partially or totally coalesced; punctures of basomedial lobe small, setigerous, each surrounded by larger reddish brown spot; setae similar to those of frons except some darker. Lateral margin with bead not reaching basal angle and either broken or missing at anterior angle. Basomedian lobe covering nearly all of scutellum ( Fig. 4 ). Mesepimera shiny black with dense, confluent, setigerous punctures. Elytra: Surface moderately punctate, punctures becoming dense at apex; punctures vary (from anterior to posterior) from crescent­shaped to inverted U­shaped to a transverse, curved, vermiform line; punctures setigerous, surrounded by dark reddish brown spot, spots very from a few confluent to nearly all confluent; setae moderate in length, dark brown. Sutural costa elevated in posterior half of elytra and with apex spinose. Apical umbone well developed. Pygidium: Surface punctate, usually densely so and thus making surface appear rugulose; punctures inversely U­shaped, setigerous; setae moderate in density and length, dark brown. Center of disc usually with feeble, longitudinal ridge. In lateral view, surface weakly convex. Legs: Foretibia with 3 teeth ( Fig. 7a ), basal tooth slightly smaller and removed from other teeth. Foretarsus subequal in length to foretibia. Meso­ and metatibia each with strong, tooth­like angle at middle on lateral edge. Meso­ and metatarsi subequal in length to their respective tibiae. Venter: Setae of mentum and procoxae black. Mesometasternal process short but extending anteriorly to just beyond mesocoxae, apex acute in lateral view, broadly rounded in ventral view; ventral surface flat with small setae except at apex which is glabrous; anterior surface with long, dense setae that curl around apex of process. Lateral edges of abdominal sternites with oval to crescent­shaped punctures; punctures moderately large, moderate to dense to confluent, setigerous; setae moderate in length, dark brown; central third of sternites smooth, glabrous. Parameres: Figure 10 .

Female ( Fig. 3 ). Length 12.3–17.1 mm; width across humeri 7.0– 10.6 mm. As male except in the following respects: Velvety ochre maculae on sides of sternites smaller or absent; legs entirely black, lacking ochre marks. Head: Interocular width equals 4.4–5.0 transverse eye diameters as seen from above. Setae shorter. Elytra: Apical sutural spines a little less developed. Legs: Tibiae shorter, broader. Tarsi compact and short: protarsus ( Fig. 7b ) slightly shorter than protibia, middle tarsus subequal in length to mesotibia, metatarsus about half length of metatibiae; metatarsus with segments 1–4 wider than long.

Distribution. Neocorvicoana reticulata occurs in southeastern Brazil, southeastern Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. There were two highly questionable records from Cayenne in French Guiana and Surinam that we consider to be erroneous.

Locality Records ( Fig. 12 ). 332 specimens examined from the following collections: AMIC, AMNH, BCRC, BMNH, CASC, CNCI, CMNC, CMNH, DEIC, FMNH, MLPA, MLUH, MNHN, MZSP, MCZC, MLPA, SEAB, SEMC, USNM, WBWC, ZMHU, ZSMC. ARGENTINA (28): BUENOS AIRES (1): Buenos Aires; CORRIENTES (1): Corrientes; ENTRE RIOS (1): Concordia (Salto Grande); MISIONES (19): Loreto, San Pedro; SALTA (4): R. de Lerma; SANTA FÉ (1): Santa Fe´; SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO (1): Chaco de Santiago. BRAZIL (295): D. F. (1): Brasilia; GOIAS (7): Ilha de Paneiros, Santos; MINAS GERAIS (10): Passa Quatro; PARANA (14): Araucaria, Curitiba, Florestal Deodoro, Ipiranga, Ponta Grossa; RIO DE JANEIRO (48): Guaipi Mage´, Itatiaya, Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, Serra de Orgãos, Theresopolis, Tijuca Forest, No data; RIO GRANDE DO SUL (6): Cruz Alta, Mundo Novo, São Leopoldo, No data; SANTA CATARINA (54): Corupa, Joinville, Lanca, Nova Tuetonia, Rio Natal, Rio Vermelho, São Bento, São Francisco, No data; SAO PAULO (8): Batataes, Bragança, Campos de Jordão, Cantareira, Umurama, No data; NO DATA (147). PARAGUAY (6): ITAPUA (2): No data; NO DATA (4). URUGUAY (3): D. F. (1): Montevideo; PAYSANDU (2): Paysandu.

Temporal Distribution. January (12), February (10), March (2), April (1), May (1), June (3), July (1), August (12), September (11), October (15), November (28), December (4).

Remarks. Neocorvicoana reticulata differs from other Neocorvicoana species by the following combination of characters: sternites with central third glabrous, setae (especially around mentum and procoxae) dark brown to black, and usually with ochre or creamy white maculae or flecks on the pronotum, elytra, pygidium and venter (never with metallic marks). The parameres are also distinctive ( Fig. 10 ). The dorsal coloring and degree of punctation varies considerably between individuals. Some specimens are totally black with no apparent correlation to locality, habitat, or elevation.

Schenkling (1921) and Blackwelder (1944) listed Cetonia rudolphi Frölich, 1792 as an aberration of Corvicoana reticulata Kirby. These authors were probably following Schaum (1849) who first placed the name as a variety of ‘‘ reticulata . ’’ This taxon in not a species of Neocorvicoana . Examination of the type specimen at the MNHN (Paris) shows it to belong to the genus Gymnetis (Paragymnetis) and not Neocorvicoana . Interestingly, Blackwelder listed ‘‘ rudolphi’’ Frölich in Paragymnetis as well as in Corvicoana , suggesting either a slip of the pen or perhaps ambivalence as to correct placement.

Burmeister (1842) first placed into synonymy N. anoguttata , N. carbonaria , and N. varia with N. reticulata .

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus of N. reticulata (Kirby), male.

Fig. 3. Habitus of N. reticulata (Kirby), female.

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.