Colacus cuchimilco Figueroa and Ratcliffe, 2023

Figueroa, Luis, Ratcliffe, Brett C. & Neita-Moreno, Jhon César, 2023, A Review of the Genus Colacus Ohaus, 1910 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Agaocephalini) with Description of a New Species from Peru, The Coleopterists Bulletin 77 (1), pp. 58-62 : 59-60

Colacus cuchimilco Figueroa and Ratcliffe , new species

zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3D010EC9-9EF5-41EB-B432-0FD555BFD7B0 ( Figs. 1–4 )

Type Material. Holotype labeled “ PERÚ: LI, Cañete, / Humedales Puerto Viejo , / 7m, 12°34′34. 64″S, / 76°41′51.99″W, 21.i.2020, / M. Rodriguez leg.” and our red holotype label. Holotype deposited at the Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru ( MUSM) .

Description of Holotype. Male ( Figs. 1–2 ). Length 17.6 mm; width across humeri 8.7 mm. Color black, shiny. Head: Frons with low, transverse, rounded tubercle at center; surface rugopunctate and with small patch of about 6 short, tawny setae mesad of each eye; ocular canthus rounded, not projecting laterally, apex acute. Clypeus deflexed, subtriangular, apex subacute and reflexed; sides cariniform, carina extending to ocular canthus. Interocular width equals 6.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 10 antennomeres, club distinctly longer than antennomeres 2–7. Mandibles exposed, longitudinally suboval, leaf-like. Pronotum: Surface evenly convex, lacking subapical fovea, moderately densely punctate; punctures small on basal half, becoming larger on apical half and sides, weakly rugose in anterior angles. Base lacking marginal bead. Elytra: Surface weakly punctate-striae, punctures moderate in size, shallow. Pygidium: Surface completely, finely scabrous, regularly convex, glabrous on disc, extreme base either side of middle with long, sparse, tawny setae. Legs: Protibia quadridentate, distance between teeth 2 and 4 greater than between other teeth. Metatibial apex bi-angulate, lower angle broadly triangular, upper angle narrow with blunt apex and with small clump of 5 long, stout setae. All tarsomeres similar in size. Venter: Thoracic and abdominal ventrites (especially on sides), coxae, and margins of all femora with long, dense, tawny setae. Last abdominal ventrite not emarginate at apex. Parameres: Figs. 3–4 . In caudal view, the parameres are nearly lanceolate.

Etymology. The specific epithet “cuchimilco” refers to the cuchimilco, terra cotta figurines made by the Chancay people that inhabited the central coast of Peru in the current Department of Lima from about 1000 to 1470 CE. These figurines are commonly encountered in archaeological sites and are symbolic for the current inhabitants of Lima. The specific epithet is treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Colacus cuchimilco is known only from Cañete Province in the southern Lima Region of Peru ( Fig. 5 ).

Temporal Distribution. January (1).

Diagnosis. Colacus cuchimilco is immediately distinguished by its completely black color in combination with a quadridentate protibia. The only other all black species is Colacus morio Ohaus, but it has a tridentate protibia. The only other species with a quadridentate protibia is the Brazilian Colacus rubrofemoratus Sobral, Morais, and Grossi, but it has distinctly reddish brown femora.

Natural History. Nothing is known of the life history of C. cuchimilco.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Holotype of Colacus cuchimilco, new species. 1) Dorsal view; 2) Dorsal view of head and pronotum.

Figs. 3–4. Colacus cuchimilco, new species, parameres. 3) Caudal view; 4) Lateral view.

Fig. 5. Location of Cañete Province in the Lima Region of Peru, the type locality for Colacus cuchimilco, new species.