Tuesday, October 31, 2017

[Entomology • 2017] Eurypeza aurora • A New Species of Eurypeza Lacroix, 2006 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Tanyproctini) from Kenya


Eurypeza aurora  Sehnal, 2017 


The Afrotropical genus Eurypeza Lacroix, 2006 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Tanyproctini) was established for one species, Eurypeza evansi Lacroix, 2006, from Somalia. The genus belongs to the first group of Afrotropical Tanyproctini sensu Lacroix (2007), and is characterized by protarsomeres 1–4 and mesotarsomeres 1–4 broadened and ventrally macrosetaceous, protarsomere 5 and mesotarsomere 5 simple, and labrum transverse and shallowly bilobed. The genus Eurypeza differs from other genera of Lacroix’s (2007) first group by club with five antennomeres, antennomere 3 and 4 of equal length, labial palpi with three palpomeres, clypeus broadly rounded, protibia bidentate with proximal tooth well developed, and metatibial carina incomplete (for details, see also Lacroix 2006, 2007).

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FIGURES 1: Eurypeza aurora new species, holotype, male.
AB, habitus, dorsal and lateral views; CD, protibia, dorsal and ventral views; EF, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views; GH, head, dorsal and ventral views.
Scale = 1 mm.

Eurypeza aurora Sehnal, new species 
Type locality. Kenya, Nairobi Region, Salama.

Differential diagnosis: Eurypeza aurora new species is the second representative of the genus Eurypeza. From the only previously described species, E. evansi, it can be differentiated using the following characters: uniformly matte black color, clypeus and frons densely covered with stiff macrosetae, antennal shaft the same length as club, aedeagus morphology (Figs. 1C–D). 

Etymology: Named after the Morning star (= Aurora in Latin), for the moment of realization that the specimen studied was a new species. This name should be treated as a noun in apposition.


 Richard Sehnal. 2017. A New Species of Eurypeza Lacroix, 2006 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Tanyproctini) from Kenya. Zootaxa. 4337(2); 294–296.  DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4337.2.9