Rhytomus vanus Saxton & Génier, 2025

Génier, François, Gunter, Nicole L. & Saxton, Natalie A., 2025, Rhytomus Génier & Saxton: A new dung beetle genus from New Guinea with five new species and phylogenetic insights (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), Zootaxa 5575 (1), pp. 87-110 : 106

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5575.1.3

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:521D404D-EB9D-4110-989E-A8A273C10152

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14808929

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038987E8-FFE4-6E08-FF46-131BFD16F899

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Rhytomus vanus Saxton & Génier
status

sp. nov.

Rhytomus vanus Saxton & Génier , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CD0A0711-1AC6-4D0B-8CE9-C54C31A001EA

Figs. 4D View FIGURE 4 , 7I View FIGURE 7 , 8I View FIGURE 8 , 10D View FIGURE 10

Name-bearing type data. Holotype ♂ ( CMNC): || PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Madang | Baitabag (8 km N.W.) | 100m, 30.I.2000 | 5°08’19”S 145°46’34”E | R.S.Anderson, rainforest litter | RSA2000-027 ||; || Canadian Museum of | Musée canadien de la | NATURE | CMNEN 00049581 || [QR code label]; || HOLOTYPE ♂ | Rhytomus | vanus | Des. N. Saxton & F. Génier, 2024 || [red card] GoogleMaps .

Material examined (4♂♂, 1 ♀). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: MADANG PROVINCE, Baitabag , 8 km NW Madang, 100 m, 05°08’19’’S, 145°46’34’’E, 30.i.2000, rainforest litter, R.S. Anderson, (RSA2000-027) GoogleMaps — ♂ holotype, ♀ allotype , 3 ♂♂ paratypes ( CMNC) GoogleMaps .

Description. Measurements. Body length 3.3–3.6 mm, maximum body width 2.1–2.3 mm. Holotype: body length 3.6 mm, maximum body width 2.3 mm. Body. Overall body shape in dorsal view oval, elytral edge evenly rounded from base to apex. Head. Clypeal edge lateral to clypeal teeth lacking emargination, head margin at clypeogenal suture of females moderately protruding. Dorsal parts of eyes semi-ovoid, separated by an interocular space of about 4.8 times eye width. Pronotum. Pronotal width to length along midline ratio 1.9, lateral pronotal edge sharply defined throughout, pronotal pubescence short and fine, pronotal basal portion along midline lacking fine longitudinal depression. Elytra. Elytral maximum width to length along suture ratio 1.0, elytral outline moderately convex in lateral view, elytral pubescence short and fine, elytral surface between punctures with distinct microsculptures, basal elytral pit wide and deep ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ), basal surface of pseudepipleuron with irregularly distributed more or less defined punctures or with sharply defined simple punctures (by misinterpretation), interstriae 3–5 on basal fifth with scattered unaligned punctures on interstriae 3 and 5 and two rows of punctures along striae with the odd unaligned punctures on interstria 4. Legs. Profemoral anterior surface flat or deeply furrowed (by misinterpretation), male metatibial apicointernal tooth approximately in line with posterior tibial edge.

Pygidium. Pygidial surface along midline with punctures similar in density to rest of discs, pygidial surface along basal groove smooth between punctures ( Fig. 8I View FIGURE 8 ), pygidium of female depressed apically. Aedeagus. Left paramere apex truncated apically, distinctly angular externally ( Fig. 10D View FIGURE 10 ).

Etymology. Vānus is a Latin adjective. It is used here in the sense of “suspicious, doubtful” which pertain to the previously unrecognized status of this new species.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Scarabaeidae

SubFamily

Scarabaeinae

Genus

Rhytomus

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