Rhytomus fervidus 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 : 96

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.14808913

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038987E8-FFFE-6E12-FF46-13CBFBADF801

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Rhytomus fervidus Saxton & Génier
status

sp. nov.

Rhytomus fervidus Saxton & Génier , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:27C09598-572B-4AF0-904F-59067A688C08

Figs. 4B View FIGURE 4 , 7A View FIGURE 7 , 8A View FIGURE 8 , 9B View FIGURE 9 , 11A, 11D, 11E View FIGURE 11 , 12B View FIGURE 12

Name-bearing type data. Holotype ♂ ( CMNC): || PAPUA NEW GUINEA | Western highlands, Mt. | Hagen, 6000’ | 5-8.VII.1974, S.Peck | oak forest dung tps. 24-25 ||; || Canadian Museum of | Musée canadien de la | NATURE | CMNEN 00049283 || [QR code label]; || HOLOTYPE ♂ | Rhytomus | fervidus | Des. N. Saxton & F. Génier, 2024 || [red card] .

Material examined (20 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀). PAPUA NEW GUINEA: WESTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE, Mount Hagen , 1829 m, [05°52’ S, 144°14’E], 5–8.vii.1974, oak forest, dung traps, S. Peck, (dung traps 24-25)— ♂ holotype, ♀ allotype, 12 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀ paratypes ( CMNC) , 6 ♂♂, 1 ♀ paratypes ( MNHN) , 1 ♂, 1 ♀ paratypes ( QM) .

Description. Measurements. Body length 4.2–5.0 mm, maximum body width 2.6–3.1 mm. Holotype: body length 4.7 mm, maximum body width 3.0 mm. Body. Overall shape in dorsal view oval, elytral edge evenly rounded from base to apex. Head. Clypeal edge lateral to clypeal teeth lacking emargination ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ), head margin at clypeogenal suture of females slightly protruding. Dorsal parts of eyes semi-ovoid, separated by an interocular space of about 3.9 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 appearing glossy, at most with ill-defined microsculptures ( Fig. 12B View FIGURE 12 ), basal elytral pit slightly wider than stria 10 and shallow ( Fig. 11D View FIGURE 11 ), basal surface of pseudepipleuron with irregularly distributed more or less defined punctures ( Fig. 11E View FIGURE 11 ), interstriae 3–5 on basal fifth with scattered unaligned punctures. Legs. Profemoral anterior surface flat, male metatibial apicointernal tooth approximately in line with posterior tibial edge. Pygidium. Pygidial surface along midline with punctures absent or distinctly more scattered than rest of discs, at least basally, pygidial surface along basal groove smooth between punctures ( Fig. 8A View FIGURE 8 ), pygidium of female depressed apically. Aedeagus. Left paramere apex truncated apically, distinctly angular externally ( Fig. 9B View FIGURE 9 ). Female genitalia. Spermatheca with two apodemes basally.

Etymology. The specific epithet for this species is the masculine nominative Latin adjective meaning “boiling hot” or “fiery” in reference to the type locality, which is near an old composite volcano.

CMNC

Canada, Ottawa, Canadian Museum of Nature

MNHN

France, Paris, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle

QM

Australia, Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland Museum

MNHN

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle

QM

Queensland Museum

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Scarabaeidae

SubFamily

Scarabaeinae

Genus

Rhytomus

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