Blepharotoma villosa ( Blanchard, 1850 ), 2025

Blepharotoma villosa ( Blanchard, 1850) , new combination

Figure 1 View FIGURE 1

Chariodema villosa Blanchard, 1850: 118 View in CoL .

Type material examined. Lectotype of Chariodema villosa , ♀, deposited in MNHN: “2113 [handwritten label] // 7112 | 34 [circular, handwritten label] // MUSÉUM PARIS | Chiquitos | d’Orbigny [label with the first line printed and the remainder handwritten] // LECTOTYPE [printed label] // LECTOTYPE | Blepharotoma villosa | ( Blanchard , 1850) | Des : Clavijo-Bustos , Salazar | & Neita Moreno , 2024 [printed label] // SYNTYPE [printed label] // SYNTYPE | Chariodema | villosa Blanchard 1850 [printed label] // MNHN | EC9782 [printed label]”.

Remarks. Blanchard’s (1850) publication and specimen labels state that the specimen was collected in Bolivia, Department of Santa Cruz, Chiquitos Province, during d’Orbigny’s exploration trip. D’Orbigny’s expeditions across South America occurred between 1826 and 1833. According to the reference numbers on the specimen labels and the corresponding registration information in the MNHN Entry Register, this specimen was incorporated into the museum’s collection in 1834. There is an annotation indicating “(du voyage de d’Orbigny) (voire le catalogue manuscript de d’Orbigny)” “(from d’Orbigny’s voyage) (see d’Orbigny’s manuscript catalogue)”. The handwritten catalog, D’Orbigny - Catalogue des Coléoptères de sa collection, (D’Orbigny - Catalogue of Coleoptera in his collection) authored by D’Orbigny and housed in the entomology library of the MNHN, indicates that his stay in Chiquitos occurred between July and November of 1831. Therefore, following the catalog number of the specimen, this was likely collected during that period and captured by a light trap. Additionally, associated with the specimen reference number in the D’Orbigny catalog, there is a word that is difficult to decipher. However, the context of the text that mentions Chiquitos Province allows us to deduce that this word refers to the locality of Concepción. This locality, effectively located in the province of Chiquitos (16°07′55″S, 62°01′34″W), is at an elevation of approximately 500–600 m and is part of the Chiquitano dry forest biome, and is close to the locality of Santa Ana de Chiquitos, where d’Orbigny also collected. Furthermore, D’Orbigny attributed the identification of this specimen to the genus Hoplia Illiger.

This lectotype fits in the genus Blepharotoma as diagnosed by Smith (2008), sharing the clypeal margin reflexed, labrum hidden beneath the clypeus in dorsal view, labrum, and clypeus separated by a suture, meso-meta ventral process absent, abdomen with six ventrites, metatibia apically with two spurs and spurs set below and above tarsal articulation, and tarsal claws symmetric and apically toothed ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). The specimen (Total length ≈ 8.8 mm from clypeus to the abdomen apex; width ≈ 3.6 mm at the base of the elytra) is overall in a good state of preservation but is missing the antennae and some tibiae and tarsi. Blanchard (1850) mentioned the species within “Division III” ( C. pallens Blanchard, 1850 and C. villosa ) have eight antennomeres with the ovate club. This number of antennomeres is a diagnostic character of Blepharotoma according to Smith (2008), and one of the characters Blanchard (1850) mentioned in the genus description.

Similar to the situation with B. nitida (see Pacheco & Ahrens 2024), the only known specimen (lectotype) of B. villosa is a female, which complicates identification at the species level. Therefore, examining the male genitalia from close specimens and doing molecular analyses is a priority to determine whether B. villosa is a junior or senior synonym of other species currently placed in the genus Blepharotoma , as this could be possible.