Description of Onthophagus humboldti and Uroxys bonplandi, two new scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) from Costa Rica, with notes on tropical mountain brachyptery and endemicity

By

Kohlmann, Bert
Solís, Ángel
Alvarado, Guillermo

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

881

Pages

23--51

Subjects

Biogeography , boreotropical distribution , Cordillera de Talamanca , extreme brachyptery , Last Glacial Maximum , mitochondrial DNA , Paleogeography , refugia

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.881.38026

 

Abstract

Two new endemic species of scarab beetles are described from Costa Rica,Onthophagus humboldtisp. nov. andUroxys bonplandisp. nov.Onthophagus humboldtisp. nov.is also the tenth brachypterousOnthophagusspecies to be described worldwide, representing also a case of extreme brachyptery in Onthophagini. Illustrations for both new species, as well as marking differences with closely related species are included. Maps showing the distribution of the new species, as well as the distribution of brachypterous and endemic scarab-beetle species for Costa Rica are presented and discussed. The Cordillera de Talamanca represents an area where Scarabaeinae (four genera) show very high known levels of brachypterism in Mesoamerica. A reconstruction of the montane environment in the Cordillera de Talamanca during the Last Glacial Maximum (~24 ka) is analyzed, in order to try to understand a possible historical biogeography model that might promote high levels of brachypterism in scarab-beetles. The present study supports previous proposals that brachyptery is correlated with stable environments associated with deeply incised valleys. Tropical mountain ranges are also identified as having more endemics than lowland rain forests, contradicting accepted wisdom. Lastly, a mitochondrial DNA analysis supports the existence of theOnthophagus dicraniusand theO. clypeatusspecies-groups as two well-defined and closely related branches.