Description of the third instar larvae of five species of Cyclocephala (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae, Dynastinae) from Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Description of the third instar larvae of five species of Cyclocephala (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae, Dynastinae) from Mexico. Larvae of four species of Cyclocephala are described for the first time based on specimens collected in Mexican localities: C. barrerai Martínez, 1969 from Puebla, C. sinaloae Howden & Endrödi, 1966 from Sinaloa, C. fasciolata Bates, 1888 from Veracruz, and C. jalapensis Casey, 1915 from Hidalgo. Larva of C. lunulata Burmeister, 1847, is redescribed based on specimens from the Mexican states of Morelos, Puebla, and Veracruz. Diagnostic structures are illustrated and the differences and similarities of each species with other previously described larvae of the genus are commented.

Synopsis of the cyclocephaline scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae)

“…The presence of two dorsal sensory spots on the terminal antennal segment is a consistent character for the tribe, except for C. barrerai (Morón et al 2014) (Table 7). Cyclocephala barrerai has a variably present or absent third dorsal sensory spot on the terminal antennomere (Morón et al 2014). The tarsal claws of known cyclocephaline larvae have two setae (one basal seta and one prebasal seta).…”

“…Neita-Moreno et al (2007) offered the most detailed tribal-level diagnosis of third-instar larvae and noted all the species known to them shared the following characters: 1) dorsal surface of last antennal segment with two sensory spots and 2) each tarsal claw with two setae. Characters of the haptomeral process (epipharynx), plegmatia (epipharynx), ocelli (head), and raster palidia (abdomen) were consistent in many, but not all, known species at the time (Neita-Moreno et al 2007, Morón et al 2014). …”

“…Research interest in cyclocephaline immature stages has recently increased, with approximately 80% of larval and pupal descriptions published after 1990 (Morelli 1991, Morelli and Alzugaray 1994, Vincini et al 2000, Ramírez-Salinas et al 2004, Vallejo and Morón 2008, Neita-Moreno and Morón 2008, Bran et al 2006, Neita-Moreno et al 2007, Vallejo and Morón 2008, Neita-Moreno and Morón 2008, Lugo-García et al 2009, Stechauner-Rohringer and Pardo-Locarno 2010, Neita-Moreno and Yepes 2011, Albuquerque et al 2014, Souza et al 2014a, b, Morón et al 2014). It is not yet possible to characterize cyclocephaline larvae or pupae at the tribal level as only 4 of 14 genera have described immatures (Table 5 and Table 6).…”

“…Neita-Moreno and Yepes (2011) provided a key to the larvae of Dyscinetus and several authors have proposed keys to the known larvae of Cyclocephala (Souza et al 2014a, b, Albuquerque et al 2014). The four new larval descriptions from Morón et al (2014) have yet to be incorporated into an identification key. Neita-Moreno and Morón (2008) provided a key to the known larvae of Ancognatha .…”

“…), sugarcane ( Saccharum sp. ; Poaceae), maize ( Zea mays L.; Poaceae), stevia ( Stevia rebaudiana [Bertoni] Bertoni; Asteraceae), rice, and in pastures (Aragón and Morón 2000, Aragón et al 2001, Bran et al 2006, Stechauner-Rohringer and Pardo-Locarno 2010, Morón et al 2014). However, this species is not thought to be a major damaging pest in crop systems (Aragón et al 2001).…”