Alloblackburneus cynomysi Dellacasa & Dellacasa & Gordon 2011, new combination

(Fig. 16-20)

Aphodius cynomysi Brown, 1927: 166.

Aphodius (Blackburneus) cynomysi; Dellacasa 1988: 333.

Blackburneus cynomysi; Gordonand Skelley 2007: 356.

Typelocality. Otoe Pasture, Noble Co., Oklahoma [U.S.A.].

Type repository. Canadian National Collection, Ottawa (paratype examined).

Redescription. Length 3.0- 4.5 mm; stout, convex, moderately shiny, glabrous. Pale brownish red; legs reddish brown with palertarsi; antennal club yellowish. Headwith epistome feebly convex on disc, rather finely evenly punctured, punctation finer on disc; clypeus moderately sinuate at middle, subangulose at sides, thinly bordered, edge feebly reflexed at anterior angles, laterally shortly and sparsely bristled; genae broadly round, almost imperceptibly ciliate, not protruding from the eyes; frontal suture faintly indicate at middle; front evenly, finely punctured. Pronotum transverse, convex, dually, somewhat irregularly punctured; large punctures, twice to three times larger than small ones, denser and moderately coarser on sides, lacking on disc; small punctures, closer and coarser on sides, finer, very sparse and almost imperceptible ondisc; lateral margins feebly arcuate, finely bordered, edge glabrous; hind angles obtusely round; base very finely bordered, edge more or less widely interrupted medially. Scutellum irregularly, moderately punctured on basal half. Elytra convex, moderately tapered toward apex; striae moderately deep, rathercloselyfinely punctured, faintly crenulate; interstriaealmost flat, finely alutaceous, more strongly so on preapical declivity thus rather dull, very distinctly and rather closely punctured. Hind tibiae superior apical spur longer than first tarsal segment; latter as long as following three segments combined. Male: head and pronotum somewhat moresparsely punctured; elytral interstriae finely alutaceous, thus more shiny; metasternal plate moderately incavate; aedeagus Fig. 19-20. Female: head and pronotumsomewhat moredensely punctured; elytralinterstriae more strongly alutaceous; metasternal plate almost flat.

Material examined. USA, Kansas: Kiowa Co., 13 mi. S Greensburg, 4.V.1997, leg. G. Salsbury (prairie dog burrow) (2 exx., DCGI); Oklahoma: Noble Co., Otoe Pasture, 29.VI.1923, leg. W. J. Brown (from Cynomys hole) (1 male, paratype, DCGI).

Distribution. U.S.A. (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas).

Bionomics. Spring species known only from burrows of the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus).