Cyclocephala chiquitita Ratcliffe 2008, new species

(Figs. 9–11, 13, 15)

Type Material. Holotype male, labeled ‘‘ ECUADOR, Napo Pr., Res. Biol. Yasuni, 6–7 September 1998, FTHovore/RLPenrose// D. C. Carlson Collection, Gift from: F. T. Hovore. ’’ Allotype female, two male paratypes, and one female paratype with same data.

Holotype and allotype (property of David Carlson, Fair Oaks, CA) deposited at the University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE. One male paratype in the David Carlson Collection (Fair Oaks, CA) and a male/female pair in the Brett Ratcliffe Collection (Lincoln, NE).

Holotype. Male. Length 6.6 mm; width across humeri 3.7 mm. Color testaceous except for black frons and yellowish brown clypeus, pygidium, apices of protibial teeth, tarsomeres, and abdominal sternites. Head: Surface of frons minutely 228 shagreened, punctate; punctures moderately dense, moderately large. Clypeus vaguely rugopunctate; apex broadly truncate, weakly reflexed. Interocular width equals 3.0 transverse eye diameters. Antenna 10-segmented, club subequal in length to segments 2–7. Pronotum: Surface weakly shagreened, punctate; punctures moderately large (similar to those on frons), moderate in density. Posterior angles broadly rounded. Base without marginal bead. Elytra: Surface minutely shagreened, punctate; punctures moderately dense, moderately large (slightly larger than those on pronotum); 3 pair of punctate striae barely evident. Pygidium: Surface shagreened, glabrous, densely rugulopunctate. In lateral view, basal 2/3 nearly flat, apical third weakly convex. Legs: Protibia tridentate, teeth subequally spaced, basal tooth obliquely truncate. Protarsus strongly enlarged; tarsomeres 2–4 each slightly larger than preceding; 5th subequal in length to tarsomeres 1–3 only; median claw enlarged, strongly curved, apex narrowly split into large and small rami. Posterior tibia stout, expanded towards apex; apex with fringe of short, stout spinules. Metatarsus subequal in length to metatibia. Venter: Prosternal process moderate in length, apex transversely oval with raised, subtriangular ‘‘button’’ on anterior half. Parameres: Figs. 10–11.

Allotype. Female. Length 6.7 mm; width across humeri 3.8 mm. As holotype except in the following respects: Color of pygidium testaceous (not yellowish brown). Elytra: Epipleuron (in ventral view) gradually tapering towards apex (Fig. 15). Pygidium: In lateral view, surface nearly flat. Legs: Protarsus simple, not enlarged.

Variation. Males (2 paratypes). Length 6.4–6.8 mm; width across humeri 3.9– 4.0 mm. The male paratypes do not differ significantly from the holotype.

Females (1 paratype). Length 7.0 mm; width across humeri 3.7 mm. The single female paratype does not differ significantly from the allotype.

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Spanish diminutive, chiquitita, meaning very small. It agrees in gender with the generic name.

Distribution. Cyclocephala chiquitita is endemic to the Yasuni Biological Station on the Tiputini River in Parque Nacional Yasuni in Napo Province, Ecuador. This locality is lowland tropical rainforest near the eastern slopes of the Andes at an elevation of less than 600 meters.

Diagnosis. Cyclocephala chiquitita resembles closely C. ovulum Bates, which is broadly distributed in Central and South America, including Yasuni. The parameres (Figs. 10–11) of C. chiquitita are unique among Cyclocephala species, and, on a miniature scale, they resemble more the parameres in gestalt of some Stenocrates species. The parameres of C. ovulum (Fig. 12) are simple and lack apical teeth. In addition, the longer spur on the apex of the metatibia of C. chiquitita (Fig. 13) is broad throughout most of its length, whereas this spur is slender in C. ovulum (Fig. 14). The females of both species are nearly identical, but the epipleuron (in ventral view) in C. chiquitita is gradually attenuated towards its apex (Fig. 15), but in C. ovulum the epipleuron is slightly enlarged and then abruptly constricted at about the level of the first sternite (Fig. 16). Males will key as far as couplet 404 in the key to males in Endrödi (1985), which is C. ovulum. Females will key to couplet 398 in the key to females, also C. ovulum.