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XXIX.—A horned
Melolonthine beetle
from South America
a
Gilbert J. Arrow F.Z.S. F.R.E.S.
a
British Museum (Nat. Hist.)
Published online: 13 Aug 2009.

To cite this article: Gilbert J. Arrow F.Z.S. F.R.E.S. (1948) XXIX.—A horned
Melolonthine beetle from South America , Annals and Magazine of Natural
History: Series 12, 1:5, 371-375, DOI: 10.1080/00222934808653917

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222934808653917

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 ()~ ~1Horned Mdolo'nth'inc Bcctlc fl'om ~b'o't~thAmerica. 371

extended, it luay l~e e(lual to the length of tile supraanal

l~rolongations. These lie (lorsal to the eylindrie~d 1)re -
jection, so t h a t when it is put forward to touch the body
its position is between the supraanal prolongations.
A few hours aiter the larva has h a t c h e d out of the egg
it begins to use the collapsible t u b e to build the structure.
I t is extrude([ and a drop of black fluid comes out which
is a t t a c h e d to the base of the supraa,nal prolongations.
E x c r e m e n t and cast skins are all cemented together. To
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begin with, t h e y are a few and small in size, but as the

larva grows and c~sts its skins, t h e y all remain stuck
together and the whole structure grows larger. I n this
species it is roughly the shape of a triangle, the apex
being at the tip of the prolongation, and the base at
proximal end. Not all species make this structure in the
shape of a triangle.
In a fully formed larva this structure covers its back
completely and fits it properly, beil~g slightly concave
on the underside and projecting on each side a little
b e y o n d the lateral margin of the body. The normal position
of the structure is to lie on the b o d y and it fi'eeIy moves up
and down. W h e n it is up and the larva is touched, is
is quickly brought down and held tightly o n t h e back.
F r o m a distance, each larva with this structure pressed
on the b o d y looks like a black blotch on the l e a f Some-
times, when fimgus has grown on it, it assumes a woolly
appearance, making it look like a p a t c h of mould. Length
of a fully grown larva, 12"7ram.
T/d~jmotropis~. On t o u c h or even when the bushes
ate disturbed the beetles fall down to the ground.

X X I X . - - A horned Melolo~thine Beetle from South America.

B v (IIL~ER~ J. ARaOW, F.Z.S., F.R.E.S., British
Museum (Nat. Hist.).
ALT~iou~H horned tbrms, usually distinctive of the male,
are found in nearly all the subfamilies of Lamellicorn
beetles, the MelolonthJnae numerically by far the largest,
are r a t h e r surprisingly ahnost without appendages of the
kind and the new genus here described is therefore of
special interest. I n t h a t immense group, of which
between eight and nine t h o u s a n d Sl~eeies have already
been n a m e d and described, sexual dimorphism in ex-
t r e m e l y varied tbnns is found and in a few species the
 372 Mr. Gilbert J. Arrow on a

front angles of the head are extended in the male, so t h a t

a pair of short processes or horns results, as in Pareriesthis
bicornuta and Apogonia marshalli, but these are among
the smaller Melolonthinm and the out-growths are of a
very simple kind. Nothing comparable with the remark-
able appendages borne by so many Coprinm, Dynastinm,
Cetoniinm and other Lamellicornia has been found
hitherto in Melolonthine beetles. The curious insect now
described shows t h a t the special tendency in the Lamelli-
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corn beetles for the appearance of such structures is not

absent in the Melolonthin~e.
CERATOLONTHA, new genus.
Body long and narrow, entirely clothed with short setm
except upon the clypeus and the horns of the male.
Antennm short, composed of nine segments, 1 elongate,
2 ovate, 3 and 4 slightly elongate, 5 a little longer, 6 very
short, 7-9 forming a short club. Labrum broadly
arcuate. Mentum quadrate, with a sharp longitudinal
median earina, the labial palpi very small. Maxilla bearing
very strong sharp teeth, a terminal brush of hairs and
palpus. Mandible very short with a broad terminal long
tooth. Legs rather slender, the front tibia without a
terminal spur, armed externally with three sharp teeth, the
middle tibia with a single spur and the hind tibia with
two ; all the tarsi hairy beneath, the claws deeply cleft ;
the hind coxse narrow, meeting in the middle line.
M a l e . - - t l e a d short, deeply hollowed, smooth and
shining in front and bearing a pair of slender horns
immediately before the eyes. The front tibim and all the
tarsi much longer than those of the female, the segments
(except the last) of the front and middle tarsi a little
dilated. The abdomen arched beneath.
Female.--Forehe~d closely hairy, elypeus almost hair-
less, roughly punctured and strongly bilobed, the lobes
rounded. Legs shorter than those of the male, the hind
tibia a little dilated at the end. Abdomen convex beneath.
Ceratolontha venezuelx, sp. n.
Reddish brown, with a slight greenish metallic suffusion,
moderately closely clothed above and beneath, including
the legs, with short, close-lying pale setee, finer and closer
upon the lower surface.
Narrowly elongate, convex, the elytra parMlel-sided.
Pronotum closely punctured, rugosely at the sides.
 Horned Melolonthine Beetle from South America. 373

Elytra closely, deeply and rugosely punctured, with a

sutural and three dorsal narrow cost~e, rather smooth and
shining. Pygidium very convex, closely punctured.
Male.--The front of the head divided by a sharp ridge
from the forehead and produced on each side, immediately
in front of the eyes, into a pair of long slender horns,
curving upward, obliquely truncated at the end and
bearing a short upward-directed tooth at a little distance
from the extremity. Pronotum short, highly convex,
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Fig. 1.

Ceratolontha venez~d~v Arrow. Co-type, ~.

wider than the elytra at the shoulders, the lateral margins

angulate in the middle and contracted to the base.
Female.--The head bears a prominent tooth on each
side at the front margin of the eye and tile clypeus is
hollowed, roughly punctured and deeply excised in front.
Pronotum narrower than that of the male, as wide as
the elytra at the base and narrowed in front, moderately
convex. Legs not long. Abdomen convex beneath.
Length : male, including horns, 17 ram. ; female, 14 ram,
Breadth 6 ram.
VENEZUELA ; C a r a c a s ,
 374 0~. a H<)r+~.edMel¢>lo~.lhi.J~,~ B~'~,lh:.f>'on,,%.,~#~ A,~erica.

A male specimen was acquired by the British Museum

in l s s a a n d regi,stered as "" t a k e n by Mr. J o l m William
Birschel, who went fl'om K e w to collect p l a n t s ". A n o t h e r
male a n d a female, received with the A l e x a n d e r F r y
Bequest, were p u r c h a s e d from the s a m e dealer. All three
were reeor<le<l as t a k e n in Venezuela a n d were, in all
probal~ility, found b y the s a m e callectm', whose specimens,

Fie. 2
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Uerrdo!c~.tl,o ¢,c~e'-~l,m Arrow. Type, 4*.

I h a v e been informed, were chiefly f r o m the n e i g h b o u r h o o d

of Caraeas.
T h e genus is related to P.s.e.~dosericc~. Gm!r. (not
s y n o n y m o u s with Plectr'i,s Serv., as s t a t e d in l)alla T o r r e ' s
(latalogue), the n u n m r o u s species of which in Tropical
A m e r i c a show a v a r i e t y of curious features peculiar to
the males, a l t h o u g h none shows a n y indication of a
 On a New Ooby from the. Knysna River. 37.5

tendency to the development of horns in that sex. Tim

species of Pseudoscrica are rathe,' broad and compact
insects and the basal segment of the hind tarsus is
markedly elongate.

X X X . - - A Ne~w Goby from the Knysnd ttiv(,r.

By D. H. DAVIES, M.Se.
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Family Gobiidm
Gobius maxillaris, sp. n.
D VI. -[- I. 7. A 6-7. Scales Lat. Set. 26, Tr. 9. Body
rather elongate and slender, tapering from behind spinous
dorsal. Dorso-anterior margin of eye protruding. Snout
bhmt. Depth ,~,5~ length of head 3~ in length of body.
Eye 3~, snout 3 in length of head. Depth of head l~ in
length. Interorbital 3 in eye. Snout profile smooth.

.......~.,~i.i!~:~¢~

(iobi~ls .maxi/lari.~, ~I). n , ActuM length36 ram.

Mouth rather small, maxilla extending to below centre

of eye~ Curved teeth in two rows on lower jaw, outer
series slightly enlarged. Tongue weakly bih)bed. Gill
membranes united with isthmus to above ventral profile.
S-9 small gill-rakers. BodY fully covered ~ith ctenoid
scales, extending to the eyes on dorsal surface and the
breast ventrally. No scales on base of pectorals.
(2tenoid scales on ol)ercle, head otherwise naked. Scales
in longitudinal series 26 (from hind margin of opercle to
caudal fin). In transverse series between origins of first
dorsal and peNic 9, and round caudal peduncle 6. Two
rows of papillae on cheek. I) V I . + I . 7. Margins of both
fins rounded. A I. 6-7. Caudal fin rounded, subequal to
head. V I. 5. P 17-1S, extends to 1)elow posterior margin
of spinous dorsal,