A redescription of Trichillum hirsutum Boucomont with notes on other interesting brazilian Scarabaeinae ( Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae )

Trichillum hirsutum Boucomont (Coleoptera: Scarabeidae: Scarabaeinae) is redescribed because of errors in the original description. New distribution records are presented for Trichillum hirsutum Boucomont, Ipselissus alvarengai Pereira and Martinez (new state records); and Trichillum boucomonti Saylor and Cryptccanthon peckorum Howden (new country records for Brazil).

I recently toO'k the opportunity to examine Boucomont's type specimen of Trichillum hirsutum which is deposited at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris .This examination was necessary so that I cou ld determine the differences between T. hirsutum and a new Trichillum described from the Amazon Basin of Brazil (Ratcliffe, in press).In addition, T. hirsutum has ostensibly been considered a nomen dubium and was assigned the status of incertae sedis by Martinez (1967) in his review of the genus Trichillum, and I felt it was necess:try to resolve this dilemma so that reliable taxonomic and ecolagical studies dealing with Trichillum could progress.Heretofore, T. hirsutum was apparently known only from the original description ( 1928) which was brief and, in fact, erroneous.This situation has led to confusion and doubt among Trichillum workers as to where to place T. hirsutum and what characters to assign this taxO'n.See, for example, Martinez ( loc.cit.) (who questioned the generic placement of T. hirsutum), Saylor ( 1935) (whose T. boucomonti is largely inseparable from T. hirsutum based on the descriptions) , and Arrow ( 1932} andBalthasar (1939) (who discussed or keyed T. hirsutum based on the erroneous information given in the original description} . The following is a redescription of the holotype female of T. Head: Frons and clypeus moderately, setigerously punctate ; punctures large, deep, separated by 1-3 diameters; setae long , erect, straw colored .Surface between punctures impunctate, minutely coriarious .Frontoclypeal carina weakly indicated, broadly interrupted at midd le.Apex of c lypeus with 2 rounded, acute teeth, notch between teeth broadly triangular: laterad of each tooth a distinct clypeal swel ling on margin, distinct from ocular swelling .Eyes difficult to see due to coating of greasy debris (even after extended sonic cleaning) but apparently very narrow.
Efytra: Sutura I stria absent.Each stria a deeply impressed, continuous line; punctures within the stria only weakly indicated.lntervals (*) -Systematícs Research Coltections, W436 Nebraska Hall , University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588, U.S.A. between striae weakly convex, nearly smooth except for a single strong row of setigerous punctures running length of each stria; intervais 1-2 with row on lateral margin of interval, remaining intervals with row on median margin ot interval; punctures large, deep, separated by 1-4 diameters; setae long, erect, straw colored.
Legs: Foretibia with 3 very strong teeth on lateral edge in apical 2/ 3; teeth long, triangular, acute; apical tooth twice as long as bnsal tooth.

Remarks. -
The prinicpal discrepancy between the description of T. hirsutum and the type specimen of T. hirsutum revolves around the punctation of the elytral intervals.Boucomont described them (in Latin and French) as being biseriately punctate when, in fact, they are uniseriately punctate in the type.In the first two intervals of the type, the row of setigerous punctures is median, and in the remainin!J intervals the row ot setigerous punctures is lateral.However, there is ~tlll only a si ngle row pe!-intervaf and not two .The original description was not accurate in describing a very important character, and probfems were encountered or errors made based upon subsequent use by (ater authors of the faulty description. I have also concluded that T. hirsutum is indeed a Trichillum and not a Pedaridium (as queried by Martinez, loc.cit.) , and that it belongs in the subgenus Eutrichiffum which now contains seven species.A key to these species is found in Ratcliffe (in press) .
During my stay in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, I collected a number of Trichillum hirsutum from baited pitfall traps.These specimens conform well to the type of T. hirsutum .In one 56 week study (in primary forest at Reserva Ducke, 26 km NE Manaus), one specimen was taken in a trap baited with faces, and 11 were taken in traps baited with carrion.In a separate 43 week study (in 184 -secondary forest on the campus of INPA-Manaus), one specimen was taken in a trap baited with teces, and 15 were taken in traps baited with carrion.These data suggest that T. hirsutum prefers carrion over teces as a food source.The same can be said for T. bouco• monti Saylor (see below) and for an undetermined Trichilfum from Letícia, Amazonas, Colombia (Howden & Nealis, 1975) .
Trichillum hirsutum was described from São Paulo.My collection from Amazonas constitute a new STATE RECORD for this species tn Brazil and represent a considerable range extension of approximately 2700 km.

ADDITIONAL RECORDS
The following information, also based on my collecting in Manaus, constitute new distributionaf records (Fig. 1) and are here listed: Trichillum boucomonti Saylor.BRAZIL: Amazonas, Reserva Ducke, 26 km NE Manaus, ali months 1977-1978.Coflected from b:~ited pitfall traps in primary forest over a 56 week period as tollows : teces -18 specimens; carrion -76 specimens.The food prerefence for this species, as with T. hirsutum.is for carrion.New Country Record .Previously known only from Paraguay (Saylor, 1935)  lected from baited pitfall traps in primary forest (2 specimens) and secondary forest (37 specimens) during two trapping programs lasting 56 and 43 weeks re .spectively as follows: feces -28 specimens; carrion -11 specimens.A two to one preference for feces is indicated by the trapping results .New State Record.Previously known only from the state of Espírito Santo in SE Brazil (Pereira & Martinez, 1963) which is approximately 2900 i<m distant., A redescription ...

Fig . 1 -
Fig . 1 -Distribution map showing old and new collecting records for the specíes lísted .