insecta mundi - Center for Systematic Entomology

18 • INSECTA MUNDI 0129, July 2010 EDMONDS AND ZIDEK
Distribution. Amazonian subregion of the Neotropical region (Fig. 28).
Collection Records. BOLIVIA: Beni – Magdalena (Apr). Pando – Cobija [Reserva San Sebastian
Tahuamanu], 11 o 24’27”S 69 o 01’04”W (Dec); Guayaramerin (Dec); near Guayamerin, 11 o 50’S 65 o 22’W,
120 m (Feb, Dec); 2 km E Fortaleza, 9 o 47’S 65 o 30’W, 120 m; Río Negro, 9 o 52’S 65 o 42’W, 120 m (Feb); 20
km SW Villa Bella, 10 o 22’S 65 o 22’W, 120 m (Feb); Tahuamanu, 11 o 24’27”S 69 o 01’04”W, 280 m; Malecón,
11 o 57’S 68 o 48’W, 190 m; Florida, 12 o 18’S 68 o 40’W, 190 m (Nov); Río Negro, 9 o 52”S 65 o 42’W, 120 m (Feb);
near Bella Vista, 10 o 22’S 65 o 22’W, 120 m; Santa Rosa, 12 o 00’S 68 o 52’W, 180 m (Oct). BRAZIL: Amazonas
– 30 km N Manaus [Reserva Forestal Ducke] (Mar- May, Aug); Manaus (Jan, Mar-Apr, Jul, Dec); 60 km
N Manaus [Fazenda Esteio] (Jun); Manacapurú (Mar); São Paulo de Olivença (May, Jul, Dec); Tefé (Aug).
Mato Grosso – Rosário Oeste (Jul); Nobres (Jan, Jul). Pará – Belêm [Agua Preta] (Jan-Feb); Tucuruí;
Obidos (Mar-May, Jul, Nov-Dec); Santarém (Jan, May); Taperinha; Monte Dourado [Apui], 00 o 46’S
52 o 35.5’W (Jan); Monte Dourado [Tingilingi], 00 o 57’S 52 o 45.5’W (Apr). Rondônia – 9 km NE Cacaulândia
(Feb, Nov) GUYANA: East Berbice-Corentyne – Bartica (May). Upper Demerara-Berbice – Ituni
(Jul). PERU: Madre de Díos – Río Madre de Díos, 12 o 34’10.0” S 70 o 06’01.4”W, 290 m (Apr); Río Tambopata,
12 o 38’59”S 69 o 06’24”W, 230 m (Sep); Río Palma Real Grande, 12 o 32’20”S 68 o 51’40”W, 220 m; 30 km SW
Puerto Maldonato [Río Tambopata Reserve], 12 o 50’S 69 o 20’W. 290 m. SURINAME: Commewijne –
Akintosoela, CELOS Camp, 39 km SE Suriname river bridge, road to Redi Dodi, 40 m, 5°16’17”N 54°55’15”W
(Jul). Sipaliwini – Lely Plateau, 46’13"N 54 o 44’18"W, 650 m (Oct); Oelemarie, ~ 3 o 6’0'’N 54 o 32’00'’W
(Feb, Aug, Oct); Palumeu, ~3 o 21’30.3'’N 55 o 26’38.2'’W (Jun): Kwamalasumutu (Jul). VENEZUELA:
Amazonas – Río Mavaca camp, 2 o 02’N 65 o 06’W. Bolívar – Las Trincheras [Río Cauca] (Aug); Puerto
Cabello (Río Cauca] (Aug).
Comments. This is a common species occurring sometimes is large numbers throughout much of the
Amazon basin. Among all Coprophanaeus species, C. lancifer is the best choice as indicator species of
Amazonia and is an important component of many local dung beetle communities (see, for example,
Gardner et al. 2008, and Quintero and Halffter 2009). We have seen no specimens from eastern Ecuador
and Colombia, but its absence there is unlikely. The color of this species is usually a consistent dark
metallic blue; Trond Larsen has collected bright green examples in southeastern Peru. Besides the commonly
used baits of dung and carrion, this species is also attracted to decomposing millipedes (Conrad
Gillett, pers. comm.)
Théry et al. (2008) interpreted the crepuscular flight activity of this species as a mechanism that
improves visual communication among conspecifics. At mid-range (> 0.5 m) in the low-intensity dusk
lighting, the dark blue, metallic (structural) body coloration is seen at higher contrast against ambient
background and active individuals become more visible to each other; at shorter range (< 0.5 m), enhancement
of contrast between the black head horn and metallic pronotum probably functions in species recognition.
Except for the presence of protarsi, medium-sized and small females closely resemble equal-sized
males. Pessôa’s (1934) description of C. septentrionalis was based on five females; Lane and Camargo-
Andrade (1935) re-examined the type series and found that it included one male. The pronotal prominence
of large females (Fig. 25-26) is subject to considerable variation in width, but not as extreme as in C.
ensifer (q.v.).
This species is the first Coprophanaeus depicted in print, as far as we know. Voet’s (1766) illustrations
(pl. 23, fig. 1-2 and 38) are unmistakably of C. lancifer. His fig. 1 and 2 are cited by Linné (1767) in
his description of Scarabaeus lancifer and can be regarded as at least part of the type series. Voet’s fig. 38
is of interest because, as Olsoufieff (1924) pointed out, it depicts the body of a male C. lancifer “… mais
avec une tête (?) d’un autre Scarabaéide.” In the text caption Voet stated that [specimen 38] “Forgan haec
femina est No. 1 vel 2” [“Could be the female of either N. 1 or 2”]. Herbst’s (1789) illustration (pl. VIII, fig.
6, under the name Hamadrias) is a copy of Voet’s “hybrid;” but his pl. XV, fig. 1 depicts a male C. lancifer
placed correctly under the name “Scarab[aeus] lancifer.”