Redescriptions, lectotype designations, new synonyms and new geographic records for the “tiger” species of Mycotretus Lacordaire, 1842 (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Tritomini)

Abstract

The Neotropical Mycotretus Lacordaire, 1842 is one of the largest and most widespread genera of the Erotylidae, encompassing more than 200 described species. Among the species with a similar body coloration, there is a “group” of six valid species—called here the “tiger” Mycotretus—that possess several pronotal and elytral black spots, as follows: M. tigrinus (Olivier, 1792); M. multimaculatus Taschenberg, 1870; M. centralis Arrow, 1909; M. tigrinoides Mader, 1942; M. tigripennis Mader, 1942; and M. prioteloides Mader, 1942. Different from any other Mycotretus with spots, the spots of the “tiger” Mycotretus are numerous and are not bilaterally symmetrical in pattern. Here, new geographical records, diagnoses and redescriptions are provided for M. tigrinus, M. centralis, M. tigrinoides, M. tigripennis and M. prioteloides, including the first descriptions of their male and female terminalia. Lectotypes are designated for M. multimaculatus, M. centralis, and M. leopardus. Mycotretus multimaculatus and M. tigrinus pardalis Crotch, 1876 are proposed as new junior synonyms of M. tigrinus. Additionally, the authorship of the name M. leopardus is attributed to Crotch, 1876, because he was the first author to provide a description for that taxon, and the synonymy of M. leopardus and M. conspersus (Germar, 1824) with M. tigrinus (Olivier, 1792) is confirmed.