New spedes and distribution records of Mesoamerican <i>Ateuchus</i> (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae)

Abstract

This paper describes tbree new species of Ateuchus for Mesoamerica. The new laxa are: A. gershensoni (copulatory hooks subequal in size and spinelike), A. perezvelai (small size; frons very convex; one very big copulatory hook and two smal! spine-like ones assocíated with a spiny fascies) and A. perpusillus (anterior pronotal margin incomplete; small and compac! copulatory hooks, associated with a spiny fascies) from soutbern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Redescriptions are also given for A. chrysopyge (Bates) (big size; copulatory hooks, one big, a spine-like medium-sized one and a hook-like small one) and A. guatemalensis (Bates) (pronotum punctured; anterior pronotal margin almos! effaced; pygidium convex; copulatory hooks, two small and compac! and one very thin and curved). New country and distributional records are al so registered for Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Distribution map, intemal sac of aedeagus iIIustrations and photographs oí dorsal habitus are included, as well as drawings of the dorsal habitus of the three new species. The present work clarifies ¡he situation of the genus in Mesoamerica and updales knowledge of ¡he group in Mexico.