Aegialia opifex Horn 1887

Aegialia (Aegialia) opifex Horn

Aegialia opifex Horn, 1887:104

Aegialia (Aegialia) opifex—Brown, 1931:47—Stebnicka, 1977:459—Gordon and Cartwright, 1977:43

DESCRIPTION—Length 325 to 40 mm, greatest width 160 to 20 mm Form elongate oval, convex, widest in apical third (Figure 23) Color yellowish brown to dark brown except anterolateral angle of pronotum, prosternum, leg, and apex of abdomen paler yellowish brown or reddish brown Head granulate but not densely so, lacking punctations; clypeal apex distinctly emarginate medially, gena abruptly produced Pronotum shiny, not alutaceous, moderately coarsely punctate medially, becoming essentially impunctate laterally, discal punctations separated by less than to twice a diameter; base without marginal line Elytron with interval moderately convex, finely punctate, punctations barely perceptible, stria distinctly impressed, strial punctations coarse, separated by slightly more than a diameter Metasternum smooth, impunctate medially, alutaceous, impunctate laterally Middle tibia slender, sparse surface denticles present, with incomplete transverse carina in apical , apical spurs slender, inner spur as long as first 3½ tarsal segments, outer spur as long as basal 2 tarsal segments; hindfemur with apical flange produced, inner angle obsolete; hindtibia slender, sparse surface denticles present, with incomplete apical carina in apical , apical spurs foliaceous, outer spur as long as first 3 tarsal segments, inner spur slightly shorter Male genitalia as in Figure 55; female genital plate as figured by Stebnicka (1977, fig 84)

LECTOTYPE—Designated herein We here designate and label a specimen in the MCZ collection labeled “Lowell/Mass/TYPE 3624 GH Horn [red paper]/A opifex Horn” as the lectotype In addition, there are 18 more specimens labeled “Lowell Mass,” which we designate as paralectotypes

TYPE LOCALITY—Massachusetts, Lowell (lectotype here designated)

TYPE DEPOSITORY—MCZ

REMARKS—This species is most similar to A latispina and A amplipunctata in overall appearance The anterior clypeal margin is distinctly emarginate and the pronotal punctations are small in A opifex; A latispina has the clypeal apex feebly emarginate and has coarse pronotal punctations Also, the armature of the male genital sac is quite different as is the geographic distribution of these 2 species (See “Remarks” under A amplipunctata) A long series of this species was collected at Phillipsburg, New Jersey Stebnicka (1977:459) listed the state as New York, but the labels clearly indicate New Jersey, although there is also a Phillipsburg in Orange Co, New York

DISTRIBUTION—Nova Scotia to northeastern New Jersey, west to Indiana New Records: Canada, Ontario: Carleton Co, Constance Bay; Ottawa USA, Indiana: Porter Co, Dunes St Park New York: Canton; Oneida Lake, Sylvan Bay Pennsylvania: Alleghany Co

Aegialia opifex is a species of aphodiine dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in North America.