Pedaridium maya Vaz de Melo, Halffter & Halffter (2004) was described recently from Mexico (Quintana Roo, Chiapas, and Campeche) and Guatemala and is known nowhere else. It is isolated geographically and morphologically from other species of the genus. During a year of monthly systematic samplings (August 2001 to July 2002) in Tigre Grande, Tzucacab, Yucatan (19°42'36” N, 89°02'28”W), three permanent ‘necro’ traps and three temporary ‘copro’ traps (Morón & Terrón 1984) captured five adult specimens of P. maya. Collection data are: MEXICO: YUCATAN, Tzucacab, Tigre Grande, 20-VIII-17-IX-2001, NTP80, L.N. Peraza, col. (1f); MEXICO: YUCATAN, Tzucacab, Tigre Grande, 15-V-12-VI-2002, NTP80, L.N. Peraza, col. (2m, 1f); MEXICO: YUCATAN, Tzucacab, Tigre Grande, 10-12-VI-2002, copro trampa temporal, L.N. Peraza, col. (1f).
The specimens are deposited in the entomological collection of the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (IEXA), Xalapa, Veracruz. They represent the first records for the State of Yucatan and were captured in May, June, and August in tropical medium subperennifolious forest at 70 m altitude, with annual precipitation between 1000 and 1200 mm. In Tigre Grande, P. maya was captured with 26 other species of Scarabaeidae of the genera Canthon Hoffmansegg (3 species), Deltochilum Eschscholtz (3), Pseudocanthon Bates (1), Sisyphus Latreille (1), Eurysternus Dalman (1 species), Onthophagus Latreille (6 species), Copris Müller (2 species), Dichotomius Hope (1 species), Canthidium Erichson (2 species), Ateuchus Weber (1 species), Coprophanaeus Olsoufieff (1 species), Phanaeus MacLeay (2 species), and Uroxys Westwood (2 species).
This communication is a contribution to the project “Systematics and ecology of phytophagous and saprophagous insects” of the Departamento de Entomología (902-08), Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (CONACYT).
