An overview of the Onthophagini from the Arabian Peninsula (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae)
Author
Ziani, Stefano
Author
Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud Saleh
Author
Aldhafer, Hathal Mohammed
Author
Barbero, Enrico
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-08-21
4658
1
1
36
journal article
25961
10.11646/zootaxa.4658.1.1
31d6e081-95c3-4086-a45a-c11555dda3aa
1175-5326
3373040
ADCBCCA2-63C1-42CD-A3C9-C14F954F4A21
Onthophagus
(
Furconthophagus
)
frontalis
Raffray, 1877
[
Fig. 9
]
Literature quotes
. None.
Material examined
.
YEMEN
:
Sana’a Governorate
,
Wadi Dhahr
,
2240 m
(1526′43″N 4467′34″E), 15/
17.xi.2003
,
D. Král
leg.
1 ex.
(
NMPC
)
.
Distribution
.
Africa
:
Eritrea
,
Djibouti
(d’Orbigny 1913).
Somalia
(
Carpaneto & Piattella 1990
).
Remarks
. First record for the Arabian Peninsula, notably
Yemen
. The sole specimen examined, a male, has an apical reddish yellow spot on 3
rd
/4
th
elytral interstria. D’Orbigny (1904) writes: “Dans mon Synopsis des Onthophagides paléarctiques et dans le Supplément (in L’Abeille, XXIX, p. 158 et 294), j’ai confondu cette espèce [
Onthophagus frontalis
Raffray, 1877
] avec
parvulus
Fabr.
qui lui ressemble beaucoup et est décrit de l’Inde. Les exemplaires provenant du Sind: Kurrachee (Maindron) sont bien des parvulus, mais ceux que j’ai signalés d’Obock (Maindron, coll. Muséum de Paris), et de
Djibouti
(H. Coutière, id.), sont des
frontalis
. Le
parvulus
est donc rayer de la liste des espèces africaines” [In my “Synopsis des Onthophagides paléarctiques and in the “Supplementum (in L’Abeille,XXIX, p. 158 et 294), I confounded this species [
Onthophagus frontalis
Raffray, 1877
] with
parvulus
Fabr.
which is very similar to it and is described from
India
. Specimens from
Sind
: Kurrachee (Maindron) [
Pakistan
] are indeed
parvulus
, whereas the ones I have recorded from
Obock
(Maindron, Paris Museum collection) and
Djibouti
(H. Coutiér, id.) are
frontalis
.
O. parvulus
is therefore to be removed from the list of the African species].
After having examined the aedeagus and the internal sac, specifically the lamella copulatrix, of
O. frontalis
and compared them with those of
O. furcatus
, the
type
species of
Furconthophagus
, we believe that the species should be placed in this subgenus.