Notes on Afrotropical Catharsius species described by Edgar von Harold (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) Author Génier, François Author Josso, Jean-François text Zootaxa 2016 4072 3 333 342 journal article 46857 10.11646/zootaxa.4072.3.3 7d92035f-e4aa-40c7-a424-5e8047d30799 1175-5326 261812 C42DAE9A-4E94-4CA6-B9C8-A5FE15A47CD8 Catharsius pandion Harold, 1877 ( Figs. 1–7 ) Catharsius pandion Harold, 1877 : 97 Catharsius mossambicanus Ferreira, 1960 : 56 new synonymy Type locality. Natal ( South Africa ) FIGURES 1–7. Catharsius pandion Harold (Figs. 1–3, 5–7. lectotype ♂, Fig. 4. paralectotype ♀). 1. habitus, dorsal view; 2. head, dorsal view; 3. head and pronotum, frontal view; 4. head and pronotum, dorsal view; 5. labels; 6. parameres, dorsal view; 7. aedeagus, lateral view. Seven syntypes (4♂♂, 3♀♀) are present in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt- Universität. Catharsius pandion belongs to a complex of closely related species and in order to provide a primary type with the most diagnostic characters a large male is selected from the syntypic series as lectotype ( present designation ). This species bears the following labels ( Fig. 5 ): [ Natal ] blue card; [ Type ] red card; [Hist.-Coll. ( Coleoptera )/Nr. 9358/ Catharsius / Pandion Harold / Pr. Natal Pöppig/ Zool. Mus. Berlin] blue card; [ SYNTYPUS / Catharsius / pandion Harold, 1877 / labelled by MNHUB 2014] red card; [ LECTOTYPE ♂/ Catharsius / pandion / Harold, 1877 / dés. F. Génier, 2014] red card. The remaining 3♂♂, 3♀♀ have the same data and are designated as paralectotypes . Remark. The male lectotype has been dissected and the aedeagus extracted ( Figs. 6–7 ). Following the examination of Harold’s type specimens, we suspected that the species Catharsius mossambicanus Ferreira, 1960 would be a junior subjective synonym of C. pandion . We tried to locate the holotype of C. mossambicanus for comparison but it was not in the Museu de História Natural (formerly Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro) in Maputo ( Mozambique ) where the original description states it was deposited. Ferreira’s description is based on two male specimens. It was possible to locate a paratype , which was deposited in the National Museum in Bloemfontein. Subsequently, in material sent from the Ditsong Museum, another specimen also labeled as a paratype was found. This second specimen is a well-developed male whose label data match that of the holotype as stated in the original description. Evidence now suggests that the second specimen labelled as a paratype and deposited in the Ditsong Museum is actually the holotype . This second specimen, was dissected and matches perfectly the lectotype of Catharsius pandion . The other specimen, the actual paratype , is small and very teneral. The male holotype illustration provided by Ferreira also matches well developed males of C. pandion . We therefore establish the following synonymy: Catharsius pandion Harold, 1877 = Catharsius mossambicanus Ferreira, 1960 , new synonymy . Interestingly, this synonymy is leaving undescribed the species C. pandion sensu Ferreira ( nec Harold). This taxon will be described along with a second species of the pandion complex in a forthcoming publication.