Revision of the obligate mushroom-feeding African ‘‘ dung beetle’ ’ genus Coptorhina Hope (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)
Author
Frolov, Andrey V.
Author
Akhmetova, Lilia A.
Author
Scholtz, Clarke H.
text
Journal of Natural History
2008
2008-06-30
42
21 - 24
1477
1508
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930802002535
journal article
10.1080/00222930802002535
1464-5262
5219397
Coptorhina excavata
sp. n.
(
Figures 4
,
13A–B
,
16
,
21
)
Type material examined
Holotype
„
with label ‘‘
Mamathes
Basutoland
4 - 14-XII-1954
C. Jacot Guillarmod’
’ (
AMGS
)
.
Paratypes
. 7 spm. with same label as the
holotype
(
AMGS
,
ZIN
)
.
1
„
with label ‘‘
Basutoland
Masite,
31.I.1930
.
J. Hewitt’
’ (
AMGS
). 1
„
with label ‘‘
Mamathes
5-I-1930
C. Jaco
, Dept. of
Entomology University of Pretoria’
’ (
UPSA
)
.
1 spm. with labels ‘‘
Basutoland
Mamathes
2-XII-1933
C. Jacot Guillarmod’
’ (
UPSA
)
.
1
„
and
1 ♀
with labels ‘‘
S. Africa
,
O.F.S. Kromrant
123 BOSHOF SE2825
Ca’
’, ‘‘BMSA 14055’’ and ‘‘
November 1983
–
January 1984
. Pres. traps.’’ (
BMSA
). 1 spm. with labels ‘‘
S. Africa O.F.S. Schoongezicht
56. Bloemfontein 29
°
149 S 26
°
099 E’’, ‘‘
19.X.1983
Van Rensburg, Earle´’’ (
BMSA
). 1
„
with labels ‘‘
S. Africa
,
O.F.S. Driekloof
2836 Bloemfontein 29
°
129 S 25
°
549 E’’, ‘‘National Museum Bloemfontein Dept. Entomology’’, ‘‘
Dec. 1983
Van Rensburg, Earle´’’, ‘‘BMSA 14943’’ (
BMSA
)
.
spm. with label ‘‘
Lichtenburg Dr. Brauns’
’ (
TMSA
)
.
1 spm. with label ‘‘
Museum Paris Basoutolanad Lessouto Vallee du Ht Orange
1500 m
(legit
R
.
Ellenberger
)
E.Haug
1906’’ (
MNHN
)
.
1 spm. with label ‘‘
Museum Paris
Afrique du Sud
Pays des Bassoutos
V.
Ellenberger
1928’’ (
MNHN
)
.
1 spm. with label ‘‘
Moletsane
19-XII- 1930
C. Jacot Guillarmod’
’ (
TMSA
)
.
1
„
with labels ‘‘BETW.
LIMPOPO
& ZAMBEZI RS.’’, ‘‘C. optata’’, ‘‘SAMC-COL. AO32416’’ (
SAMC
)
.
Figures 20–22.
Coptorhina
spp
., distribution map. 20,
C. auspicata
; 21,
C. excavata
sp. n.
; 22,
C. nitefacta
.
Diagnosis
This species differs from other
Coptorhina
species
by the shape of the pronotum and its lateral border (
Figures 4
,
16
), somewhat serrate transverse pronotal carina and mostly brown coloration of elytra. From
C. nitefacta
it also differs in having densely punctured upper side of body.
Description
Holotype
„
. Strongly convex, dark-brown with slightly lighter elytra, opaque beetle (
Figure 16
). Body length 20.5 mm, width 14.0 mm. Dorsal surface without visible setae.
Head
. Clypeus with protruding anterior angles separated by deep sinuation (
Figure 4
). Sinuation right-angled to broadly rounded. Protruding angles acute to narrowly rounded apically, with short longitudinal carinae on the upper side. Genae obtusely rounded. Genal sutures feebly distinct. Frontal suture feebly visible, broadly interrupted in the middle. Head very densely and evenly punctuate, some punctures adjacent and sculpture appears rugose. Antennal clubs dark-brown.
Pronotum
. Trapezoidal, two times wider than long. Anterior margin and base finely bordered. Sides somewhat undulate. Lateral border very wide near the middle and tapering basally and apically. Pronotum divided into larger anterior part and smaller posterior part by a transversal carina. The carina is almost as wide as pronotum, very narrowly interrupted in the middle, serrate laterally. Anterior part of pronotum rugose to granulate, very deeply excavated laterally.
Elytra
. Colour brown, somewhat paler than in pronotum and head. Striae fine but distinct, punctate (punctures separated by 3–4 puncture diameter). Intervals flat, very densely punctuate, punctures separated by about 1 puncture diameter, sometimes almost adjacent; their margins sometimes indistinct especially in apical part.
Underside
. Pygidium with fine border, its disc densely punctate. Abdominal and thoracic sternites coarsely punctate except for disc of metasternum which is very sparsely to almost indistinctly punctuate.
Aedeagus
. Parameres with widely rounded apices in lateral view.
Variability
Body size of
paratypes
: length 10.5–20.5 mm, width 7.5–14.0 mm. Except for the body size variability the beetles differ in shape and sculpture of pronotum. Smaller specimens have less developed transversal pronotal carina and lesser excavated anterolateral sides of pronotum.
Distribution
The species is known from a few localities in
South Africa
(mostly in the
Free State Province
) and Western
Lesotho
(
Figure 20
).