Balleriodes sphaera, Grebennikov, 2021

Grebennikov, Vasily V., 2021, Phylogenetic placement of a new paleoendemic pill scarab from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, triggers biogeographic interpretations (Coleoptera: Hybosoridae, Ceratocanthinae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 283-298 : 290

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.13133/2284-4880/547

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DF5C4463-4C32-4C56-95F1-C7378EAD5869

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A5143A-FF9C-FFD3-FF7B-B321FD70C6A1

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Balleriodes sphaera
status

sp. nov.

Balleriodes sphaera View in CoL sp. nov.

Figs 1B–F View Fig , 2A–S View Fig , 3 View Fig , 4 View Fig , 5 View Fig )

Type locality. Tanzania, the Udzungwa Mountains , 7.8419º S 36.8546º E, 1083 m GoogleMaps .

Description. The morphological description is the same as that given above for the genus. Holotype maximal body length (in enrolled position, Fig. 1B View Fig ): 3.2 mm (variation: 3.2 – 3.4, n = 3), maximal body width 3.0 (variation: 3.0 – 3.2 mm, n = 3), maximal body height in lateral view ( Fig. 1D View Fig ): 2.6 mm. DNA of holotype: MW393776 (COI); DNA data of paratypes: MW340075, MW340084, MW393773–5, MW393777–9 (COI), MW340105 (ITS2) and MW340120, MW340129 (28S).

Material examined. Holotype (deposited in the Canadi- an National Collection of Insects , Arachnids and Nematodes , Ottawa, Canada), not sexed, “ TANZANIA, Udzungwa Mts., -7.8419 36.8546, 1083m, 7.x.2014, sift03, V.Grebennikov”, “CNCCOLVG00008750” GoogleMaps . Paratypes (deposited together with the holotype), eight specimens 8751–55 and 8968–70, same data as holotype (of them specimen 8968 is in the collection of Alberto Ballerio; see Acknowledgements) GoogleMaps .

Distribution. This species is known only from the type locality.

Biology. All specimens were taken in a single sifting sample in the montane rainforest, although a total of 13 sifting samples was taken in the Udzungwa Mountains (sample list in Table 1 in Grebennikov 2017). Phoretic mites were detected under the elytra of both dissected paratypes ( Figs 2I, J View Fig ).

Etymology. The species epithet is the Latin noun meaning “ball, globe, sphere”, with reference to the peculiarly globular shape of conglobate specimens of the new species, likely most closely approaching a perfect sphere among all Ceratocanthinae (and, therefore, of all Coleoptera ); in apposition.

V

Royal British Columbia Museum - Herbarium

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Hybosoridae

Genus

Balleriodes

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