Scapanoclypeus hardap Sehnal, 2014

Sehnal, Richard, 2014, Scapanoclypeus hardap (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Tanyproctini), a new species from Hardap province, Namibia, Zootaxa 3861 (1), pp. 96-100 : 97-99

Scapanoclypeus hardap Sehnal , new species

( Figs 1–5 )

Type locality. Namibia, Hardap province, Auob Camp , 24°51'S, 16°09'E .

Type material. Holotype and 8 paratypes (all males): “ NAMIBIA, Hardap distr. / Auob Camp N Gochas, 1090 m / 24.86639S, 16.160041E / 3- 4.1.2013 S. Murzin leg.” [printed label]. Type depository : Holotype in NMPC, paratypes numbers 1–6 in RSCV, paratype number 7 in TMSA, paratype number 8 in BMNH .

Description of holotype (♂). Body 8.6 mm long, elongate. Head dark blackish brown with brown clypeal margin; pronotum brownish yellow with darker disc and vague brownish black spots laterally. Elytra yellowish brown with brownish-black margins and darker suture. Tibiae yellowish brown; protarsi, mesotarsi, and metatarsi yellowish brown with only apices of protibial lateral teeth black. Dorsum, abdomen, and antennae yellowish brown ( Fig. 1 ).

Head. Clypeus broadly rounded, concave in spoon-like fashion; entirely covered by irregularly spaced, fine punctures; weakly rugose, without macrosetae, center with two groups of large punctures, each side with 2–3 large, deep punctures each of which bears one long columnar macroseta (often broken off); sides slightly elongate backward. Frontoclypeal suture very faint, medially with a defined long edge and toward frons with a very broad-based, tricuspid process ( Fig. 3 ); anteromedial termination rugopunctate, non-setose. Labrum reduced, triangular; lobes rounded. Frons deeply rugose; edge of clypeus strongly punctate, each puncture bearing a long, semierect, posteriorly inclined yellow macroseta; macrosetae longest at edge of clypeus and around eye canthus. Eyes large, exceeding genae externally in dorsal aspect; distance between eyes in ventral aspect shorter than diameter of eye. Genae rugopunctate, with a group of long macrosetae. Antenna with 9 antennomeres, antennal club curved in basal third, then straight, then curved apically, and at least 4.5x longer than antennal stalk (antennomeres 1–6 combined). Antennomeres 1–3 and 5–6 without macrosetae, only antennomere 4 with 2 long, erect macrosetae; entire club densely punctate, without smooth areas. Antennomere 2 bulbous and as long as antennomeres 3–4 combined ( Fig. 2 ). Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, longer than palpomeres 2 and 3 combined; subbasally with apically rounded, flat, oval alutaceous area slightly expanding toward apex.

Pronotum weakly convex, approximately heptagonal; 1.27x wider than long, broadest approximately at midlength, with very finely impressed medial line; border complete except for broad frontal interruption. Anterior and posterior angles gently rounded, poorly defined. Surface with long and short, yellow macrosetae; irregularly, sparsely punctate except on disc. Anteriorly a puncture with adjacent macrosetae twisted around disc toward base.

Scutellum as long as wide, triangular; sides straight, apex acute and without punctures, lateral margins without macrosetae.

Elytra moderately convex, slightly dilated posteriorly. Elytral disc strongly wrinkled and punctate; punctures evenly distributed, separated approximately by more than triple their diameter. Surface macrosetose as on pronotum, but setae longer; macrosetae inclined posteriorly, absent from distinct sutural interval. Elytral sides punctate but not wrinkled. Lateral margin and apex of elytron darker than discal part.

Macropterous.

Legs. All femora shiny; irregularly, coarsely punctate; macrosetae relatively long. Protibia tridentate with subapical calcar, protibial teeth short. Claws simple, each with small blunt bulges at base. Mesotibia moderately expanded apically. Metatibiae strongly expanded apically, with one oblique carina externally; apical edge with a row of short, stout macrosetae of equal length; terminal calcars stout, long, lower calcar little shorter than upper. Protarsomeres, mesotarsomeres, and metatarsomeres without patches of short, dense macrosetae; metatarsomeres ventrally with sparse, long macrosetae.

Abdominal sternites dark yellowish brown; with long, yellow, recumbent macrosetae. Pygidium flat, finely punctate, with brown margins and yellow center.

Male genitalia ( Figs 4–5 ). Aedeagus symmetrical; parameres slender, relatively long.

Female. Unknown.

Variability in males. Paratypes somewhat variable in body length (8.2–9.7 mm), slightly variable in dorsal punctation density and length and distribution of macrosetae. Color as in holotype.

Differential diagnosis. Scapanoclypeus hardap is similar to S. sinepunctatus Sehnal, 2013 , from which it differs in having a punctate clypeus with macrosetae and in the shape of protibial teeth. Based on characters stated by Evans (1987), the new species is similar to S. cornutus Evans, 1987 , from which it differs by the presence of subapical calcar on the protibia.

Etymology. Derived from area of origin of the new species, the Hardap province ( Namibia); noun in apposition.

Geographical distribution. Namibia, Hardap province ( Fig. 6 ).

This species will key to couplet 1(2) ( Scapanoclypeus sinepunctatus Sehnal, 2013 ) in the key to Scapanoclypeus species ( Sehnal 2013) . The following modifications to the key will accommodate the new species:

1‘ (2) Protibia with subapical calcar. Clypeus without punctures, protibial teeth long, apical tooth distinctly separated from middle tooth..................................................................................................... S. sinepunctatus Sehnal, 2013 .

1‘‘ Clypeus with double punctures, protibial teeth short and evenly spaced .................. S. hardap Sehnal , new species

2 (1) Protibia without subapical calcar.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Southern African distribution map of Scapanoclypeus Evans, 1987. ▼—S. hardap Sehnal, new species; S. cornutus Evans, 1987; *—S. testaceus Evans, 1987; ▲—S. aberans (Frey, 1974); Θ—S. triapicalis Sehnal, 2013 and S. sinepunctatus Sehnal, 2013; ●—S. carinatus Evans, 1987; ◊—S. aulacocoleatus Evans, 1987; ◘—S. bruneus Evans, 1987.

FIGURES 1–5. Scapanoclypeus hardap Sehnal, new species, holotype male. 1—habitus, dorsal view, scale bar = 1.0 mm; 2—antenna, dorsal view, scale bar = 1.0 mm; 3—clypeus, frontal view, scale bar = 0.5 mm; 4—parameres, dorsal view, scale bar = 0.25 mm; 5—parameres, lateral view, scale bar = 0.25 mm.