Onthophagus semicornis

Ziani, Stefano, 2011, A new Iranian Onthophagus species belonging to the O. semicornis group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini), Zootaxa 2907, pp. 47-50 : 50

Key to the species in the O. semicornis group modified from Ziani & Gudenzi (2007)

1. Clypeal margin more-or-less shallowly emarginate medially; pronotal punctures on disc separated by 0.5–2.0 diameters .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2

-. Clypeal margin arcuately excised medially; pronotal punctures on disc separated by 2–4 diameters. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan............................................................................................................ O. silus Balthasar, 1960

2. Pronotum with two anteromedian tubercles, tubercles distinctly separated................................................................ 3

-. Pronotum with an anteromedian prominence, prominence sometimes appearing bilobate ......................................... 5

3. Pronotal punctures simple, large, umbilicate on disc. Afghanistan............................. O. nurestanicus Kabakov, 1982

-. Pronotal punctures with a small granule at anterior margin ........................................................................................ 4

4. Superior edge of occipital carina straight in dorsal view, with no trace of lateral horns; occipital carina broader basally than the clypeofrontal carina. Turkmenistan........................................................ O.rufimanus Kabakov, 1982

-. Superior edge of occipital carina sinuate in dorsal view, weakly dentate at middle and/or with a lateral horn more-orless erect on each side; occipital carina basally at least as broad as the clypeofrontal carina. Eastern Russia, northern and central China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan................................................................. O. olsoufieffi Boucomont, 1924

5. Pronotum doubly sinuate laterally; occipital carina with a high, slender, bifurcate horn; anteromedian pronotal prominence slender, prolonged to top of occipital horn. South Korea. .................................. O. koryoensis Kim, 1985

-. Sides of pronotum only distinctly sinuate behind anterior angles ............................................................................... 6

6. Occipital carina with an erect, terminally narrow crest; base of carina distinctly not extending from side to side of head ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7

-. Occipital carina with a simple, more-or-less erect lamina; carina base extended, or nearly extended, from side to side of head.......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

7. Anteromedian pronotal prominence broad, transverse, more than twice as wide as long, only slightly more projecting forward than the anterolateral tubercles ( Fig. 8 ). Dorsal surface shiny. Central and southern Europe; Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia........................................................................ O. semicornis (Panzer, 1798)

-. Anteromedian pronotal prominence less than twice wider than long, clearly more projecting forward than anterolateral tubercles ( Fig. 7 ). Dorsal surface dull. Northeastern Iran................................................................ O. samai n. sp.

8. Occipital carina erected in a rectangular lamina with vertical sides, straight in dorsal view, extending at base to inner edge of eyes ( Fig. 9 ). Greece, Bulgaria........................................................................ O. eulaminicornis Pittino, 2006

-. Occipital carina weakly elevated, sometimes raised at edges, sinuate in dorsal view, distinctly bent back laterally, clearly twisted over each lateral extremity and visibly turning out and backwards, extending at base almost to outer edge of eyes ( Fig. 10 ). Turkey, Caucasus, southern European Russia; northwestern Iran............................................. ................................................................................................................................... O. sacharovskii Olsoufieff, 1918

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 10. Onthophagus “ semicornis lineage ”, head and pronotum of male in dorsal view. 7: Onthophagus samai n. sp., holotype; 8: Onthophagus semicornis (Panzer, 1798) (Italy, Abruzzo Province); 9: Onthophagus eulaminicornis Pittino, 2006 (Greece, Thrace); 10: Onthophagus sacharovskii Olsoufieff, 1918 (Turkey, Kayseri Province). Photographs by A. Degiovanni.