Erymanthus ater Hintz, 1905

Gerstmeier, Roland & Salvamoser, Max, 2014, Revision of the checkered beetle genus Erymanthus Spinola, 1841 (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Clerinae), Zootaxa 3755 (6), pp. 501-548 : 505-507

Erymanthus ater Hintz, 1905

( Figs 8–9 , 39 A)

Hintz 1905: 308.

Specimens examined: Holotype: N. Kamerun, Joh. Albrechtshöhe, L. Conradt S., Type, Schenkling det., Erymanthus ater m, Holotypus, Erymathus ater Hintz, 1905 , labelled by MNHUB 2012 (ZMB).

Comment on type specimens: Hintz (1905: 308) describes one specimen from Johann Albrechts-Höhe, therefore the specimen of Zoologisches Museum Berlin ( ZMB) is considered the holotype, fixed by monotypy ( ICZN 1999: Article 73.1.2).

Others: Muséum Paris, Senegal, Podor, R. Chudeau. 1911, Chôut. Sept. 1910 ( MNHN). N. Kamerun, Joh. Albrechtshöhe, 1897-99, L. Conradt S. V., 1229, Erymanthus ater Hintz , Museum f. Naturkunde Berlin ( ZMB). Uamgebiet, Bosum, 11.– 20.6.14, Tessmann S., 10024-10030, Erymanthus ater Hintz , Museum f. Naturkunde Berlin ( ZMB). Uamgebiet, Bosum, 11.– 20.6.14, Tessmann S., C9544-9548, Erymanthus ater Hintz , Museum f. Naturkunde Berlin ( ZMB). N. Nigeria, Kaduna, 7.–9.71, leg. H. Politzar, Coll. Mus. Tervuren, Erymanthus ater Hintz ♂, J. J. Menier det. 1981 ( MRAC). Fort-Crampel, Congo-Français, Coll. X, Erymanthus horridus Ww. ( HNHM). Soil-Zoological Exp. Congo-Brazzaville, Brazzaville, ORSTOM park, 22.12.1963, No. 494, beaten and singled, leg. Balogh & Zicsi, M. Budapest ( ISNB). Elfenbeinküste, Comoe-Park, 25.6.1993, lg. Rödel ( RGCM). Rep. Centrafric., La Maboke, 3.4.1977, N’Gombé-Docko Réc. ( RGCM).

Diagnosis: Erymanthus ater can be confused with E. revoili , E. horridus and E. pustulosus ; E. revoili has conical pronotal gibbosities and a conspicuous rasp-like punctation; E. horridus shows a longitudinal ridge in its pronotal groove and has a conical phallic tip; the tegminal struts of E. pustulosus are broadly furcate and the tips of tegminal lobes are blunt; E. ater is clearly recognizable by the long antennomeres 9–11.

Length: (10 specimens measured) 10–14mm (average 11.75mm).

Head: Black; antennae brown; frons with two gibbosities; with whitish to yellow anteriorly directed pilosity; antennomere 2 longer than A3; antennomeres 9–11 longer than 1–8; with a large club.

Pronotum: Pronotal length to width ratio 1.04:1 to 1.13:1 (average 1.08:1); black, pronotal arch lighter; apex sometimes with light markings; pronotal groove shallow, gibbosities protuberant; broadest in the middle; with long yellow-brown pilosity.

Scutellum: Black; vested with white setae.

Elytra: Elytral length to width ratio 2.13:1 to 2.47:1 (average 2.36:1); black with diaphanous markings; punctation fine, elongate-ovate, interstices wider than diameter of punctation, irregularly distributed; with dense posteriorly directed red brown to black pilosity; gibbosities with dense fine punctation (sometimes with dark setal tuft).

Legs: Dark, sometimes basal part of meso- and metafemora lighter.

Lower surface: Dark, with dense posteriorly directed white pilosity.

Male genitalia, pygidium, ventrite VI: Tips of tegminal lobes pointed, tegminal lobes three-eighths length of tegmen; tegminal struts quite narrow, last one-fifth furcate; phallic tip blunt; posterior side of pygidium rounded, very slightly pointed; processes of ventrite VI pointed.

Distribution: Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo.

Seasonal occurrence: Collected from June to December.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Erymanthus ater: (A) Aedeagus ventral, (B) Phallus lateral, (C) Tegmen dorsal, (D) Spicular fork, (E) Pygidium, (F) Ventrite VI; (scale bars 1 mm).

FIGURE 9. Distribution of Erymanthus ater.

FIGURE 39. (A) Erymanthus ater, (B) Erymanthus belzebuth, (C) Erymanthus bicolor, (D) Erymanthus diversipes, (E) Erymanthus flavonotatus, Lectotype, (F) Erymanthus gemmatus; (scale bars 5 mm).