Bolbaoeer sasakii, Gussmann & Scholtz, 2001

Gussmann, S. M. V. & Scholtz, C. H., 2001, Systematic revision of the Afrotropical genus BolbaOEer Vulcano, Martinez and Pereira (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae: Bolboceratinae), with descriptions of eight new species, Journal of Natural History 35 (7), pp. 1013-1084 : 1072-1074

BolbaOEer sasakii sp. nov.

(®gures 4l±n, 6a, b, 22i±o, 25)

Description male

Body length 22.8±26.4 mm (7 specimens). Colour mid- to dark brown, head and pronotum slightly darker. Outer margin of mandibl e rounded. Clypeus with bituberculate, feebly arcuate transverse posterior carina; tubercles in line with clypeo-frontal transition; length of posterior carina variable, from as long as to slightly shorter than anterior carina. Frons feebly depressed posterior to posterior clypeal carina. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment about one-half of exposed surface. Pronotum with anterior margin medially raised and bituberculate / bihorned (®gure 4l, m), in dorsal view slightly projecting over frons (®gure 6a); with pair of long, slightly inward curved, outer horns along posterior margin in major males (®gures 4l, 6a) or with pair of short, more approximated horns in minor males (®gure 4m) and with transverse swollen non-carinate areas in between (as in ®gure 6a); disc with ®ne, well-spaced punctures, these increasingly interspersed by large, often conūent punctures towards sides and along anterior margin of pronotum. Scutellum with surface coarsely punctate. Elytron with strial punctures separate d by four to ®ve puncture diameters; intervals with approximatel y four to six punctures between two striae. Protibia ®ve-dentate (®gure 6a, b). Protibial spur more or less as long as ®fth tarsomere, acuminate. Metatrochanter of unmodi®ed shape; surface with dense, moderately long setation, setae sometimes sparser in apical area. Metafemur in ventral view in posterior third with line of densely spaced, moderately long and long setae; with dense, moderately long and long setae in basal area and basal third along posterior margin; with fairly dense, long setae in anterior third and apical area; remaining areas with sparse, long setation. Metatibia in lateral view elongate, only slightly broadening apically; with subapical carina bilobed; with unmodi®ed spurs. Underside with sternites 4, 5 and 6 strongly modi®ed (®gure 22i±k); process on sternite 4 elongate and bispinose in posterior part of apex (®gure 22i, k); apex of pygidium with very feebly pointed tip (not illustrated). Genitalia with aedeagus as in ®gure 22l±n; genital capsule apically with moderately long setation.

Description female

Body length 22.5±24.0 mm (5 specimens). Colour as in male. Outer margin of mandible rounded. Clypeus unarmed. Frons with distinctly raised bituberculate, transverse carina; carina positioned between eye-canthi, slightly anterior to posterolateral genal angle; carina straight and variable in length, from as long as to slightly shorter than anterior clypeal carina. Antennal club as in male. Pronotum with anterior margin medially raised, in frontal view slightly bisinuate (®gures 4n, 6b), in dorsal view feebly arcuate; with transverse distinctly carinate swelling at median portion of disc; carina in frontal view as in ®gures 4n and 6b, in dorsal view feebly bisinuate; swelling with sparse ®ne and small punctures; area anterior to swelling (shaded area in ®gure 4n) with very densely spaced small, deep punctures; on feebly swollen areas lateral to densely punctate area and also along posterior margin with large, densely spaced punctures; otherwise with very densely spaced, partially conūent, large punctures. Scutellum and elytron as in male. Protibia and protibial spur as in male. Metatrochanter of unmodi®ed shape; with dense, moderately long setation in basal third and along posterior margin; remaining surface asetose. Metafemur in ventral view in posterior third with line of fairly dense, moderately long and long setae; with fairly dense and long setae in anterior third and apical area; with fairly dense, moderately long setae along posterior margin; remaining areas with few isolated setae. Metatibia as in male. Underside with sternite 5 medially with large, rounded swelling (®gure 22o); in ventral view swelling slightly projecting over posterior margin of sternite 5; apex of sternite 6 rigid and strongly sclerotized, with broad, arcuate emargination (®gure 22o); pygidium unmodi®ed (®gure 22o).

Distribution (®gure 25). Only known from Kenya and one untraced locality in Tanzania.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE:` Kenya, I.93, Sagala Hills [ca. 03.30S 38.20E], Werner leg.’ ( TMSA) ; ALLOTYPE m:` Kenya, I.93, Sangala [Sagala] Hills, Taita Region, Werner leg.’ ( TMSA); 10 PARATYPES: 1, same data as allotype ( NSCJ) ; 1 l[diss.]:`E. Africa, 85.38’ [handwritten] /` B. princeps Kolbe’ [handwritten] ( BMNH) ; 1m,` Kwakiyembe [not traced], D.O.Afr. [ Tanzania], Mai 1916, leg. Methner’ ( ZMHB) ; 1m,` Kenya Colony, Watita Hill [Watiti Hill, 03.25N 39.18E], Kedai , April 1912, C.Montague Smyth’ /`Brit. Mus. 1924-73. ’ ( BMNH) ; 1,` Kenya, Ikutha [02.05S 38.10E], Kitui Region, Werner leg. I.91’ ( RMCI) ; 1,`Kenya-S., Voi [03.23S 38.35E], 13± 17.xii.1997, M. SnizÏek leg.’ ( RMCI) ; 1, 1m,`Kenya-S., Voi , 23.xi.1997, M. SnizÏek leg.’ ( RMCI) ; 1m,`Kenya-S., Tsavo East, Buchuma [ca 03.41S 38.52E], 28.xi.1997, M. SnizÏek leg.’ ( NSCJ) ; 1,` Kenya, Voi, Tsavo Gate [02.59S 38.27E], 26.xii.1990, B.D. Gill’ ( BGCC) .

Etymology. Named after Colonel Nozomu Sasaki (Tokyo, Japan) who kindly provided us with some of the scarce material of this species for study.

Comments. The correct male / female association of B. sasakii is ®rmly established by several males and females that were collected together. We were supplied with habitat information by one of the collectors, Mr K. Werner (personal communication), for the specimens that were found at`Sagala Hills’: the area is characterized by thornbush savanna, growing on lateritic soils, and by gallery forest along a nearby river.

Males of B. sasakii are easily identi®ed by their sternal and pygidial modi®cations alone, particularly by the bispinose process on sternite 4 (®gure 22i, j). Modi®cations on sternites 4, 5 and 6 are most similar in B. abyssinicus males but in the latter the process on sternite 4 is trispinose (®gure 24c, d) and the posterior margin of sternite 5 is diOEerently shaped (compare ®gure 24b with 22i). The two species also diOEer in the shape of the pygidium which is highly modi®ed in B. abyssinicus (®gure 24a) but virtually unmodi®ed, i.e. rounded with very feebly pointed tip in B. sasakii . With respect to the pronotal armature, B. sasakii males (®gure 4l, m) are very similar to B. namibiensis males (®gure 4r, s) but diOEer, once more, in the sternal and pygidial modi®cations (compare ®gure 22i±k with 23a±c). The holotype of B. sasakii represents a major male.

Females of B. sasakii are distinguished from females of other members of the B. abyssinicus species-group by the broad, arcuate emargination on the apex of the sternite 6 and by the unmodi®ed pygidium (®gure 22o). These modi®cations, the large rounded swelling on sternite 5 and the very densely spaced, small, deep punctures in the area anterior to pronotal swelling (shaded area in ®gure 4n) immediately separate B. sasakii females from females of the remaining congeneric species that do not belong to the B. abyssinicus species-group.