Anoplocheilus (Anoplocheilus) rusticus ( Gory & Percheron, 1833 )

Perissinotto, Renzo, Beinhundner, Gerhard & Strümpher, Werner, 2021, Description of a new species of Anoplocheilus MacLeay, 1838 from South Africa, with review of the genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 367-376 : 370-371

Anoplocheilus (Anoplocheilus) rusticus ( Gory & Percheron, 1833) ( Figs. 3 , 4 )

Cetonia rustica . Gory & Percheron 1833: 62, 263.

Anoplocheilus rusticus . Burmeister 1842: 507; Schenkling 1921: 316; Krajcik 1998: 81; Sakai & Nagai 1998: 311, pl. 109.

Anoplochilus rusticus . Péringuey 1907: 353.

Cetonia ruricola . Gory & Percheron 1833: 63, 264; Burmeister 1842: 507; Péringuey 1907: 353 ( = rusticus ); Schenkling 1921: 316 ( = rusticus ); Marais & Holm 1989: 7 ( = rusticus ); Holm & Marais 1992: 113 ( = rusticus ); Krajcik 1998: 81 ( = rusticus ); Beinhundner 2017: 504 ( = rusticus ).

Cetonia terrosa . Gory & Percheron 1833: 63, 264; Krajcik 1998: 81 ( = rusticus ).

Anoplocheilus terrosus . Burmeister 1842: 509 ( = rusticus ); Schaum 1849: 268 ( = rusticus ). Marais & Holm 1989: 7 ( = rusticus ).

Protaetia terrosa . Schaum 1849: 268. ( = rusticus ); Arrow 1910: 157 ( = rusticus ).

Eumimimetica terrosa . Kraatz 1881: 264 ( = rusticus ); Janson 1901: 183 ( = rusticus ); Mikšić 1987: 305 ( = rusticus ). Anoplocheilus (Anoplocheilus) rusticus . Marais & Holm 1989: 7; Holm & Marais 1992: 113, pl. 15.3; Holm & Stobbia 1995: 292; Beinhundner 2017: 504.

Remarks. This is a strictly coastal species that occurs on the west and south coasts of South Africa. Péringuey (1907) had already noted that adults had subterranean habits, emerging to the surface in good numbers in submerged or flooded places. Both larval and adult stages seem to feed on the roots of salt-tolerant plants, such as Senecio elegans ( Marais 1994) and Arctotheca populifolia ( Lubke et al. 1988, RP pers. observ.). Adults appear to be active throughout the year, with peak from September to December. While head, pronotum and scutellum are consistently entirely black, the elytra can vary from almost completely testaceous with some irregular dark spots to completely black. Marais (1994) subdivided the elytral patterns into four categories: 1) brown/ochre with few dark spots; 2) totally black; 3) black with irregular reddish/brown spots around scutellum and elytral base; 4) intermediate, with reddish/brown and black colouration equally distributed. Brown/testaceous examples are, however, generally twice as frequent as black forms ( Péringuey 1907, RP pers. obs.). Specimens range in size from 10 to 13.5 mm in total length and from 6 to 7 in maximum width ( Péringuey 1907, Sakai and Nagai 1998, Beinhundner 2017). Observation records show that its distribution range is somewhat different to that reported in Marais and Holm (1989) and Holm and Marais (1992), and is now updated in Fig. 5. A detailed account of known data records is also reported here below, as this was not included in the revision of Marais and Holm (1989).

Data. Lectotypes: Cetonia rustica , mihi, b. ed. Cap. Bon sp. D. Lalande ( MHNG); Cetonia ruricola, CBS ruricola nobis ( OXUM, Type Col 729); Cetonia terrosa , Cetonia terrasia nobis, Terrosa Hope Gogo E.I. , Anoplocheilus rusticus G & P, S. Africa, G. J. Arrow in BM 1907 ( OXUM, Type Col 730). Paralectotype: Cetonia rustica “!” ( MHNG) . Other Material: 1 ind, S.A. ( South Africa), (ISAM COL-A027031); 1 ind, Cape Town, 1 Jan 1887 (ISAM COL-A027032); 1 ind, Cape Town (ISAM COL-A027033); 1 ind, C.T. (Cape Town ), 1 Oct 1886 (ISAM COL-A027034); 2 inds, Betty’s Bay , Cape Province, 3 Dec 1994, AP Marais (ISAM COL-A027035); 1 ind, Vermont Dunes (nr Hermanus ), 1 Sep 1977, VB Whitehead (ISAM COL-A066117); 1 ind, S. Afr., Kommetjie , 1 Mar 1979, A Prins (ISAM COL-A036099); 1 ind, S. Afr., Saldanah Bay , 1 Jul 1979, A Prins (ISAM COL-A036098); 1 ind, Katdoringvlei Farm , Namaqualand , 28 Oct 1979, Endrody-Younga E-Y: 1664 (TMSA-CPH6306); 1 ind, Melkboschstrand , Cape Town , Aug 1965, Dickson (TMSA-CPH6307); 1 ind, Pearly Beach , Bredasdorp , Sep 1959, South African Museum (TMSA- CPH6308); 3 ind, Strandfontein , Cape, 12 Oct 1973, NJ Duke (TMSA-CPH6309); 2 ind, ibidem 19 Oct 1973, NJ Duke (TMSA- CPH6310); 2 ind, ibidem 9 Nov 1975, NJ Duke (TMSA-CPH6311); 1 ind, Pella Mission , Cape, 14 Aug 1976 (TMSA-CPH6313); 1 ind, Scarborough , Cape, 17 Mar 1973, sandy ground, DL Theron (TMSA-CPH6314); 1 ind, Cape Flats , Feb 1948, JG Theron (SANC-COLS-17175); 1 ind, Cape Town , Oct 1886 (SANC-COLS-14320); 1 ind, Cape Colony (SANC-COLS-14319); 1 ind, S. Africa, rusticus G & P, 59•57 Vigors’ Coll (BMNH-NHMUK014400127); 1 ind, Simons Town , 12-20 Apr 1915, Dr M Cameron, Brit Mus 1932-121 (BMNH-NHMUK014400137); 1 ind, Rapenburg , Cape Flats , 1-14 Oct 1920, S. Africa, RE Turner 1920-424 (BMNH-NHMUK014400135); 1 ind, idem (BMNH-NHMUK014400136); 1 ind, South Africa WC, Bloubergstrand , 5 Oct 2011, R Perissinotto & L Clennell (BMPC); 1 ind, South Africa WC, Die Mond , 28 Sep 2006, dead on sand, R Perissinotto & L Clennell (BMPC); 3♂, RSA, Cape, Betty’s Bay , 15 Oct 1995, Coll Alexis (RBINS); 1 ind, ibidem Oct 1995 (PMPC); n ind, idem (DMPC); 1♂, ibidem 2 Dec 1992, leg. CR Owen (GBPC); 1♀, ibidem 16 Dec 1992 (GBPC, PLPC); 1♂, ibidem Oct 1994 (GBPC); 5 ind, ibidem 20 Nov 1993, AP & ME Marais (BMPC, EPPC); 1 ind, ibidem 19 Nov 1993, AP & ME Marais (BMPC); 3 ind, ibidem 3 Dec 1994, AP & ME Marais (BMPC); 12 ind, ibidem 14 Nov 1993, AP & ME Marais (BMPC, TGPC, PLPC); 1 ind, ibidem 18 Dec 1994, Feeding on roots of Senecio elegans, P Stobbia (BMPC); 2 ind, ibidem 15 Sep 1998, G Gerber & D du Randt (BMPC); 3 ind, ibidem 24 Sep 1997, R Perissinotto & L Clennell (BMPC, TGPC); 1♀, ibidem, 16 Dec 1992, CR Owen leg. ( Sakai & Nagai 1998: 311); 1♂, South Africa, Cape, Nov 1993 ( Sakai & Nagai 1998: 311).

Figures

Fig. 3 – Anoplocheilus (A.) rusticus (Gory & Percheron, 1833). Male: A, dorsal habitus; B, ventral habitus; C, lateral habitus (Photographs by Lynette Clennell).

Fig. 4 – Anoplocheilus (A.) rusticus (Gory & Percheron, 1833). Male: A, clypeus; B, pygidium; C, parameres, dorsal view; D, parameres, lateral view; E, parameres, frontal view. Photographs by Lynette Clennell.

Fig. 5 – Known distribution of Anoplocheilus (A.) rusticus (Gory & Percheron, 1833) and A. (A.) clarki sp. nov. in the western South African region (map adapted from www.freeworldmaps.net).