Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) sternalis (Moser, 1914)

Rojkoff, Sebastien & Perissinotto, Renzo, 2015, Review of the genera Anelaphinis Kolbe, 1892 and Atrichelaphinis Kraatz, 1898 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), ZooKeys 482, pp. 91-142 : 115-117

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) sternalis (Moser, 1914) Figure 16

Anelaphinis sternalis Moser, 1914: 606-607 ; Schenkling 1921: 306; Antoine 1991: 2; Marais and Holm 1992: 7.

Type specimen.

Holotype male: "Abessinien" (MNHU).

Redescription

(n = 24). Size: length ♂, 12.1-13.7 mm; ♀, 12.9-13.5 mm; width ♂, 7.1-8.2 mm; ♀, 7.5-7.8 mm.

Body. Gound color from brown orange to brown red, with green marks more or less developed, at times covering whole dorsal surface with exception of few areas of ground color; velutinous, with metallic reflections as in Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) simillima ; tomentum and pilosity well developed and with almost same distribution as in Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) simillima ; mesepimeron mainly glabrous and without sculpture in male (sometimes with tomentum), with setigerous sculpture in female.

Head. Vertex velvety sometimes reaching clypeal disc; clypeus transverse, reborded and slightly bilobed in front; sculpture dense and strong, simple on disc and more or less confluent in front and laterally; vertex with smooth area and tomentum; large and very smooth vertical carina extending from vertex to clypeal disc, which is convex.

Pronotum. Transverse; lateral margins with very rounded lateral angles and regularly curved from posterior to anterior angles, reborded except in front of posterior angles; posterior margin strongly concave in front of scutellum, then bisinuate on each side; sculpture very light, sometimes undiscernible, scattered on disc but slightly denser near the anterior angles, punctuation stronger in female; tomentose line along outer margins and two radial lines of three spots each at side of midline, sometimes extra spots between these and outer ones.

Scutellum. Longitudinal, acute to blunt, usually smooth but with few punctures in some specimens; grooved laterally, sides almost straight.

Elytra. With weak posthumeral emargination, reborded laterally; disc without tomentum and with sculpture consisting of simple to crescent small punctures forming simple striae and interstriae; dense horseshoe sculpture laterally, near humeral callus and apically; sutural apex acute, slightly protruding backwards in male but not in female.

Pygidium. With large tomentose spots and bands.

Underside. Shiny, with large tomentose areas on prosternum, procoxae, mesepimeron, metepimeron, metepisternum, sides of metasternum and abdomen; mesosternal apophysis finely punctate, not transverse, almost as wide as long, protruding in front of mesocoxae and orientated downwards; abdomen slightly concave in male and convex in female.

Legs. Shiny; meso- and metatibiae with carina on external side just below middle; female with protibiae and metatibial spurs enlarged, metatibiae stronger, metatarsomeres shorter and more robust than in male; metatibial spurs very thin and acute in male, very slightly enlarged and less acute but not blunt in female.

Aedeagus. Length of parameres less than twice their width, sides converging in front, apex rounded, not truncate and not bulbous laterally, incised in the mid downturning part of apex.

Remarks.

This species is currently only known from Ethiopia. It is very close to Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) simillima from which it can be separated through the sculpture of the dorsal side, the shape of the mesosternal apophysis and, to a lesser extent, the aedeagus. The Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) species from Ethiopia are sometimes difficult to identify. For example, the Alexis Collection (IRSN) holds specimens from Lake Tana that exhibit a color pattern typical of Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) sternalis ; however upon close scrutiny they were found by the authors to resemble most closely Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) simillima . However, the general body shape, the laterally bulbous apex of the parameres, the slightly more upturned anterior margin of the clypeus and the very weakly protruding mesosternal apophysis in front of the mesocaxae without downturning could cast some doubt over this identification. All the other characters are similar to those found in Atrichelaphinis (Eugeaphinis) simillima . It is also possible that these specimens could represent either a new species, subspecies or just an hybrid between the two species. Another possibility is that of marked intraspecific variation. It may be necessary to study extensive series of specimens from more localities in order to resolve this issue conclusively.