Onthophagus (Eremonthophagus) sticticus Harold, 1867

[Fig. 6]

Literature quotes. SAUDI ARABIA: “ Arabia ” (Harold 1867). Makkah Province, “Djedda” (d’Orbigny 1900); “Buraiman”; “Ta’if”; “ Mecca ”; “Al Lith”; “Shi’aera [Al Shaira], antilocust camp north of Qunfidha” (Scott in Paulian 1948). Madinah Province, “ 16 km W Badr Hunayn”. Hejaz, “N Hedjaz” (Zunino 1981). Yemen: without locality (Scott in Paulian 1948). “Nord Yemen” (Paulian 1980). Oman: Muscat Governorate, “Muscat” (Scott in Paulian 1948). Without locality (Janikova 1998). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: without locality (Gillett & Gillett 2005).

Material examined. SAUDI ARABIA: 1 ex. with no further data (JSCS) . Jizan Province, Farasan islands, Al- Sajid, (16.860626°N, 41.932564°E), 17.ii.2017, U.M. Abu El-Ghiet & T. M. Elsheikh leg. 1 ♀ (KSMA) ; ibidem, 10.x.2017, Abu El-Ghiet & T. M. Elsheikh leg. 3 ♂♂ (KSMA) . Makkah Province, Hedjas, Buraiman, 12 miles N. of Jidda, 4.xii.1944, A. R. Waterston leg. 1 ♀ (paratype of O. saudensis Frey, 1962, NHMUK) ; ibidem, 8.xii.1944, A. R. Waterston leg. 1 ♀ (holotype of O. saudiensis Frey, 1962, NHMB) . YEMEN: Sana’a Governorate, Sana’a, 2400 m, C. Rathjens leg. 1 ex. (NHMUK); Mafhaq, 2350 m (1509′03″N 4357′16″E), 7.x.2005, D. Král leg. 1 ex. (NMPC) . OMAN: Al Batinah Governorate, Batinah b. Sohar (2425′N 5642′E), 18/ 22.v.1982, M. D. Gallagher leg. 1 ex. (JSCS) . Al Wusta Governorate, Jiddat al Harasis (1918′N 5707′E, 9.ii.1992, 1 ex. (ONHM) ; Yalooni (1956′N 5706′E), 25.ii.1990, 1 ex. (SOIC) ; ibidem, xi.1992, 1 ex. (SOIC); Huqf (2025′42″N 5726′25″E), 18/ 19.iv.1998, M. D. Gallagher leg. 1 ex. (SOIC) ; Sahil Al Tazir, Sawairah (1808′N 5632′E) 10/ 13.v.1983, M. D. Gallagher leg. 1 ex. (SOIC) . Dhofar Governorate, Ash-Shuwayiyah, on the beach, 24.xi.2017, T. Lackner leg 1 ex. (SZCM) . Masqat Governorate, near Fins, 15–25 m, (2256′53N 5911′17E), 4/ 5.iv.1996, M. D. Gallagher leg. 8 exx. (SOIC) .

Distribution. Arabian Peninsula: Oman and Yemen (Scott in Paulian 1948), Saudi Arabia (Harold 1867), United Arab Emirates (Gillett & Gillett 2005). North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia (Baraud 1985). Africa: Eritrea, Somalia (Balthasar 1963), Kenya (Tagliaferri et al. 2012). Asia: Iran (Ziani & Bezděk 2016).

Remarks. Onthophagus saudiensis was described by Frey (1962) from two specimens from Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, and placed in the d’Orbigny (1913)’s 29 th group, that Frey himself called “29. Gruppe ochreatu s d’Orb.”. Actually, for O. ochreatus d’Orbigny, 1898 and others species, almost thirty years before, Balthasar (1935) erected the subgenus Micronthophagus . For these reasons Zunino (1981), not knowing O. saudiensis, tentatively placed this species in the subgenus Micronthophagus Balthasar, 1963 . As said above, the type series is constituted by two specimens, identified as males by Frey (1962) but actually two females. The author clearly stated (Frey 1962, p. 619): “Type im Britischen Museum, Paratype im meinem Museum” [Type in British Museum, Paratype in my Museum], discriminating between “Type” [= holotype] and “ Paratype ”. Therefore, article 73.1.1. of the Code (ICZN 1999) is met and the holotype is the specimen housed in BMNH, while specimen deposited in Frey’s collection is a paratype.

They are labelled as follows:

Holotype, fixed by original designation (NHMB): 1st, white with a horizontal yellow line, printed in black: “HEJAZ / Buraiman. / 12 miles N. of Jidda. / 8.xii.1944. / A. R. Waterston. / B. M. 1947-349.”; 2nd, red, printed in black: “ PARATYPUS ”; 3rd, white, handwritten in blue and printed in black: “ P. Typus / Onthophagus / saudiensis / n sp / det. G. Frey, 1961”; 4th, white, printed and handwritten in black: “ Onthophagus (Erem.) / sticticus HAR. ♀ / J. SCHEUERN det. 98”; 5th, red handwritten in black: “comb. with / TYPE ♀ / saudiensis FREY / Brit. Mus. 2.99 / J. SCHEUERN vid”.

Paratype (NHMUK): 1st, white with a horizontal yellow line, printed in black: “HEJAZ / Buraiman. / 12 miles N. of Jidda. / 4.xii.1944. / A. R. Waterston. / B. M. 1947-349.”; 2nd, round, white, encircled of red, printed in black: “Type”; 3rd, red, printd in black: “TYPUS”; 4th, white, handwritten in blue and printd in black: “Typus ♂ / Onthophagus / saudiensis / n sp / det. G. Frey, 1961”; 5th, white, handwritten in blue: “Synonymous / with / O. sticticus ”; 6th, white, printed and handwritten in black: “ Onthophagus (Erem.) / sticticus HAR. ♀ / J. SCHEUERN det. 98”; 7th, white, handwritten and printed in black: “ Onthophagus / sticticus HAR. / S. Ziani det. 19” .

After the examination of both the specimens, we can propose the new synonymy Onthophagus sticticus Harold, 1867 = Onthophagus saudiensis Frey, 1962 new synonym .