Onthophagus (Furconthophagus) frontalis Raffray, 1877

[Fig. 9]

Literature quotes. None.

Material examined. YEMEN: Sana’a Governorate, Wadi Dhahr, 2240 m (1526′43″N 4467′34″E), 15/ 17.xi.2003, D. Král leg. 1 ex. (NMPC) .

Distribution. Africa: Eritrea, Djibouti (d’Orbigny 1913). Somalia (Carpaneto & Piattella 1990).

Remarks. First record for the Arabian Peninsula, notably Yemen. The sole specimen examined, a male, has an apical reddish yellow spot on 3 rd /4 th elytral interstria. D’Orbigny (1904) writes: “Dans mon Synopsis des Onthophagides paléarctiques et dans le Supplément (in L’Abeille, XXIX, p. 158 et 294), j’ai confondu cette espèce [ Onthophagus frontalis Raffray, 1877] avec parvulus Fabr. qui lui ressemble beaucoup et est décrit de l’Inde. Les exemplaires provenant du Sind: Kurrachee (Maindron) sont bien des parvulus, mais ceux que j’ai signalés d’Obock (Maindron, coll. Muséum de Paris), et de Djibouti (H. Coutière, id.), sont des frontalis . Le parvulus est donc rayer de la liste des espèces africaines” [In my “Synopsis des Onthophagides paléarctiques and in the “Supplementum (in L’Abeille,XXIX, p. 158 et 294), I confounded this species [ Onthophagus frontalis Raffray, 1877] with parvulus Fabr. which is very similar to it and is described from India. Specimens from Sind: Kurrachee (Maindron) [Pakistan] are indeed parvulus, whereas the ones I have recorded from Obock (Maindron, Paris Museum collection) and Djibouti (H. Coutiér, id.) are frontalis . O. parvulus is therefore to be removed from the list of the African species].

After having examined the aedeagus and the internal sac, specifically the lamella copulatrix, of O. frontalis and compared them with those of O. furcatus, the type species of Furconthophagus, we believe that the species should be placed in this subgenus.