Ascopus pyriformis Marshall, 1951

(Fig. 4)

Ascopus pyriformis Marshall, 1951: 323 (original description).

Ascopus pyriformis: Marshall 1954: 20 (list); Hoffmann 1963: 310 (note); Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal 1999: 149 (catalogue).

Type locality. Ivory Coast: Mt. Tonkoui .

Type material examined. Type (MNHN): ‘IFAN-1946 / TONKOUI C.I. / 500-900 m / A. VILLIERS [p] // FORET SECON [p] / 20-30-IX [hw] // TYPE [pr, red] // Museum Paris [p, blue] // Ascopus / pyriformis, Mshl. / TYPE ♁ [hw, by Marshall]’. Syntypes, 6 spec. (BMNH): ‘ SYNTYPE [p, rounded, blue margin] // Cotype [p, round- ed, yellow margin] // IFAN-1946 / TONKOUI C.I. / 900-1200 m / A. VILLIERS [hw] // FORET PRIM / 20-30-IX [hw] // Ascopus / pyriformis, Mshl. / COTYPE [hw] // Pres by / Com Inst Ent / B M 1951-61 [p]’. Four syntypes are from lower altitudes, having stated 500-900 m in the third label.

Additional material examined. 7 spec., Guinée, Nimba, Keoulenta, 2.vi.1942, M. Lamotte lgt. (MNHN) ; 3 spec., Guinée, Mt. Nimba, Gbakoré, 700 m, 30.x.2008, Vanderbergh lgt. (coll. Vanderbergh) ; 2 spec., Guinée, Mt. Nimba, Gbakoré, mare d’hivernage, 1625 m, 2.x.2008, Vanderbergh lgt. (coll. Vanderbergh) ; 26 spec., Ivory Coast, Mt. Nimba camp., Savannah & gallery forest, 07°35′15″ N, 08°25′05″ W, 28.iv.-8.v. 2016, 823 m, Aristophanous M., Geiser M., Moretto P. leg. (BMNH) ; 6 spec., Ivory Coast, Mt. Tonkoui Peak, 07°27′15.2″ N, 007°38′12.5″ W, 12.-18.vii.2015, 1171 m, Aristophanous M., Moretto P., Ruzzier E. leg. (BMNH) .

Remarks. The original description was based on 64 specimens from Ivory Coast and Guinea. Ascopus pyriformis is typical among other Ascopus species and is characterized by long oval elytra and straight protibiae, which makes this species easily distinguishable. Marshall (1954), stated there were another 30 specimens from Mont Nimba, Nion, but these were not examined by us.