Metapogonia elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945)

Bezdek, Ales, 2020, Metapogonia snizeki sp. nov. and a previously unknown female of M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Diplotaxini), ZooKeys 963, pp. 131-140 : 131

Metapogonia elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945) Figures 3-5 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 13

Metagonia elgonensis Burgeon 1945: 17, fig. 19 (primary description); Bezděk 2004: 66 (catalogue).

Metapogonia elgonensis : Lacroix 2008: 69 (new generic combination); Lacroix 2010: 78 (catalogue).

Type locality.

"Jonction Camp E. Elgon".

Type material examined.

HT, male, fixed by original designation, 8.1 mm: “MUSÉE DU CONGO | B.E.A.: Jonct. Camp - | E. Elgon, IV-V-1914 | Dr. Bayer [p] || Metagonia | elgonensis | Type Burg. [hw] || TYPUS [p] | elgonensis Burg. [h, red label, black frame] || Metagonia elgonensis | Burgeon, 1945 | holotypus, ♂ | det. A. Bezděk, 2017 [p, red label]". Deposited in MRAC.

Additional material examined

(8 specimens). UGANDA • 1 male and 6 females (IECA), Kelim River, 17.IV.1976, leg. I. Hájek • 1 male (IECA), Kapchorwa district, 5 km NE of Atari, 1066 m a.s.l., 1.47633N, 34.42011E, 26.I.2016, leg. W. & M. Grosser.

Diagnosis of females.

Body length 6.9-8.5 mm (6 specimens measured). Body elongate (Fig. 4 ), convex, surface brown, moderately shiny, anterior and basal margins of pronotum and sutura very narrowly darkened. Antennae and palpi somewhat paler. Head, pronotum, and elytra bare. Legs and ventral surface with sparse, pale setation. Clypeus transverse, broadly rounded, with coarse and dense punctures. Eye canthus prominent, largely fused with clypeus. Eye large, distinctly extended beyond the canthus. Antenna with 10 antennomeres; club trimerous, shorter than antennal shaft. Labrum transverse, narrow, completely covered by clypeus. Pronotum transverse, convex, widest at about the middle. Anterior angles prominent; posterior angles obtuse. Anterior margin with membranous border; lateral marginal line complete; basal marginal line absent. Punctation coarse. Elytron convex, widest about at middle. Surface of elytron covered with coarse, irregular punctures. Macropterous. Protibia bidentate; terminal calcar present. All tarsomeres normally developed. Claws equal, cleft at the apex. Ventral surface of thorax densely covered with setiferous punctures, setae short, recumbent. Pygidium large, almost flat, with distinct tooth in the basal third of lateral margin (Fig. 11 ).

Distribution.

Kenya ( Burgeon 1945), first record for Uganda. The species is known from the Mount Elgon area only (Fig. 17 ).

Remark.

The holotype of M. elgonensis was collected by Leon Bayer during his 1914 expedition to eastern Africa in the so called "Junction Camp" ( Bayer 1923). According to Moreau et al. (1946), the "Junction Camp" was built on a foothill of Mount Elgon in Kenya, the coordinates of the location are approximately 1°7'N, 34°50'E.

The following additional specimens were used for comparison (Figs 14-16 ):

Metapogonia kaszabi (Frey, 1974). Tanzania • 1 male (IECA), Arusha distr., Macumira near Arusha, 1200 m, 15.II.2008, leg. A. Bellmann.

Metapogonia parvula (Moser, 1918). Tanzania • 1 male (IECA), Handeni, Makinda env., 14.III.2002, leg. M. Snížek.

Metapogonia platypus (Kolbe, 1899). Tanzania • 1 male (IECA), SSW of Pangani, Pande env., 10.III.2002, leg. M. Snížek.

Figures

Figure 17. Geographic distribution of Metapogonia snizeki sp. nov. (squares) and M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945) (circles). Red symbols indicate type localities.

Figures 1 - 5. Habitus of Metapogonia spp. and associated labels. 1 M. snizeki sp. nov., HT, 7.9 mm 2 M. snizeki sp. nov., female PT No. 27, 7.4 mm 3 M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945), HT, 8.1 mm 4 M. elgonensis, female from Uganda: Kelim River, 7.8 mm 5 labels associated with the holotype of M. elgonensis.

Figures 6 - 11. Comparison of diagnostic characters of Metapogonia spp. 6 M. snizeki sp. nov., parameres of HT, dorsal view 7 the same, ventral view 8 M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945), parameres of HT, dorsal view 9 the same, lateral view 10 M. snizeki sp. nov., female pygidium of PT No. 27 11 M. elgonensis, female pygidium of specimen from Uganda: Kelim River. Not to scale.

Figures 12, 13. Male protarsomeres of Metapogonia spp., dorsal view. 12 M. snizeki sp. nov., HT 13 M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945), male from Uganda: Atari. Not to scale.

Figures 14 - 16. Parameres of Metapogonia spp., dorsal view. 14 M. kaszabi (Frey, 1974) 15 M. parvula (Moser, 1918) 16 M. platypus (Kolbe, 1899). Not to scale.