Coptorhina excavata, Frolov & Akhmetova & Scholtz, 2008

Frolov, Andrey V., Akhmetova, Lilia A. & Scholtz, Clarke H., 2008, Revision of the obligate mushroom-feeding African ‘‘ dung beetle’ ’ genus Coptorhina Hope (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), Journal of Natural History 42 (21 - 24), pp. 1477-1508 : 1500-1502

Coptorhina excavata sp. n.

( Figures 4 , 13A–B , 16 , 21 )

Type material examined

Holotype „ with label ‘‘ Mamathes Basutoland 4 - 14-XII-1954 C. Jacot Guillarmod’ ’ ( AMGS) . Paratypes. 7 spm. with same label as the holotype ( AMGS, ZIN) . 1 „ with label ‘‘ Basutoland Masite, 31.I.1930. J. Hewitt’ ’ ( AMGS). 1 „ with label ‘‘ Mamathes 5-I-1930 C. Jaco, Dept. of Entomology University of Pretoria’ ’ ( UPSA) . 1 spm. with labels ‘‘ Basutoland Mamathes 2-XII-1933 C. Jacot Guillarmod’ ’ ( UPSA) . 1 „ and 1 ♀ with labels ‘‘ S. Africa, O.F.S. Kromrant 123 BOSHOF SE2825 Ca’ ’, ‘‘BMSA 14055’’ and ‘‘ November 1983 – January 1984. Pres. traps.’’ ( BMSA). 1 spm. with labels ‘‘ S. Africa O.F.S. Schoongezicht 56. Bloemfontein 29 ° 149 S 26 ° 099 E’’, ‘‘ 19.X.1983 Van Rensburg, Earle´’’ ( BMSA). 1 „ with labels ‘‘ S. Africa, O.F.S. Driekloof 2836 Bloemfontein 29 ° 129 S 25 ° 549 E’’, ‘‘National Museum Bloemfontein Dept. Entomology’’, ‘‘ Dec. 1983 Van Rensburg, Earle´’’, ‘‘BMSA 14943’’ ( BMSA) . spm. with label ‘‘ Lichtenburg Dr. Brauns’ ’ ( TMSA) . 1 spm. with label ‘‘ Museum Paris Basoutolanad Lessouto Vallee du Ht Orange 1500 m (legit R. Ellenberger ) E.Haug 1906’’ ( MNHN) . 1 spm. with label ‘‘ Museum Paris Afrique du Sud Pays des Bassoutos V. Ellenberger 1928’’ ( MNHN) . 1 spm. with label ‘‘ Moletsane 19-XII- 1930 C. Jacot Guillarmod’ ’ ( TMSA) . 1 „ with labels ‘‘BETW. LIMPOPO & ZAMBEZI RS.’’, ‘‘C. optata’’, ‘‘SAMC-COL. AO32416’’ ( SAMC) .

Diagnosis

This species differs from other Coptorhina species by the shape of the pronotum and its lateral border ( Figures 4 , 16 ), somewhat serrate transverse pronotal carina and mostly brown coloration of elytra. From C. nitefacta it also differs in having densely punctured upper side of body.

Description

Holotype „. Strongly convex, dark-brown with slightly lighter elytra, opaque beetle ( Figure 16 ). Body length 20.5 mm, width 14.0 mm. Dorsal surface without visible setae.

Head. Clypeus with protruding anterior angles separated by deep sinuation ( Figure 4 ). Sinuation right-angled to broadly rounded. Protruding angles acute to narrowly rounded apically, with short longitudinal carinae on the upper side. Genae obtusely rounded. Genal sutures feebly distinct. Frontal suture feebly visible, broadly interrupted in the middle. Head very densely and evenly punctuate, some punctures adjacent and sculpture appears rugose. Antennal clubs dark-brown.

Pronotum. Trapezoidal, two times wider than long. Anterior margin and base finely bordered. Sides somewhat undulate. Lateral border very wide near the middle and tapering basally and apically. Pronotum divided into larger anterior part and smaller posterior part by a transversal carina. The carina is almost as wide as pronotum, very narrowly interrupted in the middle, serrate laterally. Anterior part of pronotum rugose to granulate, very deeply excavated laterally.

Elytra. Colour brown, somewhat paler than in pronotum and head. Striae fine but distinct, punctate (punctures separated by 3–4 puncture diameter). Intervals flat, very densely punctuate, punctures separated by about 1 puncture diameter, sometimes almost adjacent; their margins sometimes indistinct especially in apical part.

Underside. Pygidium with fine border, its disc densely punctate. Abdominal and thoracic sternites coarsely punctate except for disc of metasternum which is very sparsely to almost indistinctly punctuate.

Aedeagus. Parameres with widely rounded apices in lateral view.

Variability

Body size of paratypes: length 10.5–20.5 mm, width 7.5–14.0 mm. Except for the body size variability the beetles differ in shape and sculpture of pronotum. Smaller specimens have less developed transversal pronotal carina and lesser excavated anterolateral sides of pronotum.

Distribution

The species is known from a few localities in South Africa (mostly in the Free State Province) and Western Lesotho ( Figure 20 ).

Figures

Figures 1–8. Coptorhina spp. 1, lateral view of body; 2–6, head and pronotum in dorsal view; 7–8, pronotum in dorsal view. 1–2, C. auspicata; 3, C. nitidipennis; 4, C. excavata sp. n; 5, C. nitefacta; 6, C. klugii; 7, C. angolensis; 8, C. davidi. Figures are not to scale.

Figures 9–14. Coptorhina spp. 9, wing; 10–11, aedeagus in dorsal and lateral view; 12, internal sac of aedeagus; 13, internal sac sclerite arrowed in Figure 12; 14, abdomen in lateral view (14A, female, 14B, male). 9, 10, 12, 13C–E, 14, C. auspicata (13C, lectotype, Enkeldoorn, Zimbabwe, 13D, Cinergy Game farm, RSA, 13E, Shesheke, Zambia); 11, 13I–J, C. nitidipennis (13I, Cinergy Game farm, RSA, 13J, paratype, ‘‘Caffraria’’); 13A–B, C. excavata sp. n. (13A, holotype, 13B, paratype, Mamathes, Lesotho); 13F, C. klugii, Blouberg, RSA; 13G, C. davidi, paratype, Mpika, Congo; 13H, C. nitefacta, holotype, Bura, Kenya. 9, 13 and 14 are not to scale.

Figures 15–17. Coptorhina spp., general view. 15, C. auspicata, Cinergy Game farm, RSA; 16, C. excavata sp. n., holotype; 17, C. nitidipennis, Cinergy Game farm, RSA.

Figures 20–22. Coptorhina spp., distribution map. 20, C. auspicata; 21, C. excavata sp. n.; 22, C. nitefacta.