Saprinus (Saprinus) splendens (Paykull, 1811)

Lackner, Tomas & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2017, A monograph of the Australopacific Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 689, pp. 1-263 : 154-158

Saprinus (Saprinus) splendens (Paykull, 1811) Figs 547, 548-556, 557-564, 755, 764

Hister splendens Paykull, 1811: 53.

Type locality.

Republic of South Africa: Capeland.

Type material examined.

Hister splendens Paykull, 1811: Lectotype, designated by T. Théry in 2007, ♀, pinned, left mesotarsus broken off, with the following labels: “♀” (small rectangular label, pencil-written); followed by: "8357 / E91 +" (light-blue label, printed); followed by: “LECTOTYPE” (red label, printed); followed by: " Saprinus (s.str.) / splendens (Paykull, 1811) / T.Thery det. 2007" (printed); followed by: "Naturhistoriska / Riksmuseet / Stockholm / Loan no 1024/06" (green label, printed) (NHRS).

Lackner and Gomy (2016) examined the lectotypes and paralectotypes of the synonymies of this species: Saprinus speciosus Erichson, 1834; Saprinus advena Marseul, 1855; Saprinus ovalis Marseul, 1855 and Saprinus rasselas Marseul, 1855.

Additional material examined.

AUSTRALIA. Queensland: 1 spec., Bloomf. River (HMNH); 2 specs., Strandbroke Island, 2.iii.1980, G. Daniels (MAMU): 2 specs., 3 km NE Mt.Webb, 15.03S 145.09E, 3.v.1981, J. Feehan (ANIC); 2 specs., 14 km WbyN Hope Vale Mission, 15.16S 144.59E, 7.-10.v.1981, A. Calder (ANIC); 1 spec., White Mountains National Park, "Rugged Gorge" camp, 20.23S 144.47E, 31.iii.-3.iv.2000, T. Weir (on ground at night) (ANIC); 3 specs., Nelly Bay, Magnetic Is., 5.v.1997, S. Feam (under dead cane toad) (QM); 3 specs., Caloundra, 28.x.1913, H. Hacker; 2 ♀♀ & 6 specs., Bangalee Beach, 23°04'S, 150°46'E, 10 m, 16.-19.xii.1999, D. & I. Cook (dung pitfall) (QM); 2 specs., Cairns District, no date, J.A. Anderson; 1 spec., Bamaga, xii.1983, Sedláček (QM); 1 spec., Cape York Peninsula, Lockerbie area, 13.-27.iv.1973, G.B. Monteith (QM); 1 spec., Cape Flattery Heath, 45 km N of Cooktown, 13.-14.vii.1976, G.B. & S.R. Monteith (QM); 1 spec., Moreton Island, Tertiary Dune nr. Blue Lagoon, 4.-11.xii.1988, S. Hamlet (F.I.T.) (QM); 1 spec., Cairns, Illingworth coll., no date (carrion) (BPBM); 2 specs., Bathurst Head, i.1927, Hale & Tindale (SAMA); 2 specs., Bowen, A. Simson (SAMA); 1 spec., Cairns, no further details (SAMA); 1 spec., Bathurst Head, i.1927, Hale & Tindale (SAMA). Western Australia: 8 specs., Kimberley, Carson River National Park, Solea Falls, 14°29'S, 127°00'E, 20.-22.iv.1998, D.J. Cook (pitfall, fish bait) (QM). Northern Territory: 7 specs., Litchfield NP, 40 km E of Daly River, 14.xii.2008, Sváťa Bílý leg. (NMPC; 1 spec. in coll. TLAN); 1 spec., Douglas Hot Springs, 13°45'S, 131°26'E, 12.xii.2008, Sváťa Bílý leg. (NMPC); 2 specs., Darwin, 20.iii.1968, B.P. Moore (ANIC); 1 ♂, Newcastle Waters, 19.vi.2000, dead wallaby, M.A. Hielkema (HMNH); 1 spec., Cape Crawford, 16°41'S, 135°44'E, 18.-20.iv.2004, Monteith & Cook (woodland, grassy, dung trap); 1 spec., Daly River, G.F. Hill (SAMA); 1 spec., ditto, but H. Wesselman (SAMA); 10 specs., Bathurst Island, x.1916, G.F. Hill (SAMA); 3 specs., Melville Island, G. F. Hill (SAMA); 1 spec., Roper River, H.E. Warren (SAMA); 1 spec., Fitzroy and Margaret Rivers, Calvert Expedition (SAMA); 6 specs., Groote Eylandt, N.B. Tindale (SAMA); 1 spec., Darwin (SAMA). Victoria: 1 spec., Victoria, Dr. Müller, no further details (HMNH). Unknown localities: 1 spec., Australia Occid., no further data, 1192 (HMNH).

PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 1 spec., Friedrich Wilhelm Hafen [=Madang], Biró leg., 1901 (HMNH); 1 spec., Berlinhafen [=Aitape], Tamara, Biró leg., 1896 (HMNH).

MARIANNA ISLANDS. 1 spec., Tinian Island, x.1971, M. Ali (BPBM) (distribution not shown on the map).

Biology.

Saprobiont, found especially on large cadavers, occasionally found also in dung.

Distribution.

This species was described from the Republic of South Africa, and is widespread across sub-saharan and tropical Africa to the Arab peninsula and westward through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to the Indo-Malayan Region; it is also found in Taiwan and Japan and has been recorded in Australia ( Théry et al. 2009; Mazur 2011). In Australopacific Region it is known from Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory, Victoria and Western Australia) as well as from Papua New Guinea and Marianna Islands ( Lackner and Gomy 2016; Figs 755, 764).

Remarks.

This is a widely distributed species exhibiting a wide range of variation, especially regarding size, body coloration, density and coverage of elytral punctation, elytral striae, configuration of the two sets of prosternal striae and wing venation. According to Théry et al. (2009) much of this variation is linked to the geographic origins of the specimens. Saprinus (S.) splendens has been re-described recently in detail ( Lackner and Gomy 2016) and the reader is referred to its re-description there. The species can be identified using the above key; for the sake of consistency as well as easier recognition we decided to provide it with habitus photograph, SEM micrographs as well as illustrations of male terminalia in this paper.