Renorphnus clementi ( Petrovitz, 1971 )

Frolov, Andrey V., Montreuil, Olivier & Akhmetova, Lilia A., 2016, Review of the Madagascan Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with a revision of the genus Triodontus Westwood, Zootaxa 4207 (1), pp. 1-93 : 55-57

Renorphnus clementi ( Petrovitz, 1971) ( Figs. 28 A–E)

Orphnus clementi Petrovitz, 1971: 21 ; Paulian 1977: 1201.

Renorphnus clementi (Petrovitz) : Frolov & Montreuil 2009: 66.

Type material examined. Holotype, male, “Ivoloina (Tamatave) Madagask.lg.Clement” (MHNG).

Additional material examined. MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana: two males, one female, “ Madagascar, Province Diego-Suarez, Montaigne Francaise , elev 150 m , 6–20 March 2001 / 12 18′8″S, 49 38′51″E R.Harin'Hala coll. malaise along forested limestone ridge MA- 01-06-07 / CASENT 8014178” (CASC); Toamasina: two females, “ Ivoloina (Tamatave) Madagask.lg. Clement [15°34′00″S, 49°37′00″E, Clement leg.]” ( MHNG); one female, “ Andasibe protected area , Mar2004, wet forest, alt. 800 m, fish bated trap [18°55′48″S, 48°25′12″E], Ilkka Hanski leg” (ZIN); one female, “Ambila Mar2004 littoral forest, alt. 50 m, fish baited trap [18°49′48″S, 49°09′00″E], Ilkka Hanski leg.” (ZIN); one female, “ MADAGASCAR: Toamasina Ambatovy, 12.4 km NE Moramanga elev 1080 m pitfall trap, 4–7 March 2007 18 ˚50'22"S 048˚18'30" E California Acad. of Sciences coll. B.L.Fisher et al. montane rainforest BLF16917” ( CASC) ; Fianarantsoa: one female, “ MADAGASCAR: Province Fianarantsoa, Manombo Special Reserve camp site 32 km SSE of Farafangana 5–15 December 2004 23 °01.31'S , 47°43.20'E California Acad of Sciences coll: M. Irwin, R. Harin'Hala malaise trap, lowland rainforest, elev 36m MA-28-06”; one female, same data but collected 23.XI–5.XI.2004 ( CASC) ; one female, same data but collected 27.II–13.III.2004 ( CASC) ; one female, same data but collected 9–16.X.2005 ( CASC) ; one female, same data but collected 15–27.II.2005 ( CASC) ; one male and two females, same data but collected 26.III– 10.IV.2005 ( CASC) ; one unsexed specimen, same data but collected 9–16 October 2005 ( CASC) ; Mahajanga: one male, one female, “ MADAGASCAR TAM, Morarano-Chrome, Foret 25 km W [Forest 25 km W of Morarano- Chrome, 17°44′54″S, 47°55′30″E] , 13–25.IV.1991, A. Pauly col.” (MRAC); Toliara: one male, “ Andahahelo 23.3.2004, wet forest, fish bated trap [24°45′36″S, 46°51′36″E], Ilkka Hanski leg.” ( ZIN) ; two males, two females, “ Andahahelo 26.4.2006, wet forest, fish bated trap [24°45′36″S, 46°51′36″E], Ilkka Hanski leg.” ( ZIN) ; one male, “ Madagascar, Beza-Mahafaly, Betioky 10.4.2006, alt. 140 m., semu-dry Eucal [ipt]. Forest fish bait.- pitfall trap. [23°09′00″S, 44°37′48″E] I. Hanski-group leg.” ( ZIN) ; one male ( UHHF), one male ( MNHN), and one male ( ZIN), “ MADAGASCAR Ambatotsirongorongo [25°00′00″S, 46°45′00″E] Feb 2005 fish baited trap Ilkka Hanski leg.”; two males, two females ( ZIN) and two males, two females ( MNHN), “Madagascar, St. Luce , Manafiati 16.4.2006 alt. 0 m, hum. lit. for. fish bait.- pitfall trap. [humid littoral forest, fish baited pitfall trap, 24°46′12″S, 47°10′48″E] I. Hanski-group leg.”; 6 unsexed specimens, “ MADAGASCAR: Toliara Prov., Parc National d'Andohahela, Col du Sedro, 3.8 km 113° ESE Mahamavo, 37.6 km NNW Tolagnaro , 21–25 I 2002 // sifted litter, montain rainforest, 900 m a.s.l., 24°45′50″S, 46°45′06″E, 21–25.I.2002, Fisher, Griswold et al. leg., (CASC); Madagascar (no precise locality): one female, “ Madagascar Mus. Pragense ” ( NMPC) .

Description. Male. Small-sized beetle with elongate, strongly shiny body ( Fig. 28 A). Color brown, legs and apices of elytra somewhat paler.

Frontoclypeus slightly convex anteriorly, obtusely rounded, anterior margin setose and crenulate in dorsal view. Eyes relatively large (diameter larger than the distance between eye and gula in ventral view), incompletely divided by canthus into smaller dorsal and larger ventral parts. Frontoclypeus not tuberculate, with more or less raised anterior margin in the middle; in some specimens it forms a flattened triangular tubercle (although it is never as robust and horn-like as in Triodontus and Pseudorphnus males). Dorsal surface of head impunctate.

Labrum somewhat bilobate, slightly sinuate in the middle and relatively feebly protruding past frontoclypeus. Length in the middle about 1/5 width (in dorsal view).

Pronotum 1.6 times wider than long, widest medially. Anterior margin with wide border, base with fine border. Lateral margins densely punctate, appearing crenulate in dorsal view. Disc of pronotum with shallow, sometimes almost indistinct depression anteriorly, with 2 small tubercles aside the depression. Surface of pronotum smooth, without punctures. Lateral margins with long, brown setae.

Scutellum triangular, narrowly rounded apically, about 1/10 length of elytra.

Elytra convex, with feebly marked humeral humps. Maximum width approximately at the middle. First stria distinct and reaching the apex of elytron, other striae feebly marked to indistinct. Disc of elytra with sparse punctures. Epipleura with long, sparse, brown setae. Base of elytra bordered.

Protibiae with 3 outer teeth. Apical tooth directed almost parallel to inner margin of tibia. Lateral margin basad of outer teeth not crenulate. Apex and internal margin of tibia with robust, spur-like setae becoming slender towards base of tibia. Protarsi well developed, about 4/5 length of protibiae. Claws 1/2 length of apical tarsomere.

Apical protarsomere as long as tarsomeres 3 and 4 combined, as thick as other tarsomeres. Ventral surface of protibiae smooth, with 2 rows of setae along sides and sparse, longer setae in the middle. Ventral surface of femora smooth.

Mesothoracic and metathoracic legs similar in shape; metafemora and metatibiae about 1/8 longer than mesofemora and mesotibiae. Tibiae somewhat triangular, with 2 apical spurs. Longer tibial spur as long as 2 basal tarsomeres. Claws 1/3 length of apical tarsomere. Femora almost impunctate, with 2 rows of long setae.

Abdominal sternites with somewhat granular sculpture. Sternite 8 medially as long as sternites 4–5 combined.

Pygidium transverse, irregularly punctate, hidden under elytra.

Parameres symmetrical, tapering apically in lateral view and with a minute tooth at apex ( Fig. 28 C). Internal sac with an area composed of small spinules and with 2 characteristic semicircular sclerites ( Fig. 28 D).

Female. In comparison to other Orphninae genera, the sexual dimorphism in R. clementi is weak. Females ( Fig. 28 B) are similar to males in shape of pronotum, although they generally have smaller medial tubercles. The female of R. clementi can be readily separated from the male by a character shared by all orphnines — the presence of a long, robust apical spur on protibia.

Variation. The length of the examined males varies from 8.0– 8.7 mm, females from 7.0– 9.5 mm. Most of specimens of both sexes have distinct tubercles on disc of pronotum, although some specimens have feebler tubercles or only traces of them; two females from St. Luce have no tubercles, although the males from the same series have distinct tubercles.

Distribution and habitat. Renorphnus clementi is widely distributed in Madagascar. The beetles were collected in wet forests in the eastern part of the island including littoral forests on the eastern coast and in relatively dry areas with secondary forest in the western part of Madagascar ( Fig. 28 E). In all cases where the data are available, the beetles were collected with pitfall traps baited with fish. Trapping setup and timing is described in more detail by Frolov and Montreuil (2006). Short-time exposures of the traps suggest that specimens of R. clementi were attracted to the carrion.

Figures

FIGURE 28. Renorphnus clementi. Habitus in dorsal view (A—male, B—female), aedeagus in lateral view and parameres in dorsal view (C), internal sac of aedeagus (D), distributional records (E), protibia (F, male left, female right).