Onitis kethai, Karimbumkara & Priyadarsanan, 2024

Karimbumkara, Seena Narayanan & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2024, Study on the genus Onitis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) of the Indian Subcontinent, with three new species from India, European Journal of Taxonomy 956, pp. 1-61 : 26-28

Onitis kethai sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C3F62D8F-89D9-4034-A209-382401D8B861

Figs 7 , 8A–D , 9C , 14C , 15C , 16C , 18

Differential diagnosis

Onitiskethai sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from O. philemon in having stronger and more closely placed punctures on the pronotum; genae smoothly rounded in O. kethai , while strongly rounded in O. philemon , both inconspicuously punctured. The clypeus is rugulose in O. kethai ( Fig. 9C ); while in O. philemon it is granular in male ( Fig. 9D ) and rugose in female. Onitissinghalensis differs from both these species in having strong rounded granules on clypeus and head while the genae are sparingly granular ( Fig. 9F ). In O. kethai the space between the clypeal carina, frontal carina and the tubercle behind is strongly rugose, while in O. philemon and O. singhalensis it is granular. Differences were also observed on comparing the aedeagus of O. kethai ( Fig. 8A–D ), O. philemon ( Fig. 8E–H ) and O. singhalensis ( Fig. 8I–L ).

Etymology

Named in memory of our field assistant, the late Mr Ketha Gowda who assisted PDR in many of his field trips and helped in sampling dung beetles and other insects.

Type material examined

Holotype

INDIA • ♂; Karnataka, Biligiri Rangaswamy temple Tiger Reserve, Honnametti shola; 11°54ʹ7.68″ N, 77°11ʹ33.84″ E; open cow dung bait trap; 10 May 1998, Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan leg.; specimen deposited at NBAIR, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B .

Paratypes (13 specimens)

INDIA • 8 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Karnataka, Biligiri Rangaswamy temple Tiger Reserve, Honnametti shola; 11°54ʹ7.68″ N, 77°11ʹ33.84″ E; open cow dung bait trap; 10 May 1998; Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000293 to 1000305 .

Description

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). TL=11.5–15; BW =6–7.5; PL=4–6; PW= 6–8; EL=6.5–8; HL=3–3.5; HW=3–4.5.

Male (holotype)

Body, elytra, head, legs, antenna and mouthparts reddish, elytra red with a tinge of metallic green; oval, slightly convex. Head ( Fig. 9C ) closely granular with some rugosity, hind part almost smooth; clypeus parabolic, rugulose, margin slightly reflexed; with a feeble emargination in the middle, separated from the vertex by an interrupted frontal carina with a short curved clypeal carina and a blunt tubercle behind; genae with scattered imperceptible punctures. Pronotum ( Fig. 14C ) strongly and closely punctured in the middle, less closely at the sides, more strongly and closely pitted anteriorly, with a very slight median line starting above the basal impression, extending almost up to the anterior margin as thin smooth area; anterior sides of pronotum slightly curved, strongly rounded in the middle, bisinuate behind; front angles sharp, base bluntly angulate in the middle; basal fovea deep near the base with imperceptible punctures in circular rows at the periphery. Elytra strongly striate, striae without punctures, elytral intervals finely and sparsely punctured with the 1 st, 3 rd and the 5 th intervals convex, sutural interval shining while the rest opaque. Pygidium not shining, imperceptibly punctured. Metasternum with deep broad longitudinal groove in the front, metasternal shield imperceptibly punctured, with scattered aciculate punctures at the sides anteriorly; sides of the metasternum granular and thinly covered with long hairs. Protibia slightly curved with four strong external teeth and a sharp process at the tip, profemur not toothed; mesofemur ( Fig. 16C ) plain and curved near the tibial joint where it forms a sharp tooth-like process on both upper and lower ridges; hind trochanter slightly toothed.

AEDEAGUS (in mm) ( Fig. 8A–D ). LP= 2.5, Lp=2.2; BP=1.3, BpB=1, BpT=0.5. Phallobase longer than parameres. Parameres slightly sinuate near the base, curved inwards anteriorly and hooked at the tip.

Female

Clypeus closely rugose; protibia with four strong teeth and an articulated spur; no protrusions on the legs.

Habitat

The collections were made in the cloud forests of Honnametti in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India.

Figures

Fig 16. A. Protibia of Onitis bhomorensis sp. nov. showing the position of spur, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/ H-271023A. B. Anterior tip of protibia of O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. Mid-leg of O. kethai sp. nov, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. Mid-leg of O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. E. Mid-leg of O. visthara sp. nov, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H- 271023C. F. Mid-leg of O. singhalensis Lansberge, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 7. Onitis kethai sp. nov. A–E. Holotype, ♂, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Head, dorsal view. D. Pygidium. E. Elytra. F. Paratype, ♀, habitus, dorsal view. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 8. Aedeagus, lateral, dorsal, ventral and apical views. A–D. Onitiskethai sp. nov., NIM/NBAIR/ COL/ONIT/H-271023B. E–H. O. philemon Fabricius,1801,AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. I–L. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. M–P. O. visthara sp. nov., NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H- 271023C. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 9. Head of male specimens. A. Onitisbhomorensis sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H- 271023A. B. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. O. kethai sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. E. O. visthara sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023C. F. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 14. Pronotum of male specimens. A. Onitis bhomorensis sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/ COL/ONIT/H-271023A. B. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. O. kethai sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/ Sc1000317. E. O.visthara sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023C. F. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 15. Pronotal basal foveae of male specimens. A. Onitisbhomorensis sp. nov., holotype, NIM/ NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023A. B. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. O. kethai sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. E. O. visthara sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023C. F. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 18. Map showing the distribution of Onitis crassus Sharp, 1875; O. excavatus Arrow, 1931; O. falcatus(Wulfen, 1789); O. feae Felsche, 1907; O. humerosus (Pallas, 1771) and O. kethai sp. nov. in the Indian Subcontinent.