An update to the taxonomy of the genus Macroderes Westwood 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with descriptions of new species from South Africa
Author
Abdalla, Ishtiag H.
Author
Deschodt, Christian M.
Author
Scholtz, Clarke H.
Author
Sole, Catherine L.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-10-23
4504
1
41
75
journal article
28091
10.11646/zootaxa.4504.1.3
0b803003-244e-4511-aaf4-5e9c3f863861
1175-5326
2606164
52BA28B6-4280-4BD0-8B38-C794F04E4A66
Macroderes politulus
Preudhomme de
Borre, 1880
(
Figs. 15
,
43
,
52
,
63
,
92
)
Macroderes politulus
Preudhomme de
Borre 1880
: 11
;
Péringuey 1901
: 302
;
Janssens 1939
: 29
;
Ferreira 1969
: 322
;
Frolov & Scholtz 2005
: 383
.
Type
locality.
South Africa
,
Caffria
.
Type
material examined.
None.
Type
series is deposited in IRSNB (
Frolov & Scholtz 2005
).
Additional material examined.
1 ♂
(
SANC
): “
Macroderes politulus
/
Somerset
E [East] / [
32° 45' 43.95’’ S
25° 32' 28.51'' E
] /
Jan. 84
”
;
2 ♂♂
and
1 ♀♀
(
UPSA
): “
S. Africa
/ SW
Cape
/ Oranjefontein farm / nr Darling /
33° 25' S
18° 26' E
/
28.VIII. 1987
/ ALV Davis // ex cattle dung baited pitfall in pasture”
;
1 ♂
same data but the date of collection:
3.VII. 1987
;
3 ♀♀
same data but the dates of collections as follows
:
1 ♀
:
7.VII. 1987
,
1 ♀
:
29.VII.1987
,
1 ♀
:
17 Sept. 1987
.
Size range.
Males length: 9.0–
12.2 mm
, width:
6.3–8.6 mm
; females length:
9.7–12.2 mm
; width:
6.4–8.7 mm
.
Differential diagnosis.
This species is very close to
M. porselinus
new species
in having elongated punctures of the pronotum (
Fig. 63
) as well as a punctuated lateral border of pronotum (
Fig. 43
). It is separated from
M. porselinus
new species
by its rather narrower and less convex pronotum.
Habitat and distribution
. The range of the species is restricted to an area located within the Fynbos Biome and characterised by Renosterveld vegetation
types
in the
Western Cape Province
(
Fig. 2
). These habitats are represented as one of the most threatened areas due to the intensive cultivation and removal of indigenous plants (
Mucina & Rutherford 2006
), which in turn might threaten the associated fauna.