Anaxius campbellae Koch, 1958

Kamiński, Marcin J. & Schoeman, Colin S., 2018, Taxonomic revision of a darkling beetles genus Anaxius (Tenebrionidae: Pedinini: Helopinina), Zootaxa 4455 (3), pp. 471-485 : 475-477

Anaxius campbellae Koch, 1958

( Figs. 1B , 2A, H , 3B , 4 , 5 )

Anaxius campbellae Koch, 1958: 213 .

= Anaxius montiscaerulei Koch, 1958: 214 syn. nov.

Notes. The original descriptions of A. campbellae and A. montiscaerulei were laconic, and as a result information concerning many features was omitted. Moreover, the newly available material revealed much variability within the diagnostic features proposed for both these species. No new characters separating A. campbellae and A. montiscaerulei were found, therefore a synonymy is proposed.

The studied female specimen was classified within this species based on the presence of orange bristles on the elytra, which seems to be a unique feature of A. campbellae .

Material studied. Anaxius campbellae Koch, 1958 , holotype, male (TMSA): “Pienaars / River, 1898. / v. Jutrzencka”, “182”, “HOLTYPE / Anaxius / CAMPBELLAE”. Paratype, male (TMSA): “Plat River.I, II:,1903 / (Jutrzencka)”.

Anaxius montiscaerulei Koch, 1958 , holotype, male (TMSA): “BLOUBERG, Tvl. / Leipsig Miss. Stat. / 3–5.I.1955 / Transv.Mus.Exp.”.

Other material, 3 males ( TMSA): “S. AFRICA, TVL / 25km W Pretoria / 23–29.XI.1984 / H & A Howden ”; male ( TMSA): “S. Afr. : Transvaal / Pienaars River 8km / 25.17S – 28.17E , 28.12.1994; E-Y 3234, on ground / leg. CL Bellamy ”; male ( TMSA): “ 6.12.2012; 862m; BLS5 / Roodeberg Bushveld / leg Colin Schoeman ”, “ S. Afr.: Limpopo Prov / Blouberg NR South / dd 23.03S , dd 29.10E ”; male ( TMSA): “ S. Afr.: N Province / Blouberg / 23.03S – 29.04E ”, “savana : 26.11.1996 / at light / Krüger, Dombrowsky”; male ( TMSA): “ 4.12.2012; GON5 / Soutpansberg / Mountain Bushveld / leg. Colin Schoeman ”, “S. Afr. ; Limpopo Prov / Gondeni; 871m / dd22 91S dd 30 03E ”; female ( TMSA): “ Bulawayo / S. Rhodesia / 9.I.1923 / Rhodesia / Museum ”.

Redescription. Body—length = 5.5–7.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1B .

Dorsal side of head covered with confluent punctures. Frontoclypeal suture smooth. Canthus rounded at base; narrower than head at level of eyes. Clypeal emargination shallow (clypeal emargination width: depth ratio ca. 9.0). Labrum wide (width: length ratio ca. 1.9); slightly emarginate medially; with basal membrane exposed. Ligula exposed, not covered by mentum. Mentum widest in apical part; with well-developed medial keel; with exposed lateral lobes; not covering cardo or basistipes; apically with median indentation. Submentum pentagonal; short. Apical segment of maxillary palpus trapezoidal; with sensory field occupying whole proximal edge. Second segment of maxillary palpus elongate (length: width ratio ca. 2.6). Palpifer located laterally on basistipes. Anterior tentorial pit circular. Eye not dorsally shielded by any keel. Margin between maxillary fossa and antennal insertion well marked. Antenna relatively long (antenna: pronotum length ratio ca. 1.7); third antennomere short (3rd: 2nd antennomere length ratio ca. 2.5); fifth antennomere elongated (length: width ratio ca. 2.0).

Pronotum slightly narrower than elytra (elytra: pronotum width ratio ca. 1.2); relatively narrow (length: width ratio of pronotal disc ca. 0.8); disc shiny, covered with confluent punctures and sparse orange bristles. Lateral sides of pronotal disc straight at basal half. Disc without apophyseal depressions. Basal, anterior, and lateral emargination of pronotal disc present. Base of pronotum straight. Posterior angles not protruding beyond base. Pronotal hypomeron dull; covered with very fine longitudinal rugosities; without submarginal indentation. Intercoxal process of prosternum not depressed apically (lateral view); slightly protruding towards first abdominal segment. Procoxae narrowly separated (procoxa: intercoxal process width ratio ca. 2.0).

Elytral striae visible as nine rows of slightly impressed depressions on each elytron. Intervals covered by coarse and confluent punctures, and sparse orange bristles, that become denser on lateral intervals. Elytral base straight; not emarginate. Elytral humerus rounded. Epipleuron slightly narrowing apically, then of constant width; basally covering all elytral intervals (ventral view). Scutellum relatively large; triangular. Metathoracic wings absent.

Metaventrite extremely short (metacoxal cavity: metaventrite (between insertions of meso- and metacoxae) length ratio ca. 10.0); with rounded tubercle in middle ( Fig. 2H ). Process of first abdominal ventrite wide (distances between mesocoxae: metacoxae ratio ca. 0.9). Fifth abdominal ventrite without submarginal sulcus; covered with fine punctures (4–5 diameters apart).

Male protarsus widened, with subsequent tarsomeres slightly narrower. Protibia with shallow longitudinal cavity. Pro- and metafemora simple. Mesofemora with apical tooth. Meso- and metatibia curved. Metatibia with fringe of setae distributed on whole length. Female legs simple. First tarsomere of metatarsi elongated (1.7× longer than 4th one). Length of metatarsus equals to 0.75 of metatibial length.

Aedeagal tegmen narrowing along middle; bipartite; apically curved (lateral view). Apical part slightly divided (up to 0.10 of whole tegmen length). Clava narrowed and curved in apex. Penis of even width along most of its length; with apical part not covered by tegmen, nor exposed dorsally. Basal apophyses of penis relatively short (ca. 0.4 of whole tegmen length).

Ovipositor ( Fig. 4 ) relatively short (body: ovipositor length ratio ca. 3.0). Paraproct much longer than coxites (paraproct: coxites length ratio ca. 1.8); triangular, not shielding valvifer or any other lobes of coxites. Valvifer and second lobe slightly transverse, while third one triangular. Fourth lobe rounded, situated dorsally. Gonostylus located on dorsal side of fourth lobe. Vagina and bursa copulatrix without sclerites. Spermatheca sac-like. Proctiger covering nearly whole ventral side of ovipositor.

Distribution. This species has been collected in the following ecoregions of South Africa and Zimbabwe ( Fig. 5 ): Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests; and Southern Africa bushveld.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus images of the studied species. Anaxius bloubergensis (A), A. campbellae (B), A. limpopoensis (C), A. meletsensis (D), A. obesus (E), A. prozeskyi (F), and A. pseudoloensus (G).

FIGURE 2. Diagnostic characters proposed for Anaxius: mentum (A), proleg (B, G), mesoleg (C, F), metaleg (D), metaventrite (H, I). Anaxius bloubergensis (E, F), A. campbellae (A, H), A. meletsensis (G, I), and A. prozeskyi (B, C, D). Abbreviations: d—denticles, ld—surface between labial palpi, lk—longitudinal keel, lw—lateral wing, p—palpifer, t—apical denticle, tub—tubercles.

FIGURE 3. Aedeagal tegmen morphology. Anaxius bloubergensis (A), A. campbellae (B), A. limpopoensis (C), A. meletsensis (D), and A. pseudoloensus (G).

FIGURE 4. Morphology of female terminalia of Anaxius campbellae.

FIGURE 5. Distribution of the species representing Anaxius.