Craspedophorus impictus ( Boheman, 1848 )

Häckel, Martin, 2016, A contribution to the knowledge of the subfamily Panagaeinae Hope, 1838 from Africa. Part 1. Revision of the Craspedophorus reflexus group (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Zootaxa 4061 (5), pp. 504-526 : 510-511

7. Craspedophorus impictus ( Boheman, 1848)

(Plate 2, Fig 12, Fig. 27 e, Plate 4, Fig. 35)

Panagaeus impictus Boheman, 1848: 124 (type loc. “Caffraria interior” [= South Africa: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West provinces; Zambia, Zimbabwe]). Schaum 1853: 434. Isotarsus impictus Schaum 1853: 434 . Epicosmus impictus Chaudoir 1861: 347 . Eudema impictum Harold 1879: 20 . Quedenfeldt, 1883: 259, Péringuey 1896: 476. Craspedophorus impictus Chaudoir 1879: 99 . Alluaud 1930: 7, Burgeon 1930: 160, 1935b: 182, Basilewsky 1953: 172, Ferreira 1963: 120, Häckel et Farkač 2012: 81.

Craspedophorus aequalitas Thomson, 1856: 481 . Harold 1879: 20 syn. nov.

Craspedophorus alloderus Chaudoir in litt.

Type material. 1♂ (paratype designated by Chaudoir 1861: 347): “Ex Musaeo / Chaudoir [printed in red on white upper pinned label]” /// pinned in the series labelled: “ Impictus / Boheman / Port Natal. / Schaum [handwritten in black on white box label in Chaudoir's Collection]”, ( MNHN). 1♂, 1 ♀: “Ex Musaeo / Chaudoir [printed in red on white upper pinned label]” /// “ Alloderus / Chaudoir / Zanzibar. / E. Deyrolle [handwritten in black on white box label in Chaudoir's Collection]”, (types designated by Chaudoir as “ alloderus ” in litt, published as C. impictus Chaudoir 1879: 100 , Plate 2, Fig. 12, Fig. 27 e, MNHN).

Other material examined. Malawi. 1♂: “ Malawi Lake. Nkhotakota”, (Plate 4, Fig. 35, cMH). South African Republic. 3♂, 3 ♀: [KwaZulu– Natal] “Port Natal [=Durban env.]”, (Chaudoir's Collection, MNHN); 1♂: “KwaZulu-Natal, 25 km S Pongola, S27°34'; E31°35', 500 m ”, (cIB); 1♀: “KwaZulu-Natal, Mtubatuba, Dukud”, (cRK); 1♂: [Mpumalanga] “Transvaal. 25 km NE Barberton”, (cMH); Tanzania. 1♀ [Rukwa Region] “Mbizi Forest, Sumbawanga, S07°53.692'; E31°40.697', 1236 m ”, ( BMNH). Zambia. 1♂, 1♀: [Northwestern Province] “Hillwood, Ikelenge, S11°16'02”; E24°18'59”, 1400 m ”, ( BMNH); 1♂: “Northwestern province. 20 km E Solwezi.”, (cMH); 1♀: [Central Province] “ 240 km SE Mansa. 25 km SE Mukuku”, (cMH); 1♂: [Southern Province] “Bradshaw, Zamboesi [= Livingstone env.]”, ( MNHN); 1♀: “Southern Province, 10 km S Mazabuka”, (cIB). Zimbabwe. 1♀: “Matabeleland North Region. Bulawayo. Shangani Naletale Ruins”, (cMH).

Note. The original description of this species was based on a specimen collected by J. A. Wahlberg, labelled “Caffraria interior”. Description (in part, see Boheman 1848: 124). “Length 23, width 10 mm. ...Larger species of the genus. It resembles Panagaeus nobilis . Black, weakly glossy, elytra without maculae, densely covered by black setae. Head middle-sized, square, partially rounded, strongly convex, quite deeply excavated, irregularly rugate, punctured, from both sides longitudinally compressed; neck wide, not too smooth near pronotum; eye brown, rounded, strongly convex. Antennae reaching to midlength of body, covered by setae, quite slender, with articles from fourth to eleventh often ferruginous. Pronotum with maximum width at midlength, apex tuberose, margins arcuate anteriorly, posteriorly narrowing toward base, obliquely truncate, weakly rimmed, front angles rounded, hind angles projecting laterally; very densely, coarsely rugate, punctured, near sinuate margins widely depressed. Scutellum small, triangular, fairly smooth. Elytra near base about one-half narrower than at midlength, humeri quite rounded, margins widen to midlength, ..tuberose in front of apex, quite convex, with striae not deeply impressed, quite deeply punctured, intervals convex, finely, sparsely, less densely punctured. Body covered by setae, less densely punctured; venter densely rugate, punctured in the middle. Legs covered by setae” [translated from Latin].

This is the first described species of the C. reflexus group, which includes taxa without orange elytral maculae. I have not studied the type deposited at Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet in Stockholm, because this species could not be confused with any other. It is the most frequently collected species widely distributed in southern Africa west of the rift. The Chaudoir collection contains two rows of specimens labeled C. impictus and C. “ alloderus “ (unpublished name). Comparing those specimens, No differences were found other than in size. In contrast, differences from C. ethmoides Alluaud, 1930 are apparent and correspond to those in Alluaud’s description (1930: 8). Obvious is the difference in elytral sculpture of the two species ( C. impictus a C. ethmoides ) from another similar species, here described ( C. ruvumanus sp. n.). The differential characters are given in the key to species.

Distribution. Angola: Lunda Norte Province; Democratic Congo: Kasai-Occidental, Sud-Kivu Provinces; Malawi; Mozambique: Maputo Province; South Africa: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Western Cape Provinces; Tanzania: Rukwa; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe.

Figures

FIGURE 27. a. C. ethmoides Alluaud, 1930, HT (male), dorsal habitus; b. microsculpture of elytral humerus, dorsal view; c. left metepisternum outlined in yellow; d. MNHN labels; e. C. impictus (Boheman, 1848), female, Zanzibar, microsculpture of elytral humerus, dorsal view. f. C. ruvumanus sp. n., HT (male), microsculpture of elytral humerus, dorsal view.