Pharaonus (Tamerlanius) Keith, Sabatinelli

Keith, Denis, Sabatinelli, Guido & Uliana, Marco, 2015, Synopsis of the genus Pharaonus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 4012 (1), pp. 167-180 : 177

Subgenus Pharaonus (Tamerlanius) Keith, Sabatinelli , and Uliana, new subgenus

Type species. Phyllopertha lederi Reitter, 1888 here designated.

Description. Clypeus flat, with the anterior margin bordered but not raised, sides convergent forwards with anterior angles obtuse. Labrum visible from above. Males with short antennal club, 1.2–1.3 times as long as the rest of the antenna. In males, internal (main) claw of the prolegs broad, subrectangular, with truncate apex ( Fig. 2 ). Aedeagus large (parameres size greater than 1 mm), bearing 2 ventral apophyses between the parameres.

Detailed morphometrical data and comparisons with the subgenus Pharanous are reported in Table 1 .

Species included. Phyllopertha lederi Reitter, 1888 ; Phyllopertha semenowi Reitter, 1887 .

Ethymology. From Tamerlane, historically known as Timur, the founder of the Timurid empire, in whose area this generic taxon is distributed.

Discussion. Tamerlanius is given a subgeneric rank as a conservative approach due to the lack of information on Popilliina phylogeny. The considerable differences in the aedeagic structure may eventually support generic assignment, but this is better evaluated in a broader taxonomic context.

The distribution of Tamerlanius is limited to central Asia and is well separated from that of the nominotypical subgenus Pharaonus , which occurs from North Africa to Iran through the Levant.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Proclaws in Pharaonus (Pharaonus) (1) and in Pharaonus (Tamerlanius) (2).

Tables

TABLE 1. Diagnostic characters between the subgenera Pharaonus and Tamerlanius.

	P. ( Pharaonus )	P. (Tamerlanius)
Clypeus shape	Margins distinctly raised. Sides parallel, anterior angles rounded but right.	Flat, margins bordered but not raised. Sides convergent, anterior angles obtuse.
Male antenna: ratio club/funicle	1.74–2.32	1.18–1.30
Main claw of the proleg, shape	Narrow, with sharp apex (Fig. 1)	Broad, subrectangular, with truncate apex (Fig. 2)
Parameres: ratio length parameres/length body	0.07–0.10	0.18–0.22
Parameres: length (mm)	0.58–0.90	1.40–2.13
Aedeagus, ventral apophyses	Absent	Present