Pseudoathyreus kordofanus, (Klug 1843)

Carpaneto, Giuseppe M., Mignani, Roberto & Piattella, Emanuele, 2000, A Taxonomic Overview Of The Genus Pseudoathyreus Howden And Martinez, And Redescription Of Two Related Species From Southern Africa (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae: Bolboceratinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (2), pp. 239-247 : 239-240

P. kordofanus (Klug 1843) ( Sudan: Kordofan)

239

P. orientalis (Castelnau 1840) ( India)

P. porcatus (Castelnau 1840) (Sahel: Senegal to Djibouti) P. rhodesianus ( Peringuey 1908) ( Zimbabwe: Harare)

Our present knowledge of this genus does not permit us to ascertain whether some of the above mentioned species are to be synonymized. According to Boucomont (1911) all the species described up to that time were to be considered synonyms of P. porcatus . Nevertheless, we cannot agree with his statement, because many differences of specific rank occur among the specimens we examined from several African countries and the Arabian peninsula.

The present work originated from the examination of several specimens of P. freyi and P. rhodesianus (including type specimens). The study of this material led us to new insights of the taxonomic and zoogeographic status of these two rare species within the genus as follows:

(1) better definition of the taxonomic characters (both external and internal morphology) distinguishing the two species which were informally considered synonyms (in litt. H. F. Howden).

(2) deeper knowledge of their intraspecific variation, including clypeo­pronotal ornamentation and colour;

(3) enlargement of their known geographic range;

(4) identification of a distinct phylogenetic unit formed by these two species which are distinct from the other representatives of the genus.

Identification of acronyms used for museums holding specimens studied are given in the Acknowledgments. Private collections are indicated by the owner’s name in brackets.