Atrichelaphinis (Heterelaphinis) sexualis (Schein, 1956)

Rojkoff, Sebastien & Perissinotto, Renzo, 2015, Review of the genera Anelaphinis Kolbe, 1892 and Atrichelaphinis Kraatz, 1898 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), ZooKeys 482, pp. 91-142 : 102-105

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Atrichelaphinis (Heterelaphinis) sexualis (Schein, 1956) Figure 6

Leptothyrea sexualis Schein, 1956: 196 ; Marais and Holm 1992: 42; Krajcik 1998: 52.

Type specimen.

Holotype in NMKE: "Somaliland, Wardere, V.19 (THE Jackson)".

Translation of original description

(n = unknown). After Schein (1956: 196-197). Size: length 10-11 mm; width 5-6 mm. Shiny and black species.

Head. Clypeus longer than wide; lateral and anterior margins reborded and upturned, anterior margin flat and bilobed; deeply punctured; antennal club slightly longer than basal antennomeres, antennae orange/red.

Pronotum. Black or red, with white stripe along the lateral margin and two deep and round white maculae at base in male, red and without white maculae in female; almost as long as wide, posterior margin almost straight in front of scutellum, only slightly concave; posterior angles very blunt; lateral margin parallel in distal part, then strongly convergent in front.

Scutellum. Longer than wide, with lateral margins slightly concave, apex not acute.

Elytra. Black, with white macula at umbone (reaching the suture); 4-6 irregular stripes of broken white maculae and two white longitudinal stripes on disc, parallel to suture, made of irregular and interrupted spots in male; female without white maculae or only reduced marks in place of male stripes; white macula at sutural apex most often present; lateral margins subparallel, narrowing slightly towards apex; lateral costa forked and raised near the shoulder, reaching the humeral callus; sutural costa raised; third costa between sutural and lateral equally raised, joining the lateral costa near apical callus; suture and costae smooth, intervals exhibiting two thin geminate striae usually dissipating near lateral declivity.

Pygidium. Orange/red, covered by annular and ovoid sculpture; with two elongate and interrupted white maculae (separated in 4 parts) in male, absent in female.

Underside. Black, with last and penultimate segments orange/red in female; white maculae on epimeres, lateral parts of sternum and laterally on abdominal sternites 2-5 in male; female immaculate; fore coxae and sides of sternum with whitish pilosity; metasternal apophysis constricted between metacoxae, anterior part flat in shape of hammer; metasternum smooth at middle towards median sulcus, sides striated; abdominal segments widely punctated, with thin setae on sides; male without mid abdominal depression.

Legs. Protibiae widened towards apex, second tooth rounded in male, acute in female; metatibial spurs uneven and acute (longer one slightly curved) in male, enlarged with blunt apex in female; tarsi slender, metatarsus as long as as metatibia in male, shorter in female, first tarsal segment not spiny in either sexes.

Aedeagus. Apex of parameres round with two very small and short median protrusions, without space between them.

Remarks.

Described from Somaliland with no specification on number of type specimens. The description is based on the work of Schein (1956: 196-197) but no further information could be obtained on the types studied by Schein. Also, no newly collected specimens were obtained during this study. The species seems to be restricted to the Ogaden region along the south-eastern Ethiopian border with Somalia. The biogeographic characteristics of the area suggest that the species may be present in both countries. Like the other species, it is probably a flower visitor.