Gyronotus dracomontanus Deschodt & Davis, 2019

Deschodt, Christian M. & Davis, Adrian L. V., 2019, New southern African species and a revalidation in the dung beetle genus Gyronotus van Lansberge, 1874 (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with an updated key, Zootaxa 4624 (2), pp. 275-282 : 276-277

Gyronotus dracomontanus Deschodt & Davis , new species

( Figs. 1C , 3 )

Type material. Holotype, female: “Z.A.29 | Bergville Dist. | Drakensberg || Prairie subalpine | Alt. 2,400m., x-1960 || N. Leleup Leg. ” (TMSA) . Paratypes: two females, no locality data: “ex collection of | Pietermaritzburg | Museum ” (UPSA).

Description of the holotype, female.

Size. Length 12.0 mm and width 8.0 mm with head extended (not deflexed).

Habitus. Body shape ovoid. Black in appearance.

Head. Tip of clypeus bidentate, separated by a wide “U” shaped depression. Surface with dense punctation bearing very short fine setae almost touching each other. Clypeogenal sutures fairly distinct and nearly straight. Frontogenal suture clearly visible only at external one tenth; middle four fifths not visible. Small round tubercle medially on frontogenal suture. Antennae dark orange.

Thorax. Pronotal disc densely punctate, punctures round to slightly ovoid, mostly touching one another. Lateral margin with obtuse angle almost halfway, otherwise relatively straight. Surfaces of all thoracic sternites shagreened between punctation. Prosternum with medium sized punctures that are separated by about half a puncture diameter. Mesosternum with medium sized punctures that are close together frontally and further apart anteriorly; row of overlapping setigerous punctures on mesometasternal suture. Metasternum with small sized punctures spaced up to three diameters apart. Mesometasternal suture clear, evenly slightly curved.

Elytra. Interstriae punctate, punctures small and setigerous separated by half up to two puncture diameters. Surface otherwise shagreened appearing slightly rugose under low magnification (x10). Striae indistinct, visible as slight impressions bearing small punctures that are spaced one to two puncture diameters apart.

Pygidium. Faintly punctate, punctures small and setigerous about one to three puncture diameters apart, laying closer together dorsally and further apart ventrally, surface otherwise shagreened giving a dull appearance.

Distribution. Gyronotus dracomontanus Deschodt & Davis , new species most probably occurs in the high grassland above 2000 m between Royal Natal National Park [S28.702° E28.915°] and Cathedral Peak [S28.925° E29.134°].

Etymology. This species is named for the Drakensberg mountain range where it occurs.

Diagnosis. This species can be separated from most other Gyronotus species by having prominent, dense setae on the elytra. The highland grassland species, Gyronotus dracomontanus Deschodt & Davis , new species, has six or less adjacent setae on the second interval of the interstriae compared to eight or more in the coastal forest species, Gyronotus pumilus .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of Gyronotus van Lansberge, 1874 species, dorsal view. A, Gyronotus ovalis Deschodt & Davis, new species; B, Gyronotus kearneyorum Deschodt & Davis, new species; C, Gyronotus dracomontanus Deschodt & Davis, new species; D, Gyronotus pumilus (Boheman, 1857); E, Gyronotus marginatus Péringuey, 1888. Scale bar = 2.0 mm.

FIGURE 3. Map showing the distribution of nine South African and eSwatini Gyronotus van Lansberge, 1874 species.