Onitis feae Felsche, 1907

Karimbumkara, Seena Narayanan & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2024, Study on the genus Onitis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) of the Indian Subcontinent, with three new species from India, European Journal of Taxonomy 956, pp. 1-61 : 23-24

Onitis feae Felsche, 1907

Figs 10A , 11E–H , 18

Onitis feae Felsche, 1907: 293 (original description).

Onitis feae – Boucomont & Gillet 1921: 17, 18 (distribution). — Arrow 1931: 397 (key, description). — Janssens 1937: 75 (revision). — Paulian 1945: 141 (revision). — Singh et al. 2010: 1395 (list). — Gupta et al. 2015: 1037 (checklist). — Bezděk 2016: 179 (distribution). — Schoolmeesters 2022 (online catalogue).

Differential diagnosis

Onitis feae is distinct in having an elliptical clypeus and a sharply elevated frontal carina which is complete.

Type material examined

Cotype

MYANMAR • ♂; “Asciuii Cheba, 1200-1300 m, L. Fea. 1–88; Co-Typus (red label); Coll. C. Felsche, Kauf 20, 1918; Staatl. Museum für Tierkunde Dresden; SNSD ”.

Additional material examined (111 specimens)

INDIA • ♂; Meghalaya, Shillong, village near Northeast Hill University ( NEHU); 31 Oct. 2012; Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000185 • 2 ♂♂, ♀; Arunachal Pradesh, Mobu ; 27°14ʹ17.7324ʺ N, 93°32ʹ14.28ʺ E; elev. 876 m a.s.l.; 19 Oct. 2018; hand-picked, mithun dung; Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan and team leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000186 to 1000188 • 6 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀; Arunachal Pradesh, Aalong ; 28°8ʹ36.384ʺ N, 94°49ʹ33.34ʺ E; elev. 317 m a.s.l.; 14 Nov. 2019; hand-picked, mithun dung; Sneha Haridas and team leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000189-1000199 • 13 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀; Arunachal Pradesh, West Siang, Aalong forest ; 28°8ʹ33.882ʺ N, 94°49ʹ36.1848ʺ E; elev. 359 m a.s.l.; 14 Nov. 2019; cow dung baited pitfall trap; Sneha Haridas and team leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000200 to 1000224 • 17 ♂♂, 22 ♀♀; Arunachal Pradesh, West Siang, Kaying forest ; 28°24ʹ35.8668ʺ N, 94°41ʹ51.4896ʺ E; elev. 376 m a.s.l.; 15 Nov. 2019; cow dung baited pitfall trap; Sneha Haridas and team leg.; AIMB / Co/ Sc1000225 to 1000263 • 10 ♂♂, 15 ♀♀; Arunachal Pradesh, West Siang, Darak / Larmuk Pottom forest ; 28°12ʹ17.568ʺ N, 94°35ʹ49.3008ʺ E; elev. 489 m a.s.l.; 18 Nov. 2019; mithun dung baited pitfall trap; Sneha Haridas and team leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000264 to 1000288 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Arunachal Pradesh, Boru Raksap / Yardi Rabe Supse Wildlife Sanctuary ; 28°15ʹ56.1132ʺ N, 94°34ʹ58.008ʺ E; elev. 529 m a.s.l.; 24 Nov. 2019; mithun dung baited pitfall trap; Sneha Haridas and team leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000289 to 1000292 .

LAOS • ♀; “ Xieng Khouang, 8.i.1919; R.V. de Salvaza; Indo-China , B.M. 1924-315; BMNH (E) 1237162 , Southeast Asia” .

MYANMAR • ♂; “ex Mus. Calcutta, B.M. 1930–1. Man Hpat, N. Tawngpeng , N. Shan States, Upper Burma , 11-ii-15., 4600 ft.; J. Coggin Brown; in dung; Southeast Asia;” BMNH (E) 1237161 • ♀; “ Loi, Tawng Kyan, Tawng, N. Shan States, Upper Burma • ♂; Tawng Peng , Pansai , N.Shan States, Upper Burma , 4660 ft. ” .

Description

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). TL=15–20.5; BW= 8.5–11.5.

Male

Black, subopaque; head, lower surface and legs dark red; pygidium lower surface and fringe of elytra with reddish hairs; body oval, compact, convex; clypeus elliptical, finely, closely rugulose; forehead rugosely punctured with sharply elevated carina; clypeal carina short, transverse, slightly curved; vertex with a short transverse curved carina before carinate posterior margin of head; pronotum strongly, closely punctured, with feeble median groove, base margined, basal foveae very deep, space between them finely rugose; elytra very convex, opaque, finely striate with intervals carinate along middle; pygidium feebly rugulose, thinly clothed with erect, long reddish hairs; metasternum granular, broadly grooved in the middle; abdomen hairy at sides, smooth in the middle; profemur with sharp tooth near middle of front edge; protibia with finely serrate carina beneath and a tooth near base; middle coxa toothed at its posterior end.

AEDEAGUS (in mm) ( Fig. 11E–H ). LP=2.86, Lp =2.68; BP= 1.25, BpB=1.07, BpT=0.36. Phallobase and parameres almost of same size; parameres straight above and slightly curved below with the tips blunt and rounded.

Female

Clypeus extended and reflexed anteriorly, slightly notched; no sharp tooth on underside of protibia and profemur.

Distribution

India: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram; Other countries: China; Laos; Myanmar; Thailand (Singh et al. 2010; Gupta et al. 2015; Bezděk 2016; Schoolmeesters 2022).

Figures

Fig. 10. A. Onitisfeae Felsche, 1907, cotype, (image: Olaf Jäger, SNSD). B. O. humerosus (Pallas, 1771), BMNH (E) 1237143, (image: BMNH). C. O. lama Lansberge, 1875, syntype, ♂, MNHN EC4810, (image: Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN). D. O. naviauxi Cambefort, 1988, holotype, ♂, MNHN EC4807, (image: Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN). E. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, lectotype, ZMUK Fabricius 003706, (image: Alexey Solodovnikov, ZMUC). F. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, holotype, ♂, (image: Jonathan Brecko, IRSNB).

Fig. 11. Aedeagus, lateral, dorsal, ventral and apical views. A–D. Onitiscastaneus Kollar, 1844, AIMB/ Co/Sc1000027. E–H. O. feae Felsche, 1907, AIMB/Co/Sc1000188. I–L. O. lama Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000307. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 18. Map showing the distribution of Onitis crassus Sharp, 1875; O. excavatus Arrow, 1931; O. falcatus(Wulfen, 1789); O. feae Felsche, 1907; O. humerosus (Pallas, 1771) and O. kethai sp. nov. in the Indian Subcontinent.