Onitis humerosus ( Pallas, 1771 )

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 : 24-26

Onitis humerosus ( Pallas, 1771)

Figs 10B , 18

Scarabaeushumerosus Pallas, 1771: 462 (original description).

Scarabaeusmenalcas Pallas, 1781: 4.

Onitischevrolati Lucas 1846: pl. 23.

Onitishumerosusviolaceus Sahlberg, 1913: 119.

Onitis humerosus viridipenni sMikŠić, 1950: 165–167.

Onitishumerosusviolaceipennis MikŠić, 1950: 165–167.

Onitishumerosuscupripennis Balthasar, 1963: 48.

Scarabaeus humerosus – Castelnau 1840: 89 (natural history). — Lansberge 1875: 116 (monograph). — Bedel 1892: 268, 271 (revision). — Reitter 1892: 97 (keys). — Arrow 1931: 390 (identification key, description). — Porta 1932: 414 (distribution). — Balthasar 1935: 91 (monograph); 1963: 47 (monograph).— Janssens 1937: 91 (revision). — Hashmi &Tashfeen 1992 (distribution).— Awal 2006: 170 (distribution). — Bai 2006: 391 (identification key). — Bezděk & Krell 2006: 159 (distribution, synonyms). — Bunalski et al. 2014: 156 (list of species). — Siddhiqui et al. 2014: 300 (distribution). — Bezděk 2016: 179 (distribution, synonyms). — Bunalski et al. 2016: 36 (distribution). — Montreuil 2017: 265 (distribution). — Schoolmeesters 2022 (online catalogue).

Differential diagnosis

Onitishumerosus is a very distinct species having bright yellow elytra with longitudinal green lines upon elevated sutures.

Type material examined

Syntypes (5 specimens)

RUSSIA • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; “ Scarabaeus menalcas ; MfN Janssens det. as Onitis humerosus in 1938; Hist.- Coll. ( Coleoptera ), Nr. 26753, Onitismenalcas Pallas, 1781, Russia austr., Bob., Zool. Mus. Berlin; Red Label: SYNTYPUS, Scarabaeus menalcas Pallas, 1781 , labelled by MNHUB 2007 ”; MfN.

Additional material examined (7 specimens)

ISRAEL • ♂; “ Onitis humerosus Pallas, Mid. East; Jerusalem, G.R. Crotch., Nevinson Coll., 1918- 14”; BMNH ( E) 1237143 • ♀; “ Onitishumerosus Pallas, Mid. East; Pascoe, Coll. 93–60;” BMNH (E) 1237144 .

Description

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). TL=12.5–18.5; BW=7–10.

Male

Bright metallic green, coppery, indigo-blue or violet, the elytra bright yellow with four narrow longitudinal green lines on the elevated 1 st, 3 rd and 5 th intervals, pale intervals with light metallic lustre; body oval, convex, not very shining; head closely covered with fine tubercles; clypeus parabolic, rugose with yellow setae, clypeal carina curved, elevated, near to clypeal margin; frontal carina entire with a tubercle behind; pronotum metallic green, unevenly punctured posteriorly, front angles granular, basal foveae deep, close with granules anteriorly; elytra finely striate with sutural, 3 rd and 5 th intervals elevated, shining, finely punctured, the other intervals opaque, scarcely punctured; pygidium shining, finely, sparsely granular; metasternum with a longitudinal groove, metasternal shield broad, granular and thinly covered with hairs anteriorly, sparingly punctured behind, sides of metasternum closely granular and hairy; protibia elongated, slender with a strong tooth at the middle of the lower surface; hind femur with a very strong hooked tooth near the middle of its upper edge.

Female

Clypeal carina long, curved, space between the carina and front margin covered with long yellow, closelying hairs; legs short, stout, protibia with four strong teeth and an articulated spur.

Distribution

Afghanistan; Albania; Armenia; China; Cyprus; Georgia; Iran; Israel; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Lebanon; Pakistan; Russia; Syria; Tajikistan; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan ( Hashmi & Tashfeen 1992; Awal 2006; Bezděk & Krell 2006; Siddhiqui et al. 2014; Bezděk 2016; Bunalski et al. 2016; Montreuil 2017; 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. 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.