Onitis crassus Sharp, 1875

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 : 18-20

Onitis crassus Sharp, 1875

Figs 5D , 18

Onitiscrassus Sharp, 1875: 48 (original description).

Onitis crassus – Arrow 1931: 400 (keys and description). — Janssens 1937: 73 (revision). — Balthasar 1963: 45 (monograph). — Chandra 2000: 360 (distribution); 2008: 176 (distribution). — Bezděk & Krell 2006: 159 (distribution). — Chandra & Ahirwar 2007: 287 (distribution). — Chandra et al. 2012b: 29 (distribution). — Siddiqui et al. 2014: 299 (distribution). — Ali et al. 2015: 4 (distribution). — Gupta et al. 2015: 1037 (checklist). — Bezděk 2016: 179 (distribution).

Onitisvischnu – Preudhomme de Borre 1881: xxxix (synonymised by Arrow 1931). — Schoolmeesters 2022 (online catalogue).

Differential diagnosis

Onitis crassus is closer to O. castaneus in having hairy pygidium and uninterrupted clypeo-frontal carina but differs from the latter in having short scanty setae on the pygidium; frontal tubercle being placed behind the carina while in O. castaneus it is placed on the carina and the anterior margin of clypeus being gently excised in the middle while in the latter it is reflexed and straight. See diagnosis of O. brahma .

Type material examined

Holotype

INDIA • ♀; “ Onitiscrassus Type D.S.; Ex. Musaeo D. Sharp 1890, G. J. Arrow vid. 1928, A. Janssens vid., 1936: Onitiscrassus Sharp; Holotype (Red Label)”; MNHN EC4813 .

Additional material examined (4 specimens)

INDIA • ♂; “Determined from description G.J.A. Onitis Vischnu , de Borre ; Onitis Vischnu de Borre, Compared with type G.J.A., 6745, 7030”; BMNH (E) 1237163 • ♀; “ Dehra Dun Coll. B.M. 1931– 2., River Suswa , Dehradun , U.P. C. Beeson . XI.’30; Cattle dung on sand ”; BMNH (E) 1237164 • ♂; “A, Janssens vid. 1936: ONITIS crassus Sharp ; Onitiscrassus Shp. Revis. Arrow 1926; Onitiscrassus Shp. Compared with type G.J.A.; cf. Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg. Xxv, 1881, C.R. p. 39; Ex-Typis de Vischnu Borre ; det: Predhomme Borre, Onitis Vischnu Borre ; O. Vishnu, Reiche, India, 3050, Coll. J. Thomson ” • ♀; same collection data as for preceding; IRSNB .

Description

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). TL=15.5–21; BW=9–10.5.

Male

Black; clypeus rugulose, anterior margin strongly elevated; gently excised in the middle; frontal carina entire, curved, with a tubercle behind; pronotum strongly and closely punctured, rugose anteriorly; elytra finely striate, intervals angularly elevated along the middle, finely, fairly closely punctured; pygidium opaque, rugulose with short setae; metasternal shield smooth, shining, feebly, sparsely punctured, sides of metasternum rugosely punctured, with long hairs; front legs elongate with a blunt process on its trochanter; hind femur with a hooked process at the middle of its lower edge.

Female

Clypeal margin scarcely excised in the middle; protibia broad with four blunt teeth and an articulated spur.

Distribution

India: Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh. Other countries: Nepal; Pakistan ( Chandra 2000; Bezděk & Krell 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007; Chandra 2008; Chandra et al. 2012b; Siddiqui et al. 2014; Ali et al. 2015; Gupta et al. 2015; Bezděk 2016; Schoolmeesters 2022).

Figures

Fig. 5. A. Onitis bordati Cambefort, 1988, holotype, ♂, MNHN EC1187, (image: Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN). B. O. brahma Lansberge, 1875, ♂, BMNH (E) 1237157, (image: BMNH). C. O.castaneus Redtenbacher, 1848, syntype, (image: Harald Schillhammer, NHMW). D. O. crassus Sharp, 1875, holotype, ♂, MNHN EC4813, (image: Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN). E. O. excavatus Arrow, 1931, lectotype, ♂, BMNH (E) 1237173, (image: BMNH). F. O. falcatus (Wulfen, 1786), ♂, AIMB/Co/ Sc1000070, (image: 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.