Porphyronota hebraea maculipennis Moser. Holm 1990: 119

Perissinotto, Renzo & Rojkoff, Sébastien, 2025, The Porphyronota Burmeister, 1842 of Cameroon, with description of a new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae, Diplognathini), Fragmenta entomologica 57 (1), pp. 51-64 : 58-61

Porphyronota hebraea maculipennis Moser. Holm 1990: 119 .

Distribution. Originally described from Yoko in central Cameroon, it is now known from most regions of the country, with isolated records reported from neighbouring Nigeria and the Central African Republic, but also from as far as Kenya and Uganda (Fig. 8).

Data records. Type series: HT, [ Cameroon]: Kamerun, Yoko , 14.V.1910, Colin leg. ( ZMHB) . Other records : 1♂ + 1♀, CMR-AD, Ngaoundéré , 20.VIII.1967 ( Sakai & Nagai 1998: 332) ; 1♀, ibidem, VI-2001 ( SRSF) ; 2♂, ibidem, V/ XI-2023 ( SRSF) ; 1♂ + 2♀, ibidem, VII, 2007, Via D. Moore ( RPTI) ; 1♂, ibidem, 06.2006, Via T. Garnier ( RPTI) ; 1♀, ibidem, 7.1966, Ex collection Dr Vincent Allard, received from Christophe Allard 21.II.2015 ( GBEG) ; 1♂ + 1♀, ibidem, 3.1967 ( GBEG) ; 1♂, ibidem, 12.1980 ( GBEG) ; 1♂, ibidem, 10.10.2007, P. Haller leg. ( GBEG) ; 1♀, ibidem, VI.2011 ( GBEG) ; 4 inds, ibidem, 20-08-1967 ( TGMF) ; 1♂, CMR-CE, Sa’a Forest , 3.1995, Ex collection Dr Vincent Allard, received from Christophe Allard 21.II.2015 ( GBEG) ; 1♂ + 2♀, ibidem, 3.1993, Ex collection Dr Vincent Allard, received from Christophe Allard 21.II.2015 ( GBEG) ; n. inds, CMR-SU, Lolodorf ( De Lisle 1945: 91); CMR-CE , 1♂, Yaoundé , IV-1985, Coll. V. Allard ( RBINS) ; 1♂, CMR-NW, 11.1998, Leg. M. Desfontaine ( GBEG) ; 1♀, CMR, Mlouti ( DCSF) ; 1 CMR [No locality], II.1993, Ex collection Dr Vincent Allard, received from Christophe Allard 21.II.2015 ( GBEG) ; 1♂ + 1♀, CMR-AD, Mt. Nganha , 50 km est de Ngaoundéré ( DCSF) ; 2♂, CMR-AD, Wack , reg. Ngaoundéré ( DCSF) ; 1 ind., ibidem, 05-2006 (TGMF); 1 ind., ibidem, 06-2015 (TGMF); 1♀, CMR-AD, Wack , 07°45’09’’N 13°31’37’’E, 590 m, V-2009 ( PLGF) ; 1♀, CMR-AD, Meigdougou , 6°23’46’’N 14°14’29’’E, 1050 m ( PLGF) ; 1♀, CMR- SW, Mamfe , XII.2011, Coll. A. Rautenstrauch ( GBEG) ; 1♂, CMR-CE, V/2010 ( PMBC) ; 1♂ + 1♀, CMR-CE, Nditam , 5°19’57’’N 11°19’49’’E, 670 m, IV/ V-2019, E. Juhel leg. ( PLGF) ; 1♂ + 1♀, ibidem, V-2020 ( PLGF) ; 1 ind., CMR-CE, Yoko , 5°23’52’’N 12°17’37’’E, 710 m ( PLGF) ; 9 inds, CMR-CE, Sengbe , 6°03’13’’N 12°28’26’’E, 800 m, 2024 ex-larva ( PLGF, GFGF) ; 2♂ + 2♀, CMR-OU, Oku-Din , 6°18’02’’N 10°30’58’’E, 1200 m, V-2008 ( PLGF) ; 2♂ + 2♀, ibidem, VI-2009 ( PLGF) ; 1♂, CMR-ES, Meiganga , 06°32’44’’N 14°16’07’’E, 1060 m ( PLGF) ; 1♀, CMR-OU, Bertoua Nord , 4°39’01’’N 13°46’37’’E, V-2010 ( PLGF) ; 1♀, CMR-AD, Digou Mt Nganha , IV-2015 ( PLGF) ; n inds, ibidem, IV/ V-2017 to 2022 ( PLGF) ; 2♂, CAF, PK 27, Nord Bangui ( DCSF) ; 1♂, KEN, Kerio Valley , 8.1982, Ex collection Dr Vincent Allard, received from Christophe Allard 21.II.2015 ( GBEG) ; 1♀, NGA, Kaduna, 6.1983 ( GBEG) ; 1♀, UGA, Yumbe , Kei Mt, J.P. Le- queux leg., III-2010 ( SRSF) .

Remarks. Specimens range in size from 16.8-20.0 mm (TL) to 9.6-11.4 mm (MW) ( Sakai & Nagai 1998; Beinhundner 2017). Porphyronota maculipennis needs to be rehabilitated as proper species as already suggested by Rigout & Allard (1992), Sakai & Nagai (1998) and Beinhundner (2017), rather than be relegated as a subspecies of P. hebraea ( Olivier, 1789) (see Holm 1990: 119). These two taxa are rather distinct morphologically and bioge- ographically very disjunct. Not only is P. maculipennis characterized by much darker and zoned dorsal maculae as well as more concave lower pronotal sides than P. hebraea , but it also exhibits a more compressed mesosternal lobe and aedeagal parameres with dorsal lobes shorter than the ventral ones, by comparison with the latter species (cf. Rigout & Allard 1992: 90). There is also no substantiation to the statement reported in Holm (1990) that in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) “all intermediate forms between P. hebraea and P. maculipennis are found”. Indeed, none of the other authors have ever included Congo-Kinshasa or Congo-Brazzaville as part of the distribution range of either species.

Porphyronota hebraea , possibly the most commonly recorded species of the genus, is widespread in southern and East Africa and, although this was not reported in the distribution range of either Holm (1990) or Beinhundner (2017), it actually extends as far north as Ethiopia, as recently confirmed by a series of specimens obtained from “Nazreth, Shoa” (teste Di Gennaro) and “Sidamo, Agere Mariam” (SRSF). This was actually mentioned already in the works of Péringuey (1907), Distant (1911) and Schenkling (1921) (as “ Abyssinia / Abessinien ”), but somehow ignored by subsequent authors. Holm (1990) and Holm & Marais (1992) reported the species from South africa, Na- mibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Leso- tho and eSwatini. More recently, Beinhundner (2017) reported it occurring in Tanzania and Serrano et al. (2020) in central Angola. A few observations posted on the platform iNaturalist have also established its presence in Botswana (e.g. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/17792913; /20306155), while confirmed records from Rwanda have also been recently obtained (SR, pers. obs.).