Macroderes leipoldti Abdalla & Deschodt, 2018

Abdalla, Ishtiag H., Deschodt, Christian M., Scholtz, Clarke H. & Sole, Catherine L., 2018, An update to the taxonomy of the genus Macroderes Westwood 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with descriptions of new species from South Africa, Zootaxa 4504 (1), pp. 41-75 : 59-60

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.1.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:52BA28B6-4280-4BD0-8B38-C794F04E4A66
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5996740
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E7684ED7-73AB-4E57-9A9F-70346B9E45BF
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:E7684ED7-73AB-4E57-9A9F-70346B9E45BF
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Macroderes leipoldti Abdalla & Deschodt
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Macroderes leipoldti Abdalla & Deschodt View in CoL , new species

( Figs. 23 View FIGURES 19–23 , 33 View FIGURES 24–39 , 81 View FIGURES 76–81 , 85 View FIGURES 82–87 , 95 View FIGURES 94–99 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E7684ED7-73AB-4E57-9A9F-70346B9E45BF

Type locality. Farm: Kelkiewyn, 31.21500°S 19.67958°E. Type material. Holotype, ♂ ( UPSA). “Farm: Kelkiewyn / S31.21500° E19.67958° / 781 m / 21.08.2008 – GoogleMaps

13.09.2008 / Pig [dung] baited glycol traps. C. Deschodt [printed] // HOLOTYPE / Macroderes leipoldti / Abdalla & Deschodt / 2018 [red label, printed]”. Paratypes: 3 ♀♀ ( TMSA), same data as holotype. GoogleMaps

Holotype description. Holotype, ♂ ( Fig. 23 View FIGURES 19–23 ). Body length 8.4 mm, width 6.1 mm.

Head. Clypeal surface smooth between punctures, sometimes becoming shagreened close to punctures. Punctures shallow. Frontal suture very pronounced, slightly angled, almost tuberculate in middle.

Pronotum. Convex, lateral margins round. Slight indentation laterally. Lateral border not punctate. Dorsal surface punctate with punctures less than one puncture diameter apart ( Fig. 81 View FIGURES 76–81 ). Area between punctures smooth. Dorsal part of eyes clearly visible.

Elytra. Elytral interstriae 1–8 slightly raised, surface shagreened with irregularly spaced shallow punctures, margins of punctures not carinate ( Fig. 95 View FIGURES 94–99 ). Striae punctate with punctures separated by 3–4 puncture diameters. Sutural interstria narrow with single row of punctures close together, all other elytral interstriae wider. Stria 9 long, 3/4 the length of elytron, interstria 10 2–3 times narrower than interstria 9 in the middle of elytron.

Aedeagus. Sclerite of internal sac short and slightly curved before the apex, with rather broad basal part and without lateral process ( Fig. 33 View FIGURES 24–39 ).

Size range. Females length: 8.0– 8.4 mm, width: 5.7–6.1 mm.

Female. Female differs from male by the combination of the following characters: in the female the pronotum is less convex and appears broader anteriolaterally than in the male, and in the female the frontoclypeal suture is less developed than in the male with weakly developed tubercle in the middle.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Dr. Christian F.L. Leipoldt, leading South African author, poet and an amateur botanist with a deep love of the Hantam.

Differential diagnosis. This species is easily separated from others in the group by the puncture associated seta being outside and close to the edge of the punctures. It is also very short and stubby. The pronotal punctures on the base are almost round and between 1.5 and 3 puncture diameters apart ( Fig. 81 View FIGURES 76–81 ).

Habitat and distribution. This species occurs on the Hantam Plateau Dolerite Renosterveld ( Fig. 2) as defined by Mucina & Rutherford (2006). However, the area where the species was collected should be defined as Hantam Karoo with loamy to sandy soils and a maximum of 175 mm of rain per year (Scholtz, personal observation).