Bolbaoeer nikolajevi, Gussmann & Scholtz, 2001

Gussmann, S. M. V. & Scholtz, C. H., 2001, Systematic revision of the Afrotropical genus BolbaOEer Vulcano, Martinez and Pereira (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae: Bolboceratinae), with descriptions of eight new species, Journal of Natural History 35 (7), pp. 1013-1084 : 1057-1059

BolbaOEer nikolajevi sp. nov.

(®gures 2c, 3t ±w, 17a±g, 18)

Description male

Body length 19.9±22.1 mm (5 specimens). Colour light brown to dark brown. Outer margin of mandible feebly sinuate (®gure 2c). Clypeus with bituberculate, feebly arcuate transverse posterior carina; tubercles in line with antennal insertions (®gure 2c); posterior carina as long as or shorter than anterior carina. Frons feebly depressed posterior to posterior clypeal carina. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment about one-half of exposed surface. Pronotum with anterior margin medially raised, in major males in dorsal view with bisinuate curvature and slightly projecting over frons (®gure 2c), in minor males in dorsal view with simple curvature and not projecting over frons; with one outer and one inner pair of equally long, slightly inward curved horns along posterior margin in major males (®gure 3t), but protrusions more approximated, shorter and eventually reduced to small tubercles in minor males (®gure 3u, v); disc sometimes with scattered ®ne punctures but always with large, fairly densely spaced punctures, these increasingly conūent and more densely spaced towards sides and along anterior margin; punctures decreasing in size and density and increasingly interspersed by ®ne punctures usually in between and always on pronotal protrusions. Scutellum with surface coarsely punctate. Elytron with strial punctures separate d by three and a half to ®ve puncture diameters; intervals with approximately four to ®ve punctures between two striae. Protibia ®ve-dentate. Protibial spur more or less as long as ®fth tarsomere, acuminate. Metatrochanter of unmodi®ed shape; with very dense, long setation except for an asetose area along anterior margin where metatrochanter is attached to metafemur. Metafemur in ventral view in posterior third with line of densely spaced, moderately long and long setae; with dense, long setae in basal area and basal third along posterior margin; with fairly dense, long setae in anterior third; remaining areas with sparse, long setation. Metatibia in lateral view with subapical carina bilobed; with unmodi®ed spurs. Underside with posterior margin of sternite 4 medially feebly and roundedly produced (®gure 17b) and with dense setation; posterior margin of sternite 5 broadly triangularly emarginate (®gure 17b); posterior margin of sternite 6 medially deeply divided as in ®gure 17b; pygidium unmodi®ed (®gure 17a). Genitalia with aedeagus as in ®gure 17c±e; genital capsule apically with moderately long setation.

Description female

Body length 19.2±20.4 mm (7 specimens). Colour as in male. Outer margin female mandible rounded. Frons with distinctly raised bituberculate, transverse carina; position of carina variable, from in line with to mostly slightly posterior to posterolateral genal angle; carina straight and distinctly shorter than, usually half length of anterior clypeal carina. Antennal club as in male. Pronotum with anterior margin as in minor males; with transverse, feebly carinate swelling at median portion of disc; carina in dorsal view more or less straight, in frontal view more or less straight but laterally arcuate (®gure 3w); swelling either without or with very few ®ne punctures, but always with some large punctures; with large, mostly conūent punctures anterior, lateral and posterior to carinate swelling. Scutellum and elytron as in male. Protibia and protibial spur as in male. Metatrochanter of unmodi®ed shape; with sparse, long setation in basal third and along posterior margin; surface otherwise asetose. Metafemur in ventral view in posterior third with line of fairly dense, moderately long and long setae; with fairly dense and long setae in anterior third and apical area; with fairly dense, moderately long setae along posterior margin; remaining areas with few isolated setae. Metatibia as in male. Underside with sternite 5 postero-medially feebly but discernibly swollen (®gure 17f); posterior margin of sternite 6 and pygidium medially in ventral view somewhat pointed (®gure 17g), otherwise unmodi®ed (®gure 17f, g).

Distribution (®gure 18). West Africa, from Senegal eastward to Nigeria.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE l[diss.]:`Kano Dist. [12.00N 09.00E], N. Nigeria, July 1954, W.E.S. Merrett’ /`W.E.S. Merrett B.M. 1962-270.’ ( BMNH) ; ALLOTYPE m: same data ( BMNH); 10 PARATYPES: 1 l[diss.], 1m, same data ( TMSA) ; 1 l[diss.], 1m: same data but:`July 1953 ...’ ( BMNH) ; 1 l[diss.], same data but:`Aug. 1945 ...’ ( BMNH) ; 1, 2mm,`[ Senegal], Casamance , Sedhiou [SeÂdhiou, 12.44N 15.33W], E. Laglaize 1891’ /`Museum Paris ex Coll. R. Oberthur’ ( MNHN) ; 1m,` Senegal, Bambey [14.42N 16.28W], 1943, J.Risbec. ’ /`Pres. by Com, Inst. Ent. B.M. 1948-525.’ ( BMNH) ; 1m,`Coll. Mus. Tervuren, Haute-Volta, Ougadougo u [12.22N 01.31W] (leg. P.C.Fernandez) X-70’ ( MRAC) .

Etymology. The species is named after Dr Georgy Nikolajev in recognition of his revisional work on BolbaOEer in 1982.

Comments. Males of this new species are easily identi®ed by the following combination of character states: always with four, equally long protrusions along posterior pronotal margin (®gure 3t ±v); posterior margin of sternite 4 medially feebly and roundedly produced (®gure 17b) and with dense setation; posterior margin of sternite 5 broadly triangularly incised (®gure 17b); sternite 6 medially deeply divided and bilobed (®gure 17b), lobes apically densely setose; pygidium evenly rounded, unmodi®ed (®gure 17a); and distinct aedeagus with relatively broad parameres, their tips acute (®gure 17c±e). A number of character states shared with or similar to B. princeps and B. gigas prompted us to place B. nikolajevi in the B. princeps speciesgroup, as already explained above under the discussion of the various species-groups.

We are con®dent that the female specimens designated above as allotype and paratypes are correctly associated with the males because most of them were collected together in male / female combinations. Male / female combinations of B. bremeri and B. princeps were, incidentally, also collected from the holotype locality of B. nikolajevi , with all of them sharing identical label data. But because the male / female associations for B. bremeri and B. princeps are already clearly manifested from a number of other localities not shared by B. nikolajevi , a possible mix up is out of the question. Females of B. nikolajevi can be identi®ed in ventral view by the feeble but discernible postero-median swelling on sternite 5 and the somewhat pointed posterior margins of the otherwise unmodi®ed sternite 6 and pygidium. Although females of members of the B. abyssinicus species-group also display a more or less pronounced swelling on sternite 5, they are immediately distinguishable from B. nikolajevi by their strongly modi®ed pygidium (e.g. compare ®gures 17f and 24h). Furthermore, at least with regard to females of B. sasakii , B. namibiensis and B. sebastiani , the pronotal punctation consists of small, deep and densely spaced punctures anterior to transverse carinate swelling as opposed to large, shallow and densely spaced punctures in B. nikolajevi . Lastly the B. abyssinicus species-group and B. nikolajevi are clearly allopatric (compare ®gure 18 with 25). DiOEerences between B. nikolajevi females and females of the closely related B. princeps and B. gigas are discussed under the latter two.