Liothorax niger (Illiger, 1798)

Dellacasa, Marco, Gordon, Robert D. & Dellacasa, Giovanni, 2007, Systematic review to the genus Liothorax (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Zootaxa 1407, pp. 23-42 : 33-34

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.175524
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6251288
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/EF2787D6-DD08-4C7E-FF7F-1E08ACF49081
treatment provided by	Plazi (2016-04-04 23:26:08, last updated 2024-11-26 23:02:03)
scientific name	Liothorax niger (Illiger, 1798)
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Liothorax niger (Illiger, 1798) , new combination

( Figs. 37–41 View FIGURES 37 – 41 )

Aphodius niger: Illiger 1798: 24 , Krell et al. 2003: 127, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2005: 45 Aphodius limnophilus: Motschulsky in Harold 1871: 266 (nomen nudum)

Aphodius (Liothorax) niger: Bedel, 1911: 75

Aphodius (Liothorax) wilsonae: Maté & Angus 2005: 329 , Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2005: 51 (as a synonym of Liothorax niger Illiger, 1798 )

Liothorax muscorum: Ádám 1994: 6 , Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2005: 51 (as a synonym of Liothorax niger Illiger, 1798 )

Type locality: Suec[ia] ( Sweden) (for Liothorax niger ).

Type depository: Humboldt-Universität. Museum für Naturkunde. Berlin (for Liothorax niger ).

Redescription: Length 4.0–5.0 mm, body elongate, subcylindrical, slightly broadened toward apex of elytra, shiny, glabrous. Color black; legs piceous; antennal club black. Head anteriorly at middle gibbose, with fine punctures on disc, punctation more irregular and more coarse distally. Clypeus weakly sinuate medially, rounded laterally; genae obtusely rounded, protruding beyond eyes; frontal suture nearly obsolete. Pronotum convex; with dual, evenly spaced punctures; large punctures, weakly umbilicate, two times larger than small punctures, somewhat irregularly sized; lateral margins with thin border; hind angles obtuse; basal border widely interrupted medially. Scutellum wide, with sparse punctures basally. Elytra oval-elongate; striae well defined, with distinct punctures, crenulate; interstriae flat, with fine, sparse punctures, apically alutaceous. Hind tibiae with superior apical spur as long as first tarsomere; first tarsomere as long as following three combined. Male head with medial gibbosity rather distinct; pronotum on disc with punctures more sparse than in female; metasternal plate concave. Female head with medial gibbosity almost obsolete; metasternal plate flat.

Distribution: Europe, Asia Minor, Central Asia, China (Tibet).

Bionomy: This species is active in late spring and summer and is saprophagous and stenotopic. It is exclusively from open areas mainly at pond margins and in damp soil or under rotting leaves from 1000 to 2000 m in elevation. This species also sometimes causes damage to golf turf (personal observation).

References

Adam, L. (1994) A check-list of the Hungarian Scarabaeoidea with the description of ten new taxa. Folia Entomologica Hungarica, 55, 5 - 17.

Bedel, L. (1911) Faune des Coleopteres du Bassin de la Seine. I. Scarabaeidae. 4. Societe Entomologique de France, Paris, 1 - 164.

Dellacasa, M. & Dellacasa, G. (2005) Comments on some systematic and nomenclatural questions in Aphodiinae with description of new genera and on Italian taxa. Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 84, 47 - 101.

Harold, E. (1871) Beitrage zur Kenntniss einiger coprophagen Lamellicornien. (Siebentes Stuck). Berliner entomologische Zeitsschrift, 15, 249 - 287.

Krell, F. - T., Mann, D. J., Angus, R. B., & Mate, J. F. (2003) Case 3254 - Aphodius niger Illiger, 1798: proposed conservation of the specific name. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 60 (2), 127 - 131.

Mate, J. F. & Angus, R. B. (2005) Description of a new species of Aphodius Illiger from the Iberian Peninsula and comments regarding the biogeography and ecology of the subgenus Liothorax Motschulsky. Koleopterologische Rundschau, 75, 325 - 336.