Phaeaphodius dauricus ( Harold, 1863 )

Dellacasa, Marco & Dellacasa, Giovanni, 2016, Systematic revision of the genus Phaeaphodius Reitter, 1892 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Zootaxa 4162 (1), pp. 143-163 : 147-149

Phaeaphodius dauricus ( Harold, 1863)

( Figs. 6–12 )

Aphodius dauricus Harold, 1863: 337 .

Aphodius aeger Sharp, 1878: 170 ; Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus ).

Aphodius (Melinopterus) semiluteus Reitter, 1887: 225 ; Reitter 1906: 439 (as synonym of Aphodius acutangulus ).

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) albociliatus Reitter, 1892: 206 .

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) acutangulus Reitter, 1892: 206 ; Schmidt 1913: 153 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus ; unverified synonymy: type not found).

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) truncatangulus Reitter, 1894: 186 ; Schmidt 1913: 154 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus albociliatus Reitter, 1892 ); Schmidt 1922: 210 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus albociliatus Reitter, 1892 ); Balthasar 1964: 285 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus albociliatus Reitter, 1892 ); Dellacasa 1988: 85 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus albociliatus Reitter, 1892 ); Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus Harold, 1863 ).

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) alleoni d'Orbigny, 1896: 149 ; Schmidt 1913: 153 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus Harold, 1863 ); Dellacasa 1988: 85 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus Harold, 1863 ); Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus Harold, 1863 ).

Aphodius (Erytus) [sic!] alleoni: Schmidt, 1922: 210 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus Harold, 1863 ).

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) dauricus: Schmidt 1913: 153 ; Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133.

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) dauricus var. semiluteus: Schmidt 1913: 153 .

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) dauricus var. albociliatus: Schmidt 1913: 153 .

Aphodius (Aphodius) aeger: Schmidt 1913: 161 ; Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus ).

Aphodius margianus Semenov and Medvedev, 1928: 102 ; Lebedev 1932: 58.

Aphodius (Mendidius) margianus: Nikolajev 1979: 40 (as synonym of Aphodius dauricus ).

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) dauricus ab. semiluteus: Balthasar 1964: 285 .

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) dauricus ab. albociliatus: Balthasar 1964: 285 .

Phaeaphodius dauricus: Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2016: 144 .

Type locality. Daurien , Sibirien [ Russia].

Type repository. Aphodius dauricus : Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France (type not found); Aphodius aeger : Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; Aphodius semiluteus : unknown to authors; Aphodius albociliatus : unknown to authors; Aphodius acutangulus : unknown to authors; Aphodius margianus : Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Aphodius truncatangulus: Magyar Természettudomàny Muzéum , Budapest, Hungary; Aphodius alleoni : Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France.

Redescription. Length 5.0–6.0 mm; elongate, almost subcylindrical, shiny, glabrous. Head and pronotum black; elytra dark piceous red ( Fig. 8 ), entirely black ( Fig. 9 ), or dirty yellowish-brown ( Fig. 10 ); legs dark reddish brown, antennal club piceous. Head with epistome feebly convex, subcarinate toward clypeus, coarsely and rather regularly punctate on disc, confusedly subrugose distally; clypeus feebly sinuate at middle, round on sides, thinly bordered, edge feebly upturned, glabrous; genae obtusely round, setose, feebly protruding from the eyes; frontal suture feebly tuberculate; front coarsely and regularly punctate. Pronotum transverse, strongly convex, sparsely punctate; large punctures irregularly denser on sides, six to seven times larger than small punctures; fine smaller punctures evenly scattered throughout; lateral margin subparallel, thickly bordered, edge sparsely setose; hind angles widely truncate; base distinctly bordered, border somewhat crenulate. Scutellum triangularly elongate, flat, irregularly coarsely punctate on basal half. Elytra strongly convex, subparallel-sided, rather superficially striate; striae distinctly punctate, feebly crenulate; interstriae flat, sparsely and finely punctate. Metatibiae superior spur as long as first metatarsomere; latter as long as following 3 metatarsomeres combined. Male: central tubercle of frontal suture more distinct; pronotum more convex and less densely punctate mainly on disc; inferior spur of mesotibiae shortened and obliquely truncate apically; aedeagus Figs. 11–12 . Female: central tubercle of frontal suture weaker; pronotum less convex and more densely punctate; inferior spur of mesotibiae regularly elongate and apically acuminate.

Distribution. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, northern India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia (Eastern Siberia), Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

Material examined. AFGHANISTAN: umgebung von Kabul (1 specimen, DCG) ; AZERBAIJAN: Talysch gebg, Leder, Reitter (1 specimen, DCG) ; CHINA: Karagaitau, Narynx, Tian Shan [Xinjiang], (4 specimens, DCG, MNHN) ; Kerja , Chin. Turkestan [Sinkiang], 1300 m, 05–11.IV.1890, S. Conradt leg. (3 specimens, ZMHB) ; INDIA: North India, Forsyth Expedition (lectotype of A. aeger ) (1 specimen, MNHN) ; KAZAKHSTAN: Wernyi [Alma Ata], (2 specimens, ZMHB) ; MONGOLIA: Char-us-nur, 1160 m, SW Ufer, Aimak Chovd, 4748'N, 9203'E, 28–29.VI.1964, Mongolisch-Deutschen Biological Expedition 1964 (5 specimens, ZMHB) ; Grenzstat. Jarantaj am Bulagan-gol , 1200 m, 40 km W Bulgan, Aimak Chovd, 4608'N-91°E (3 specimens, ZMHB) ; RUSSIA: Eastern Siberia [ Transbaikalia ]: Werchne-Udinsk, Mandl leg. (9 specimens, MNHN) ; TADZHIKISTAN: Kasatarosh , 20 km N Dushambe, 1000 m, 07–09.V.2003, V. Perepechayenko leg. (2 specimens, DCG) ; TURKMENISTAN: Dscharkent, Kuldsha (1 specimen, MNHN) ; Tedžen , 12–25.III.1992, M. Snizek leg. (13 specimens, DCG) ; Cemenibit , 22 km N Kuska, 1.IV.1992, M. Snizek leg. (1 specimen, DCG) ; UZBEKISTAN: Bang-Haas, Buchara (1 specimen, MNHN) .

Bionomics. Most specimen examined were collected in spring.

Remarks. A male of Aphodius aeger Sharp, 1878 , lectotype hereby designated, in Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France, bears the following labels: 1) white, handwritten: Forsyth Expedition / north India; 2) white, handwritten: Aphodius aeger / type D. S.; 3) red, printed: Aphodius aeger Sharp, 1878 ; lectotypus, M. & G. Dellacasa des., 2001. Two other specimens of the type series with the same labels are paralectotypes. In the original description, Sharp (1878: 170) mentioned the locality Yangahissár and in the title of the work is recorded also “Yarkand” but those localities are both in Xinjiang (China).

We have searched for type specimens of Aphodius truncatangulus Reitter, 1894 in several museums (e.g., Budapest, Berlin, Paris) where Reitter’s material is known to have been deposited. Since we were not able to find any type specimens, we consider the type series lost. We hereby designate as the neotype of Aphodius truncatangulus Reitter, 1894 a male of Phaeaphodius dauricus ( Harold, 1863) , in the Magyar Természettudomàny Muzéum, Budapest, Hungary, bearing the following labels: 1) white, printed: Turkmenia mer., Tedžen, 02- 25.III.1992, leg. M. Snížek; 2) red, printed: Aphodius truncatangulus Reitter, 1894 , Neotypus, des. Dellacasa, 2016; 3) white, printed: Phaeaphodius dauricus ( Harold, 1863) , det. Dellacasa, 2016.

We were not able to find any type specimens of Aphodius alleoni d’Orbigny, 1896 in the collections of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris , France and therefore consider the type series lost. We hereby designate as the neotype of Aphodius alleoni d’Orbigny, 1896 a male of Phaeaphodius dauricus ( Harold, 1863) , in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris , France, bearing the following labels: 1) white, printed: Turkmenia mer., Tedžen, 02-25.III.1992, leg. M. Snížek; 2) red, printed: Aphodius alleoni d’Orbigny, 1896 , Neotypus, des. Dellacasa, 2016; 3) white, printed: Phaeaphodius dauricus ( Harold, 1863) , det. Dellacasa, 2016.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Phaeaphodius costalis (Gebler, 1848) (Kazakhstan, Kurgaldzhino, Lake Sultan). 1, epipharynx; 2 – 3. habitus (scale bar and morphological details); 4 – 5. aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views). Phaeaphodius dauricus (Harold, 1863) (Turkmenia mer., Tedžen). 6, epipharynx; 7 – 10, habitus (morphological details, scale bar, and color variations); 11 – 12, aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views).