Phaeaphodius himalorectus ( Ahrens & Stebnicka, 1997 )

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

Phaeaphodius himalorectus ( Ahrens & Stebnicka, 1997)

( Figs. 13–17 )

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) himalorectus Ahrens & Stebnicka, 1997: 12 ; Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133.

Phaeaphodius himalorectus: Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2016: 144 .

Type locality. Ghorepani, 2800 m, Nepal-Himalaya Annapurna Mountains , Nepal.

Type repository. Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart (paratype examined).

Redescription. Length 5.5–6.0 mm; oval elongate, moderately convex, shiny, almost glabrous. Head and pronotum piceous; elytra dark reddish brown, sometimes slightly paler at suture and apex; legs and antennal club reddish brown. Head with epistome coarsely, densely, somewhat irregularly punctate; punctation denser and confluent toward clypeal margin, anteriorly with arcuate transverse carina more-or-less distinctly raised; clypeus feebly sinuate at middle, round on sides, thinly bordered, edge feebly upturned, glabrous; genae obtusely angulate, densely setose, distinctly protruding from the eyes; frontal suture nearly obsolete, only with vestiges of tubercles; front coarsely, not densely, evenly punctate. Pronotum transverse, moderately convex, dually punctate; large punctures five to six times larger than small punctures, irregularly closer on sides; small punctures almost evenly scattered throughout, more superficial on disc; sides feebly arcuate, thinly bordered, edge sparsely setose; hind angles subtruncate; basal margin bisinuate, not bordered, laterally crenulate by few medium-size punctures. Scutellum triangular with curved sides, superficially minutely punctate on basal third. Elytra moderately convex, oblong oval, deeply striate; striae coarsely punctate, crenulate; interstriae flat on disc, very convex and with short straight pale setae on preapical declivity. Metatibiae superior spur slightly shorter than first metatarsomere; latter as long as following 3 metatarsomeres combined. Male: pronotum more transverse, less coarsely and less densely punctate; protibiae spur S-shaped, apically hooked; aedeagus Figs. 16–17 . Female: pronotum narrower apically, more coarsely and more densely punctate; protibiae spur thin and almost straight.

Distribution. Nepal (Himalaya: Annapurna Mountains).

Material examined. NEPAL: Himalaya , Myagdi District, Phalante, 2100–2300 m, 20.III.1994, D. Ahrens leg. (11 specimens, paratypes, DCG).

Bionomics. All specimens examined were collected in spring, above 2000 m.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 23. Phaeaphodius himalorectus (Ahrens & Stebnicka, 1997) (Nepal, Himalaya, Myagdi District, 2100 – 2300 m, paratype). 13, epipharynx; 14 – 15. habitus (scale bar and morphological details); 16 – 17, aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views). Phaeaphodius jouravliowi (Reitter, 1907) (Ural). 18, epipharynx; 19 – 21, habitus (morphological details, scale bar, and color variations); 22 – 23, aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views).