Phaeaphodius pupillus ( Balthasar, 1961 )

Dellacasa, Marco & Dellacasa, Giovanni, 2016, Systematic revision of the genus Phaeaphodius Reitter, 1892 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Zootaxa 4162 (1), pp. 143-163 : 155-156

Phaeaphodius pupillus ( Balthasar, 1961)

( Figs. 39–43 )

Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) pupillus Balthasar, 1961: 361 ; Balthasar 1964: 284; Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006: 133. Phaeaphodius pupillus: Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2016: 144 .

Type locality. Kandahar-Kuna, 950 m, Afghanistan.

Type repository. Zoological Institute and Museum Akexander König. Bonn, Germany (paratype examined).

Redescription. Length 4.0– 4.5 mm; subcylindrical, strongly convex, shiny, glabrous. Head and pronotum piceous, clypeal margin and anterior angles of pronotum shadowy red; elytra reddish brown; legs dark testaceous; antennal club pale testaceous. Head with epistoma convex and sparsely subregularly punctate on disc; distally densely, unequally, subrugosely punctate; anteriorly feebly carinate and abruptly depressed toward clypeal margin. Clypeus feebly sinuate at middle, round on sides, thinly bordered, edge glabrous and faintly upturned; genae widely round, sparsely setose, protruding from the eyes; frontal suture distinctly impressed with vestiges of tubercles; front irregularly, distantly punctate. Pronotum moderately transverse, strongly convex, dually punctate; large punctures five to six times larger than small punctures, very sparse and irregularly scattered, a little denser on sides, lacking on disc; small punctures distant and rather sparsely distributed; sides feebly arcuate, rather thinly bordered, edge sparsely setose; hind angles distinctly truncate, truncation somewhat inwardly sinuate; base finely but distinctly entirely bordered. Scutellum trinagularly elongate, flat, coarsely punctate on basal half. Elytra elongate, feebly widened posteriorly, finely striate; striae feebly impressed, superficially punctate, weakly crenulate; interstriae flat, nearly imperceptibly sparsely punctate. Metatibiae superior spur slightly longer than first metatarsomere; latter somewhat shorter than following 3 metatarsomeres combined. Male: protibiae spur shorter, stouter, and downward abruptly bent; frontal suture feebly tuberculate at middle; pronotum more transverse, less densely punctate; metasternal plate feebly excavate but distinctly grooved medially and somewhat sparsely punctate; aedeagus Figs. 42–43 . Female: protibiae spur slender, more elongate and nearly straight; pronotum somewhat narrower apically; metasternal plate almost flat, faintly grooved and sparsely punctate.

Distribution. Afghanistan, Uzbekistan.

Material examined. AFGHANISTAN: Kandahar-Kuna, 950 m, 21.II.1953, Klapperich J. leg. (2 specimens, paratypes, MNHN) ; UZBEKISTAN: Buchara, Collection Reitter (1 specimen, MNHN) .

Bionomics. Unknown.

Remarks. It is possible that this species is a junior synonym of P. dauricus but, due to the limited material at our disposal, it is maintained as a valid species.

Figures

FIGURES 34 – 43. Phaeaphodius plutenkoi (Král, 2002) (China, Shaanxi, Taibashan Mountains, N Hoazhenzi, 2460 m). 34, epipharynx; 35 – 36, habitus (scale bar and morphological details); 37 – 38, aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views). Phaeaphodius pupillus (Balthasar, 1961) (Afghanistan, Kandahar-Kuna). 39. epipharynx; 40 – 41, habitus (morphological details and scale bar); 42 – 43, aedeagus (dorsal and lateral views).