Leucocelis (Leucocelis) adspersa giannatellii Antoine, 2002

Perissinotto, Renzo, 2023, New taxa of Leucocelis Burmeister, 1842 from Namibia, and revision of L. (L.) adspersa s. l. (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), Fragmenta entomologica 55 (2), pp. 195-214 : 210

Leucocelis (Leucocelis) adspersa giannatellii Antoine, 2002 stat. nov.

( Figs 10 and 11 )

Leucocelis (Leucocelis) giannatellii Antoine, 2002: 83 ; Beinhundner 2017: 420.

Antoine (2002) based his original description of L. (L.) giannatellii on a comparison with L. (L.) franki , however the closest relative to this taxon is actually L. (L.) a. adspersa . The two share virtually identical parameres (cf. Antoine 2002: 84, Fig. 32 versus Holm & Marais 1992: 279, Fig. 161a) and biogeographically are parapatric, with transitional forms observed at the southern margins of the Namaqualand region (e.g. Nieuwoutdville) and the northern part of the Cederberg (Clanwilliam). These forms exhibit the typical reddish-brown to dark green elytra and black to dark brown pronotum of L. (L.) giannatellii , but also numerous white spots across the entire dorsal surface, like in a typical L. (L.) a. adspersa ( Fig. 11 ). For these reasons, it is here proposed that the rank of this taxon should be tentatively changed to subspecies: L. (L.) adspersa giannatellii Antoine, 2002 stat. nov.

Distribution. This subspecies is mainly restricted to the Namaqualand region, reaching the northern end of the Cederberg in the south and the southern edge of the Gariep Desert in the north ( Fig. 10 )

Data Records. Type series. Holotype ♂, ZAF-NC: R.S. A., Cape, Namaqualand, Kamieskroon , II.1997, Giannatelli & Stobbia leg. ( MNHN) . AT ♀: idem ( MRSN) . Paralectotypes: 4♂ + 3♀, idem ( RGTI, BMCS) ; 1♂ + 1♀, idem ( PARF) ; 1♀, Cape, Steinkopf-Springbok , 26.X.1996, Werner leg. ( GBEG) ; 2♂ + 1♀, near Kamieskroon, Namaqualand , 31.X-1.XI.1996, Werner leg. ( GBEG) .

Other records: ZAF-NC: 3♂ + 2♀, Kamieskroon , Dec 1996, A.P. & M.E. Marais ( BMCS, RPGS) ; 8♂ + 5♀, ibidem, Jan 1997, A.P & M.E. Marais ( RPGS) ; 1 ind., ibidem, 28 Dec 2003, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( BMCS) ; 1♀, ibidem, Feb 2004, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( RPGS) ; 1♂, ibidem, Mar 2004, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( RPGS) ; 2 inds, ibidem, Oct 2004, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( BMCS) ; 1♂ + 3♀, Nov 2004, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( RPGS) ; 3♂ + 2♀, ibidem, 30 Sep 2010, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( RPGS) ; 1♂, Witwater , 2 Oct 2010, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( RPGS) ; 1 ind., ibidem, 14 Sep 2013, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( BMCS) ; 1♂, Nieuwoudtville , 20 Sep 2010, R. Perissinotto & L. Clennell ( RPGS) ; 2 inds, Grootvlei 500 m, 30°12ʹS 17°47ʹE, 16 Sep 1983, C.L. Bellamy (TMSA-CPH2310) .

Remarks. In this subspecies, body size ranges from 9.2 to 11.6 mm in total length and from 4.6 to 5.6 mm in maximum width. Unlike in the other subspecies, the dorsal background colour of L. (L.) a. giannatellii is consistently dark, ranging from olive green to brown. White maculation can be very faint to absent in specimens from the northermost range of distribution, becoming more numerous and larger in specimens from the southern areas ( Figure 11 ). On rare occasions, parts of the lateral margins of the pronotum are infused with a reddish-brown colour. The pygidial surface is black to brown or coppery and may occasionally exhibit two symmetric lateral white spots. Females have the usual shorter protarsi, wider protibiae and flatter abdominal sternites than males. They also do not exhibit any signs of white maculation on either pronotum or pygidium in the specimens examined here, while males often do, expecially in the southern part of their distribution range.

Adults are active from early spring to late summer, with peaks shortly after major rainfall events. They appear to be mainly floricolous but there are no records of host plants that have been identified yet. Both adults and larvae have been obtained from middens of hyrax ( Procavia capensis ) dung, and the latter have been reared successfully on this medium (A.P. Marais, pers. comm.).

Figures

Fig. 10 – Leucocelis (Leucocelis) adspersa orientalis subsp. nov.: A, HT♂ dorsal habitus; B, HT♂ ventral habitus; C, HT♂ lateral habitus; D, HT♂ clypeus; E, HT♂ pygidium; F, HT♂ parameres, dorsal view; G, HT♂ parameres, lateral view. Photos: Lynette Clennell.

Fig. 11 – Examples of dorsal habitus variability among the different subspecies of Leucocelis (Leucocelis) adspersa s.l. Leucocelis (L.) a. adspersa: 1, Cetonia adspersa, Fabricius LT (“Cap: bon: sp:”); 2, Cetonia verreaux Gory LT (“Cap. b. sp.”); 3, ♂, ZAF-WC, Cederberg; 4, ♀, ZAF-WC, Elandsberg. Leucocelis (L.) a. giannatellii: 5, ♀, ZAF-NC, Steinkopf-Springbok; 6, ♀, ZAF-NC, Near Kamieskroon; 7, ♂, ZAF-NC, Kamieskroon; 8, ♂, ZAF-NC, Nieuwoudtsville.Leucocelis (L.) a. orientalis: 9, ♂, ZAF-ZN, Mt Currie; 10, ZAF-EC, Fort Brown; 11, ♂, ZAF-EC, Willowmore; 12, ♀, ZAF-EC, East London. Leucocelis (L.) a. umtalina: 13, ♂, ZIM Kwekwe; 14, ♀, ZIM Masvingo; 15, TAN Lindi-Masasi; 16, MAL Cape Maclear. (Photos:1, Michael Kuhlmann; 2, Giulio Cuccodoro; 3,4, 7-12, Lynette Clennell; 5,6, 13-16, Gerhard Beinhundner).