Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) werneri Zidek and Pokorný, 2018

Zidek, Jiri & Pokorný, Svatopluk, 2018, New species of the Scarabaeus subgenus Scarabaeolus Balthasar, with a review of the subgenus (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Scarabaeini), Insecta Mundi 611, pp. 1-35 : 8-9

Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) werneri Zidek and Pokorný , sp. n.

Fig. 39–42

Type locality. Kenya, North-Eastern Province, Wajir.

Type material. HTm and 7 PT (3m, 4f) from type locality, leg. K. Werner and P. Smrž 28.IV–4.V.2001 . HT+1 PT at BMNH, 2 PT at OXUM, 2 PT at TMSA, 2 PT at NMPC .

Etymology. Named after the late Karl Werner of Peiting, Germany, the principal collector of all known specimens.

Description of holotype. Length 9 mm, black, glossy.

Head. Clypeus longitudinally rugate, teeth weakly upturned, without ventral keel, spaces between teeth equal and U-shaped. Frons with a weakly indicated, medially interrupted carina. Vertex with sparse, randomly distributed coarse punctures. Posterior half with a smooth, glossy sagittal line. Pubescence and antennal club yellowish brown.

Pronotum bordered all around, strongly arcuate, randomly covered by coarse, setose punctures sparse on disc and more closely spaced laterally. Lateral margins evenly rounded, coarsely crenulate, with long hairs. Front angles pointing outward, hind corners oblique. Base with a minor medial lobe.

Scutellum . E xposed, small, triangular.

Elytra. With striae finely and densely punctate. First interval convex only posteriorly and nearly impunctate; second through fifth intervals convex throughout length and coarsely punctate, with spaces between punctures 2–5 times puncture diameter; sixth and seventh intervals flat and with only a few fine punctures.

Pygidium . Bordered all around, with sparse punctures near lateral margins.

Venter. Metasternum with anterior process strongly keeled. Ventral pubescence sparse, yellowish brown.

Legs. Protibia weakly curved inward, with lateral margin densely serrate and medial margin with medium-size granules. Profemur pencil-thin, with anteroventral carina smooth. Mesotibia with one spur and two transverse carinae. Metatibia with two transverse carinae.

Aedeagus. Phallobase and parameres of equal length, left paramere with a large ventral tooth, paramere tips without ventral beaks.

Variability. Length 9–11 mm. Variation other than in size not noticed.

Comparison. The new species is close to S. palemo Olivier ( Fig. 69 ) and S. bohemani Harold ( Fig. 43–44 ), from which it differs in smaller size, sparsely and randomly punctate pronotum, much thinner profemur, and geographic distribution. The aedeagus is similar to that of S. bohemani ( Fig. 45–46 ) and differs from that of S. palemo ( Fig. 88 ) in lacking ventral curvature (beak) at the tip (insofar as these two species are presently understood—see discussion in the Review section).

Biology. According to the late Karl Werner (in litt.) the type locality is in the midst of a low-elevation (200–300 m), sparsely vegetated semidesert area. The specimens of S. werneri were taken on hot days while digging holes in the red sand and depositing small pieces of dung, probably rabbit. Wajir is notable for being the type and only locality of the cicindelid Lophyra (Stenolophyra) wajirensis Miskell and of Scarabaeus karlwerneri Nicolas and Moretto , closely related to Scarabaeus zambesianus Péringuey.

Figures

Figures 39–46. Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) spp. 39–42) Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) werneri sp. n., HTm, 9 mm. 39) Dorsal habitus. 40) Ventral habitus. 41) Aedeagus, dorsal. 42) Aedeagus, left lateral. 43–46) Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) bohemani Harold, 16 mm. 43) Dorsal habitus. 44) Ventral habitus. 45) Aedeagus, dorsal. 46) Aedeagus, left lateral.

Figures 63–71. Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) species with one mesotibial spur. 63) S. funebris (Boheman), m, 17.5 mm. 64) S. parvulus (Boheman), m, 14 mm. 65) S. clanceyi Ferreira, m, 12.7 mm. 66) S. karrooensis zur Strassen, m, 13 mm. 67) S. obsoletepunctatus Balthasar, HTf, 14.5 mm. 68) Same, ventral view. 69) S. palemo Olivier, m, 14.5 mm (Benin, brownish because teneral). 70) S. morbillosus Fabricius, ST, 13.7 mm (= S. palemo Olivier). 71) Same, frontal view showing orangish profemoral pads.

Figures 88–104. Scarabaeus (Scarabaeolus) aedeagi in dorsal and left lateral views. 88) S. palemo Olivier (Benin, from specimen in Fig. 69). 89) S. parvulus (Boheman). 90) S. karrooensis zur Strassen. 91) S. laevifrons Fairmaire. 92) S. reichei = S. canaliculatus (det. Ferreira). 93) S. canaliculatus Fairmaire. 94) S. fritschi Harold. 95) S. damarensis Janssens. 96) S. gilleti Janssens. 97) S. kwiluensis Janssens. 98) S. kochi Ferreira. 99) S. pabulator Péringuey. 100) S. intricatus (Fabricius). 101) S. lucidulus (Boheman). 102) S. funebris (Boheman). 103) S. clanceyi Ferreira. 104) S. inoportunus Ferreira.