Bolboceratex transvaalicus (Petrovitz) Gussmann S. M. & Scholtz, 2000

Gussmann S. M. & Scholtz, C. H., 2000, Systematic revision of endemic southern African genera of Bolboceratinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae), Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 1045-1123 : 1111-1112

Bolboceratex transvaalicus (Petrovitz) comb. nov.

(®gures 23a±c, e, 25g, h, 28g ±i, 31a, 34)

Bolboceras transvaalicus Petrovitz, 1974: 211 , ®gures 1,2.

Description

Body length. Holotype 13.9 mm, paratype 12.8 mm, 1m 13.5 mm.

Colour. Mid-brown.

Head. Dorsal surface asetose except for labrum. Outer margin of mandible rounded. Labrum (®gure 25g) with a few scattered setae; declivous in anterior twothirds and posterior one third, transverse carina absent; anterior margin straight. Clypeus (®gure 25g) sloping upward posteriorly to apex of feebly to moderately developed transverse anterior carina; lateral carina also feebly to moderately developed but distinctly raised above antennal insertion, continuing from there posteriorly in a slightly arcuate line to almost posterior end of frons, feebly developed adjacent to eye-canthus; posteriorly with pair of well-separated tubercles; distance between the two tubercles slightly more than distance between tubercle and lateral carina; antero-latera l angle of genae distinctly raised. Frons more or less ¯at. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment two-thirds of exposed surface.

Pronotum (®gure 31a). With large, shallow concavity occupying anterior half of pronotum; concavity delimited posteriorly by two carinate (male) or non-carinate (female), feebly arcuate lobes; posteriorly with very feebly impressed midline, anteriorly opening up into concavity but posteriorly not reaching posterior pronotal margin; concavity with large punctures interspersed with minute punctures; disc with densely spaced, moderately sized punctures, these increasingly densely spaced and conūent towards sides; concavity at its widest point as wide as frons between eyes; lateral margin entire.

Scutellum. Basal width about 1.5Ölength (®gure 25h); with moderately sized punctures.

Elytron. Striae moderately impressed, their punctures separated by two to three puncture diameters (®gure 25h); intervals with ®ne punctation (approximately four to ®ve punctures between two striae).

Metasternum. As in generic description but longitudinal suture reaching meso-metasternal suture (®gure 24a).

Legs. Protibia six- to seven-dentate. Metatibia in lateral view elongate, only feebly broadening apically; with subapical carina feebly to distinctly bilobed; with toothlike projections arranged in two rows above subapical carina. Metatarsus lacking subapical setae on tarsomeres 2±4.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as in ®gure 28g ±i.

Distribution (®gure 32). The species is known only from the type locality near Pretoria and one additional locality in Free State Province.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: l`SuÈdafrika, Transvaal, Pretoria, UV-Lichtfalle Farm Roodeplaat [25.38S 28.23E], ii.1961, F. Neubecker’/` Bolboceras transvaalicum nov. Petrovitz’ [black print on red label]/` Holotypus ’ [red print on white label with red margin]/`Typus’ [black print on red label] ( HNHM) ; PARATYPE, l same data as holotype but:`Paratypus’ [black print on red label]/`coll. Petrovitz’ [black print on white label] ( NHMG) .

Additional material examined (1 specimen). South Africa: 1m,`S. Africa, O.F.S., Deelfontein 482, Bothaville SE 27 26 Ba [27.22S 26.37E], 12± 22.iv.1977, G. W. & M. C. Ferreira’ ( BMSA, No.7414) .

Comments. The aedeagi of the holotype and the paratype, dissected by Petrovitz, are each glued on to a piece of cardboard and attached to the respective specimen.

Petrovitz’s original description (1974) of Bolboceras transvaalicus is listed as a reference in Krikken (1984) but the species ®nds no mention elsewhere in the publication and therefore had not been transferred from Bolboceras to any of the valid genera. It is now placed in the genus Bolboceratex .

DiOEerences between Bolboceratex transvaalicus and its closest relative Bolboceratex spurius (PeÂringuey) are discussed under the latter.