Omorgus (Afromorgus) desertorum ( Harold, 1872 )

Kalawate, Aparna S. & Strümpher, Werner P., 2024, Catalogue of species of the subgenus Afromorgus Scholtz, 1986 (Coleoptera: Trogidae: Omorginae) known from the Oriental and Palaearctic Regions, including a description of one new species from the Deccan Plateau in India, Zootaxa 5437 (1), pp. 21-63 : 31-33

Omorgus (Afromorgus) desertorum ( Harold, 1872) , valid species

( Figs. 12–16 )

Trox desertorum Harold, 1872: 77 (original description).

Trox desertorum : Arrow 1912: 55 (catalogue); Balthasar 1936: 435 (diagnosis).

Trox niloticus desertorum : Haaf 1954: 347 (lectotype designation, description, key, illustrations).

Trox (Omorgus) niloticus desertorum : Scholtz 1980a: 140 (specimens of Saudi Arabia); Scholtz 1980b: 56 (paralectotype designation, redescription, distribution, key, illustration); Scholtz 1982: 12 (catalogue).

Afromorgus niloticus desertorum : Pittino 2006: 26, 79 (new combination, catalogue); Pittino & Bezdĕk 2016: 54 (catalogue); Král & Batelka 2017: 81 (specimens of United Arab Emirates, distribution).

Omorgus niloticus desertorum : Abdel-Dayem et al. 2020: 62 (country record).

Omorgus (Afromorgus) niloticus desertorum : Zidek 2013: 14 (checklist); Zidek 2017: 105 (checklist).

Trox phylbi Paulian, 1948: 143 (original description). Type locality: “Hejaz, Mecca ”. Type depository: Holotype (male) reportedly at MNHN, but could not be located [Olivier Montreuil, curator at MNHN, personal communication, 2023]. One paratype (male) at MNHN ( Figs. 17–18 ). Synonymised by Haaf 1954: 347.

Type depository. Lectotype (female) at MNHN ( Figs. 12–13 ), one paralectotype at RBINS.

Type locality. “ Aegyptus [ Egypt]” .

Distribution. Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen ( Scholtz 1980b; Král & Batelka 2017; Abdel-Dayem et al. 2020). Omorgus (A.) desertorum has been recorded from the Arabian Peninsula, and the deserts of northeast Africa ( Scholtz 1980a, b). However, records of Omorgus (A.) desertorum cited from north-east Africa lack clear or precise locality information ( Alfieri 1976; Haaf 1954; Pittino 2006; Scholtz 1980a, b, 1982; Král & Batelka 2017). Additional sampling is needed in the region to delineate its distribution boundaries.

Figures

FIGURES 12–13. Omorgus (Afromorgus) desertorum (Harold, 1872), valid species, lectotype (MNHN). 12, habitus, dorsal view; 13, labels. Photos by Olivier Montreuil, copyright MNHN.

FIGURES 14–16. Omorgus (Afromorgus) desertorum (Harold, 1872), cleaned specimen (TMSA). 14, habitus, dorsal view; 15 aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views; 16, labels. Photos by Werner P. Strümpher.

FIGURES 17–18. Trox phylbi Paulian, 1948 (= junior synonym of Omorgus (Afromorgus) desertorum (Harold, 1872)), paratype (MNHN). 17, habitus, dorsal view; 18, habitus, lateral view; 19, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views; 20, labels. Photos by Olivier Montreuil, copyright MNHN.