Bolboceratex spurius (PeÂringuey)

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 : 1112-1114

Bolboceratex spurius (PeÂringuey)

(®gures 24a±e, 26a-d, 28g ±i, 31b, c, 34)

Bolboceras spurium PeÂringuey, 1901: 482 , plate xxxvi ®gure 18, plate xxxix ®gure 5; Boucomont 1912: 14; Paulian 1941: 67 (Redescr., Transl.).

Bolboceratex spurius (PeÂringuey) : Krikken 1984: 33.

Bolboceras indubium PeÂringuey, 1901: 483 , plate xxxvi ®gure 20; Boucomont 1912: 10; Paulian 1941: 29 (Redescr).

Bolboceratex indubius (PeÂringuey) : Krikken 1984: 33. Syn. nov.

Description

Colour. Light brown to mid-brown.

Body length. 13.7±17.2 mm.

Head. Dorsal surface asetose except labrum. Outer margin of mandible rounded. Labrum (®gure 26a, c) declivous in anterior third and posterior two-thirds; transverse carina obsolete; with scattered setae; anterior margin straight to feebly sinuate. Clypeus (®gure 26a, c) steeply sloping upward posteriorly to apex of moderately developed transverse anterior carina; lateral carina feebly developed but distinctly raised above antennal insertion, continuing from there to posterior end of frons but feebly developed to obsolete adjacent to eye-canthus; antero-lateral angle of genae slightly raised; with posterior transverse bituberculate carina, positioned anteriad to clypeo-fronta l transition in males (®gure 26a), positioned on clypeo-fronta l transition in females (®gure 26c); distance between tubercles distinctly less than distance between tubercle and lateral carina. Frons feebly convex in middle. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment two-thirds of exposed surface.

Pronotum (®gure 31b, c). With three elongate, steeply declivous concavities occupying slightly more than anterior pronotal half; in males median concavity topped by two antero-laterally diverging, distinctly overhanging ridges; in females these ridges reduced to feebly tuberculate swellings; posteriorly with feebly impressed midline, anteriorly opening up into median concavity, but posteriorly not reaching posterior pronotal margin; concavities and elevated areas between concavities with very ®ne and moderately sized punctures, these punctures increasingly interspersed anteriorly with large, shallow punctures; disc with very ®ne and moderately sized punctures, these increasingly interspersed laterally with large, fairly deep, often conūent punctures; lateral margin entire.

Scutellum (®gure 26b, d). Basal width about 1.45Ölength; with small punctures. Elytron. Striae moderately impressed, their punctures separated by four to ®ve puncture diameters (®gure 26b, d); intervals with double punctation (about three to four ®ne and 10 minute punctures between two striae).

Metasternum. As in generic description but length of longitudinal suture variable, either reaching meso-metasternal suture (®gure 24a) or not reaching it (®gure 24d).

Legs. Protibia six-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, rarely with one subapical seta on tarsomere 2.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as in ®gure 28g ±i; the aedeagi of Bolboceratex spurius

and Bolboceratex transvaalicus are identical.

Distribution (®gure 34). The species is found in the eastern parts of southern Africa.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE l[here designated], Bolboceras spurium PeÂringuey :` Bolboceras spurius , l typ. Pg’ [handwriting PeÂringuey]/`Bolbocera s no 2 disseÂqueÂ’ [handwriting PeÂringuey]/`’l /`Type SAM/Ent 5079’ [black print on red

label, number hand-written] (SAMC); HOLOTYPE m, Bolboceras indubium PeÂringuey :`Mashunald., Salisbury [Harare] [17.50S 31.02E], 1894, A. Marshall’ /` Bolboceras approximans typ, Void, 90’ [handwriting PeÂringuey]/` Bolboceras indubius l [incorrect], type, PY’ [handwriting PeÂringuey]/`1865 ’ [handwriting PeÂringuey?]/`5’ /`SAM’ /`Type SAM/Ent 5090’ [black print on red label, number handwritten] (SAMC).

Additional material examined (eight specimens). South Africa: 1, l N. Transvaal, Louis Trichardt [23.02S 29.54E], xi.1961, F. Neubecker, UV-Lichtfalle ( HNHM) ; 1, l Orange Freestate, Norval Point, Northbank Halt [30.36S 25.27E], 16.iv.1934, J. Ogilvie ( BMNH); 1m, Rosemead [suburb of Johannesburg, 26.12S 28.05E], 26.iii.1911, CKB ( SAMC); 1m, CP, Middelburg (31.30S 25.00E), 7.iv.1984, M. de Jager, AcLG 938, ex unbaited pitfalls near thornless cactus ( SANC) ; 1, l East London [33.02S 27.55E] ( SANC) . Zimbabwe: 1, l Mashonaland, Salisbury [Harare] [17.50S 31.02E], G. A. K. Marshall ( BMNH, retained TMSA); 1, l same data but iii.1894 ( BMNH retained at TMSA); 1m, no locality data ( BMNH) .

Comments. The holotype of Bolboceras indubium PeÂringuey has mistakenly been labelled as a male. The original description ( PeÂringuey, 1901) clearly refers to a female and states that males are unknown. We relaxed the specimen, opened the abdomen between the last sternite and last tergite and we are able to con®rm that the specimen is indeed a female. We subsequently dissected all additional material and discovered that the holotype of Bolboceras indubium is the matching female to the male lectotype of Bolboceras spurium . The males simply diOEer from the females in the position of the posterior clypeal carina and in the usually more pronounced pronotal armature. Bolboceratex indubius is therefore here synonymized with Bolboceratex spurius , with the description of the latter taking page precedence over the former.

Bolboceratex spurius is easily distinguished from its close relative Bolboceratex transvaalicus by the clypeal armature, i.e. bituberculate carina in the former versus distinctly separate tubercles in the latter species, and the pronotal ornamentation, i.e. three elongate, steeply declivous concavities in the former and one, shallow concavity in the latter species (compare ®gures 31c and 31a).