Ochicanthon tristis (Arrow)

Latha, Mathews, Cuccodoro, Giulio & Sabu, Thomas K., 2011, Taxonomy of the dung beetle genus Ochicanthon Vaz-de-Mello (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) of the Indian subcontinent, with notes on distribution patterns and flightlessness, Zootaxa 2745, pp. 1-29 : 21

Ochicanthon tristis (Arrow)

( Figs. 51–55 )

Phacosoma tristis Arrow, 1931: 355 ; Balthasar, 1963: 273

Description. Body ( Fig. 51 ) predominantly black. Head with annular punctation separated by interval of less than their diameter. Pronotum in lateral view weakly convex, outline at base almost in line with that of elytral suture; laterobasal paramarginal ridge obsolete, extended on about one third of pronotal length. Pronotal punctation ( Fig. 52 ) similar to that on head, becoming finer anteromedially; setae almost indistinct, straight and recumbent. Elytra in lateral view moderately convex; striae shallow, narrow, consisting of chains of oval depressions joined by straight sulci ( Fig. 52 ); suture not raised; interstriae flat, uneven, finely and irregularly punctate; background microsculpture smooth, irregularly covered with fine, sparse setiferous punctures; setae fine, straight and recumbent; lateral ridge posteriorly extended to level of apex of fourth stria. Mesosternum smooth; meso-metasternal line subangulate; metasternal shield with strong regular punctation along the margins, and with fine and sparse punctation in the middle ( Fig. 53 ). Pygidium covered with annular setiferous punctures becoming finer and sparser ventrally. Protrochanter with outer margin arcuate. Hind wings present.

Male lacking obvious secondary sexual characters. Aedeagus as in Figs 54–55 .

Measurements (mm; n = 2): TL = 4.3–4.5; BW = 2.7–2.8; PL = 1.2–1.3; PW = 2.2–2.3; EL = 2.5–2.6.

Material examined (6). “ India, Kerala, Niligiri Hills, Palghat District, Silent Valley National Park, 1000 m, evergreen forest, dung baited pit fall trap, 9.v.2008, leg. Vinod, K.V.”, 1 male and 2 females in NPC, SJC, ZSI-Ca; same data, but 1100 m, 5.vi.2009, leg. Arunraj, C., 1 female in SJC; “Kerala”, 2 males in MHNG.

Distribution and natural history. South India (Niligiri Hills in the South Western Ghats montane rain forest ecoregion).

Diagnosis. See diagnosis under O. ceylonicus and O. gauricola .

Figures

FIGURES 51 – 55. Ochicanthon tristis. Dorsal habitus (51); base of pronotum and elytra (52); mesosternum and metasternum (53); aedeagus, ventral view (54); aedeagus, lateral left view (55). Scale bars = 1 mm.