Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides d’Orbigny, 1898

Ziani, Stefano, 2012, Taxonomic notes on Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides d’Orbigny, 1898 and O. (P.) fortigibber Reitter, 1909 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini) Stefano Ziani, Insecta Mundi 2012 (217), pp. 1-9 : 2-4

Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides d’Orbigny, 1898

( Fig. 1–8 )

Onthophagus lemuroides d’Orbigny 1898a: 177 ; 1898b: 188; 1900: 296; Olsoufiev 1900: 274; 1918: 47; Boucomont and Gillet 1927: 124; Winkler 1929: 1033; Balthasar 1963: 417; Petrovitz 1968: 465; Zunino 1975: 163; Carpaneto 1977: 34; Carpaneto et al. 2000: 231; Tauzin 2001: 42

Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides: Zunino 1979: 9 ; Löbl et al. 2006: 168; Kabakov 2006: 190

Type locality. “ Mésopotamie, Perse” [ Iraq, Iran].

Type material. Lectotype, a male, designated by Zunino (1975), and 2 paralectotypes in MNHN (exa- mined).

Diagnostic features. Length 4.5 to 7.5 mm. Color blackish brown, moderately shiny, with distinct isodiametric microreticulation, head and pronotum of some with cupreous or greenish lustre; elytra ochreous, usually with dark brown symmetrical v-shaped spots, some with spots joined to each other or lacking in some interstriae, some with first interstriae brown along entire length; some with entire elytral surface blackish brown, without ochreous areas, or, vice versa, the whole elytral disc yellow, spots, if present, limited to the sides ( Fig. 1–5 ); pubescence pale yellow.

Head with clypeus broadly round on either side of clear median emargination, can be sinuate near obviously produced genae. Clypeofrontal carina weak or absent in males, moderately elevate but distinct, bent backward in females; occipital carina extended in a lamina ending in a pair of erect horns in major males, reduced to a narrow straight lamina in females and minor males. Clypeal and frontal surface with large setigerous punctures, in males more widely spaced on frons than on clypeus; females only with frontal surface simply punctate, clypeal surface with very coarse, transversely rugose or subrugose punctures. Setae long and erected.

Pronotum convex, declivous anteriorly, with distinct anterolateral tubercle on either side and with an anteromedian round prominence, clearly projecting further forward than the anterolateral tubercles. Anterior angles distinctly produced, sides not or very indistinctly sinuate behind them. Dorsal surface setigerously punctate, punctures broad, sub-regular in distribution, separated by 1-3 diameters on disc, becoming sparser toward base; each puncture bears a small granule at its anterior margin, and a long pale yellow seta.

Elytral striae shiny, barely impressed, with punctures slightly larger than strial width and barely crenating interstrial sides. Interstriae flat to barely convex, sometimes the 4 th interstria more convex than the others, all, except the sutural interstria, rather regularly biserially granulate; granules slightly smaller than strial punctures; posterior margin of each granule with a small, indistinct, setigerous puncture; setae pale yellow, thin, shorter than pronotal ones.

Pygidium with widely spaced, setigerous punctures; setae yellow, long, thin.

Inner angle of protibial apex with a small denticle strongly curved downward in males, females lacking denticle.

Parameres ( Fig. 6–7 ) short, slightly sinuate along sides, latero-apical spatulae not bent ventrally, obviously diverging apically, without latero-proximal denticle, latero-apical angle round. Lamella copulatrix ( Fig. 8 ) typical of the subgenus Palaeonthophagus , horseshoe shaped and clearly emarginate at one side, right lobe with a strongly sclerotized plica ventrally bent.

Distribution. Turkey, Iraq, Iran ( Löbl et al. 2006). Syria ( Kabakov, 2006)

Material examined. IRAN: “ Persia ”, 1 male (paralectotype, MNHN) ; EŞfahān prov., Zāghel , 21.v.1977, 1 male (Baraud collection, MNHN) ; “ Dasht-Arghan ”, 30.iv.1971, R. Naviaux leg. 1 male (Baraud collection, MNHN) ; Lorestān prov., Zagros Mts., Nehāvand Kosio Āb , 1860 m, 6.v.2008, T. Hácz, K. Székely and K. Vig leg. 8 males and 6 females ( LNCB), and 2 males ( SZCM) ; Lorestān prov., Bongale , 1600 m, 15.iv.1999, L. Nadai leg. 1 female ( SZCM) ; Büyer Ahmad prov. , 3 km N Sisaht, 2700 m, 10.v.1998, G. Fábián and K. Székely leg. 1 male ( SZCM) ; Lorestān prov., 10 km SW Dorud , 1400 m, 10.v.2002, D. Gianasso leg. 1 female ( SZCM) ; Lorestān prov., Kuh- e Oshturan , 2000 m, 22.v.2005, G. Sama leg. 1 female ( SZCM) ; Lorestān prov., Azna, Arak , 2083 m, 22.v.2005, G. Sama leg. 1 male ( SZCM) . IRAQ: “ Mesopotamie ”, 1 male and 1 female (lectotype and paralectotype, MNHN) . SYRIA: “ Syrie ”, 1 female (Baraud collection, MNHN) . TURKEY: Niğde prov., Aladağlar , 2000 m, 26.vii.1990, C. Thomè leg. 1 female (Baraud collection, MNHN) ; Adıyaman prov., Nemrut Dağı , 1.v.1998, 1 male ( SZCM) ; Malatya prov., ReŞadiye geçidi, 1510 m, 13.iv.2004, S. and R. Ziani leg. 64 males and 45 females ( SZCM) ; Malatya prov., 10 km S Tepehan , 1200 m, S. and R. Ziani leg. 1 male and 2 females ( SZCM) ; GümüŞhane prov., Bayburt, 2000 m, 3.vii.1992, S. and R. Ziani leg. 2 males and 4 females ( SZCM) ; Erzurum prov., Kop Dağı geçidi– Kandilli , 2500 m, 3.vii.1992, S. and R. Ziani leg. 4 males and 3 females ( SZCM) ; Hakkâri prov., Uludere , 16.iv.2006, S. and R. Ziani leg. 1 female ( SZCM) ; Siirt prov., 10 km N Şırnak , 1500 m, 16.iv.2006, S. and R. Ziani leg. 1 female ( SZCM) .

Remarks. The record of O. lemuroides from Syria appears doubtful. Kabakov (2006) stated to have examined two females labelled generically Syria, and “ Syrie ” is also on the label of a specimen I studied in MNHN. Most probably Syria is to be considered in its historical sense, i.e. those territories once encompassed in the Ottoman Empire, presently belonging to Turkey.

Figures

Figures 1-8. Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides d’Orbigny, 1898. 1) Lectotype male. 2) Male (IR-Lorestān, Nehāvand Kosio Āb, 1860 m). 3) Male (TR-Malatya, 10 km S Tepehan, 1200 m). 4) Female (TR-GümüŞhane, Bayburt, 2000 m). 5) Male (TR- Malatya, ReŞadiye geçidi, 1510 m). 6) Parameres, dorsal view (drawing by Ivo Gudenzi). 7) Parameres, lateral view (drawing by Ivo Gudenzi). 8) lamella copulatrix.