Ropaloteres Guérin-Méneville, 1849

Serrano, Artur R. M. & Capela, Rúben A., 2013, The tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Cicindelinae) of Angola: a descriptive catalogue and designation of neotypes, Zootaxa 3731 (4), pp. 401-444 : 425-427

Ropaloteres Guérin-Méneville, 1849 [Rev. Mag. Zool. 2 (1): 140]

This genus is widespread throughout Africa, but surprisingly there is a single species known from the Oriental Region ( China) (Werner 2000b). There is no revision on the African representatives of the genus. Only seven species are known for Angola, a number almost certainly underestimated for this country.

Ropaloteres cinctus (Olivier, 1790) (Ent. II 33: 10).

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

—Dundo (LUNDA NORTE) (51) [Alves 1956 sub Cicindela (Euryarthron) cincta ]. Material examined: Dundo, (LUNDA NORTE) (51),?. X.1948, 1 ♂, reg.nº 2130, IICT. Remarks. A tiger beetle species widespread throughout western and central Africa (Werner 2000b; Serrano

2012). However, there is no record of this species for Angola except by Alves (1956). It is apparently a rare species

in this country, unlike Guinea-Bissau, where it is one of the most common species of tiger beetles (Serrano 2007,

2012). In that country the adults can be observed at shaded clearances, paths, footways of savannahs and forests,

avoiding the edges of ponds and moors.

Ropaloteres fatidicus fatidicus (Guérin-Mèneville, 1847) (Rev. Zool. 10: 4)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Angola (without locality) (Cassola 1995).

Remarks. A tiger beetle species with a wide distribution throughout Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa (Transvaal and Natal) and Mozambique. The male specimen (BMNH) recorded by Cassola (1995) for Angola is the only known for this country. Cassola (1975a) mentioned that the species in Natal was collected “ 2 miles inland from the beach, on sandy area, running through the grasses”.

Ropaloteres grandis grandis (W. Horn, 1897) (Entomol. Nachrichten 15: 239)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Type locality: Benguela (BENGUELA), 1♀, SDEI.

—Benguela (BENGUELA) (251) (Ferreira 1965 sub Cicindela grandis ).

—Caconda (HUILA) (299) (Werner 2000b).

New localities reported: 75 km NE Caconda (HUAMBO) (280) (P. Schüle pers. comm.). Remarks. An endemic tiger beetle species of Angola. However, the slight differences between this species and

R. prodotiformis may indicate that these are two forms of the same species (Werner 2000b). Peter Schüle (pers.

comm.) found it during day in a sandy area within an open secondary forest.

Ropaloteres leucopictus leucopictus (Quedenfeldt, 1888) (Berl. Ent. Zeitschr. 32: 157)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Type locality: Lunda (between Kuango and Loange), 1♀, MNHN.

—Lunda (=Dala) (LUNDA SUL) (197) (Ferreira 1965 sub Cicindela leucopicta ). Remarks. A tiger beetle species with a distribution throughout Angola, D. R. of the Congo and Uganda

(Cassola 1995; Werner 2000b). According with Quedenfeldt (1888) the species was collected “im Savannen-

Wald”.

Ropaloteres marshalli (Péringuey, 1896) (Trans. S. Afr. Phil. Soc. 7: 108)

Distribution in Angola Old records:

—Muita River (=Muita, Luembe) (LUNDA NORTE) (69) (Basilewsky 1955; Ferreira 1965).

Remarks. A polymorphic tiger beetle species that needs confirmation as either a species or as only a form of Ropaloteres nysa (Guérin-Mèneville) or even as Ropaloteres quedenfeldti (W. Horn) (Werner 2000b) . He did not include the species for Angola in spite of the record to this country given by Basilewsky (1955). Ropaloteres marshalli was recorded for Zimbabwe, Democratic R. of the Congo and Malawi also (Werner 2000b). No ecological data are known for this species so far, but probably it occurs in the same type of habitats where R. nysa occurs (e.g. Werner 2000b; Serrano 2007, 2012).

Ropaloteres prodotiformis (W. Horn, 1892) (Deutsch. Ent. Zeitscr.: 88)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Type locality: West Africa ( Angola, without locality), 1♂, SDEI.

— Angola (without exact locality) (Wellman & Horn 1908; Ferreira 1965 both sub Cicindela prodotiformis ). Remarks. This is an endemic species of Angola. Like other Angolan species only the holotype is known so far

(Werner 2000b). No ecological data are known for the species. Wellman & Horn (1908) recorded one female for

Angola without exact locality. As the holotype male is the unique specimen known so far quite sure these authors

were quoting the female record to the male holotype of this species.

Ropaloteres regina (Kolbe, 1885) (Entomol. Nachrichten 11: 49).

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

—Dundo (LUNDA NORTE) (51) (Basilewsky 1955; Ferreira 1965). Remarks. A species well-known to D. R. of the Congo (Werner 2000b), but found also in Zambia (Cassola &

Bouyer 2011). However, in spite of the mention of the species for Angola (e.g., Basilewsky 1955), it was not

included for this country by Werner (op. cit.) and Cassola & Bouyer (op. cit.).