Craspedophorus lafertei Murray, 1857

Häckel, Martin, 2017, A contribution to the knowledge of the subfamily Panagaeinae Hope, 1838 from Africa. Part 3. Revision of the Craspedophorus strachani and C. brevicollis groups (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Zootaxa 4330 (1), pp. 1-67 : 15

8. Craspedophorus lafertei Murray, 1857

( Plate 7 , Figs 63, 64)

Craspedophorus lafertei Murray, 1857: 121 (type locality “Old Calabar [Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria]”). Chaudoir 1879: 95, Basilewsky 1960b: 130, Lorenz 2005: 320. Häckel and Farkač 2012: 81. Epicosmus lafertei Chaudoir 1861: 350 . Eudema lafertei Gemminger and Harold 1868: 209 .

Type material. Lectotype (♀), established by Basilewsky (1960b: 130). “Lecto- / type [printed in black on white blue bordered rounded label]// O. Calabar. / 7819 [printed in black on white label with blue bordered hemlines]// 8732 [handwritten in black on white label]// Lafertei Mury/ Col. O. Cal. 46 / Type / Old Calabar [handwritten in black on white label]// Craspedophorus / Lafertéi Murray / Lectotype [handwritten in black]/ P. Basilewsky [printed] det [printed and corrected by handoverwriting to] vid, 19[printed]58[handwritten]” ( Plate 7 , Fig. 63, BMNH). Paralectotype (♀) established by Chaudoir (1879: 96). “Afriq. occ. [handwritten in black on white first upper pinned label]// ♀ [handwritten in black on second upper pinned white label]// Segments abdo- / min. crénelés. [handwritten in black on third upper pinned white label]// Ex Musaeo / Chaudoir [printed in red on white lowest pinned label]// pinned third from left in the series labeled: “ Lafertéi? / Murray / Afrique occident. / Sallé [handwritten in black on white box label in Chaudoir's Collection]”( Plate 7 , Fig. 64, MNHN).

Additional material examined. 1♀: “W Africa” (BMNH).

Note. This species is based on specimens labeled “Old Calabar“. Calabar, formerly Old Calabar, town and port, is capital of Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. Description (in part, see Murray 1857: 121). “Length 7.5–8 points [15.5 mm, 7.8 mm according to Chaudoir (1879: 95)], width 3.75 points. Pronotum black, cordiform, narrowing towards base, anterior angles rounded and protruded anteriorly; elytra short, each with two orange maculae, anterior macula located near humerus, covering 5 intervals, and reaching to margin, posterior macula covering 4 intervals” [from Latin]. Murray added: “...Head rather broad, closely covered with small punctures, which become confluent here and there, particularly in two foveae on each side of the head; space in front (clypeus) impunctate, smooth and shining, with one large puncture on each side. Antennae piceous, darkest at base. Palpi ferruginous. Thorax subcordate, very uniformely covered with punctures smaller than those in any of the proceeding species, which become faint and disappear towards the margin near the posterior angles; the margins are expanded and very slightly reflexed, and at the anterior portion they have a narrow edging or border; anterior angles projecting and rounded-in to the neck, truncate at the base; posterior angles slightly projecting backwards, and with a slight exterior excision at the point; middle portion of base also very slightly projecting backwards; the dorsal line is distinct, except behind, and there is an elongate straight depression at the base on each side. Scutellum triangular, with the sides slightly sinuate, smooth and impunctate. Elytra sparingly pilose, short convex and looking as if curtailed, punctate-striate, the striae deep, particularly towards the apex, and with the interstices convex and punctate; marginal space with a distinct row of transverse punctures; two clear red or ferrugineous spots on each elytron, the anterior reaching to the margin, and extending over the V, VI, VII, VIII and IX interstitial spaces; this spot runs obliquely from the shoulder in the direction of the suture, is rounded opposite to it, and then returns in a slightly rounded line to the margin; the posterior spot is short and nearly transverse, and is confined to four interstitial spaces, the V, VI, VII and VIII, and is most prolonged on the VII; the spots are of the same texture as the rest of the elytra, and are not raised above their surface; apex emarginate. Under-side with the prosternum and breast deeply punctured, the prosternum more sparsely than the breast; inferior margin of thorax shining, and with faint traces of punctures; inflexed margin of elytra finely punctate; sides of segments of abdomen coarsely punctate, less so towards the apex, middle portion finely aciculated. Legs pitchy-black, with tibiae piceous and tarsi dark ferrugineous”. In Chaudoir's collection in MNHN the line labeled as type series of C. lafertei contains only a single specimen of this species, it is the third specimen from left ( Plate 7 , Fig. 63), the two remaining specimens belong to other species. The first specimen from left, incorrectly labeled “ type, C. lafertei “ belongs in fact to C. glaber Bates, 1886 (see discussion).

Disribution. Western Cameroon, south-eastern Nigeria : Cross River State .

Figures

PLATE 7. Habitus of Craspedophorus strachani group VI (Scale bar: 10 mm). 56. C. phenacoides n. sp., HT (male); 57. C. phenacoides n. sp., PT female, Cameroon, Centre; 58. C. lemariei n. sp., HT (male); 59 a. C. ruficrus (Chaudoir, 1861) HT (female); b. C. ruficrus (Chaudoir, 1861), female, Guinea Equatorial; 60. C. dicranulothorax n. sp., HT (female); 61 a. C. glaber Bates, 1886, male, Cameroon, Southwest; b. C. glaber Bates, 1886, male, Cameroon, Centre (comparative type Basilewsky 1954); 62 a. C. glaber Bates, 1886, HT (female); b. C. glaber Bates, 1886, female, “ Old Calabar ” (labeled as C. lafertei, MNHN); 63. C. lafertei Murray, 1857, lectotype female, established by Basilewsky 1960; 64. C. lafertei Murray, 1857, female, “ W Africa ” (paralectotype established by Chaudoir 1879, MNHN); 65. C. dicranothorax (Alluaud, 1915), HT (male); 66. C. dicranothorax (Alluaud, 1915), female, Central Africa.