Craspedophorus simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930

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 : 35-36

22. Craspedophorus simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930

( Plate 10 , Figs 76–78, Plate 14 , Fig. 114)

Craspedophorus simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930a: 295 (type loc. “ Nyassaland (Nyika Mts.; 6000-7000ft; N° 97- 152) [= Malawi]”). Basilewsky 1987: 192, Lorenz 2005: 321, Häckel and Farkač 2012: 83.

Type material. Holotype (♀). “Type [printed in black on white red bordered rounded label]// Nyika Mts. [printed in black, underlined in blue]/ 6000-7000ft. / July 1896 [printed in black on white label]// Nyasaland. [printed in black, underlined in blue]/ A. Whyte. / 97-152. [printed in black on white label]// Craspedophorus / simplicicollis n. sp. [handwritten in black]/ Burgeon L. 1930 det: [printed in black on white label] ( Plate 10 , Fig. 76, BMNH). Paratype. 1♀ same labeled as holotype except type label and: “ Craspedophorus / simplicicollis / co-type Burg. [handwritten in black on white label]// intervalles plans / et lisses / je ne vois pas de / crénelure abdom. [handwritten in black on white label]” (MNHN).

Compared material. 1♂,1♀: “Comp. typ. / Basilewsky [printed in black on red circumscribed label]// Nyika Mts. [printed in black, underlined in blue]/ 6000-7000ft. / July 1896 [printed in black on white label]// Nyasaland. [printed in black, underlined in blue]/ A. Whyte. / 97-152. [printed in black on white label] (MRAC).

Additional material examined. Malawi. 4♂, 3♀: “ North Malawi, Lichenya Plateau, Mt. Mulange ” ( MRAC) ; 1♂: “N Malawi, Mughese Ft., Misuku Hills ” . Tanzania: Mbeya. 1♂, 1♀: “ Mt. Rungwe , Rungwe-forest, Umg. Katumba, S 09°102' O 033°391', 1850 m ” ( Plate 10 , Figs 77, 78, Plate 14 , Fig. 115, cMH).

Note. This species is based on a specimen, labeled “ Nyassaland, Nyika Mts.”, recently Nyika Mountains in the Nyika National Park, Malawi. Description (in part, see Burgeon, 1930a: 295). “Length 19 mm, width 7 mm. ...Apterous. Black, weakly glossy, elytra with four yellow maculae. Head markedly shorter than that in C. strachani ( Hope, 1842) , wide, resembles that in Epigraphus arcuatocollis ( Murray, 1857) ; vertex smooth and separated from frons by a curved line, frons elevated medially and strongly punctured, occiput and neck more finely punctured, punctuation coalescent, forming a series of small furrows transversal, antennae long and slender. Pronotum almost as wide as long, its four angles obtuse, widely rounded, base strongly sinuate, somewhat narrower than anterior margin, which weakly sinuate. Lateral margins curved arcuate without any sinus towards base or indentation before posterior angles, enlarging near midlength, rimmed by lamina very weakly elevate; with one strongly impressed basilar tip near each posterior angle open to widely impressed furrow anteriorly, rimming each margin; sagittal line deeply impressed, surface throughout grossly and not coalescently punctured, covered by red setae; each margin with one long seta near midlength and second one in front of posterior angle markedly differ from the others covering surface. Elytra elongated, ovoid, humeri marked, but slant, striae not punctured; margins rounded, finely punctured, covered by setae; one yellow macula near humerus, short, reaching from VI to VIII interval, irregularly bordered, elongating externally, second yellow macula near apex on the same intervals, with spot on VI interval more prolonged than others; elytra markedly sinuate before apex with sutural angle cuspated. Underside finely punctured, covered by setae, metepisterna longer than wide, ventral segments not crenulated anteriorly, which resembles C. leprieurii (Laferté-Sénectere, 1851) , but differs from it in its pronotum differently shaped and in its elytral striae, which are punctured. One series of specimens deposed in British Museum, originate in Nyassaland (Nyika Mts., 6000–7000 ft ...)” [from French]. Basilewsky (1987: 192) later refered a series of specimens collected on Lichenya Plateau, Mt. Mulange, North Malawi, at 2000 m altitude.

Distribution. Malawi, Tanzania: Mbeya.

Figures

PLATE 10. Habitus of Craspedophorus strachani group VII (Scale bar: 10 mm). 73. C. muata (Harold, 1879), male, Bimbi, Malanje, Angola (comparative type Basilewsky, MRAC); 74. C. muata (Harold, 1879), male, Bimbi, Malanje, Angola; 75. C. muata (Harold, 1879), male, “ Gabon ” (lectotype of “ C. gabonicus ” established by Chaudoir, 1879); 76. C. simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930, PT female, Malawi; 77. C. simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930, male, Mbeya, Tanzania; 78. C. simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930, female, Mbeya, Tanzania; 79. C. montivagus Basilewsky, 1976, HT (male); 80. C. montivagus Basilewsky, 1976, male, Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro, Tanzania; 81. C. kaboboanus Basilewsky, 1987, male, Ujamba, Mahali peninsula, Kigoma, Tanzania; 82. C. kaboboanus Basilewsky, 1987, HT (female).

PLATE 14 Craspedophorus strachani group III, aedeagus in frontal, right and left lateral views: 112. C. montivagus Basilewsky, 1976, Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro, Tanzania; 113. C. kaboboanus Basilewsky, 1987, Ujamba, Mahali peninsula, Kigoma, Tanzania; 114. C. simplicicollis Burgeon, 1930, Mbeya, Tanzania; 115. C. muata (Harold, 1879), Bimbi, Malanje, Angola; 116. C. magnicollis discrepans Basilewsky, 1987, “ N Rhodesia, Abercorn ” (= Zambia, North, Mbala); 117. C. magnicollis inquilinus Basilewsky, 1987, PT Mayidi, Bas-Congo, DR Congo; 118. Aedeagus enclosed in Canadian balsam, left lateral view: a) C. magnicollis magnicollis (Quedenfeldt, 1883), Elisabethville, Katanga, DR Congo, b) C. magnicollis discrepans Basilewsky, 1987, HT, c) C. magnicollis inquilinus Basilewsky, 1987, HT.