An update to the taxonomy of the genus Macroderes Westwood 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with descriptions of new species from South Africa
Author
Abdalla, Ishtiag H.
Author
Deschodt, Christian M.
Author
Scholtz, Clarke H.
Author
Sole, Catherine L.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-10-23
4504
1
41
75
journal article
28091
10.11646/zootaxa.4504.1.3
0b803003-244e-4511-aaf4-5e9c3f863861
1175-5326
2606164
52BA28B6-4280-4BD0-8B38-C794F04E4A66
Macroderes cornutus
Frolov & Scholtz, 2005
(
Figs. 5
,
30
,
41
,
47, 48, 50
)
Macroderes cornutus
Frolov & Scholtz, 2005
: 391
.
Type
locality.
Namaqualand, Sand kop 322 [
29°38'32''S
17°08'53''E
].
Type material examined.
Holotype
,
♂
(
TMSA
)
:
“S.
Afr
: NAMAQUALAND / SAND KOP / 322 /
29° 38' 31'' S–
17° 08' 53'' E
/ 19.
VIII. 1
996 / J. duG. HARRISON leg [printed] // UNIV / PRET / ZOO & ENTO / J. duG. HARRISON / 1996 / SITE 61 NO c / VEGETATED DUNE / nr / K. BUSH. RAT. TEST [printed] //
HOLOTYPUS
/
Macroderes cornutus
/ Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”
;
Paratypes
:
1 ♂
and
3 ♀♀
(
TMSA
)
,
same data as holotype
.
1 ♀
(
TMSA
)
:
“S.
Afr
/
Namaq
/
Coast
/
Strandfontein
farm /
30° 33' S
17° 22' E
[printed] //
2.9.1977
/ E–Y: 1373 / singled dunes /
Endrödy—Younga
leg [printed] //
PARATYPUS
/
Macroderes cornutus
/ Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”
;
4 ♂♂
: “
RSA
/
Northern Cape
Prov
/
3 km
/ W of /
Wallekraal
/ A. Frolov &
Deschodt
leg [printed] // AF-003(11) /
2–13. IX. 2003
/ S 30 2214.74°
E 0 17
2844. 93° [printed] //
PARATYPUS
/
Macroderes cornutus
/ Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”
:
3 ♂♂
in (
UPSA
)
,
1 ♂
in (
SANC
)
.
Additional material examined.
1 ♀
(
UPSA
): “
30.730175° S
17.523828° E
/
15 August 2008
”
.
Size range.
Males length: 11.0–
11.8 mm
, width: 7.4–8.0 mm; females length:
10.4–11.6 mm
, width 7.0–
7.4 mm
.
Differential diagnosis.
M. cornutus
resembles
M. foveatus
by having the same deep triangular concavity in the base of pronotum (
Figs. 5
,
41
). Also the presence of the large rounded tubercle in the middle of the frontal suture (
Figs. 48, 50
) makes this species one of the more easily recognizable
Macroderes
species.
Habitat and distribution.
So far this species is known only from the three localities in the
Northern Cape Province
. The localities stretch along the western coastline of
South Africa
within the Succulent karoo eco-region (
Fig. 2
). Generally the area is characterised by its aridity and winter rains associated with cold frost.
Remarks.
Due to the lack of adequate data regarding the species distribution and as it has a small distribution range this species is categorized as Data Deficient (Davis 2013). Some of the localities from which the species were collected are protected and managed by the government, however, as it is flightless and has a restricted distribution range it is well matched to two of three criteria from category B for threatened species which would consider the species as NEAR Threatened in the IUCN Red List (Davis 2013).