Omophron (Omophron) capicola Chaudoir, 1868

Anichtchenko, Alexander & Valainis, Uldis, 2023, Revision of the subgenus Omophron (s. str.) Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Carabidae Omophron) of the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 5284 (2), pp. 201-246 : 239-241

Omophron (Omophron) capicola Chaudoir, 1868

= Omophron australe Péringuey, 1885: 74 Type loc.: “ Cape Flats”. syn by Péringuey 1886: 191.

= Omophron capicola oneili Bänninger, 1949: 131 Type loc.: Algoa Bay. Valid taxon?

Material examined: REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: B. Sp. (Type, MNHN); Cap de B. Espira, Perenguey leg. [-34.092123, 18.438876] ( MNHN) ; C.T. 9.86 (1 ♀, SAM-COL-A006509); S. Afr., Klien Mond, A.J. Prins, feb 1982 [-34.328616, 18.987929] (1 ♁, SAM-COL-A006508); Western Cape, Cape Town, Nordhock , 05.10.1919 [- 34.114463, 18.377874] (1 ♁, ETHZ) ; Lamberts Bay , inland dunes, 6 km E, 32°06’S, 18°24’E, 11.07.1987, Endrödy-Yonga leg. [-32.100086, 18.393777] (1 ♀, TMSA) ; Elandsbay forestry, 32°18’S, 18°21’E, 28.08.1981, Endrödy-Yonga leg. [-32.316970, 18.350343] (1 ♀, TMSA) ; Algoa Bay, 03.1942, Braun leg. [-33.817650, 25.561377] (1 ex, Paratype of O. oneili , ETHZ). Algoa Bay, Capland, 1.12.97, Dr. Brauns [-33.719932, 25.832309] (2 ♀, SAM-COL-A006510); Port Elisabeth , Dec 1901 (1 ♀, SAM-COL-A006511); Cape Colony , Elizabeth Port , 1917, Marshall leg. [-33.964965, 25.625295] (1 ♀, BMNH) .

Differential diagnosis. Members of this species are easily distinguished from those of all others known in having clypeus without any trace of a furrow near anterior margin.

Redescription. Body length 5.97–6.89 mm; width 4.23–4.43 mm. Habitus ( Figs. 86–87 ).

Color: head, pronotum, elytra, legs, and antennae pale brownish yellow. Dark pattern on elytra, head and pronotum green. Individuals from a population living in Algoa Bay are distinguished by the absence of a metallic pattern. Mandibles light brown, their apical parts dark brown. Venter, dark brown, except proepipleura, elytral epipleura, and abdominal ventrites paler.

Head fairly flat, coarsely punctate laterally and posteriorly, smooth around clypeus and on the middle of the frons, with a lateral triangular green patch on each side. Pale pattern on head V-shaped and well-developed. Subocular ridge well developed, curved upwards and slightly rounded. Clypeus smooth and bisetose, anterior margin formed by two straight lines meeting at an obtuse angle. Labrum with bisinuate anterior margin, with moderately rounded sides and six setae. Gena coarsely but sparsely punctate. HW: 2.67–2.83 mm.

Pronotum (PL: 1.93–2.19 mm, PW: 3.61–4.17 mm.) moderately convex, base bisinuate on each side, sides evenly rounded, with narrow border. Anterior angles slightly acute, strongly raised anteriorly. Dark green pattern reduced to central and posterior half, anterior and lateral margins widely yellow. Pronotum densely and coarsely punctate on base and apex, sparsely punctate on disc, almost smooth on sides. Median impression shallow. Prosternum coarsely but sparsely punctate, proepisternum, with some sparse punctures, proepipleura coarsely punctate along posterior margin.

Elytra (EL: 4.37–4.62 mm, EW: 4.28–4.46 mm.) weakly convex, oval; with 15 striae. Striae shallow, evanescent on basal two-thirds and obsolete at apex, weakly but distinctly punctate. Intervals wide and flat on disc, moderately convex laterally. Elytra with a median green basal band, a narrow sutural band broadening at middle in a quadrate patch reaching interval 4, and extended as a transverse fascia, somewhat sinuose, to interval 9, one basal spot on t interval 9, and two small elongated spots near mid-length, the smaller of the two on interval 6, and the other on intervals 10 and 11.

Venter ( Fig. 89 ). Metasternum coarsely but sparsely punctate, mesepisternum smooth; mes- and metepimera with some sparse punctures; elytral epipleura and ventrites III–VI smooth. Metacoxa with one setiferous pore and 2–3 additional punctures.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 66 ) elongate, regularly curved; apical lamella long, ventrally slightly biundulate in lateral view; apex acute and apically rounded in dorsal view. Endophallus ( Fig. 91 ), with large group of large spines in proximal part of wide, tubular formation, extended from apical to basal orifice and covered with microtrichia.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa (Map. 6).

Comments. Perhaps O. capicola oneili Bänninger, 1949 ( Fig. 87 ) should be considered as a valid subspecies or species. It is distinguished by a yellow-brown coloration, without a metallic pattern, and is known only from its type locality on the coast. Unfortunately, the aedeagus has not been studied.

References. Bänninger 1949; Chaudoir 1868; Csiki 1927; Péringuey 1885, 1886, 1896.

Figures

FIGURES 86–88. Habitus, dorsal view: 86—O. (O.) capicola; 87—O. (O.) capicola oneili; 88—O. (O.) occultum sp. n. Scale bar 5 mm.

FIGURES 89–90. Habitus, ventral view: 89—O. (O.) capicola; 90—O. (O.) occultum sp. n. (Holotype). Scale bar 5 mm.

FIGURES 65–67. Aedeagus structure. a—right lateral view; b—apex, dorsal view: 65—O. (O.) picturatum; 66—O. (O.) capicola; 67—O. (O.) occultum sp. n. (Holotype). Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 91–92. Endophallus structure, dorsal view: 91—O. (O.) capicola; 92—O. (O.) occultum sp. n. (Holotype). Scale bar 1 mm.