Megacephala Latreille, 1802

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 : 407-408

Genus Megacephala Latreille, 1802 (Hist. nat. gén. et partie Crust. et Ins. 3: 79)

The Afrotropical species of this genus were revised by Basilewsky (1966), and is represented in Angola by four taxa.

Megacephala laevicollis rugipennis W. Horn, 1935 (Stettin. ent. Ztg. 96: 161)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Type locality: Ebanga ( Angola), 1♀, SDEI.

—Ebanga (BENGUELA) ( Angola) (254) (Ferreira 1965; Basilewsky 1966). Remarks. This form is known only on the basis of a female collected by A. Monard during the II Suisse

Scientific Expedition to Angola in 1932/33 (Werner 2000a). No ecological data are known for this species, but

most likely the adults are active nocturnaly as are its congeners.

Megacephala regalis regalis Boheman, 1848 (Insecta Caffr. 1: 2)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

—Cuissange (=Cassange) (MALANJE) (134); Impulo river (South Angola) (HUILA) (296) (Wellman & Horn 1908; Ferreira 1965; Basilewsky 1966).

New localities reported: 20 km E. Xangongo (CUNENE) (445) (P. Schüle pers. comm.). Remarks. Megacephala regalis is a polytypic species with several subspecies throughout Africa (Basilewsky

1966). They occur in savannah areas as well in open places within or near forests. In Xangongo the species was

sampled during night in open secondary forest (P. Schüle pers. comm.). The adults usually emerge during or after

rainfall (e.g. Serrano 2012).

Megacephala regalis angolana Basilewsky, 1966 (Annls Mus. R. Afr. Centrale, 8e, Sc. Zool. 152: 95)

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Type locality: Lago Calundo (105 km eastern Vila Luso =Luena) (MOXICO) (220), 1♂, 1♀, MRAC. —Lago Calundo (Ferreira, 1965).

Material examined: Lago Calundo (105 km eastern Vila Luso =Luena) (MOXICO) (220), 1♂, 1♀, MRAC. Remarks. This is one of the two endemic subspecies of M. regalis known from Angola. Only the type specimens were known until now. No ecological data are available for this subspecies, but the adults surely present nocturnal activity like the other representatives of this genus.

Megacephala regalis bivari Serrano, 1996 [Bolm Soc. Port. Ent. 6 (8): 106]

Distribution in Angola

Old records:

— Type locality: Chongoroi, 1♂, 1♀, ASC.

—Chongoroi (BENGUELA) (296) (Werner, 2000a).

New localities reported: 3,5 km SW Negola (HUILA) (317) (P. Schüle, pers. comm.).

Material examined: Chongoroi (=Chingoroi) (BENGUELA) (296), 1♂, 1♀,?. XI.1955, F.C. Mendes leg., reg. nºs 1133AF and 1134AF, ASC.

Remarks. Megacephala regalis bivari is endemic to Angola, but some specimens from Namibia may also belong to this subspecies (P. Schüle pers. comm.). The region of Chongoroi is dominated by dry forest, deciduous and mosaic of savannah and steppe (Colosphospermum sp.—Mopane) and forest and savannah of low trees (e.g., Cocholspermum sp., Terminala sp., Albizia sp., Pterocarpus sp., Combertum sp., Hyparrhenia sp., Panicum sp.). As with the other congeneras, M. regalis bivari is active nocturnally (P. Schüle pers. comm.).