Ammoecius elevatus ( OLIVIER, 1789 )

DellacaSa, M. & DellacaSa, G., 2002, Systematic Redefinition Of Taxa Belonging To The Genera Ahermodontus Báguena, 1930 And Ammoecius Mulsant, 1842, With Description Of The New Genus Vladimirellus (Coleoptera: Aphodiidae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 48 (4), pp. 269-316 : 291-292

Ammoecius elevatus ( OLIVIER, 1789)

( Figs 24–28 )

Scarabaeus elevatus OLIVIER, 1789: 89 . Aphodius elevatus : FABRICIUS, 1801: 79. Ammoecius elevatus : MULSANT, 1842: 30; HAROLD 1871: 14; DELLACASA et al. 2001: 83. Aphodius (Ammoecius) elevatus : REITTER 1892: 183; d’ ORBIGNY 1896: 205; SCHMIDT 1913: 125;

SCHMIDT 1922: 69; BALTHASAR 1964: 77; BARAUD 1971: 66; DELLACASA M. 1988: 124. Aphodius (Ammoecius) persimilis SCHATZMAYR, 1946: 62 ; DELLACASA M. 1988: 217 (as doubtful synonym of numidicus ), syn. n.

Type locality: S.te-Baume, Var , France .

Type depository: Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris.

Type material: Scarabaeus elevatus OLIVIER, 1789 : neotype (male, MNHNP), herewith designated, bearing the following labels: 1) white, printed: VAR, IV. 1982 / S.te-Baume/ Moraguès; 2) red, handwritten: Scarabaeus elevatus Olivier, 1789 / Neotypus m/ Dellacasa G. & Al. des. 2002; 3) white, handwritten: Ammoecius / elevatus ( Olivier, 1789) / G. Dellacasa & Al., det. 2002.

Aphodius persimilis SCHATZMAYR, 1946 : lectotype (male, MCSNM), herewith designated, bearing the following labels: 1) white: Laverdure [printed]/ 7.10.1929 [handwritten]/ Schatzmayr [printed]; 2) white, printed: A. elevatus / det. Pittino 1979; 3) red, handwritten: Aphodius / persimilis Schatzmayr, 1946 / lectotypus / G. & M. Dellacasa des. 2002. Paralectotypes (2 males and 1 female, MCSNM) with the same labels of the lectotype. Paralectotype (1 female, MCSNM), bearing the following labels: 1) white: Laverdure [printed]/ 7.10.1929 [handwritten]/ Schatzmayr [printed]; 2) white, handwritten: sbp. persimilis/ Schatzm.; 3) white, printed: A. elevatus / det. Pittino 1979; 4) red, handwritten: Aphodius / persimilis Schatzmayr, 1946 / paralectotypus / G. & M. Dellacasa des. 2002.

Description – Length 5.0–8.0 mm. Oblong-elongate, convex, shiny, glabrous ( Fig. 24 ). Black, clypeal margin brown-reddish; legs dark brownish with tarsi paler; antennal club testaceous; sometimesventralsideandlegsreddishand,morerarely,elytrabrown-reddishalso.Headwithcupuliform epistoma rather finely and irregularly punctured on disc; punctation laterally coarser and irregularly granulose in front of transverse anterior carina; clypeus widely sinuate at middle, distinctly denticulate at sides, thickly bordered, border upturned; genae obtuse, elongately ciliate, distinctly protruding more than eyes; frontal suture finely impressed; frons sparsely punctured; epipharynx: Fig. 25 ; apex of corypha: Fig. 26 . Pronotum broadly transverse, moderately convex, doubly punctured; large punctures deep, sparse on disc, denser on sides, mixed much finer punctures regularly scattered; anterior margin finely bordered to level of eyes; sides subparallel, thinly bordered; hind angles obtusely rounded; base feebly bisinuate, thickly bordered. Scutellum regularly triangular, somewhat convex, with few punctures very fine and irregularly sparse. Elytra oval-elongate, strongly convex, feebly backwardly broadened and with epipleural carina subdenticulate at shoulder; striae deep, coarsely punctured, distinctly crenulate; interstices flat on disc, moderately convex on preapical declivity, almost imperceptibly punctured. Hind tibiae with superior apical spur as long as first tarsal segment; latter as long as following three combined. Male: pronotum relatively more transverse, less convex and with large punctures more sparse; inferior apical spur of middle tibiae short, stout and inwardly curved apically; aedeagus: Figs 27–28 . Female: pronotum relatively less transverse, more convex and with large punctures more dense; inferior apical spur of middle tibiae rather elongate and regularly acuminate apically.

Infraspecific names: Morpha: edentulus MULSANT, 1842 (= chobauti BÁGUENA, 1927; = corellai BALTHASAR, 1941): clypeal denticles, at sides of median sinuosity, notably reduced. Colour variation: fusciventris MULSANT, 1842: ventral side, legs and sometimes elytra brown-reddish.

Distribution: Southwestern Europe: Portugal, Spain, southern France, northwestern Italy

(western Liguria); Mediterranean Africa ( Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya).

Figures

Figs 21–24. Habitus of: 21 = Ammoecius eli (PETROVITZ, 1961) (female, length 5 mm, Iraq: Mesopotam., Hilleh), 22 = A naviauxi (BARAUD, 1971) (male, length 5.5 mm, Syria: Slennfé), 23 = A. dogueti (BARAUD, 1980) (male, length 6.0 mm, Algeria: Djurdjura, Chemin lac Goulmine), 24 = A. elevatus (OLIVIER, 1789) (male, length 7.0 mm, France: Var, S.te-Baume)

Figs 25–36. Epipharynx (25, 29, 33), apex of corypha (lateral view) (26, 30, 34) and aedeagus (dorsal and lateral view) (27–28, 31–32, 35–36) of: 25–28 = Ammoecius elevatus (OLIVIER, 1789), 29–32 = A. satanas (CARPANETO, 1976), 33–36 = A. meurguesae CLÉMENT, 1975