Pentodon algerinus nubicus Bunalski and Śmiełowski, 2020

Bunalski, Marek & Śmiełowski, Jan, 2020, Review of African Species of the Genus Pentodon Hope, 1837 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 74 (3), pp. 547-554 : 548-550

Pentodon algerinus nubicus Bunalski and Śmiełowski , new subspecies

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( Figs. 3, 4 )

Type Locality. Meroe near Dawab, Sudan.

Type Material. Holotype ( male) and three paratypes ( 2 males and 1 female): SUDAN (Nubia) / Meroe ad Dawab / 16° 570 N/33° 470 E / 14 XI 2007 / leg. J. Śmiełowski. Paratype ( 1 female): SUDAN (Nubia) / Shemkhiya ad Abu Hamad / 19° 270 N/ 32° 580 E / 16 XI 2007 / leg. J. Śmiełowski. All specimens deposited in the collection of the Department of Entomology and Environmental Protection, University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland.

Description of Holotype (Male). Length 21 mm. Body moderately convex, brown-black, shiny. Clypeus semicircular, very finely and densely punctate, coarsely wrinkled; anterior edge equipped with two small teeth separated by an impression, lateral edges outlined by flat carina ( Fig. 3 ). Frontoclypeal suture raised, convex, with distinct tubercle in the middle. Frons slightly more densely punctate than clypeus; vertex smooth posteriorly. Pronotum with lateral carinae. Disc of pronotum finely, distinctly punctate, decreasing posteriorly. Punctures of anterolateral portions of pronotum overlapping, creating net-like wrinkles. Scutellar shield triangular, impunctate. Striae of elytra flat, outlined with flat punctures. Sutural stria narrow, not impressed posteriorly. Interstriae shallowly but distinctly punctured. Pygidium nearly triangular, strongly convex, finely and densely punctate, less numerously toward apex. Lateral parts in apical area with elongate indentations.

Male Genitalia. Parameres seen from above broadened in a tooth-shaped manner in the middle, then arcuately narrowed, and again weakly broadened toward the apex of parameres ( Fig. 4 ); in lateral view almost triangular, the upper edge weakly concave in the middle, apices strongly curved downward, tooth at lower edge nearer to the base of parameres.

Variability in Males. The paratypes differ insignificantly in coloration and size, within the range of 19–21 mm. The pygidium of one of the males is equipped with a small, pointed tubercle.

Sexual Dimorphism. Similar to that in other species from the genus Pentodon .

Distribution ( Fig. 5B ). Northern Sudan, Nile region.

Differential Diagnosis. The new subspecies can be differentiated from P. a. algerinus using the following diagnostic characteristics: Clypeus very finely and densely punctured, much more finely than frons, its lateral edges with flat border ( Fig. 2 ); punctures of the anterolateral part of pronotum overlapping, creating net-like wrinkles; sutural stria of elytron narrow and not impressed posteriorly; parameres of the aedeagus broadened in a toothshaped manner in the middle, then arcuately narrowed and weakly broadened at apex ( Fig. 4 ).

Etymology. Derived from the name of the type locality, Nubia (Nile region, northern Sudan).

Figures

Figs. 1–4. Diagnostic characters of Pentodon algerinus. 1–2) P. a. algerinus: 1) Dorsal view of head; 2) Dorsal view of parameres. 3–4) P. a. nubicus, new subspecies: 3) Dorsal view of head; 4) Dorsal view of parameres. Photos: T. Klejdysz.

Fig. 5. Distribution of Pentodon algerinus in Africa. A) P. a. algerinus, B) P. a. nubicus, new subspecies, C) P. a. tchadensis.