Onitis philemon Fabricius, 1801

Karimbumkara, Seena Narayanan & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2024, Study on the genus Onitis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) of the Indian Subcontinent, with three new species from India, European Journal of Taxonomy 956, pp. 1-61 : 31-39

Onitis philemon Fabricius, 1801

Figs 8E–H , 9D , 10E , 14D , 15D , 16D , 19

Onitisphilemon Fabricius, 1801: 3 (original description).

Onitisdistinctus Lansberge, 1875: 138 (synonym).

Onitisminor Lansberge, 1875: 139 (synonym).

Onitis philemon – Bates 1891: 10 (list). — Arrow 1931: 393 (key, description). — Balthasar 1935: 95 (monograph); 1963: 41 (monograph). — Janssens 1937: 53 (revision). — Paulian 1945: 144 (revision). — Biswas & Chatterjee 1991: 260 (distribution). — Chandra 2000: 360 (distribution); 2005: 150 (distribution); 2009a: 81 (list, distribution). — Mittal 2005: 46 (list). — Chandra & Ahirwar 2005: 149 (distribution). — Bezděk & Krell 2006: 159 (distribution). — Sewak 2009a: 37 (key, distribution, diagnosis); 2009b:59 (key, distribution, diagnosis).— Sabu et al. 2011:34 (list).— Chandra et al. 2011: 66 (distribution). — Chandra & Gupta 2011: 274 (distribution); 2012a: 889 (distribution); 2013a: 348 (distribution, diagnosis). — Chandra et al. 2012a: 52 (list and distribution); 2012b: 33 (distribution). — Thakare et al. 2012: 78 (list and distribution). — Karimbumkara & Rajan 2013: 174 (list and distribution). — Chandra & Gupta 2013a: 348 (distribution); 2013b: 4667 (distribution). — Gupta et al. 2014: 229 (distribution); 2015: 1030 (key, distribution, diagnosis). — Bezděk 2016: 179 (distribution). — Ghosh et al. 2020: 238 (distribution). — Schoolmeesters 2022 (online catalogue).

Differential diagnosis

Onitisphilemon is smaller in size than O. singhalensis and resembles the latter in the presence of a broad deep longitudinal groove on the metasternum anteriorly and the scarcely punctured pygidium. It differs from the latter in the clypeal sculptures and the absence of a tooth on the profemur of males. In O. singhalensis the basal pronotal foveae are rounded and closer than in O. philemon (compare Fig. 15D, F ) and the pronotum is with a smooth longitudinal median line which extends to the front margin, while the median line is absent in O. philemon (compare Fig. 14D, F ).

Type material examined

Lectotype

UNKNOWN TYPE LOCALITY • “ Philemon ”; ZMUK Fabricius 003706; Karimbumkara, S.N. des. 2024; ZMUK 003706 .

Paralectotypes

UNKNOWN TYPE LOCALITY • 2 specimens; “ Philemon ”; ZMUK Fabricius 003707, ZMUK Fabricius 003708; Karimbumkara, S.N. des. 2024; ZMUK 003707–003708 .

Remarks

In the original description of this species, collection data of the type material are not provided. The Historical Fabricius collections, earlier kept at ZMUC and recently transferred to ZMUK, has three specimens with a simple label ‘ Philemon ’ that matches the original description, which were designated as syntypes of Onitisphilemon. One of these specimens with code ZMUK Fabricius 003706 is now designated as lectotype and two other specimens’ ZMUK Fabricius 003707 and ZMUK Fabricius 003708, are designated as paralectotypes.

Additional material examined (185 specimens)

INDIA • ♂; No label, ZSIM; Karnataka, BRT Tiger Reserve • 42 ♂♂, 26 ♀♀; Budipadaga Scrub ; 11°50ʹ16.8″N, 77°4ʹ39.18″E; 12Jan.2000; AIMB / Co/Sc1000310 to1000377 • 16♂♂, 10 ♀♀; Gombegallu Evergreen forest ; N 11°55ʹ54.6″, 77°11ʹ3.48″ E; 30 March 2000; AIMB / Co/Sc1000378 to 1000403 • 15 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀; Kanneri moist deciduous forest; 11°53ʹ43.62″ N, 77°8ʹ9.48″ E; 22 Dec. 1999; AIMB / Co/ Sc1000404 to 1000430 • 19 ♂♂, 25 ♀♀; Purani dry deciduous forest; 12°1ʹ55.2″ N, 77°7ʹ52.68″ E; 11 May 1999; AIMB / Co/Sc1000431 to 1000474 , cattle dung baited trap; Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan leg. • ♂, ♀; Karnataka, Nagarhole National Park, Core moist deciduous forest; 12°1ʹ13.8″ N, 76°6ʹ14.76″ E; cattle dung baited trap; Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000475 to 1000476 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Kerala, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary; Rockwood grassland; 08°51ʹ41.8ʺ N, 77°08ʹ00.5ʺ E; elev. 839 m a.s.l.; 8 May 2009; open cow dung bait traps; Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000477 to 1000480 • ♂; Tamil Nadu; Thirunelveli pasture land, Peikulam; 13 Jan. 2016 • ♂; Radhapuram; 2Apr. 2016; AIMB / Co/Sc1000481 to 1000482 • 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Radhapuram; 20 Dec. 2016, cow dung baited pitfall trap; Chian leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000483 to 1000488 • ♂; Arunachal Pradesh, Pasighat, community forest, Rani Village ; 27°58ʹ12.9324ʺ N, 95°19ʹ20.5284ʺ E; elev. 125 m a.s.l.; 30 Sep. 2018; cow dung baited pitfall trap; AIMB / Co/Sc1000489 • ♀; community forest, Rani Village ; 27°58ʹ10.6068ʺ N, 95°19ʹ26.1156ʺ E; elev. 131 m a.s.l.; 30 Sep. 2018; cow dung baited pitfall trap; Harsha Malhotra and team leg.; AIMB / Co/ Sc1000490 • ♀; Nagaland, Bongkolong village, near Intanki National Park, open ground; 15 Apr. 2021; hand-picked from cow dung; Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara leg.; AIMB / Co/Sc1000491 .

Description

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). TL=14–19, BW= 7.5–10.5.

Male

Green, coppery or bronzy black, moderately shining, oval; clypeus ( Fig. 9D ) parabolic with a feeble emargination in the middle, fine elongate granules giving it a rugulose appearance; frontal carina interrupted in the middle, a curved clypeal carina anteriorly and a conical tubercle behind, genae rather smooth; pronotum ( Fig. 14D ) fairly strongly, closely but unevenly punctured without well marked median line, front angles not very sharp, hind angles obsolete; elytra moderately strongly striate, intervals finely and sparsely punctured; pygidium and metasternal shield feebly and sparsely punctured; sides of metasternum densely granulate and hairy. Clypeus with smooth minute granules giving it a rugose appearance; front tibia curved at the anterior tip, mid-femur with a sharp tooth near the end of lower edge, mid-tibia ( Fig. 16D ) slender at base abruptly dilated near the middle, hind trochanter slightly toothed beneath.

AEDEAGUS (in mm) ( Fig. 8E–H ). LP=1.5, Lp =1.5; BP= 1, BpB= 0.5, BpT=0.25. Phallobase slightly longer than parameres. Parameres almost straight above, curved below and at the tip, with a curved opening on the ventral side near the base. The margin of this opening where the parameres meet is broader in the middle.

Female

Clypeus closely rugose; protibia broad, narrow with four strong teeth and an articulated spur.

Distribution

India: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, New Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Other countries: China, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam ( Chandra 2000, 2005, 2009a; Chandra & Ahirwar 2005; Sewak 2009a, 2009b; Sabu et al. 2011; Chandra & Gupta 2012a, 2012b; Chandra et al. 2012a, 2012b; Thakare et al. 2012; Karimbumkara & Rajan 2013; Chandra & Gupta 2013a, 2013b; Gupta et al. 2014, 2015; Ghosh et al. 2020; Schoolmeesters 2022).

Figures

Fig 16. A. Protibia of Onitis bhomorensis sp. nov. showing the position of spur, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/ H-271023A. B. Anterior tip of protibia of O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. Mid-leg of O. kethai sp. nov, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. Mid-leg of O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. E. Mid-leg of O. visthara sp. nov, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H- 271023C. F. Mid-leg of O. singhalensis Lansberge, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 8. Aedeagus, lateral, dorsal, ventral and apical views. A–D. Onitiskethai sp. nov., NIM/NBAIR/ COL/ONIT/H-271023B. E–H. O. philemon Fabricius,1801,AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. I–L. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. M–P. O. visthara sp. nov., NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H- 271023C. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 9. Head of male specimens. A. Onitisbhomorensis sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H- 271023A. B. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. O. kethai sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. E. O. visthara sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023C. F. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 10. A. Onitisfeae Felsche, 1907, cotype, (image: Olaf Jäger, SNSD). B. O. humerosus (Pallas, 1771), BMNH (E) 1237143, (image: BMNH). C. O. lama Lansberge, 1875, syntype, ♂, MNHN EC4810, (image: Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN). D. O. naviauxi Cambefort, 1988, holotype, ♂, MNHN EC4807, (image: Antoine Mantilleri, MNHN). E. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, lectotype, ZMUK Fabricius 003706, (image: Alexey Solodovnikov, ZMUC). F. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, holotype, ♂, (image: Jonathan Brecko, IRSNB).

Fig. 14. Pronotum of male specimens. A. Onitis bhomorensis sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/ COL/ONIT/H-271023A. B. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. O. kethai sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/ Sc1000317. E. O.visthara sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023C. F. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 15. Pronotal basal foveae of male specimens. A. Onitisbhomorensis sp. nov., holotype, NIM/ NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023A. B. O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937, AIMB/Co/Sc1000492. C. O. kethai sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023B. D. O. philemon Fabricius, 1801, AIMB/Co/Sc1000317. E. O. visthara sp. nov., holotype, NIM/NBAIR/COL/ONIT/H-271023C. F. O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875, AIMB/Co/Sc1000684. (Images: AIMB).

Fig. 19. Map showing the distribution of Onitislama Lansberge, 1875; O. naviauxi Cambefort, 1988; O. philemon Fabricius, 1801; O. punctatostriatus Janssens, 1937 and O. singhalensis Lansberge, 1875 in the Indian Subcontinent.