Omophron (Phrator) multiguttatum, Chaudoir, 1850

Anichtchenko, Alexander & Valainis, Uldis, 2024, To the knowledge of the subgenus Phrator Semenov, 1922 of the genus Omophron Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Zootaxa 5447 (1), pp. 77-90 : 79-81

Omophron (Phrator) multiguttatum (s. str.)

= Omophron tessellatum Dejean, 1826: 260 junior homonyms

= Omophron (Phrator) rothschildi Alluaud, 1918 syn. by Valainis, 2016

= Omophron somalicum Alluaud, 1935

= Omophron (Phrator) ethiopiensis Valainis, 2016: 110 syn. nov.

Type material examined: Omophron (Phrator) rothschildi Alluaud, 1918 : Type , male; Cotype, female with same label: “Museum Paris / Afrique Orientale / Lac Rodolphe / Maurice de Rotschilde / 1905” ( MNHN). Omophron ethiopiense Valainis, 2016 : Holotype, male: “ Blue Nile Gorge / 1100 m / 10.XI.1971 ”, “ Coll. Mus. Tervuren / Ethiopie / R.O.S. Clarke ” ( MRAC) , Paratypes, 2 females: idem ( MRAC) . Omophron somalicum Alluaud, 1935 : Holotype, male: “ Somalia It. , Piana di Fungalango, 03.04.1923, Patrizi leg.” ( MNHN) , Syntypes, 2 females with the same label data ( MNHN) .

Other material: BOTSWANA: 1f: “Nata, Botswana, SE 20,26 Aa, 14.1.1978 ” ( TMSA). CAMEROON: 1m: “Goulfei, Chari, Cameroun, 20.5.1935 ” ( MNHN). DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 1m: “Albertville [Kalemie], XI.1946, Miss. Tanganika” ( ISNB); 21 ex: “ Congo Belge, P. N.G., Miss. H. De Seager, II/fd/gar, FIGURES 20–22. Habitus, dorsal view: (21)— O. (P.) grandidieri ; (20)— O. (P.) barsevskisi , holotype; (21)— O. (P.) barsevskisi , paratype, Benaue. Scale bar = 5 mm.

1.II.1951, Rec. H. De Saeger ” ( ISNB) ; 1f: “ Congo ” ( ISNB). EGYPT: 21 ex “ Egypte ” or “ Luxor, Egypte ” ( ISNB). ERITREA: 3m, 8f “Colonia Eritrea” ( ZMUC) ; 3m, 3f: “Keren” ( ETHZ) ; 1m, 2f: “Asmara” ( ETHZ). KENYA: 1m: “ Kenya Eastern , 27.4.2008, Nguni, N of Ngomeni, lgt. Snizek ” (cAA) ; 1m, 1f: “ Kenya, 1993, Voi, Sagala Reg., Werner leg.” ( ZMHB, DUBC). MOZAMBIQUE: 1f: “ Coll. Mus. Tervuren, Mozambique, Massangulo ” ( MRAC). SUDAN: “ Sudan, Prov. North Darfur, El Geneina , 16.8.1979, lux, leg. I.M. Abusinid ” ( ZMHB); 1m: “Sudan, Prov. Blue Nile, Dinder, im flusbett, 130N 350O, 2 Marz 1974, Ermer leg.” ( ZMHB). UGANDA: 1m: “ Uganda, Turkana, Lodwar, 1931, E.B. Worthington, Cambridge Univ. Exp., B.M. 1931-545” ( BMNH) .

Comments and variability. Last segment of maxillar palpi 1.0–1.06 times as long as penultimate ( Figs 32–35 ). Sclerite of bursa copulatrix ( Figs 39–41 ). Species widely distributed in Africa , considerably variable in body pattern, convexity of the intervals on the disc of elytra and degree of pronotal punctuation ( Figs 9–19 ). The specimens from Kenya, Sudan (Blue Nile Prov.) and Ethiopia ( Blue Nile ) usually have a more developed green pattern on the pronotum and elytra, compared with other populations. This color form was described by Valainis (2016) as Omophron (Phrator) ethiopiensis basing upon specimens from Ethiopia. After reexamination of the type specimens and additional material no distinctive features other than body color were found, therefore this new synonymy is proposed here.

Distribution. Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt (loc. typ.), Erytrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda ( Fig. 57 ).

Figures

FIGURE 57. Distribution of species of the subgenus Phrator.

FIGURES 27–35. Maxillar palpi and its variability. (27)—O. (P.) barsevskisi; (28)—O. (P.) alluaudi syn. n. = O. (P.) vittulatum; (29)—O. (P.) vittulatum, holotype; (30)—O. (P.) variegatum, Sardinia; (31)—O. (P.) variegatum seurati syn. n. = O. (P.) variegatum; (32)—O. (P.) multiguttatum depressum, Namibia; (33)—O. (P.) multiguttatum s.str., Kenya; (34–35)—holotype and paratype of O. (P.) ethiopiensis syn. n. = O. (P.) multiguttatum s.str. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 36–44. Sclerite, and its position inside of bursa copulatrix. (36–37)—O. (P.) variegatum, Sardinia; (38)—O. (P.) variegatum seurati syn. n. = O. (P.) variegatum; (39)—O. (P.) multiguttatum s.str., Sudan; (40)—O. (P.) multiguttatum depressum, RSA; (41 and 44)—O. (P.) multiguttatum depressum, Angola; (42)—O. (P.) alluaudi syn. n. = O. (P.) vittulatum; (43)—O. (P.) barsevskisi. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 9–19. Variability of Omophron (Phrator) multiguttatum, dorsal view. (9–16) O. multiguttatum s.str.; (17–19) O. multiguttatum depressum. (9)—Egypt; (10)—Eritrea; (11)—Syntype of rotshildi syn.; (12)—Holotype of O. ethiopiensis syn. n.; (13)—Kenya; (14)—Angola; (15–16)—DR Congo; (17)—Namibia; (18)—South Africa; (19)—Mozambique, Zambezi riv., loc.typ. Scale bar = 5 mm.