Bolboceratex vanwyki, Gussmann S. M. & Scholtz, 2000

Gussmann S. M. & Scholtz, C. H., 2000, Systematic revision of endemic southern African genera of Bolboceratinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae), Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 1045-1123 : 1107-1109

Bolboceratex vanwyki spec. nov.

(®gures 24a±e, 25a±d, 28a±c, 30a, b, 34)

Description

Body length. 17.5±20.3 mm.

Colour. Mid-brown to dark brown, but scutellum and forebody slightly darker.

Head. Dorsal surface asetose except for labrum. Outer margin of mandible (®gure 25a, b) slightly sinuate and anteriorly more strongly curved inward. Labrum (®gure 25a, b) with few scattered setae; very feebly declivous in anterior third and posterior two-thirds, transverse carina obsolete; anterior margin sinuate. Clypeus in males (®gures 25a, 30a) with anterior carina medially raised to single upright horn; horn slightly inclined anteriorly; in females with anterior carina vertically inclined, arcuate in frontal view and almost straight in dorsal view (®gures 30b, 25b); in males posterior armature lacking; in females posterior transverse trituberculate carina between eye-canthi present; lateral carina in both sexes raised and distinct above antennal insertion, continuing from there in a slightly arcuate line to almost posterior end of frons; carina at posterior end of frons inward curved and distinctly raised; antero-lateral angle of genae slightly raised. Frons more or less ¯at. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment two-thirds of exposed surface.

Pronotum (®gure 30a, b). Males (®gure 30a): medially with deep, elongate concavity between two large apically feebly bituberculate horns; with feebly indented midline anteriorly opening up into concavity but posteriorly not reaching posterior pronotal margin. Females (®gure 30b): antero-medially with pair of large, rounded swellings; lateral to those with one small, feebly tuberculate swelling; with long feebly indented midline neither reaching anterior or posterior margin; in both sexes with small punctures, those increasingly interspersed with large, shallow punctures anteriorly and on sides; lateral margin entire.

Scutellum. Basal width about 1.5Ölength (®gure 25d); with some ®ne punctures near base and larger, shallow, partly conūent punctures particularly in the middle.

Elytron. Striae moderately impressed, their punctures separated by three to four puncture diameters (®gure 25d); intervals with double punctation (approximately three to four ®ne and numerous minute punctures between two striae).

Metasternum. As in generic description but length of longitudinal suture variable, either reaching meso-metasternal suture (®gure 24a) or not reaching it (®gure 24d).

Legs. Protibia ®ve-dentate. Metatibia in lateral view elongate, feebly broadening apically; with subapical carina feebly to strongly bilobed; with toothlike projections arranged in two rows above subapical carina. Metatarsus lacking subapical setae on tarsomeres 2±4.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as in ®gure 28a±c.

Distribution (®gure 34). The species was collected in south-western Namibia and the north-western part of the Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: l` S.Afr., Richtersvld, Holgat camp, 28.56S ± 16.47E’ /`2.ix.1976, E-Y: 1210, singled at night, leg. EndroÈdy-Younga’ ( TMSA); 7 PARATYPES: 3mm, same data as holotype ( TMSA) ; 1, l` Port Nolloth [29.17S 16.51E], R.Orpen, July 1925 ’ [unknown handwriting]/`’l /`sp. nov. near coryphaeus F’ [handwriting Andreae, curator ex SAMC] ( SAMC) ; 1m,` South Africa, N. Cape, Lang Hoogte Mine O ce, 29.32S 17.23E, 100 m, 18.ii.1996, A. van Wyk’ ( TMSA) ; 1m,` Holgat [28.56S 16.47E], L. Namaquald., 2.ix.1950, C. Koch, G. van Son’ ( MNHN) ; 1, l` Bet. Kolmanskop / LuÈderitz, SE 26 15 Ca , 01 July 1981, J.Coetzer’ [hand-written]/`H43574’ [printed] ( SMWN) .

Etymology. The species is named after Andre van Wyk of Kleinzee, Namaqualand, who regularly collects valuable research material.

Comments. The males of Bolboceratex vanwyki are easily recognized by their long clypeal horn and the large pronotal horns. The aedeagal type, metasternum and other characters place the species with Bolboceratex . Bolboceratex vanwyki shares strong sexual dimorphism in cephalic and pronotal armature with its closest relative Bolboceratex coryphaeu s (Fabricius) (treated below). The pronotal characteristics used in the key to diOEerentiate the females of both species are based on a limited number of specimens available and thus might not be very reliable.