Epirinus davisi Scholtz & Howden, 1987

Deschodt, Christian M., Davis, Adrian L. V. & Daniel, Gimo M., 2019, The endemic Southern African genus Epirinus Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) revisited: five new species and two new synonyms, Zootaxa 4603 (2), pp. 327-340 : 335

Epirinus davisi Scholtz & Howden, 1987

Figs. 2A , 4A , 5 .

Epirinus hluhluwensis Medina & Scholtz, 2005 new subjective synonymy

Epirinus ngomae Medina & Scholtz, 2005 new subjective synonymy

In their revision of Epirinus, Medina & Scholtz (2005) describe Epirinus hluhluwensis Medina & Scholtz, 2005 and Epirinus ngomae Medina & Scholtz, 2005 , as new species that are separated from other Epirinus by the presence of two pronounced lateral foveae and from one another by the shape of the clypeal teeth. With reference to characters given in the species descriptions and the accompanying identification key ( Medina & Scholtz 2005), we compared paratype specimens of E. hluhluwensis and E. ngomae with paratype and newly collected specimens of Epirinus davisi Scholtz & Howden, 1987 . Only minor external morphological differences were observed between those specimens, which originated from five localities ( Table 1 , Figs. 2 , 4 , 5 ). With regards to external morphology of the aedeagi, there was very little difference between the specimens. Most notably we observed only slight variation in the depth of the median depression at the base of the pronotum. The observed minor differences are interpreted as intraspecific variability. We could not see the differences noted by Medina & Scholtz (2005) concerning sclerites X and Y. Hence, we propose that E. hluhluwensis and E. ngomae should be regarded as new junior subjective synonyms of E. davisi . As a result, E. davisi would now be known from widely-separated coastal and lower escarpment forest localities of northeast KwaZulu-Natal and eSwatini that represent an extent of occurrence (EOO) of ~ 11700 km 2.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus, dorsal view. A, Epirinus davisi Scholtz & Howden, 1987 (paratype); B, Epirinus ngomae Medina & Scholtz, 2005 (paratype); C, Epirinus hluhluwensis Medina & Scholtz, 2005 (paratype); specimens determined as E. davisi from Nkandla forest (D) and close to Siteki (E). Scale bar = 2.0 mm.

FIGURE 4. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views. Epirinus davisi Scholtz & Howden, 1987 from (A) Ngoye forest (very close to Dlinza forest) and (B) near Siteki in eSwatini; C, paratype of Epirinus ngomae Medina & Scholtz, 2005 from Ngome forest; D, paratype of Epirinus hluhluwensis Medina & Scholtz, 2005 from Hluhluwe forest. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 5. The collecting localities for the new species described in this paper. Epirinus jacobsae Deschodt & Davis, new species (Δ), Epirinus inparrugosus Deschodt & Davis, new species (-), Epirinus pseudorelictus Deschodt & Davis, new species (•), Epirinus muellerae Deschodt & Davis, new species (Ɨ) and Epirinus schoolmeestersi Deschodt & Davis, new species (*). The updated known distribution of Epirinus davisi (•), with the type locality of its junior synonyms, Epirinus hluhluwensis (at Hluhluwe Game Reserve) and Epirinus ngomae (at Ngome Forest), highlighted. Two specimens of probable undescribed species with affinities to Epirinus pygidialus Scholtz & Howden, 1987, are shown as Ɨ.