Bolbaoeer barbatus, Gussmann & Scholtz, 2001

Gussmann, S. M. V. & Scholtz, C. H., 2001, Systematic revision of the Afrotropical genus BolbaOEer Vulcano, Martinez and Pereira (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae: Bolboceratinae), with descriptions of eight new species, Journal of Natural History 35 (7), pp. 1013-1084 : 1045-1046

BolbaOEer barbatus sp. nov.

(®gures 3j, 10a±e, 11)

Description male holotype

Body length 18.6 mm. Colour mid-brown, head and pronotum slightly darker. Outer margin of mandible rounded. Clypeus with strongly arcuate, transverse posterior carina; carina medially raised to single horn; lateral endpoints of carina anteriad to antennal insertions but not reaching lateral clypeal margins; horn medially connected to anterior clypeal margin with short carina. Frons distinctly concave posterior to posterior clypeal carina. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment about one-third of exposed surface. Pronotum with anterior margin not raised, very feebly curved in dorsal view; with one pair of outer horns along posterior margin and one pair of horns along anterior margin (®gure 3j); disc with large fairly densely spaced punctures, these denser and often conūent towards sides, along posterior and anterior margin of pronotum. Scutellum with surface moderately punctate. Elytron with strial punctures separated by four to ®ve puncture diameters; intervals with approximately four to six punctures between two striae. Protibia six-dentate. Protibial spur possibly longer than missing ®fth tarsomere, acuminate. Metatrochanter of unmodi®ed shape, with very dense and very long setal tuft along posterior margin (®gure 10a). Metafemur in ventral view in posterior third with line of densely spaced long setae; with dense, long setation in anterior third, in basal area and along posterior margin; remaining areas asetose. Metatibia in lateral view with subapical carina feebly bilobed; with unmodi®ed spurs. Underside with sternite 4 unmodi®ed; sternite 5 broad and postero-medially strongly declivous and membranous (see area enclosed by stippled line in ®gure 10b); posterior margin of sternite 6 feebly roundedly incised (®gure 10b); pygidium unmodi®ed. Genitalia with aedeagus as in ®gure 10c±e, large relative to body size; genital capsule apically with short setation.

Female unknown.

Distribution (®gure 11). The species is only known from the type locality in Ghana.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE:`W.Afrika, Kete Kratje [ Ghana, Kete Krachi, 07.48N 00.01W], Graf Zech S.Gr. ’ /`69727’ ( ZMHB).

Etymology. The term`barbatus’, Latin for`bearded’, refers to the very dense, long hairtuft on the metatrochanter, a unique character state for this species.

Comments. The clypeal armature of the holotype of B. barbatus is very similar to B. gigas : in males of both species the posterior carina is produced into a single horn, a character state not found in any other male BolbaOEer . There are, however, signi®cant diOEerences between males of the two species. As in most male BolbaOEer , the pronotal protrusions in B. gigas are positioned along the posterior margin whereas B. barbatus has an additional pair of horns positioned near the anterior margin, a unique character for the latter species. Apart from that, males of both species diOEer strongly in the shape of the anterior pronotal margin (unmodi®ed in B. barbatus but bisinuate and projecting over head in B. gigas ), the modi®cations on the abdominal sternites (compare ®gure 10b with 19g) and shape and structure of the aedeagi (compare ®gure 10c±e with 19h±j). Lastly the extremely long setal tuft on the metatrochanter of B. barbatus is not shared by male B. gigas or any other male BolbaOEer . Hence we have no doubt that B. barbatus is a new species. The female of this species is unknown.