Bolbaoeer guineaensis, 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 : 1053-1054

BolbaOEer guineaensis sp. nov.

(®gures 3o, 15a±e)

Description male holotype

Body length 21.6 mm. Colour mid-brown. Outer margin of mandible very feebly sinuate. Clypeus with bituberculate, moderately arcuate transverse posterior carina; tubercles in line with clypeo-frontal transition; posterior carina slightly shorter than anterior carina. Frons moderately depressed posterior to posterior clypeal carina. Antennal club with glabrous area of basal segment about one-half of exposed surface. Pronotum with anterior margin in dorsal view medially very feebly bisinuate and not projecting over frons; with one pair of outer, short, slightly inward inclined horns near posterior margin (®gure 3o); disc with both ®ne and large, well-spaced punctures, these increasingly densely spaced towards sides and along anterior margin. Scutellum with surface moderately punctate. Elytron with strial punctures separated by four to six puncture diameters; intervals with approximately ®ve to six punctures between two striae. Protibia ®ve-dentate. Protibial spur longer than ®fth tarsomere, acuminate. Metatrochanter of unmodi®ed shape; surface in basal third and along posterior margin with long and fairly dense setation, remaining surface asetose. Metafemur in ventral view in posterior third with line of densely spaced moderately long and long setae; with fairly dense, long setation in anterior third and in apical area; with fairly dense, long setae along posterior margin; remaining areas with some isolated setae. Metatibia in lateral view with subapical carina bilobed; with unmodi®ed spurs. Underside with sternites 4 and 5 unmodi®ed (®gure 15b); posterior margin of sternite 6 very feebly concave (®gure 15b); pygidium unmodi®ed (®gure 15a). Genitalia with aedeagus very small, as in ®gure 15c±e; genital capsule apically with moderately long setation.

Female unknown.

Distribution. The only label data`Guinea’ is presumed to refer to the West African country`Guinea’ and not to`Guinea-Bissau’ or`Equatorial Guinea’. Since proper locality data are missing, the species’ distribution is not mapped.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE:`Guinea’ ( ZMHB).

Etymology. Named after the country of origin.

Comments. The presence of only one pair of horns along the posterior pronotal margin makes the single male specimen of this new species similar in appearance to males of B. splendidus . There are, however, signi®cant diOEerences between the two species: both metatibial spurs are unmodi®ed in B. guineaensis but one metatibial spur is hooked in B. splendidus ; modi®cations on abdominal sternites and pygidium are virtually absent in B. guineaensis but are strong and distinct in B. splendidus (compare ®gure 15a, b with 7f±h). Lastly, the aedeagi of both species bear no similarity in shape at all (compare ®gure 15c±e with 8d±g). The small size of the aedeagus of B. guineaensis is unusual as well. The presence of only one pair of horns and the general lack of other morphological modi®cations make B. guineaensis a unique species, easy to identify. Judging from the position and size of the pronotal horns and through comparison with males of B. splendidus , we assume that the holotype of B. guineaensis represents either a minor or intermediate male. BolbaOEer guineaensis cannot be confused with males of the allopatric B. gigas , B. sasakii and B. namibiensis , the remaining other species that possess only one pair of horns along the posterior pronotal margin: the horns of these three species, even in minor males, are much further apart from one another than in B. guineaensis (compare ®gure 3o with 4i, l, s) and sternal and pygidial modi®cations diOEer signi®cantly as well (compare descriptions and ®gures).

Females of B. guineaensis remain unknown.