Sisyphus nanniscus Péringuey, 1901

Daniel, Gimo M., Davis, Adrian Lv., Sole, Catherine L. & Scholtz, Clarke H., 2020, Taxonomic review of the tribe Sisyphini sensu stricto Mulsant, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in southern Africa, including new species descriptions, Insect Systematics & Evolution 51 (1), pp. 1-61 : 39-40

Sisyphus nanniscus Péringuey, 1901 ( Figs. 14C , 15B ).

Péringuey 1901: 107–8; Gillet 1911:23; Arrow, 1909: 519; Arrow 1927: 465; Haaf: 355–6; Montreuil 2017: 3

Sisyphus ocellatus nanniscus Péringuey, 1901

Haaf 1995: 357–8; Ferreira: 1972: 807;

Type locality: Durban ( South Africa)

Size: Male: length: 3.0– 3.8 mm; width: 1.7– 1.5 mm; Female: length: 3.0–4.0 mm, width 1.8– 1.5 mm.

Diagnosis: S. nanniscus resembles S. seminulum . However, it can be easily distinguished as it bears large, dense ocellate punctures on the pronotum, unlike in S. seminulum where the punctures are relatively smaller and clearly separated from each other. Additionally, in S. nanniscus the internal margin of the metatibia is weakly dentate whilst, in S. seminulum , it is distinctly serrated.

Examined type material

Sisyphus nanniscus Péringuey, 1901 : (♂ SAM): Lectotype (designated here): handwritten on brown label / Sisyphus nanniscus , type /, red label /type, SAM, ento: 2672/, / Lectotype, det. GM Daniel, 2016 /. (♂ SAM) : Paralectotype (designated here): / Durban, x. 1896 leg: undetermined/, (white label) / Sisyphus seminulum Gerstaecker , det. K.M. Paschalidis, 1975/, (handwritten on brown label) / Sisyphus nanniscus , type/, (handwritten on brown label bordered by blue colour) / Ssp. nanniscus Pér /, red label / type /, / Lectotype, det. GM Daniel, 2016 /.

Sisyphus seminulum Gerstaecker, 1871 : Lectotype (designated here): (1♀ MN- HUB): / Zanzibar /, (brown label) / typus/, /56381/; handwritten on blue label / seminulum Gerst /; (red label) / Syntypus Sisyphus seminulum Gerstaecker 1871 , labelled by MNHUB 2016/, /leg: Cooke/; / Lectotype, det. GM Daniel, 2016 /. Paralectotype (designated here): (1♂ MNHUB): / Zanzibar /; brown label / paratypus /, / 56381 /; handwritten on blue label / seminulum Gerst , det: Muller/, red label / Syntypus Sisyphus seminulum Gerstaecker 1871 , labelled by MNHUB 2016/, leg: Cooke, / Paralectotype, det. GM Daniel, 2016 /. (3♂, 2♀ MCZ): / Zanzibar / C. Cooke/, (red label written) / type/ S. seminulum /, costatus , det. PFS Pereira/ Paralectotype, det. GM Daniel, 2017/.

Examined non-type material: See Supplementary information.

Distribution: Sisyphus nanniscus is found primarily under shaded vegetation in southern Africa ( Fig. 16 ).

Remarks: Type material has been studied of both S. nanniscus and S. seminulum . External morphology and parameres are sufficiently different for separation into two species. Therefore, we support the revalidation and new status of S. nanniscus proposed by Montreuil (2017).

Figures

Fig. 14. Images of the habitus of the seminulum species-group: A. S. splendidus; B. S. oralensis; C. S. nanniscus; D. S. auricomus sp. n. Pronotal setation and punctation patterns of S. oralensis (E), and S. auricomus sp. n (F).

Fig. 15. Images of the aedeagi of the seminulum species-group: A. S. oralensis; B. S. nanniscus; C. S. auricomus sp. n.

Fig. 16. Distribution map for the seminulum species-group.