Systematic revision of endemic southern African genera of Bolboceratinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae)
Author
Gussmann S. M.
Author
Scholtz, C. H.
text
Journal of Natural History
2000
2000-12-31
34
1045
1123
journal article
10.1080/00222930050020122
1464-5262
4747979
Namibiobolbus heracles
(Krikken)
(®gures 9a±d,
10g
±l, 12c, d, 14)
Bolboceroides heracles
Krikken, 1977b: 339
, ®gures 1±6, 17±18.
Namibiobolbu s
heracles
(Krikken)
:
Krikken 1984: 37
.
Description
Body length
.
15.6±20.8 mm
.
Colour
. Dark brown.
Head
.
Labrum
sloping downward from transverse carina in anterior third to quarter and posterior two-thirds to three-quarters; anterior margin very feebly sinuate (®gure
10g
, i).
Clypeus
(®gures
10g
, i, 12c, d) with steep, almost vertical incline from apex to well-developed and often strongly raised anterior transverse carina; anterior carina straight in frontal view, feebly curved in dorsal view; with short diagonal carina as in generic description; with well-developed lateral carina extended in a slightly arcuate line from endpoint of anterior carina to lateral margin above antennal insertion, at an angle continuing from there in a slightly arcuate but less raised line, not reaching posterior end of frons.
Frons
with strongly elevated median, feebly bi- (males, ®gures
10g
, 12d) or feebly tri-tuberculate (females, ®gures 10i, 12c) transverse carina; carina between tubercles only very feebly depressed; surface from all sides gradually rising towards median carina; in females median carina as long as anterior clypeal carina and length of median carina occupying about half of total distance between lateral carinae (®gure 10i).
Antennal club
with glabrous area of basal segment two-thirds of exposed surface.
Pronotum
.
Males
: with three large conical horns, one postero-medial and two antero-lateral, all three equidistant; major males with two large, deep, ovoid concavities between antero-lateral horns, and one smaller, deep, ovoid concavity each lateral to postero-medial horn (®gure 12d); minor males with the respective large and adjacent smaller concavity merging to one shallow concavity; deepest parts of concavities with minute punctation interspersed with some ®ne punctures, on edges with some large punctures, the latter becoming very dense on the protuberances; minute punctation disappearing and replaced by ®ne punctation and increasingly dense and partly conūent, large punctation towards sides of pronotum; posterior to median tubercle (horn) with very feebly indented midline but not reaching posterior pronotal margin.
Females
(®gure 12c): medially with transverse, slightly sinuate carina or swelling; from carina rather steeply declivous to anterior pronotal margin; antero-laterally with one conical tubercle each; surface between carina and tubercles with minute and ®ne punctation interspersed with scattered large punctures; posterior surface with minute and ®ne punctation, sometimes interspersed with large punctures of variable density; minute and ®ne punctation replaced gradually by increasingly dense and often conūent large punctation towards median transverse carina and lateral pronotal sides; in posterior half with obsolete or feebly indented midline, neither reaching transverse carina nor posterior pronotal margin; lateral margin entire.
Scutellum
. Basal width about 1.3Ölength (®gure 10h); with minute and ®ne punctures, sometimes interspersed with large punctures of variable density near base.
Elytron
. Striae moderately impressed, their punctures small and separated by two and a half to three and a half puncture diameters (®gure 10h); intervals with double punctation (approximately four ®ne and 13 minute punctures between two striae); elytral margin at apex distinctly subsinuate; pygidial apex in males bifurcate, with a circular incision.
Legs
.
Protibia
®ve-dentate.
Male genitalia
. Aedeagus as in ®gure 10j±l.
Distribution
(®gure 14). The species is only known from four localities in
Namibia
and one locality in
Botswana
.
Type material examined
.
HOLOTYPE
, l`Farm Roidina [
21.10S
16.04E
],
Omaruru distr.
,
SW Africa’
[hand-written]/`Holotype’ [printed on red label]/`Bolboceroide s heracles
sp.n.
’ [handwriting Krikken]/`
J. Krikken
ms 19
76
[printed and hand-written] Holotype’ (
MNHN
)
;
PARATYPE
, l`D.S.W. Afrika, Outjo [
20.07S
16.09E
], Westphal S.G.’ [hand-written on blue label]/`
Paratype
’ [printed on label]/`
Bolboceroide
s heracles
sp.n.
’ [handwriting Krikken]/`
J.Krikke
n ms 19
76
[printed and hand-written]
Para
type [hand-written and printed]’ (
ZMHB
)
.
Additional material examined
(
nine specimens
).
Botswana
:
1m
,
Lake Ngami
[
ca
20.27S
22.51E
],
Collection E.Candeze
(
ISNB
)
.
Namibia
:
1m
,
D.S.W. Afrika
,
Exc. Trotha
S. (
ZMHB
)
;
2 ll,
3mm
,
Mariental Distr.
,
Hardapdam
[
24.31S
17.54E
], 10±
14.iv.1972
,
Strydom
&
Jones
(
TMSA
)
;
1m
,
Hardap
Dam
, 24 17
Db
,
Marienthal
,
19.iii.1979
,
V.B.Whitehead
(
SAMC
)
;
1m
,
Kamanjab
[
19.38S
14.51E
],
iii.1995
,
C. R. Owen
(
COCS
)
.
Comments
. The small number of specimens collected in comparison with
Namibiobolbu s
iphicles
seems to indicate that
Namibiobolbu s
heracles
is not a common species and possibly less widespread. The extent of variation in pronotal armature in males is presumably similar to
Namibiobolbus iphicles
but minor males with extremely reduced pronotal ornamentation have yet to be collected. The character states used in the key distinguish readily between the two species.