Macroderes minutus Frolov & Scholtz 2005
Creators: name: Abdalla, Ishtiag H.
name: Deschodt, Christian M.
name: Scholtz, Clarke H.
name: Sole, Catherine L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Macroderes
Macroderes minutus

description: Macroderes minutus Frolov & Scholtz, 2005
(Figs. 11, 53, 90)
Macroderes minutus Frolov & Scholtz, 2005: 385.
Type locality. RSA, Western Cape Prov, 15 km SW of Lutzville.
Type material examined. Holotype, ♂ (TMSA): “ RSA / Western Cape Prov / 15 km SW of Lutzville / A. Frolov & C. Deschodt leg [printed] // AF–0046 (26) / 6–1 0. IX.2003 / S 31° 40' 21.00 E 018° 13' 50.10 [printed] // HOLOTYPUS / Macroderes minutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”. Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ (UPSA, TMSA) with the same data as holotype; 1 ♂ (TMSA): “ Zandkraal farm / 31° 42' S 18° 46' E / 12.IX.1987 / coarsesandy flat / Endrödy—Younga leg [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes minutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”; 1 ♂ (TMSA): “ Namaqualand / Nuwerust farm / 31° 04' S 18° 17' E / 27.VIII.1979 / singled on red sand / Endrödy—Younga leg [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes minutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”; 2 ♀♀ (UPSA): “ 5 km W of Rietpoort / 30° 58' S 17° 59' E / 3–11.IX.2003 / Frolov & Deschodt leg [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes minutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”; 1 ♀ (TMSA): “ 10 km N of Bitterfontein / 30° 57' S 18° 13' E / 11.IX.1985 / from sand pit / Endrödy–Younga leg [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes minutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”; 1 ♀ (UPSA): “ 25 km N of Vanrhynsdorp / 31° 23' S 18° 38' E / 5–11.IX.2003 / Frolov & Deschodt leg [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes minutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”.
Size range. Males length: 7.0– 8.9 mm, width: 5.7–6.3 mm; females length: 8.5–8.9 mm, width: 5.0– 5.9 mm.
Differential diagnosis. This species can be separated from others in the group by having ovoid pronotal punctures which are relatively close together (between 1 and 1.5 puncture diameters along the minor axis) and the seta associated with each puncture being short.
Habitat and distribution. This species occurs on the Namaqualand Strandveld vegetation type (Fig. 2). Specimens were collected in habitats featuring deep sand (Deschodt, personal observation).
Remarks. Frolov & Scholtz (2005) tentatively lumped specimens from extreme localities and vegetation types, such as Lutzville (Namaqualand Strandveld), Knersvlakte (Central Knersvlakte Vygieveld) and the top of the Cederberg range (Cederberg Sandstone Fynbos) together. Electron micrographs of specimens in the type series of M. minutus from different localities and further M. minutus material collected subsequent to the description of M. minutus were compared. It seems that the complex has been subjected to microhabitat speciation (speciation where species are still morphologically similar and geographical neighbour, but separated from each other by occupying different habitat types such as soil and/or vegetation type). Here we split the complex into three independent species (M. minutus, M. cederbergensis new species and M. leipoldti new species).
The holotype of M. minutus is from near Lutzville [31°33'S 18°20'E] and thus, specimens from there should be considered to be true M. minutus. Since the description of M. minutus in Frolov & Scholtz (2005) is based on the holotype, that species description is still applicable and need no changes, only the amended type series and short notes on its distribution are given here.
description: Published as part of Abdalla, Ishtiag H., Deschodt, Christian M., Scholtz, Clarke H. & Sole, Catherine L., 2018, An update to the taxonomy of the genus Macroderes Westwood 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with descriptions of new species from South Africa, pp. 41-75 in Zootaxa 4504 (1) on pages 60-62, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/2606164