Ganganomala saltini Ratcliffe & Jameson & Zorn 2018, new species
Creators: name: Ratcliffe, Brett C.
name: Jameson, Mary Liz
name: Zorn, Carsten
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Ganganomala
Ganganomala saltini

description: Ganganomala saltini Ratcliffe, Jameson, and Zorn, new species
(Figs. 1–4, 7–9, 11–12, 14–21, 23–27, 31–32, 36) Zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: EDDA2DFF-7340-417B-B555-0F186B1045DB
Type Material. Holotype, allotype, and nine paratypes. Holotype male at UNSM and labeled “ Bangladesh / Dacca / Juni 76 / leg. M. Dietz // 1984 / Insektenboerse / Frankfurt am Main / von M. Dietz / Coll. J.-P. Saltin ”, and with our red holotype label. Allotype female at UNSM and labeled “ NEPAL, Prov. Bheri / D: Banke, Nepalganj / Hotel Kitchen Hut // 140m NN, N28°04´97´´ / E 81°38´56´´, on light / 23.-25. VI.2011 / leg. M. Hartmann #02 // collection / NATURKUNDE - // MUSEUM ERFURT”, hind wing mounted below specimen and with our red allotype label. Two male paratypes at JPSC with same data as holotype and one with male genitalia, mouthparts, and hind wing mounted below specimen. One male paratype at MLJC with same data as holotype. One male paratype at IRSNB with same data as holotype. One male paratype at NMEG and labeled “Nepal Bheri zone / Nepalgunj 200m / 17.-20.6.95 lg. Ahrens / and Pommeranz”. One male paratype at NMEG and labeled “ NEPAL, Prov. Bheri / D: Banke, Nepalganj / Hotel Kitchen Hut // 140m NN, N28°04´97´´ / E 81°38´56´´, on light / 23.-25. VI.2011 / leg. M. Hartmann #02 // collection / NATURKUNDE - // MUSEUM ERFURT”. One male paratype at CCZ and labeled “ NEPAL centr. // Sauraha 1992 / lgt. Jenis 20-25.5.” One female paratype at CCZ and labeled “ NEPAL, Prov. Bheri / Nepalgunj, Hotel / Batika, 28°02,59´N / 81°36,56´E, 230mNN / 18.VI.1999, LF / leg. M. Hartmann ”. One male paratype at CCZ and labeled “Nepal Bheri zone / Nepalgunj 200m / 17.-20.6.95 lg. Ahrens / and Pommeranz”, male genitalia mounted below specimen. One female paratype at NMEG and labeled “ NEPAL, Prov. Bheri / 28°02´41´´N, 81°37´17´´E / Nepalganj, Hotel Sneha / 140 m; 13. VI. 2007, LF / leg.: J. Weipert ”. All paratypes with our yellow paratype labels.
Description. Holotype Male. Length 16.2 mm; width 8.4 mm. Color entirely bright reddish brown except for castaneous apices of protibial teeth, apices of tarsomeres, and metatibial spinules. Head (Figs. 1, 24–25): Frons densely punctate, some punctures contiguous laterally; punctures moderate in size. Clypeus with apex quadrate, strongly reflexed, anterolateral angles square, densely punctate (disc) and rugopunctate (laterally and at base), punctures moderate in size. Frontoclypeal suture obsolete medially, weakly arcuate, reaching each lateral margin near ocular canthus. Interocular width equals 3.3 transverse eye diameters. Antenna with 9 antennomeres, club subequal in length to antennomeres 2–6. Pronotum: Surface with small, moderately dense punctures, punctures slightly denser in anterior and posterior angles, lateral margin on posterior half with a few, long, reddish brown setae. All margins with complete marginal bead. Elytra: Surface with poorly defined, longitudinal rows of moderately large, ocellate punctures; 1 row adjacent to suture, 1 pair on disc, 1 pair at humerus, 1 pair laterad of humerus. Intervals with similar moderately dense punctures. Pygidium: Surface with moderately large, moderately dense punctures, a few punctures at extreme center apex with long, reddish brown setae; lateral margins weakly scabrous. Surface regularly convex in lateral view. Venter: Mentum (Fig. 16) long, subrectangular, disc flat and with long, reddish brown setae, apex broad and slightly emarginate at middle. Prosternal process very small (nearly obsolete), subtriangular, not produced ventrally, not produced to trochanter, glabrous. Metathorax with small, dense, setigerous punctures; setae long, dense, reddish brown. Epipleuron distinct, gradually tapering from base to metacoxa, slender from metacoxa to apex and with transparent membrane. Abdominal sternites 2–4 subequal in length, sternite 5 about 1.3 times length of sternite 4, apical sternite half length of sternite 4 (Fig. 2); apical sternite weakly emarginate at apex, setigerously punctate. Abdominal sternites with transverse, irregular rows of long, reddish brown setae arising from moderately large punctures. Legs: Protibia tridentate, teeth subequally spaced (Fig. 8); protibial spur absent (Figs. 7–8). Protarsomere 5 enlarged, with prominent, forward-directed protuberance internomedially (Fig. 7); inner claw robust (subequal in length of tarsomeres 1–4), enlarged, sharply bent, apex entire and with minute, inner apical tooth. Metatibia (Fig. 11) ventrally with long, dense, reddish brown setae. Meso- and metatibiae with fringe of long, reddish brown setae on inner margin, each with 2 obliquely transverse rows of small, castaneous spinules at mid-shaft; truncate at apex and with row of small, castaneous spinules: 10 spinules on mesotibia, 14 spinules on metatibia; apex with 2 apical spurs, longer spur produced to near apex of metatarsomere 2. Claws of meso- and metatibiae equal in size, apices entire (Fig. 12). Parameres: Form short, simple, with short setae on venter (Figs. 19–21).
Allotype. Length 17.8 mm; width 9.2 mm (Fig. 3). As holotype except in the following respects: Head (Figs. 26–27): Frons with surface densely, confluently punctate (disc) and rugopunctate (lateral margins and base). Clypeus with surface densely punctate (disc) and rugopunctate (lateral margins and apex); sides weakly convergent toward apex; apex rounded, moderately reflexed. Frontoclypeal suture obsolete medially, weakly arcuate. Interocular width equals 3.6 transverse eye diameters. Pygidium: Marginal bead at apex effaced. Venter: Sternites slightly convex in lateral view. Abdominal sternite 5 about 1.5 times length of sternite 4, apical sternite 3/4 length of sternite 4. Apical sternite entire at apex, with setose punctures; setae moderately long, reddish brown. Legs: Protibia with subapical spur on inner margin (Fig. 9); spur subequal in length to protarsomere 2. Protarsomere 5 not enlarged, normal (subequal in length to protarsomeres 2–4, width about 1/3 length) with poorly developed internomedial protuberance. Protarsal claw with inner claw split, ventral ramus subequal in size to dorsal ramus (Fig. 9). Mesotibial apex with 8 spinules and 2 spurs; longer spur produced to near apex of mesotarsomere 2. Meso- and metatarsomeres 5 with weakly developed internomedial protuberance. Mesotarsal claw split with ventral ramus subequal in width to dorsal ramus. Metatibial apex with 20 spinules and 2 spurs; longer spur produced to near apex of metatarsomere 2. Metatarsal claws simple.
Variation: Length 16.0–16.6 mm; width 8.0–8.8 mm (n = 7 males, 2 females). The nine paratypes are remarkably similar to the holotype and allotype and do not differ significantly.
Etymology. We are pleased to name this new species to recognize Jochen-P. Saltin (Dornum, Middelsbur, Germany) who first brought exemplars of the species to our attention and donated specimens for description.
Distribution. Ganganomala saltini is known from three localities in the greater Ganges River drainage (Nepal and Bangladesh) (Fig. 23) and possibly India. In India, Chandra (1991) recorded (as “ A. fraterna ”) putative G. saltini from Dehradun Valley. In Nepal, the species is known from the Bheri Zone and the Chitwan District. In the People’ s Republic of Bangladesh in southern Asia, the species was collected near Dhaka. Dhaka is on the eastern banks of the Buriganga River and situated on the lower reaches of the Ganges Delta near sea level. Dhaka is a burgeoning city of over seven million people, and there are 18 million people in the greater Dhaka area (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2014). During 1951–1961, there was a 45% increase in urban population, and the total urban population rose from 1.8 million to 2.6 million during this period. A 138% growth of urban population took place during 1961–1974, due principally to massive rural to urban migration (Mondal 2006). The habitat of the original collecting site (in 1976) for G. saltini in Dhaka, indeed much of the regional biodiversity, has undoubtedly been destroyed or altered from its former natural state by urbanization and concomitant pollution since the specimens were collected. One has to wonder, then, if this species continues to exist in that region.
Ganganomala saltini was collected in Nepalgunj in the Bheri Zone in Nepal at 150 m elevation. This area has a subtropical climate similar to that of Dhaka, although Dhaka does not experience the low temperatures of Nepalgunj. Temperatures can exceed 40° C from April to June. The rainy season is June to September. The highest temperature ever recorded in Nepalgunj was 45.0° C in June 1995, while the lowest temperature ever recorded was -0.3° C in January 2013 (Anonymous 2016).
The collector of the Bangladesh specimens, Manfred Dietz, was in Dhaka for four months in 1976, where he collected almost every evening in and around the city (personal communication Dietz to Saltin 2015, 2016 and Saltin to BCR 2016). Mr. Dietz is a well-known lepidopterist, and the scarabs were by-catch since he had no interest in beetles. We are convinced that the collecting data are accurate since we have the personal recollection of the collector. The Bangladesh specimens were obtained at an insect fair, but Dietz’ locality information is reliable.
Temporal Distribution. May (1), June (10).
Biology. Nothing is known of the life history of G. saltini. The Bangladesh specimens and at least four of the Nepalese specimens were taken at lights.
description: Published as part of Ratcliffe, Brett C., Jameson, Mary Liz & Zorn, Carsten, 2018, Ganganomala Saltini Ratcliffe, Jameson, and Zorn, a New Genus and Species of Anomalini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from Bangladesh and Nepal, with a Revised Circumscription of the Tribe, pp. 717-735 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 72 (4) on pages 731-732, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X-72.4.717, http://zenodo.org/record/4789739