Craspedophorus regalis
Creators: name: Häckel, Martin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Craspedophorus
Craspedophorus regalis

description: Craspedophorus regalis species group (nov.)
(= see Chaudoir 1879: 100; Basilewsky 1954: 246)
This group contains sensu Chaudoir (1879: 97) only two species in two subgroups, one with four elytral maculae (1879: 100) containing C. regalis (Gory, 1833), and one without elytral maculae (1879: 101) containing C. unicolor (Chaudoir, 1879). Together with the species of hitherto revised groups (C. reflexus Häckel 2016 and C. leprieuri nov.), Chaudoir included in Craspedophorus Hope, 1838 also species forming the C. regalis group, with kidneyshaped terminal labial palpomere, especially in males. The species of the C. regalis group differ from those of the other groups by the long antennae with intermediate antennomeres moderately dilated. The anterior margin of ventrites are less distinctly crenulated. I accepted Rousseau's, Alluaud's and Basilewsky's conclusions and enlarged this group according to Chaudoir's criteria to include also C. bouvieri (Rousseau, 1905), and the consideration of C. b. imperialis (Burgeon, 1930) as a full species that includes in turn two subspecies. C. bouvieri crampeli (Alluaud, 1915) is removed from C. bouvieri, and transferred from the C. reflexus group of Häckel (2016). Therefore, the C. regalis group presently contains four species, one monotypical and three with two subspecies each.
Characters. Large species (21–34 mm), including the largest Afrotropical species of the genus. Head mediumsized, squared, elongated, more-or-less constricted behind eyes. Antennae long and moderately dilated, mainly intermediate antennomeres (Fig. 52c; Plate 7, Figs 53–55). Labial palps with terminal article very elongated, kidney-shaped. Pronotum almost hexagonal, coarsely punctured, resembling that of C. reflexus (Fabricius, 1781), pronotal base either not pedunculate (C. imperialis), weakly pedunculate (C. bouvieri), or distinctly pedunculate (as in C. regalis and C. unicolor). Metepisterna longer than wide (Fig. 52 d, e), trapeziform, but somewhat shorter than in C. reflexus group Häckel 2016. Ventrites anteriorly gently (C. imperialis) or strongly (C. bouvieri, C. regalis, C. unicolor) crenulated (Fig. 52 f). Elytral colouration ranges from two yellow maculae on each elytron (C. bouvieri, C. imperialis, C. regalis), through a reduced preapical macula (C. bouvieri), to black, without maculae (C. unicolor).
Distribution remarks. Species of this group inhabit large areas covering western African savanna from Senegal to western Cameroon, central Africa throughout Gabon, Republic of Central Africa and the Congo, to north of the DR Congo, reaching from upper Congo River basin, along Aruwimi (Ituri respectively), and Ubangi (Uele respectively). Distributional area of one species (C. unicolor) reaches farther south and east (Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa; map in Fig. 80).
PLATE 5. Habitus of Craspedophorus regalis group I. (Scale bar: 10 mm). 34. C. regalis regalis (Gory, 1833), male, central Guinea; 35. C. r. regalis (Gory, 1833), female, LT (designated by Chaudoir 1879: 100); 36. C. r. regalis (Gory, 1833), male, Senegal; 37. C. r. regalis (Gory, 1833), female, Senegal; 38. C. regalis sayersii (Hope, 1842), male, eastern Guinea (PT of C. bouvieri pseudoreflexus Basilewsky, 1954); 39. C. regalis sayersii (Hope, 1842), HT (male); 40. C. regalis sayersii (Hope, 1842), female, Ivory Coast; 41. C. unicolor (Chaudoir, 1879), male, Zambia; 42. C. unicolor (Chaudoir, 1879), HT (female).
PLATE 6. Habitus of Craspedophorus regalis group II. (Scale bar: 10 mm). 43. C. bouvieri bouvieri (Rousseau, 1905), female, Central Africa; 44. C. bouvieri bouvieri (Rousseau, 1905), female, Central Africa; 45. C. bouvieri bouvieri (Rousseau, 1905), male, Central Africa (labeled as paratype of Eudema crampeli Alluaud, 1915); 46. C. bouvieri bouvieri (Rousseau, 1905), female, Central Africa (HT of Eudema decorsei Alluaud, 1915); 47. C. bouvieri iturianus Basilewsky, 1954, HT (male), a) detail of elytron; 48. C. bouvieri iturianus Basilewsky, 1954, PT female, DR Congo: Orientale; 49. C. imperialis imperialis Burgeon, 1930, HT (male), a) detail of elytron; 50. C. imperialis imperialis Burgon, 1930, female, Togo; 51. C. imperialis dux Basilewsky, 1951, PT male, Cameroon.
description: Published as part of Häckel, Martin, 2017, A contribution to the knowledge of the subfamily Panagaeinae Hope, 1838 from Africa. Part 2. Revision of the Craspedophorus leprieuri and C. regalis groups (Coleoptera: Carabidae), pp. 201-243 in Zootaxa 4236 (2) on pages 214-215, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4236.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/321720