Anoplocheilus (Anoplocheilus) clarki Perissinotto, Beinhundner & Strümpher, 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Perissinotto, Renzo
name: Beinhundner, Gerhard
name: Strümpher, Werner
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Anoplocheilus
Anoplocheilus clarki

description: Anoplocheilus (Anoplocheilus) clarki sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 2)
Diagnosis. Anoplocheilus (A.) clarki can be separated from its closest relative, A. (A.) rusticus, by differences observed mainly at the level of the clypeus, pronotum, scutellum and aeadeagal parameres (Figs 1-4). Firstly, the general clypeal shape is more squarish in A. (A.) clarki than in A. (A.) rusticus, in which the antero-lateral corners are actually smoothly rounded. Also, the denticles on the anterior margin of the clypeus are more raised and developed in A. (A.) clarki than in A. (A.) rusticus and the antero-lateral declivity on each side of the clypeus is substantially more pronounced in the former than in the latter species (Figs 2 A, 4 A). While the pronotal and scutellar surfaces in A. (A.) rusticus are always entirely black, even in specimens with predominatly testaceous elytra (Holm & Marais 1992; Marais 1994; Beinhundner 2017), in the light forms of A. (A.) clarki both surfaces exhibit some testaceous areas (Figs 1 A, 3 A), reminiscent of those observed in similar forms of A. (A.) germari (Wiedemann, 1823). The general body pubescence in A. (A.) clarki is remarkably thicker and longer than in A. (A.) rusticus, particularly on head vertex and ventral surfaces (Figs 1 B, 3 B). Finally, the aedeagal parameres of A. (A.) clarki are substantially shorter but wider than those of A. (A.) rusticus (Figs 2 C, 4 C), particularly at the apex where they form a rounded lateral expansion, which in frontal view imparts a width approximately twice as large as that observed in A. (A.) rusticus (Figs 2 E, 4 E).
Description of holotype male (Figs 1 A-C, 2 A-E)
Size. Total Length = 13.3 mm; Maximum Width = 7.1 mm.
Body: Mostly matte with head, pronotum and scutellum predominatly black but elytra testaceous with lines of brown spots on costal and umbonal elevations; dense, round to irregular sculpture on head and pronotum, becoming scattered, shallow and predominantly of horse-shoe type on scutellum and elytra; with dense and long, pale-yellow to tawny setae on head vertex and around all lateral margins, becoming shorter and scattered on pronotal and elytral declivities and disappearing on their discal areas as well as scutellum (Figs. 1 A, 2 A).
Head. Entirely black and relatively flat in central region; clypeus broadly squarish in shape, with marked sinuation on apical margin and sharply sloping declivities on antero-lateral margins; anterior margin sharply upturned and forming two pairs of symmetric denticles, with proximal more developed than distal pair (Fig. 2 A); entire surface covered in coarse dense sculpture; pale-yellow to tawny setae distributed along entire surface, but generally shorter and more scattered on clypeus and frons, becoming much longer and denser on vertex and antennal pedicel; antenna dark brown to black, with club approximately as long as flagellum; thin light setae scattered across flagellum, becoming thicker and denser on pedicel.
Pronotum. Black and matte, with shiny suprascutellar area exhibiting testaceous, horizontally elongate double macula, not reaching posterior margin; pair of symmetric brown maculae also on lateral declivities anteriad of marginal round angle; with dense round to crescent punctures across entire surface; virtually glabrous on disc but exhibiting short to medium light-yellow setae on lateral and anterior declivities and margins (Fig. 1 A); shape broadly octagonal with lateral margins smoothly rounded at centre, antero-lateral margins sharply rounded with pronounced angle, postero-lateral margins smoothly rounded and shifting posteriad, leading then to smooth pre-scutellar arch at middle.
Scutellum. Shiny and black, with two symmetric, longitudinally elongate, testaceous spots on each basal side of dark midline; exhibiting longitudinal incision running parallel to lateral groove from basal margin to middle of total scutellar length; few, shallow horse-shoe to crescent punctures along lateral margins inwards of incision, with occasional short pale setae emerging at centre of punctures; isoscelic triangular in shape with sharp apex; lateral grooves well-developed and deepening towards apex (Fig. 1 A).
Elytron. Testaceous and matte, with dark maculae of variable size spread in longitudinal lines along the length of each costa and on umbones; all costae moderately elevated across entire surface but fading on apical declivity, striae exhibiting sublineate and semicontiguous crescent to horseshoe sculpture; with shiny black to dark brown lining around scutellum and sutural margin; lateral margin reborded and dark, not covering lateral edges of abdominal tergites; humeral callus prominent but apical callus poorly raised; sub-humeral arch with extremely weak sinuation and posterior margin smoothly rounded without projections or upturning at apex; virtually glabrous on disc and humeral callus, but with scattered short and light setae distributed along lateral and apical declivities (Fig. 1 A).
Pygidium. Broadly triangular in shape, with smoothly rounded apex and unevenly domed; with dense but fine subconcentric rugulose sculpture across entire surface; with light-yellow to tawny short setae scattered throughout disc, becoming long and fine along lateral margins and apex (Fig. 2 B).
Legs. Black with occasional brown tips, short and robust with typical fossorial characters; tarsal segments of average cetonine length, with apical ones twice as long as preceding units; meso- and metatarsomeres with marked dorso-distal protrusions; tibiae densely sculptured with mid longitudinal ridge and numerous light-yellow setae present mainly on inner margin, becoming progressively longer and denser from protibia to metatibia; protibia broad and tridentate, with teeth blunt and all equally well-developed, but distance between distal and middle teeth shorter than that between middle and proximal teeth; mesotibia with double mid spine on outer carina sharply pointed and spurs elongate, thin and sharp; metatibia with outer carina bearing one blunt but robust distal tooth and two smaller teeth further up, spurs elongate and rather sharp (Fig. 1 A-C).
Ventral surface. Black and shiny, covered in dense and long light-yellow pubescence, except on femora, central part of abdominal sternites and metasternal region, where setae are short or very scattered; mesosternal lobe extremely reduced, smoothly rounded and not protruding forward; metasternal lobe with anterior portion of median sulcus exhibiting oblong groove of triangular shape; abdominal sternites with flat area at centre (Fig. 1 B-C).
Aedeagus. Parameres compact and dark, with dorsal lobes gradually tapering medially and then expanding slightly towards apico-lateral margin to form smoothly rounded apex, here slightly bending downwards and exhibiting flat tip surface (clearly visible in frontal view, Fig. 2 C-E); inner margin of dorsal lobes remarkably straight, bending outwards only slightly towards central region in dorsal view; ventral lobes generally narrower than dorsal lobes and emerging only towards base in dorsal view (Fig. 2 D).
Derivatio nominis. This species is named after Derek Clark, former conservation manager of a number of parks and farms in Namibia, South Africa and Ethiopia, who promptly brought the specimens retrieved from a farm trough in the Komsberg to the attention of the lead author. During the past three decades, Mr Clark has made a very significant contribution to the entomofauna of South Africa, discovering several new species from remote areas in his effort to enhance nature conservation and biodiversity knowledge in the region.
Distribution. This is obviously an inland sister species of the strictly coastal A. (A.) rusticus. The series collected most recently originates from the Roggeveldberge range to the south of Sutherland in the Northern Cape Province (Fig. 5). There are also a few other specimens retrieved from old collections and originating from adjacent mountain ranges of the Cape Fold Belt, namely the Cederberg, the Koue Bokkeveld, the Hexrivierberge, the Boland Mountains and the Langeberge, all in the Western Cape Province.
Type material. Holotype ♂: South Africa, NC, Komsberg, 1 Apr 2015, Derek Clark legit (ISAM). Paratypes: 1♂, idem (RPRM); 2♂, ibidem 8 Apr 2015, Derek Clark legit (RPRM); 1♂, Cold Bokkeveld, Ceres Dist, 15 Oct 1924, Versfeld (ISAM: COL-A066116); 1 ♂, Upper Sources Olifants River, Ceres C.P., 1 Dec 1949, South African Museum Expedition (ISAM: COL-A027029); 1♀ [missing head and pronotum], Wit River Valley, Bains Kloof, 1 Dec 1949, South African Museum Expedition (ISAM: COL-A027030); 1♀, Mitchell’s Pass, Cape Province, 5 Oct 1975, MJ Duke (TMSA: CPH6312); 1♂, Capland, Stellenbosch, Oct 1925, Dr H Brauns (TMSA- CPH6305); 1 ind, Tradouw Pass, Swellendam Dist., 1 Nov 1925 South African Museum Expedition (ISAM: COL-A027028); 1 ♀ [missing head and pronotum], South Africa WC, Bushmanskloof, on stream sand bank, 22 Sep 1997, R Perissinotto & L Clennell (BMPC)].
Remarks. Specimens range in size from 10.8 to 13.3 in total length and from 5.5 to 7.1 in maximum width. Their elytral colour varies from testaceous with longitudinal lines of dark spots (Fig. 1 A, C) to predominantly black with few testaceous to brown spots scattered across the disk. Intermediate forms to these show lines of spots joined together to compose transverse wave-like bands across the entire surface. No entirely black forms have been recorded yet, but in predominantly black forms the testaceous patterns on pronotum and scutellum fade away, and these areas become therefore entirely black. As expected, the only female specimen identified so far exhibits all the typical traits of their A. (A.) rusticus counterparts, namely a slightly broader protibia, blunter but wider metatibial spurs and a more convex area in the middle of abdominal sternites than in males. Also, the denticles on the clypeal apex are more pronounced and recurved in male specimens compared to the females. Adult activity in A. (A.) clarki has so far been recorded only throughout the southern spring (late September to early December) and in early autumn (April) and, like in its sister species, the life cycle seems to be linked to fine sandy substrata, on the banks of rivers and streams. All specimens collected recently in the Komsberg were retrieved from the same farm trough adjacent to a dry river bed exhibiting substantial sand banks (D. Clark, pers. comm.). A few old specimens also carry unmistakable clues that they were found along river beds (cf. label data above).
description: Published as part of Perissinotto, Renzo, Beinhundner, Gerhard & Strümpher, Werner, 2021, Description of a new species of Anoplocheilus MacLeay, 1838 from South Africa, with review of the genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), pp. 367-376 in Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2) on pages 368-370, DOI: 10.13133/2284-4880/567, http://zenodo.org/record/12763624