Omorgus (Afromorgus) moreshwar Kalawate & Strumpher 2024, new species
Creators: name: Kalawate, Aparna S.
name: Strümpher, Werner P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Trogidae
Omorgus
Omorgus moreshwar

description: Omorgus (Afromorgus) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new speciesurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A9284B20-F4E1-4A80-9C2B-E2EDC1CC2D23
(Figs. 1–4)
Type locality. India, Maharashtra State, Pune district, Baramati taluk, Morgaon village, 18.277°N 74.316°E, 620 m.
Type material. Holotype, ♂ (ZSI-WRC, ENT-1/3461) (Figs: 1–4): “ INDIA: Maharashtra State, | Pune district, Baramati taluk, | Morgaon village, at light trap, | 18.277°N 74.316°E, 620 m., | 28.ix.2019, leg. A.S. Kalawate ” || “HOLOTYPE: Omorgus | (Afromorgus) moreshwar | Kalawate & Strümpher, 2023 ”.
Description of the holotype. Body shape: Convex, elongate oval with almost parallel elytral margins. Elytral profile convex, attaining maximum height behind the middle, strongly declivous posteriorly.
Colour (Figs. 1–3): Matt black. Head, pronotum, legs, elytral margins and tubercles, and parts on the ventral side with light brown tomentose coating. Body setae mostly brown, to rust-brown.
Head (Fig. 3): Antennae scape brownish black, elongate, stout, with long straight light brown setae; pedicel reddish-brown, subapically attached; antennal club and setae yellowish brown. Eyes very large, bulbous and not visible in dorsal view. Clypeus obtusely triangular, apex of clypeus blunt, margins recurved; entire surface decorated with irregularly shaped punctures, these punctures close, surface between punctures with minute erect setae; lateral perimarginal ridged type structure present on both the sides, sculptured with punctures, with minute setae; two depressions on the margins of the clypeus present. Frons bituberculate, tubercles blunt, surface of tubercles distinctly punctured. Genal angles acute, recurved, depressed surface, with large punctures, each puncture with erect seta. Vertex raised, with large irregular shaped punctures, each with an erect minute seta. Clypeal and genal margins with moderate punctures and straight setae.
Pronotum (Figs. 1–3): Attenuated anteriorly; length of pronotum slightly less than half of elytral length, total pronotum width slightly less than elytron width. Lateral margins broad and flat, margin denticulate, with short stout setae, surface on the lateral margins tomentose, coarse, undulating, with irregularly shaped very large punctures, these punctures are with minute yellowish brown setae, between punctures relatively large erect, yellowish-brown setae present. Median discal area with raised elevated structure, this elevated structure is roughly pentagonal shape and is medially depressed, flattened, stretched over half of the pronotal surface. Two tuberculate lobes on the base of the pronotum, there is cavity in the between lobes. Base slightly projecting backward, base weakly sinuated on either side of lobe, basal margin with robust brown setae uniformly placed in line.
Scutellum (Fig. 3): Hastate, equal in width and length, surface finely punctured, margins thickly surrounded with minute setae and small tubercles, base depressed.
Elytra (Figs. 1–2): Sub-globular, convex, elongate, decorated with tubercles of varied size and shapes. Elytral costae with nine rows of tubercles, the odd ones are small, raised and placed in row with large gaps between them. Costae 2 and 4 with large, raised tubercles, the tubercle on the anterior half of the elytra more closely spaced and those on the posterior half are more widely spaced, each tubercle with posterior tomentose area; tubercles on costae 6 and 8 are of varied sizes. Intercostae marked by row of round punctures, regularly spaced over length of elytra. Elytral sutural margin raised, surrounded with small elongate tubercles, placed distantly. Humeral calli very prominent, bearing small, closely spaced tubercles. The elytral margins surrounded with small, closely placed tubercles, long, stout setae present between tubercles.
Legs (Figs. 1–2): Protibia with apex blunt, inner margin surrounded with long, stout setae; protibial spur stout, apex pointed and curved downwards, spur as long as three basal tarsomeres combined, dorsal surface rugose and punctate; tarsal segments smooth, devoid of setae. Tarsomeres 1–4 equal, 5 elongated, bears two claws, the outer claw longer, pointed compared to inner claw. Profemur wide, widest at base, with large puncture, each with single seta, dorsally almost smooth, the margins surrounded with long, series of setae. Mesofemur and metafemur slender comparatively, surface punctate, each puncture with an erect seta, lateral margins surrounded with series of erect setae. Mesotibia and metatibia finely punctate, each puncture with erect spine like seta; carina with row of stout setae; inner carina with row of long slender setae; mesotibia and metatibia with two apical spurs, unequal length, outer spur longer and reaching second tarsomere. Mesotarsi and metatarsi with long setal brushes, tarsomeres 1–4 equal in length, tarsomere 5 is longer than the rest, with two claws, outer claw is slightly longer than the inner claw.
Male genitalia (Figs. 4): Genital capsule symmetrical, almost quadrangular shaped, trilobed, weekly sclerotized. Phallobasis broad, sclerotized, arched and fused dorsally. Parameres are long, broad, broadest at base, sinuated laterally, gradually narrowing at the apex, tips are rounded, reaching slightly beyond phallus. Phallus feebly sclerotized, broad, rounded apically (not tapered); in dorsal aspect phallus declivous on apical third, declivity projecting dorsolaterally forming two, short, weakly raised humps; apex divided into two symmetrical membranous lobes, tips of both the lobes are rounded.
Measurements: Body length: 13.85 mm, width: 7.85 mm. Head, length in dorsal view: 1.05 mm, width: 3.34 mm. Pronotum length: 3.99 mm, width: 5.89 mm. Scutellum length: 0.82 mm, width: 0.77 mm. Elytra, sutural length: 7.98 mm, maximum width combined: 7.77 mm. Genital capsule width 2.85 mm.
Female: Unknown.
Differential diagnosis. Omorgus (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species (Figs. 1–4) is very similar to Omorgus (A.) desertorum (Harold, 1872) valid species (Figs. 12–13). It can be distinguished from the latter by the prominent and isolated tubercles on the even-numbered elytral costae. Omorgus (A.) desertorum has tubercles on the even numbered costae less prominent and partially fuse to form ridges. Omorgus (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species also bears resemblance to O. (A.) niloticus (Harold, 1872) (Figs. 55–57), but has the elytral tubercles considerably larger, elongate and irregularly arranged on the elytral costae. Omorgus (A.) niloticus has the tubercles smaller, round and more uniformly arranged. In case of male genitalia, the apex of phallus in O. (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species, is wide and broadly rounded, whereas apex of phallus is narrow and tapered in O. (A.) niloticus (compare Fig. 4 and Fig. 56). Omorgus (A.) desertorum has the apex of the phallus intermediate between the two species (Fig. 15). Furthermore, the distribution of the three species appear to be geographically coherent: Omorgus (A.) niloticus is primarily recorded from the Afrotropical region (East and northeast Africa) with range extension into the arid southern Palaearctic region (Egypt and Ethiopia); O. (A.) desertorum is confined to the arid southern Palaearctic region (Arabian Peninsula and deserts of north-east Africa); O. (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species, is so far only known from the Oriental region (western peninsular region of India).
Among the Oriental species, Omorgus (Afromorgus) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species may also be confused with O. (A.) haagi (Harold, 1872). Omorgus (A.) haagi has the elytral tubercles on the even numbered costae considerably larger, more raised and widely spaced than has the new species (compare Fig. 1 and Fig. 29). Furthermore, O. (A.) haagi has the parameres, in lateral profile, much broader, and the apex thicker when compared to O. (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species, which have the parameres narrower and more tapering apically (compare Fig. 4 and Fig. 31). Lastly, the apex of the phallus is broadly rounded in O. (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species, whereas the apex is truncated laterally in O. (A.) haagi (compare Fig. 4 and Fig. 31). At present, O. (A.) moreshwar Kalawate & Strümpher, new species, is known only from the Pune district in Maharashtra State in the western peninsular region of India. Omorgus (A.) haagi is rare in collections, but from the limited data available, appears to be widespread. It has been recorded from West Bengal State in East India and Pakistan (Pittino 2006; Pittino & Bezdĕk 2016).
Distribution. Known only from the type locality (Fig. 5).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition referring to the Moreshwar Temple (or Shri Mayureshwar), located in the village Morgaon (Pune district, Maharashtra State, India), where this new species was collected.
description: Published as part of Kalawate, Aparna S. & Strümpher, Werner P., 2024, Catalogue of species of the subgenus Afromorgus Scholtz, 1986 (Coleoptera: Trogidae: Omorginae) known from the Oriental and Palaearctic Regions, including a description of one new species from the Deccan Plateau in India, pp. 21-63 in Zootaxa 5437 (1) on pages 23-25, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5437.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/10959360