Macroderes cornutus 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 cornutus

description: Macroderes cornutus Frolov & Scholtz, 2005
(Figs. 5, 30, 41, 47, 48, 50)
Macroderes cornutus Frolov & Scholtz, 2005: 391.
Type locality. Namaqualand, Sand kop 322 [29°38'32''S 17°08'53''E].
Type material examined. Holotype, ♂ (TMSA): “S. Afr: NAMAQUALAND / SAND KOP / 322 / 29° 38' 31'' S– 17° 08' 53'' E / 19. VIII. 1 996 / J. duG. HARRISON leg [printed] // UNIV / PRET / ZOO & ENTO / J. duG. HARRISON / 1996 / SITE 61 NO c / VEGETATED DUNE / nr / K. BUSH. RAT. TEST [printed] // HOLOTYPUS / Macroderes cornutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”; Paratypes: 1 ♂ and 3 ♀♀ (TMSA), same data as holotype. 1 ♀ (TMSA): “S. Afr / Namaq / Coast / Strandfontein farm / 30° 33' S 17° 22' E [printed] // 2.9.1977 / E–Y: 1373 / singled dunes / Endrödy—Younga leg [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes cornutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”; 4 ♂♂: “ RSA / Northern Cape Prov / 3 km / W of / Wallekraal / A. Frolov & Deschodt leg [printed] // AF-003(11) / 2–13. IX. 2003 / S 30 2214.74° E 0 17 2844. 93° [printed] // PARATYPUS / Macroderes cornutus / Frolov & Scholtz / 2003 [red label, printed]”: 3 ♂♂ in (UPSA), 1 ♂ in (SANC).
Additional material examined. 1 ♀ (UPSA): “ 30.730175° S 17.523828° E / 15 August 2008 ”.
Size range. Males length: 11.0– 11.8 mm, width: 7.4–8.0 mm; females length: 10.4–11.6 mm, width 7.0– 7.4 mm.
Differential diagnosis. M. cornutus resembles M. foveatus by having the same deep triangular concavity in the base of pronotum (Figs. 5, 41). Also the presence of the large rounded tubercle in the middle of the frontal suture (Figs. 48, 50) makes this species one of the more easily recognizable Macroderes species.
Habitat and distribution. So far this species is known only from the three localities in the Northern Cape Province. The localities stretch along the western coastline of South Africa within the Succulent karoo eco-region (Fig. 2). Generally the area is characterised by its aridity and winter rains associated with cold frost.
Remarks. Due to the lack of adequate data regarding the species distribution and as it has a small distribution range this species is categorized as Data Deficient (Davis 2013). Some of the localities from which the species were collected are protected and managed by the government, however, as it is flightless and has a restricted distribution range it is well matched to two of three criteria from category B for threatened species which would consider the species as NEAR Threatened in the IUCN Red List (Davis 2013).
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 49-50, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/2606164