Sphaeraphodius Kakizoe, Jiang & Wang 2021, new genus
Creators: name: Kakizoe, Showtaro
name: Jiang, Ri-Xin
name: Cai, Hao-Hong
name: Wang, Shuo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Sphaeraphodius

description: Sphaeraphodius Kakizoe, Jiang & Wang, new genus
(Figs. 1A – 4F)
Type species. Sphaeraphodius gaohani Kakizoe, Jiang & Wang, new species, by present designation.
Description. Body (Figs. 1A–1C) elongate oval, strongly convex dorsally, color uniformly reddish-brown, shiny, with long, erect setae, body length 4.2–4.3 mm. Head (Fig. 2A) large, transverse. Surface slightly convex. Clypeal outline evenly rounded over entire length. Frontoclypeal suture distinctly carinate except for vertex, straight to genal tip. Genae obtusely angular in dorsal view.Antennae (Figs. 1B, 2C) short, setaceous, yellowish-brown, with 9 antennomeres, including trimerous club. Eyes (Figs. 1A – 2A) visible in both dorsal and ventral view. Epipharynx (Fig. 3A) with anterior margin straight; epitorma conical; corypha not protruding over anterior margin, with clump of quite short apical celtes; pedia sparsely setaceous, with heli and several short, stout, scattered setae; chaetopariae moderately elongate, present about one-third of the total epipharyngeal length from anterior margin; adelochaetae absent. Mandibles (Fig. 3B, 3C) asymmetrical, short, outline weakly curved, posterolateral area with two long and two short setae each; apicalis with little protruding over mesal brush; conjunctive present; mesal brush broad and short setae arranged regularly; mandibular brush present. Maxillae (Fig. 3D) longer than wide; galeae setaceous; basistipes and palpifer with long setae on lateral side. Maxillar palpi (Fig. 3D) tetramerous and well developed; palpomere 1 small, bent outward; palpomere 2 about 4 times as long as palpomere 1, almost straight; palpomere 3 small, about 2 times as long as palpomere 1, weakly bent inward; palpomere 4 large, approximately 2 times as long as palpomere 2, almost straight. Mentum (Fig. 3G) flat, weakly emarginated at middle, with several long setae on anterior margin. Labial palpi (Figs. 3E–F) trimerous; palpomere 1 small, slightly bent outward, with several long setae; palpomere 2 small, almost straight, with several long setae; palpomere 3 large, approximately equal to the total length of palpomeres 1 and 2, almost straight, glabrous. Pronotum (Figs. 1A, 1C) large and transverse, as wide as elytra, strongly convex dorsally, with long, erect setae; anterior margin not bordered; anterior angles obtuse (in dorsal view), protruding anteriad; lateral margins slightly rounded over entire length, frontwardly convergent, not bordered; sides weakly depressed; lateral edges densely setiferous; posterior angles almost right angle (in dorsal view); basal margin almost straight, not bordered, setiferous. Elytra (Figs. 1A–C, 2B), weakly elongate, strongly convex dorsally, higher than pronotum; sides weakly depressed; outer edges densely setiferous; elytral striae indistinct; only stria 1 and stria 2 visible three-fourths from elytral base; humeral and apical calli absent; epipleuron wide. Macropterous (Fig. 2D). Scutellum (Fig. 1A) isosceles triangular with curved sides. Prosternum (Fig. 1B); anterior half of propectus imbricate except sides of propectus; posterior half of propectus shiny; preprosternal apophysis slightly protruding, with several long setae; postprosternal apophysis, obtuse, shiny, with several setae ventrally in posterior half. Mesoventrite (Fig. 1B) sparsely setose, imbricate. Metaventrite (Fig. 1B) wide, flattened, sparsely setose, imbricate. Abdomen (Fig. 1B); venter with 6 freely movable abdominal ventrites, all sparsely setaceous, rugose, moderately micropunctate. Tergite 8 (= pygidium; Fig. 2E) weakly convex, alutaceous, sparsely setose, imbricate; apical margin with several long setae. Profemora (Figs. 1B, 4A) reddish-brown, broad; dorsal surface sparsely setose, imbricate, with a row of micropunctures; ventral surface shiny, with long setae. Protibiae (Figs. 1B, 4A) reddish-brown, broad, sparsely setaceous, imbricate, with apical spur; shape strongly complanate with three external denticles, no basal serration; internal side dilated from slender base. Protarsi (Fig. 4A) pentamerous, two times longer than width of tibial apex, slender, reddish-brown. Anterior claws (Fig. 4A) normal, symmetrical. Meso- and metafemora (Figs. 1B, 4B–C) reddish-brown, broad; dorsal surface with few short setae, moderately micropunctate, imbricate; ventral surface shiny, with long setae. Meso- and metatibiae (Figs. 1B, 4B–E) reddish-brown, dilated near base, nearly parallel-sided from apex, edges entire, no transverse setiferous carinae on outer surfaces; fimbriate apically with stout, elongate and irregular spinules; apex with two apical spurs. Apical spurs of metatibiae separated by basal metatarsomere (Fig. 4F). Meso- and metatarsi (Figs. 1B, 4B–C) pentamerous, slender, reddish-brown, tarsomeres 1–4 short. Middle and hind claws (Figs. 4B–C) normal, symmetrical. Gonocoxites (Figs. 3H, 3J) weakly sclerotized; distal coxites droplet-shaped, densely setiferous on inner edges. Spermatheca (Fig. 3I) C-shaped.
Etymology. A combination of the Greek word sphaira (σφαίρα) meaning “sphere”, and Aphodius, the type genus of Aphodiini.
Gender. Masculine.
Diagnosis. This genus is readily distinguished from other genera of Aphodiini by the combination of the following character status:
1. Body swollen dorsally (Fig. 1C).
2. Dorsal body surface covered with erect setae (Figs. 1A, 1C).
3. Transverse setiferous carinae on outer surfaces of meso- and metatibiae absent (Figs. 4D–E).
4. Pronotal and elytral sides along margins weakly depressed (Figs. 1A, 1C).
5. Pronotal and elytral margins densely bristled (Figs. 1A–C, 2B).
6. Elytral striae extremely shallow, indistinct (Figs. 1A, 1C, 2B).
In the key to genera of Aphodiini by Dellacasa et al. (2001), the genus Sphaeraphodius Kakizoe, Jiang & Wang, new genus can be separated by inserting 2a’ before the couplet 2 as follows:
2a. Dorsal surface with long, erect setae; pronotal and elytral lateral margins densely bristled. Elytral striae extremely shallow, indistinct ....................................................... Sphaeraphodius Kakizoe, Jiang & Wang, new genus
2a’. Not all of the above character status simultaneously present...................................................... 2
description: Published as part of Kakizoe, Showtaro, Jiang, Ri-Xin, Cai, Hao-Hong & Wang, Shuo, 2021, Sphaeraphodius gaohani, a new genus and species of Aphodiini (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) from Guangxi, China, pp. 333-340 in Zootaxa 4949 (2) on pages 334-337, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4949.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/4636467