Neosisyphus setiger Roth 1851
Creators: name: Daniel, Gimo M.
name: Davis, Adrian Lv.
name: Sole, Catherine L.
name: Scholtz, Clarke H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Neosisyphus
Neosisyphus setiger

description: <i>Neosisyphus setiger</i> Roth (1851) (Figs. 7, 8D) Montreuil 2015b: 11 <i>Sisyphus setiger</i> Roth, 1851 Roth 1851: 124; Montreuil 2015b: 11 <i>Neosisyphus confrater</i> (Kolbe, 1914) Montreuil 2015b: 11 <i>Sisyphus confrater</i> Kolbe, 1914 Kolbe 1914: 317; Haaf 1955: 376; <b>Type local</b>: Bukoba (Tanzania) <b>Size</b>: Male: length: 9.0–5.0 mm; width: 4.8–3.0 mm. Female: length: 9.2–5.0 mm; width: 4.5–3.0 mm <b>Diagnosis</b>: <i>N. setiger</i> is distinguished from other members of the <i>barbarossa</i> speciesgroup, by a combination of the following features: a triangular protrusion on the midposterior edge of the metafemur in males. Additionally, the projected metatrochanter is relatively short, comprising ¼ of the total length of the metafemur in males. <b>Examined non-type material</b>: See Supplementary information. <b>Distribution</b>: As defined by Montreuil (2015b), <i>N. setiger</i> is distributed in moist lowland and upland vegetation from northeast to southern Africa (Fig. 19). <b>Remarks</b>: We have compared Kenyan specimens identified as <i>N. setiger</i> with southeast African specimens identified as <i>N. confrater</i> by Paschalidis (1974). Females of <i>N. confrater</i> and <i>N. setiger</i> are close morphologically making it difficult to separate them into species. However, we have observed that males of southern Africa “ <i>N. confrater</i> ” bear a short blunt triangular projection on the mid-posterior edge of the metafemur and a short projecting metatrochanter. By contrast, males of east African “ <i>N. setiger</i> ” have a sharp projecting spine on the mid-posterior edge of the metafemur and a metatrochanter as large as in <i>Neosisyphus jossoi</i> Montreuil, 2015. Montreuil (2015b) synonymized <i>N. confrater</i> with <i>Neosisyphus setiger</i> (Roth 1851). The synonymy seems to be based on the holotype female of <i>N. setiger</i> from Ethiopia and a lectotype male of <i>N. confrater</i> from Tanzania. This is questionable as females are often difficult to separate into species as stated above. Furthermore, although the photograph of a major male of <i>N. setiger</i> (Montreuil 2015b) closely resembles “ <i>N. confrater</i> ”, there is no indication of where the individual was collected. Nevertheless, we have retained the name <i>N. setiger</i> for southern African material as we have not been able to compare it with the type and non-type material used in Montreuil’s study (2015b).
description: Published as part of <i>Daniel, Gimo M., Davis, Adrian Lv., Sole, Catherine L. &amp; Scholtz, Clarke H., 2020, Taxonomic review of the tribe Sisyphini sensu stricto Mulsant, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in southern Africa, including new species descriptions, pp. 1-61 in Insect Systematics &amp; Evolution 51 (1)</i> on page 47, DOI: 10.1163/1876312X-00002195, http://zenodo.org/record/3786629
description: {"references": ["Montreuil, O. (2015 b) Le genre Neosisyphus Muller em Afrique (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sisyphini). Catharsius La Revue, 12 (1): 1 - 36.", "Kolbe, H. J. (1914) Lieferung 3: Scarabaeiden. In: Shubotz, H. (Ed.), Wissenschaftliches Ergebnisse der Deutschen Zentral-Afrika-Expedition 1907 unter Fuhrung Adolf Friedrichs, Herzog zu Mecklenburg. Zoologie III, 5. Klinkhardt &amp; Biermann, Leipzig, Germany, pp. 261 - 416.", "Haaf, E. (1955) Uber die Gattung Sisyphus Latr. (Col. Scarab.). Entomologische Arbeitenaus dem Museum G. Frey, 6 (1): 341 - 381.", "Paschalidis, K. M. (1974 a) The genus Sisyphus Latr. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Southern Africa. MSc. Thesis, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, 183 pp.", "Montreuil, O. (2015 a) Nouveaux Sisyphus Latreille d'afrique (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sisyphini). Bulletin de la Societe entomologique de France, 120 (1): 91 - 102."]}