Aphodius (Liothorax) chellala Angus, Maté, Angus & Král, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Angus, Robert B.
name: Maté, Jason F.
name: Angus, Elizabeth M.
name: Král, David
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Aphodius
Aphodius chellala

description: Aphodius (Liothorax) chellala sp. nov.
Figs 2 h, 5 l, 7 k, 13 e, 17 e, 18 d, 20 e, f, 22 s – s ” ’, t, u, 25 l, 26 l
Type material examined.
Holotype ♂: Chellala, Algeria (33.074 ° N, 0.123 ° W) De Vauloger. Nevinson coll. 1918 – 14 (NHMUK). Paratypes: 8 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀, 1 unsexed (lacking head), data as holotype. 1 ♂ and 2 ♀♀ have the labels “ Prov. D’Alger. Chellala 1895 de Vauloger ”, these presumably the basis of the English labels on the other specimens. 9 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, Taguin (near Zmalet El Emir Abdelkader, 35.221 ° N, 1.402 ° W), Algeria, De Vauloger. Nevinson coll. 1918 – 14. NHMUK. As with the Chellala material, 2 ♂♂ have the French label “ Prov. D’Alger Taguin 1895 de Vauloger ” (NHMUK).
Differential diagnosis.
Closely resembling dark specimens of A. rutilipennis but basal margin of pronotum (Fig. 13 e) more broadly interrupted than in A. rutilipennis (Fig. 13 c, d). Endophallus of aedeagus, when extruded, with the scale-patches (Fig. 22 q ’, s ” ’) clearly different from the dense bristle-field of A. rutilipennis (Fig. 22 q, q ’).
Description.
General appearance (Fig. 2 h). Length 3.6–4.5 mm (♂), 3.7–4.5 mm (♀), width 1.5–1.8 mm (♂), 1.6–1.9 mm (♀). Black, antennae, maxillary palpi and legs dark brown. Head: glossy black with anterior from in front of the genae dull brown, this colour merging into the general black ground colour. Anterior margin of clypeus emarginate medially, sides of the emargination rounded. Surface glossy with no trace of reticulation but with sparse double punctation, the larger punctures scarce medially. Disc of clypeus raised as a hump. Frontoclypeal suture fine, without tubercles, complete, angled forward just mediad of the inner margin of the eyes, running to anterior end of genae. Genae protruding in front of eyes, rounded, no angle between anterior end of genae and clypeus. Head and pronotum (Fig. 5 l): epipharynx (Fig. 7 k) similar to that of A. rutilipennis, but, at least in the specimen figured, more heavily sclerotised medially. Pronotum: hemicylindrical, highly arched transversely and weakly so longitudinally in mid-line. Sides of pronotum weakly curved, somewhat convergent anteriorly. Lateral margins in basal 1 / 4 not visible from above, concealed by lateral bulging of pronotal surface. Surface glossy, with no trace of reticulation but with sparse large punctures interspersed with much finer ones, these ca 1 / 5 of the diameter of the larger ones. In some specimens the punctation is a little stronger and closer. Anterior margin of pronotum not bordered, lateral margins bordered from just mediad of anterior angles to base, this border extending (as a very fine impressed line) over the lateral 1 / 3 of the hind margin. Median 1 / 3 of hind margin without any trace of an impressed line (Fig. 13 e). Scutellum pentagonal, sides parallel in basal 1 / 2, the convergent to blunt apical point. Surface glossy black, impunctate. Elytra black, not quite parallel-sided, widest just behind middle then sides convergent to bluntly rounded apex. Interstices wide and almost flat, ca 5 × the width of the striae, silky black due to fine indistinct reticulation, and with sparse fine punctures, these separated by ca 8 × their diameters. Elytral sculpture: Fig. 17 e. Striae narrow, vertical-sided, glossy, strial punctures encroaching on their margins. The striae stop short of the elytral apex on the inner 1 / 2 of the elytra, leaving a smooth glossy apical field. Metaventrite (Fig. 20 e, f) fairly finely punctate, median furrow of central diamond-shaped plate flattish. No consistent sexual dimorphism. Legs dull mid- to dark brown. Long spur of mid tibiae clearly longer than the basal segment of the tarsi (Fig. 18 d). Hind tibiae with apical spines fairly long and unequal on dorsal / external edge, shorter and of even length along ventral / internal edge.
Aedeagus (Fig. 22 s – s ” ’, t, u) small, length ca 0.6 mm. Apex of parameres membranous, obliquely truncate, often distorted in dried specimens, even when they are soaked again. Endophallus with scales, some of which are elongate, when not everted indistinguishable from that of A. rutilipennis (Fig. 22 v, x). However, the everted endophallus shows a clearly different arrangement of scale-patches (Fig. 22 q ’, s ” ’). The two specimens with the endophallus everted were the only ones where it had become extruded by partial decomposition of the specimen. These endophalli were softened in dilute potassium hydroxide, transferred to alcohol and then critical-point dried. Unfortunately the better of the two (Fig. 22 s – s ” ’) disintegrated when removal from the SEM stub was attempted. For this reason, the specimen with the less good endophallus is chosen as the holotype.
Etymology.
The specific name chellala is a feminine noun, the name of the type locality.
Remarks.
So far known only from North Africa (Fig. 29 b). We have no information about the habitat.
description: Published as part of Angus, Robert B., Maté, Jason F., Angus, Elizabeth M. & Král, David, 2024, Towards a revision of the Palaearctic species of Aphodius Hellwig, 1798, subgenus Liothorax Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Aphodiinae), pp. 205-299 in ZooKeys 1207 on pages 205-299, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1207.117225