Abstract
Fifteen years after establishing the genus Beckhoplia Dombrow, 2005 a large amount of new material collected has warranted a critical review of the established species and a revision of the genus. From this process, we describe fifteen new species from the Northern Cape Province and Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa: Beckhoplia bicolor Dombrow, new species, B. caliginosa Dombrow, new species, B. castanea Dombrow, new species, B. dolichiocnemis Dombrow, new species, B. elkeae Dombrow, new species, B. fusca Dombrow, new species, B. gifbergensis Dombrow, new species, B. nigra Dombrow, new species, B. nigrofasciata Dombrow, new species, B. nigrosetosa Dombrow, new species, B. pallidibrunnea Dombrow, new species, B. pulchra Dombrow, new species, B. pumilla Dombrow, new species, B. setosa Dombrow, new species and B. suturalis Dombrow, new species. Two cryptic species complexes within the species B. colvillei Dombrow, 2005 and B. occidentalis Dombrow, 2005 were detected. A revised key of the genus and observations about its biogeography are given. Important details of the morphological characters of the body and the parameres of the species are illustrated and their distributions are mapped. We also provide habitat and host plant information.
References
AfricanPlant Database (2019) African Plant Database. Version 3.4.0. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. Available from: http://www.villege.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/ (accessed 29 April 2019)
Andreae, H. (1965) A key to the species of Anisonyx, with descriptions of three new species from the Natal Drakensbergen and one new subspecies from the Western Escarpment (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Hopliini). Annales of the Natal Museum, 18, 209–219.
Born, J., Linder, H.P. & Desmet, P. (2007) The Greater Cape Floristic Region. Journal of Biogeography, 34, 147–162.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2006.01595.x
Bowden, J. (1978) Diptera. In: Werger M.J.A. (Ed.), Biogeography and ecology of southern Africa. Dr W. Junk bv Publishers, The Hague, pp. 777–794.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9951-0_25
Burmeister, H. (1844) Handbuch der Entomologie. Vierter Band Besondere Entomologie. Erste Abtheilung Coleoptera Lamellicornia, Anthobia et Phyllophaga systellochela. Theodor Christian Friedrich Enslin, Berlin, xii + 587 pp.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.8135
Burmeister, H. (1855) Handbuch der Entomologie. Vierter Band Besondere Entomologie, Fortsetzung. Zweite Abtheilung Coleoptera Lamellicornia, Phyllophaga chaenochela. Theodor Christian Friedrich Enslin, Berlin, x + 569 pp.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.8135
Carcasson, R.H. (1964) A preliminary survey of the zoogeography of the African butterflies. East African Wildlife Journal, 2, 122–157.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.1964.tb00203.x
Colville, J. (2009) Understanding the evolutionary radiation of the mega-diverse Monkey Beetle fauna (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini) of South Africa. Frontiers of Biogeography, 1.2, 56–61.
https://doi.org/10.21425/F5FBG12267
Colville, J.F., Potts, A.J., Bradshaw, P.L., Measey, G.J., Snijman, D., Picker, M.D.,Procheş, Ş., Bowie, R.C.K. & Manning, J.C. (2014) Floristic and faunal Cape biochoria. Do they exist? In: Allsopp, N., Colville, J.F. & Verboom, G.A. (Eds.), Fynbos: Ecology, evolution, and conservation of a megadiverse region. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 73–93.
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679584.003.0004
Colville J.F., Picker, M.D. & Cowling, R.M. (2018) Feeding ecology and sexual dimorphism in a speciose flower beetle clade (Hopliini: Scarabaeidae). PeerJ, 6, e4632.
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4632
Dalla Torre, K.W. von (1913) Melolonthinae. Coleopterorum Catalogus, 50, 339–385.
Dombrow, H. (1997a) Revision of the Genus Pareriesthis Moser, 1918. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 1, 22–39.
Dombrow, H. (1997b) Revision of the Genus Eriesthis Burmeister, 1844. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 1, 41–115.
Dombrow, H. (1997c) New species of Hopliini from the Northern and Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 1, 137–159.
Dombrow, H. (1999a) Revision of the Genus Clania Schein, 1959 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 3, 145–158.
Dombrow, H. (1999b) Revision of the Genus Lepisia Serville, 1825 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 3, 159–176.
Dombrow, H. (1999c) Revision of the Genus Scelophysa Burmeister, 1844 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 3, 177–202.
Dombrow, H. (1999d) New species of Hopliini from southern Africa (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 3, 139–144.
Dombrow, H. (2000) Revision of the Genus Lepithrix Serville, 1825 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 4, 93–146.
Dombrow, H. (2001a) Revision of the Genus Gymnoloma Burmeister, 1844 with observations on three new genera. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 5, 107–148.
Dombrow, H. (2001b) Three new species of the genus Heterochelus Burmeister, 1844 out of Kulzer’s 11th group from the Northern Cape. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 5, 433–440.
Dombrow, H. (2002a) Dentiheterochelus gen. n. and Toxocnemis gen. n. two new genera of Hopliini from the Republic of South Africa. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 6, 103–108.
Dombrow, H. (2002b) Amblymelanoplia gen. n. a new genus of South African Hopliini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 6, 117–128.
Dombrow, H. (2005) Beckhoplia a new genus of Hopliini from the Northern Cape of the Republic of South Africa. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 9, 125–130.
Dombrow, H. (2006) Two new species of the genus Diaplochelus Burmeister from the Republic of South Africa. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 10, 89–94.
Dombrow, H. (2007a) Eleven new species of the genus Lepithrix Serville from the Northern and Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 11, 139–160.
Dombrow, H. (2007b) Six new species of the genus Kubousa Péringuey from the Western Cape of the Republic of South Africa. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 11, 161–174.
Dombrow, H. (2008) Omocnemus mitzlaffi sp.n. a new species of the genus Omocnemus Schein from Namibia. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Hopliini). Coleoptera, 12, 221–226.
Endrödy-Younga, S. (1978) Coleoptera. In: Werger M.J.A. (Ed.), Biogeography and ecology of southern Africa. Dr W. Junk bv Publishers, The Hague, pp. 799–820.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9951-0_26
Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J.C. (2002) Plant Diversity of the Cape Region of South Africa. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, 89, 281–302.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3298566
Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J.C. (2011) Hopline beetles (Scarabaeidae: Rutelidae: Hopliini), specialized pollinators of the Southern African flora. Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, 28, 237–377.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8748.2011.01752.x
Goldblatt, P., Bernhardt, P. & Manning, J.C. (1998) Pollination of petaloid geophytes by monkey beetles (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Hopliini) in Southern Africa. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 85, 215–230.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2992006
Karolyi, F., Hansal, T., Krenn, H.W. & Colville, J.F. (2016) Comparative morphology of the mouthparts of the megadiverse South African monkey beetles (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini): feeding adaptations and guild structure. PeerJ, 4, e1597.
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1597
Kleunen, M. van, Nänni, I., Donaldson, J.S. & Manning, J.C. (2007) The role of beetle marks and flower colour on visitation by monkey beetles (Hopliini) in the Greater Cape Floral Region, South Africa. Annales of Botany, 100, 1483–1489.
https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcm256
Kulzer, H. (1960) Revision der Dichelus-Untergattungen Heterochelus Burm. und Ischnochelus Burm. (Col. Melolonth.). Entomologische Arbeiten aus dem Museum G. Frey, 11, 433–580.
Leistner, O. A. & Morris, J.W. (1976) Southern African place names. Annals of the Cape Provincial Museums, 12, 1–565.
Linder, H.P., Johnson, S.D., Kuhlmann, M., Matthee, C.A., Nyffeler, R. & Swartz, E.R. (2010) Biotic diversity in the Southern African winter-rainfall region. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2, 109–116.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2010.02.001
Manning, J.C., Goldblatt, P., Colville, J.F. & Cupido, C.N. (2015) Hopliine beetle pollination in annual Wahlenbergia species (Campanulaceae) from western South Africa, and the new species W. melanops. South African Journal of Botany,100, 58–62.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2015.04.014
Muzina, L. & Rutherford, M.C. (Eds.) (2006) The vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Strelizia, 19, 1–807.
Nichols, S.W., (1989) The Torre-Bueno Glossary of Entomology. The New York Entomological Society, New York, xvii + 840 pp.
Péringuey, L. (1902) Descriptive catalogue of the Coleoptera of South Africa (Lucanidae and Scarabaeidae). Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society, 12, 1–920.
https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.8963
Picker, M.D. & Midgley, J.J. (1996) Pollination by monkey beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Hopliini) flower and colour preference. African Entomology, 4, 7–14.
Procheş, Ş., Cowling, R.M. & du Preez, D.R. (2005) Patterns of geophyte diversity and storage organ size in the winter-rainfall region of southern Africa. Diversity and Distributions, 11, 101–109.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00132.x
Reader’s Digest Association South Africa (1994) Reader’s Digest Illustrated Atlas of Southern Africa. Reader’s Digest Association South Africa, Cape Town, 232 pp.
Schein, H. (1956) Neue afrikanische Hoplien (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Hopliinae). Mitteilungen der Münchner Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 46, 27–41.
Schein, H. (1958) Bestimmungstabellen der Heterochelides (Coleoptera, Lamellicornia, Hopliini) mit Ausnahme von Heterochelus Burm. und Ischnochelus Burm. Mit Neubeschreibungen und Bemerkungen. Annals of the South African Museum, 44, 229–267.
Schein, H. (1959a) Die Südafrikanischen Pachycnemini (Coleoptera: Hopliini). Entomologische Arbeiten aus dem Museum G. Frey, 10, 1–150.
Schein, H. (1959b) Outeniqua Péringuey und Pseudouteniqua nov. gen. (Coleoptera: Lamellicornis: Hopliini). Bulletin de l’Institut Royale des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 35, 1–7.
Schulze, R.E. & Lynch, S.D. (1997) Annual Precipitation. In: Schulze, R.E. (Ed.), South African Atlas of Climatology and Agrohydrology. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, RSA, WRC Report 1489/1/06, Section 6.2. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, pp. 1–276.
Snodgrass, R.E. (1935) Principles of Insect Morphology. McGraw Hill Bock Company Inc., New York and London, vi + 667 pp.
Usher, P.J. (1972) A review of the South African horsefly fauna (Diptera: Tabanidae). Annals of the Natal Museum, 21, 459–507.
Weimarck, H. (1941) Phytogeographical Groups, Centres, and Intervals within the Cape Flora. Lunds Universitets Årsskrift N.F. Andra afdelningen, Medicin samt matematiska och naturvetenskapliga amen, 37, 1–143.
Zauli, A., Maurizi, E., Carpaneto, G.M., Chiari, S., Svensson, G.P. & Di Giulio, A. (2016) Antennal fine morphology of the threatened beetle Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Microscopy Research & Technique, 79, 178–191.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.22618