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Type: Correspondence
Published: 2008-08-22
Page range: 65–68
Abstract views: 39
PDF downloaded: 3

A new apterous species of the genus Orphnus MacLeay (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae) from South Africa

Laboratory of Insect Systematics, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab., 1, 199034 Sankt-Petersburg, Russia
Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Orphninae

Abstract

The African continent has a diverse fauna of scarab beetles of the subfamily Orphninae with five genera and more than 100 described species (Arrow 1912, Frolov 2005).  The great majority of these species belong to the genus Orphnus MacLeay (Paulian 1948, Petrovitz 1971).  Most of the species in this genus have well-developed wings.  A few species, however, have reduced or almost absent wings.  Recently I had the opportunity to examine two apterous specimens from the Transvaal Museum, South Africa, belonging to an undescribed species similar to O. (Parorphnus) luminosus Benderitter.  This new species is described below.

References

  1. Arrow, G.J. (1912) Scarabaeidae: Pachypodinae, Pleocominae, Aclopinae, Glaphyrinae, Ochodaeinae, Orphninae, Idiostominae, Hybosorinae, Dynamopinae, Acanthocerinae, Troginae. Coleopterorum Catalogus, 43, 1–66.

    Frolov, A.V. (2005) Taxonomic position of Sissantobius mandibularis (Lansberge) and synonymy of Orphnus over Sissantobius (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Orphninae). Journal of Afrotropical Zoology, 2, 71–73.

    Paulian, R. (1948) Revision des Orphnus Africains (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France, 117, 1–75.

    Petrovitz, R. (1971) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Gattung Orphnus M'Leay (Orphninae, Scarabaeidae, Coleoptera). Revue de Zoologie et Botanique Africaine, 84, 1–46.