New species of Eriopeltastes Burmeister & Schaum, 1840 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae, Trichiini) from South Africa

Abstract

Both male and female of a new species of Eriopeltasttes Burmeister & Schaum, 1840, E. (E.) ornatus Ricchiardi, sp. n., are described from the mistbelt grassland of KwaZulu-Natal. Sexual dimorphism is extreme in this genus, with females being brachypterous, fossorial and entirely black to dark brown in general body colour. This is only the fifth out of 12 known species in this genus for which the female is known. The species appears to be restricted to areas within or in the immediate vicinities of two marginal nature reserves, Karkloof and Blinkwater, in a grassland habitat that is regarded as one of the most threatened in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. Despite its acknowledged importance as centre of endemism the area is currently in a precarious state of large-scale degradation.

A taxonomy review of Oreoderus Burmeister, 1842 from China with a geometric morphometric evaluation (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Valgini)

“…There was negligible difference in the shape of pronotum and elytra for the male and female. However, sexual dimorphism often occurs in the protibia of cetoniines and other scarabs (Ricchiardi and Perissinotto 2014, McQuate and Jameson 2011, Holm 1993). Differences between both sexes include the number and acuteness of external teeth.…”

Breviclypeus, a new South African Trichiina genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae)

“…This work, like previous others (Ricchiardi 1997(Ricchiardi , 1998(Ricchiardi , 1999(Ricchiardi , 2000(Ricchiardi , 2015Ricchiardi et al 2004Ricchiardi et al , 2008Ricchiardi et al , 2013Ricchiardi et al , 2014Sipek et al 2012) is aimed at enhancing knowledge of the rich Trichiina entomofauna of South Africa. Including those analysed in this study, the total number of South African Trichiina species currently stands at 39, with the description of a 40 th currently in progress (Ricchiardi, in press).…”

Description of a new monospecific genus of South African Trichiina, with a key to the related genera (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

“…The number of described Trichiina species (sensu Smith et al 2006) endemic to South Africa has increased substantially during the last two decades (Evans 1987;Ricchiardi 1997Ricchiardi , 1998Ricchiardi , 1999Ricchiardi , 2000Ricchiardi et al 2004Ricchiardi et al , 2008Sipek et al 2012;Ricchiardi & Perissinotto 2013, 2014 and currently ranges around 40. These species are grouped into nine genera, with three of them regarded as tropical intruders and represented in South Africa by one single species each.…”