Macroscytus ruficornis SIGNORET, 1883

Macroscytus ruficornis SIGNORET

(Figs 287­294)

Macroscytus ruficornis SIGNORET, 1883a: 471 ; LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 71; LINNAVUORI 1993: 27 [as a species of uncertain generic position].

Macroscytus punctiventris SIGNORET, 1883a: 473 ; LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 71; LINNAVUORI 1993: 24, syn. n.

Macroscytus rubiginosus STICHEL, 1922: 66 , syn. n.

DESCRIPTION

Body 9.46­12.00 mm in length, 5.44­6.69 mm in width, from castaneous to dark castaneous, corium usually paler than pronotum and scutellum.

Head dorsally punctate and wrinkled, especially in lateral parts of paraclypei; clypeus subapically without a pair of setigerous punctures, each paraclypeus submarginally with a single preocular setigerous puncture bearing long hair­like seta (Fig. 288); ocular index 2.30­2.62; interocellar index 4.0­6.0; length of antennal segments (in mm): 0.40­0.49: 0.54­0.71: 0.76­0.97: 1.00­1.19: 1.07­1.21.

Puncturation of pronotal disc well visible, dense, punctures small, calli and posterior fourth of pronotal disc impunctate; transverse discal impression behind calli absent or very shallow, developed only laterally, calli somewhat elevated; lateral margins of pronotum with 4­6 submarginal setigerous punctures bearing long hair­like setae (Fig. 287). Anterior convexity of propleuron laterally and apically punctate with numerous small punctures, posterior convexity distinctly coarsely punctate with punctures larger than those of anterior convexity, propleural depression with a band of coarse punctures and wrinkles.

Scutellar disc densely punctate with almost evenly spaced punctures smaller than those on pronotum and corium, basal fifth and apex impunctate.

Corium densely punctate; clavus with one complete and two partial rows of punctures; mesocorial disc densely and almost evenly punctate; exocorium densely punctate; costa somewhat flattened, separated from exocorium only in its basal two thirds, costal margin with 2 setigerous punctures (Fig. 287).

Male mid femur with a row of small teeth; male hind femur with a row of well visible teeth and denticles on margins, subapical teeth well developed (Figs 289­ 290); male hind tibia without denticles; female hind femora with small subapical tooth, female tibia simple.

Abdominal sterna polished, more or less densely punctate in lateral thirds.

Male genitalia as in Figs 291­294.

TYPE DATA

Syntype (s) of Macroscytus ruficornis SIGNORET : Guinea (lost) . Neotype male (present designation) of Macroscytus ruficornis SIGNORET : Guinea, Coyah ; IIIV.1967, leg. Ferenczy ( HNHM) .

Syntype of Macroscytus punctiventris SIGNORET : Kenya, Mombasa ( BMNH, lost) .

Syntypes of Macroscytus rubiginosus STICHEL : Cameroon, Joko (not located, lost or destroyed) .

MATERIAL EXAMINED

Neotype of Macroscytus ruficornis , and 16 other specimens: Benin: Dahomey, Ouidam , 1 ex. ( MNHN) ; Plat. De Zaguanado & Ketou , 1 ex. ( MNHN) ; Palteau de Kaguanado , 1 ex. ( MNHN) . Cameroon: Nanga Eboko , 1 ex. ( HNHM) . Central African Republic: Lamaboké , 3 exx. ( MNHN, UO) . Congo: Sanga , 1 ex. ( MNHN) . Guinea: Mt. Nimba, Savana de Serengbara , 2 exx. ( MNHN) ; Mt. Nimba, Bord du Zougué , 1 ex. ( MNHN) ; Mt. Nimba ,, 3 exx. ( MNHN, UO) . Ivory Coast: Lamto, Toumodi , 1 ex. ( MNHN) . Togo: Bismarckburg (= Yegue ), 1 ex. ( MNHN) .

DISTRIBUTION

Benin (first record), Cameroon, Central African Republic (first record), Congo (first record), Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Togo.

REMARKS

I have not been able to trace the type material of Macroscytus ruficornis from Guinea in the collections containing SIGNORET ̕s specimens. Nevertheless, only two species of Macroscytus are known from Guinea — M. brunneus and another one that should be treated as M. ruficornis (the latter described originally just from this country). Since the type material of M. ruficornis was apparently lost or destroyed, and it was hitherto treated as a species of uncertain position it was necessary to designate a neotype for it.

Syntypes of two other species, namely Macroscytus punctiventris from Kenya and M. rubiginosus from Cameroon were also lost or destroyed ( LINNAVUORI, 1993; LIS, unpublished data), but original descriptions and distribution data allow to treat both as junior synonyms of M. ruficornis .

Specimens from Kilimandjaro recorded by JEANNEL (1913: 15) as M. ruficornis represent Geocnethus nitidus SIGNORET (see LINNAVUORI 1993).