Mariazofia ventricosa (Fåhraeus, 1870)

One of the largest Mariazofia sp. Subovate, black-brown, shiny, with brownish-rusty antennae; head sparsely punctate; the back of the thorax is smoothed, sides distinctly reflexed-margined; elytra, ribbed, interstices rufous-lined. The pronotum usually has an irregular shaped elongated dark red spot on both sieds. Elytra obovate, thrice as long as the thorax and twice as wide as it is in the middle, very convex above, slightly sloping posteriorly, flattened-produced at the apex, sparingly punctate on the back, finely granular towards the apex; with 8-9 ribs (costae) laterally, the two nearest to the suture obliterated, the rest most distinct, all shortened before the apex. On the elytral disc are fine red longitudinal lines in the interstices and next to the scutellum there are 2-5 shorter lines, which run diagonally towards the suture. Legs thin and elongate.
Length 29-30 mm.

Illustrated in:
Koch C. 1955. Monograph of the Tenebrionidae of southern Africa Vol I (Tentyriinae, Molurini Trachynotina: Somaticus Hope). Transvaal Museum Memoir 7
https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA0000012_541

Original description in:
Fåhraeus (1870) Coleoptera Caffrariae, annis 1838–1845 a J. A. Wahlberg collecta. Heteromera descripsit. Öfversigt af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar 27
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/38006#page/28/mode/1up

Description in:
Haag-Rutenberg G (1871) Beiträge zur Familie der Tenebrioniden (II. Stück). Coleopterologische Hefte VII
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/223/mode/1up

Type locality: NE South Africa 'Caffraria' (Insects collected by Wahlberg are often labelled Caffraria, but as clarified by Boheman who described many of Wahlberg's Coleoptera, ʻCaffrariaʼ refers to the north-eastern part of South Africa, from approximately 30°25′ to 23°00′S and 32°40′ to 27°00′E (the entire provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng, the eastern half of the Free State, the extreme eastern part of the North-West and only the north-eastern tip of the Eastern Cape Province). This is totally different to the common British use of Kaffraria refering to the eastern half of what is today the Eastern Cape Province.

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/196223183

Publicado el 19 de enero de 2024 por traianbertau