Chaetocanthus insuetus Péringuey 1901

Original description & illustration in:
Péringuey, L. 1901. Descriptive catalogue of the Coleoptera of South Africa, Transactions of the South African philosophical Society. Cape Town 12
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/36949#page/506/mode/1up
Fig. 21: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/36949#page/591/mode/1up
Chestnut brown, very briefly pubescent on the upper side, but with pectus, legs, and the outer basal margins of the prothorax very densely hairy, the hairs are flavous and very long; the labrum is also pubescent, and there is a bunch of long, pubescent hairs on each side of the head above the point of insertion of the antennae; head densely granular; antennae flavous; prothorax covered with small granules set close to one another; scutellum rugose; elytra covered with elongate, depressed granules set very close to one another, and having only one distinct stria along the suture and a faint trace of one or two more on the discoidal part; pygidium finely aciculate, pubescent, abdominal segments closely scabrose; femora and tibiae hardly punctate; metasternum slightly scabrose and grooved longitudinally.
Length 8.75-9 mm.; width 4.25 mm.
Hab. Cape Colony (Fraserburg, Carnarvon).

I have seen only two female examples of this remarkable insect, the habits of which are unknown.

Key to the species of Chaetocanthus (and key to genera), distributions map and illustrations in:
Scholtz, C. h. & Evans, A. V. 1987. A revision of the African Ochodaeidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). Journal Ent. Soc. sth. Afr. 1987
Vol. 50, NO.2
https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA00128789_4311

iNat observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=656535

Publicado el 04 de agosto de 2024 por traianbertau