Dung beetle fauna from Mount Mabu, Mozambique. Part 1: A new species of Onthophagus Latreille, 1802, and a checklist of species belonging to group 3 (d'Orbigny 1913) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae).

Onthophagus mabuensis Daniel, Strümpher & Josso, new species, is diagnosed, described and illustrated from Mount Mabu, which is situated in north-central Mozambique. Morphological comparison is made between this new forest species and similar species from Malawi and Zambia in group 3 of Onthophagus Latreille, 1802, as classified by d'Orbigny (1913). In addition, we provide a checklist of all known group 3 species.

A new flightless species of Phoberus Macleay, 1819 (Coleoptera: Trogidae) from the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa.

The loss of flight is common in the keratin beetle genus Phoberus Macleay, 1819 (Coleoptera: Trogidae)-20 out of the 49 species in this genus exhibit metathoracic-wing reduction in various degrees rendering them flightless. In this paper another flightless species, Phoberus villeti Strümpher, new species, is described and illustrated from the Amathole mountains in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The new species is micropterous having tightly fused elytra (only wing rudiments visible), rounded humeral angles and a characteristic rounded body shape. However, it is most notable for its large size (~12 mm) and the distinctive tufts of yellow setae present on the elytra.

Omorgus (Omorgus) khandesh (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Trogidae), a new species from India, along with an annotated catalogue of the Oriental and Palearctic species of the subgenus Omorgus Erichson, 1847.

A new species of keratin beetle from Western India, Omorgus (Omorgus) khandesh Strümpher & Kalawate, new species, is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically most similar to O. (O.) rimulosus (Haaf, 1957). The latter is redescribed and illustrated to enable accurate recognition of both species. Based on this work the following taxonomic changes are proposed: Three species are transferred from the subgenus Afromorgus Scholtz, 1986 to the nominotypical subgenus: O. (O.) inclusus (Walker 1858), O. (O.) maissouri (Haaf, 1945a) and O. (O.) rimulosus (Haaf, 1957). Lastly, we include an annotated catalogue of the species of the nominotypical subgenus Omorgus known from the Oriental and Palaearctic regions.

Female terminalia morphology and cladistic relations among Tok-Tok beetles (Tenebrionidae: Sepidiini).

Tok-tokkies are one of the most iconic lineages within Tenebrionidae. In addition to containing some of the largest darkling beetles, this tribe is recognized for its remarkable form of sexual communication known as substrate tapping. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships within the group remain poorly understood. This study investigates the usefulness of female terminalia morphology for delimiting Sepidiini and reconstructing relationships among it. Data on the structure of the ovipositors, genital tubes and spicula ventrali have been generated for >200 species representing 28 Pimeliinae tribes. This dataset was used in a comparative analysis at the subfamilial level, which resulted in recognition of several unique features of tok-tokkie terminalia. Additionally, new features linking phenotypically challenging tribes also were recovered (Cryptochilini + Idisiini + Pimeliini). Secondly, 23 characters linked to the structure of female terminalia were defined for tok-tok beetles. Cladistic analysis demonstrates the nonmonophyletic nature of most of the recognized subtribes. The morphological dataset was analysed separately and in combination with available molecular data (CAD, Wg, cox1, cox2, 28S). All obtained topologies were largely congruent, supporting the following changes: Palpomodina Kaminski & Gearner subtr.n. is erected to accommodate the genera Namibomodes and Palpomodes; Argenticrinis and Bombocnodulus are transferred from Hypomelina to Molurina; 153 species and subspecies previously classified within Psammodes are distributed over three separate genera (Mariazofia Kaminski nom.n., Piesomera stat.r., Psammodes sens.n.). Psammodes sklodowskae Kaminski & Gearner sp.n. is described. Preliminary investigation of the ovipositor of Mariazofia basuto (Koch) comb.n. was carried out with the application of microcomputed tomography, illuminating the muscular system as a reliable reference point for recognizing homologous elements in highly modified ovipositors.

Proper cleaning of keratin beetles reveals a cryptic species: Phoberus fumarius (Haaf, 1953) from southern Africa is reinstated as valid (Coleoptera: Trogidae).

Among the southern African Trogidae, Trox fumarius Haaf, 1953 is presently considered a junior subjective synonym of Phoberus cyrtus (Haaf, 1953). The availability of more specimens than were seen by previous workers, coupled with thorough removal of cuticular dirt and accumulated debris, allowed in-depth morphological study of these nominal taxa and reassessment of their synonymy. Consistent differences in external morphology and in aedeagal structure are observed. Trox fumarius is removed from synonymy with Phoberus cyrtus, reinstated as a separate species, and transferred to the genus Phoberus MacLeay, 1819. Both species are diagnosed and redescribed. Photographs of their holotypes and of cleaned specimens illustrate them. The distributions of these two putatively sister species are discussed along with their probable habitat associations. The species are allopatric and have non-overlapping associations with biomes and habitats. Phoberus cyrtus is reported from Botswana for the first time. The importance of properly cleaning terricolous beetles covered with dirt and debris that obscure taxonomic features is emphasised and guidelines to achieve this are presented.

A new Phoberus MacLeay species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Trogidae) from the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains of southern Africa and the Phoberus caffer species group reviewed.

Phoberus ntlenyanae Strümpher, new species is described from Lesotho and South Africa and is placed in the southern African Phoberus caffer group of species. The P. caffer species group is redefined to include the new species. One taxonomic status change is proposed: Phoberus lilianae (Scholtz, 1980) from the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and the eastern escarpment of South Africa is elevated to species level. Phoberus caffer (Harold, 1872) is recorded for the first time from Eastern Cape and North West Province of South Africa. A key is provided for the identification of the members of the group. Photographs illustrate the species, and a map shows their geographical distributions. [Zoobank URL: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0CB1BAD0-F9C2-4303-B746-487BCADF0D07].

A new brachypterous species of Phoberus MacLeay (Coleoptera: Trogidae) and status changes of species in the East African P. nigrociliatus group.

A new brachypterous species, Phoberus nyikanus Strümpher (Coleoptera: Trogidae), is described from Malawi. In addition, three status changes are proposed: Phoberus nigrociliatus (Kolbe) from the Ethiopian highlands, P. nyansanus (Haaf) from central East Africa, and P. nyassicus (Haaf) from southern Tanzanian mountains are elevated to species level. A key is provided to aid in the identification of members of the P. nigrociliatus group, and the species in the group are illustrated by photographs. This brings the total number of species in the genus to 44.

Taxonomy of Colophon Gray (Coleoptera: Lucanidae): new species and a status change.

Three new species of the Cape high-mountain stag beetle genus, Colophon Gray (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), from South Africa are described. They are C. deschodti new species, C. switalae new species, and C. struempheri new species. The new taxa fall within a species complex of geographically disjunct entities related to Colophon stokoei Barnard. Furthermore, the mitochondrial COI gene shows a high degree of sequence divergence, with pairwise genetic distances between the species ranging between 7.4-10.7%. The new species are illustrated by photographs. Colophon eastmani nagaii Mizukami is raised to species level on the basis of geographic range and molecular differences between it and the nominate subspecies. This brings the total number of described species in the genus to 21. An updated checklist of the South African species of Colophon is also provided.

Dung beetle assemblage structure in Tswalu Kalahari Reserve: responses to a mosaic of landscape types, vegetation communities, and dung types.

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is a private game reserve covering 1,020 km(2) in the Northern Cape, South Africa. It has been created from a number of reclaimed farms and restocked with large indigenous mammals. Two surveys were conducted to inventory the dung beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and determine their spatial patterns and food type associations. The spatial survey used pig dung-baited pitfall traps to examine dung beetle distribution across three main landscape types (plains, dunes, hills) comprising six principal vegetation communities. The food study examined their relative associations with carrion and four different dung types within a single vegetation community. A total of 70 species was recorded. Because the food association study was spatially restricted and conducted under drought conditions, abundance and species richness (47 species) were much lower than in the spatial study (64 species), which was conducted after substantial rainfall. Principal spatial differences in species abundance structure of assemblages were between the sandy southwest plains and dunes; the sandy northern dune fields and plains; and the rocky hills. Forty species analyzed in the food association study showed clear distributional biases to carrion or the dung of elephant (monogastric herbivore), pig (omnivore), cattle and sheep (ruminant herbivores), or pig and cattle. The results (1) show how dung beetle assemblage structure is locally diversified across the heterogeneous landscape of the reserve and (2) indicate how the different dung types dropped by a diverse assemblage of indigenous mammals may variously favor different species of dung beetles.