Work

Four New Dung Beetle Species of the Genus Onthophagus Latreille from West Africa (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Four new dung beetle species of the genus Onthophagus Latreille from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Bénin, and Cameroon are described, and a fragment of their COI gene is sequenced. The coprophagous Onthophagus (Trichonthophagus) sylviae sp. nov. from Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso is most similar to Onthophagus pallidus d’Orbigny from Cameroon, but it is more elongated, more silky than shiny, and has no dark spot on the third elytral interstria. Onthophagus odikpatra sp. nov. (18th group of d’Orbigny) from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon feeds on carrion, including dead millipedes and fish, and dung. It is most similar to Onthophagus baloghi Balthasar from Central Africa but has simple punctures on the sides of the pronotum. Onthophagus chinonophilus sp. nov. from Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, which feeds on freshly dead millipedes and is attracted by their quinonous defensive secretions; it also belongs to the 18th group in d’Orbigny’s classification. Small and medium individuals resemble small Onthophagus latigibber d’Orbigny but differ in shape and sculpture of the pronotum. Small individuals are also similar to Onthophagus tschadensis Balthasar (19th group) but differ in the shape of the aedeagus. The generalist feeder Onthophagus (Tiaronthophagus) necneavius sp. nov. (24th group) from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Bénin is most similar to Onthophagus naevius from Zambia, DR Congo, and Tanzania, but it is smaller, shiny all over; the sides of pronotum behind anterior angles are almost straight, not distinctly emarginate, and the frons is densely covered with fine punctures. COI barcode sequences were provided for all four new species, but the poor sampling of Onthophagus in GenBank prevents meaningful analysis of species relationships on the basis of COI barcodes at this point.

Source: Taxonomy

DOI: 10.3390/taxonomy5020021

Authors: Frank-Thorsten Krell, Tiffany M. Nuessle, Bridget N. Chalifour

Institutions: Colorado State University, Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Language: English

Topic: Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography

Subfield: Paleontology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,207

Funders: Natural History Museum, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung