Insects - Southern Africa (identified for the 1st time on iNat or difficult to identify)'s Journal

Original description in:
Loew, H. 1858. Bidrag till kannedomen om Afrikas Diptera [part]. Öfversigt af Kongliga Vetenskapsakademiens Förhandlingar 14[1857]:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/150443#page/393/mode/1up
Face greyish-pollinose, with a median black streak, shortened above; antennae black, the third joint round; thorax yellowish-hairy, scutellum fulvous, yellow-hairy. The abdomen of the male is very often black with the first segment and the base of the second, the following segments pale ferrugineous-rufous, the last segments darker brown; the abdomen of the female is shiny black, with three yellow bands on the second third and fourth segments, the band on the second segment are laterally widened, the bands on the third and forth segmens are equal and complete, covered very densely with yellow-white tomentum; the posterior margin of the fourth segment is marked with a yellowish-white band; the fifth segment of the female's basal band is very narrowly interrupted and white; the genitals of the male are black and shiny. Wings hyaline with a minute brown stigma.

Type locality: Cape of Good Hope

A very detailled description of the male's and female's abdominal pattern can be found in Loew 1860. Die Dipteren-Fauna Südafrika's 1. Abt
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/35325#page/343/mode/1up

Bezzi described a variety andersoni which is treated as a proper species in recent publications.

Distribution: Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, South Africa

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106820741

The genus Glymmatophora ('Sculpturated' Millipede Assassin Bugs) was described by Carl Stål in 1853 (Stål, C. 1853. Nya genera bland Hemiptera. Öfversigt af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar 10. https://archive.org/details/biostor-235032/page/n1/mode/2up ). 35 species of Glymmatophora are knowm from Africa. Glymmatophora submetallica Stål, 1853 is the type species of the genus.

Description by Stål 1855:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15969777#page/51/mode/1up
Dark steel-green; thorax, marginal spots on the abdomen, knees, tibiae and tarsi red, incisions on the thorax, the antennae and the base of the femora black. Length 19 mm, width 7 mm -
'Caffraria interior'

Female (after Horváth 1914): The whole head and the base of the femora are black. The segments of the connexivium are red with a black basal spot. The anterior lobe of the pronotum is marked with a black median vitta which is apically broader.

Type photo: http://www2.nrm.se/en/het_nrm/s/glymmatophora_submetallica.html

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10828701

Reference:
Horváth, G. 1914. Reduviidae novae Africanae. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 12: 109–145.
Key to females: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/254702#page/146/mode/1up

Diagnosis from Zoia 2009: Legs black/metallic blue (not with reddish tibiae), sometimes with bronze or geenish reflections. Antennae black with articles 2 to 6 partially reddish. Elytra: punctures irregular, not or poorly arranged in longitudinal rows, in places separated by smooth logitudinal costae; each elytron with a longitudinal costa, starting from the humerus and almost reaching the elytral apex; elytral setae sparse, yellowish or whitish in colour, curved.

Original description in:
Chaphuis, F. 1874 - Tome dixième. Famille des Phytophages. In: Lacordaire T. & Chapuis F., Histoire
naturelle des Insectes. Genera des Coléoptères. Paris: I-IV
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/135375#page/337/mode/1up
Figure 3: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/135369#page/297/mode/1up

Redescription & figures in:
Zoia, S. 2009. A revision of the genus Mecistes (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae). Memorie della Società entomologica italiana 88(1)
https://www.chrysomelidae.it/Chrysomelidae/pubblicazioni-pdf-scaricabili/63-Zoia2009.pdf

Distribution: South Africa , Botswana, possibly Namibia, DR Congo
Type locality: 'Cafrerie'

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107431514

According to recent studies assembling the mitogenomes of Afrotropical species of Eristalinus, E. barclayi, E. quinquelineatus and E. fuscicornis form a species complex. „These results either question the taxonomic value of the morphological characters used to distinguish the three species, or illustrates a recent divergence, ongoing speciation, hybridization, or introgression.“ (Gontran Sonet, Yannick De Smet, Min Tang, Massimiliano Virgilio, Andrew Donovan Young, Jeffrey H. Skevington, Ximo Mengual, Thierry Backeljau, Shanlin Liu, Xin Zhou, Marc De Meyer, and Kurt Jordaens. First mitochondrial genomes of five hoverfly species of the genus Eristalinus (Diptera: Syrphidae). Genome. 62(10): 677-687. https://doi.org/10.1139/gen-2019-0009 )

Nonetheless, the two species E. barclayi and E. quinquelineatus are here presented follwing Bezzi's (1915) key and descriptions. A good number of specimens from South Africa fit into the descriptions of the species while there are some specimens that do not fit in very well. There are interesting specimens from Zimbabwe posted on iNat that are possibly such „hybrids“.

Both species can be easily told from the well known similar Stripe-eyed Lagoon Fly Eristalinus (Eristalodes) taenipos by the stong, contrasting, uniterrupted thorax stripes - blurred stripes, usually interrupted by the suture in E. taenipos

The easiest way to identify the two species is to compare them with photos on Pindip and type photos on GBIF.
E. barclayi:
Syntype male: https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1055607406
Syntype female: https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1836107228
https://www.pindip.org/eristalinus-barclayi

E. quinquelineatus:
Holotype female: https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1055443362#occurrencePage_media
https://www.pindip.org/eristalinus-quinquelineatus

Both species occur all over Southern Africa and beyond. (However, it appears that E. barclayi has a soft spot for Cape Town gardens).

The well-known White-legged Toktokkie Dichtha cubica has been split into three species and a new genus was erected for them in:
Kamiński MJ (2024) New taxa of Afrotropical toktokkies (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Molurina) from the Natural History Museum of Basel. Zootaxa 5446(1): 77–87.
OPEN ACCESS.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5446.1.4.

Three species are now known and described:

Bouchardium cubicum (Guérin-Méneville, 1845) - Common White-legged Quadrate Toktokkie

• Shiny blackish, only antennae and legs with whitish tomentum
• Underside: Prosternal process (1) rounded (in lateral view).

• Elytra ampliated: Elytral disc relatively wide covering sides of epipleura in dorsal view. Elytral disc relatively flat. Elytra entirely black.
  Distribution: Northern South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe

Bouchardium chillygonzalesi Kamiński 2024 - Narrow Red-edged Quadrate Toktokkie

• Elytra with two red stripes along the sides of the disc, red edges of disc with corrugated margins.
• Underside: Prosternal process with elongate appendages.

• Elytra narrow: Elytral disc relatively narrow leaving sides of the epipleura exposed in dorsal view. Elytral disc relatively flat.
  Distribution: South Africa (North West), Zimbabwe,
  Type locality: Hartebeestpoort dam

Bouchardium mariae Kamiński 2024 - Wide Red-edged Quadrate Toktokkie

• Elytra with two red stripes along the sides of the disc, red edges with almost smooth margins
• Underside: Prosternal process rounded (in lateral view).

• Elytra ampliated: Elytral disc relatively wide covering sides of epipleura in dorsal view. Elytral disc distinctly convex.
  Distribution: Botswana, South Africa (Limpopo), Zimbabwe, Mozambique
  Type locality: Francistown, Botswana
  _________________________________________________________________________________________

(1) The prosternal process is a part in the middle of the prosternum, a posterior projection between the insertion of the forelegs. It has appendages on the tip only in B. chillygonzalesi

Large toktokkie with red patches on pronotum, elytra with reddish costae and large backwards-pointing tubercles.

Original description in:
Haag-Rutenberg G. 1871. Beiträge zur Familie der Tenebrioniden (III. Stück). Coleopterologische Hefte VIII: 29–113.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/315/mode/1up
Translated from Latin & German:
Short-ovate, thorax with two red patches, a little shiny; thorax scarcely punctate, with rough sides;
elytra broad, slightly depressed on the disc, sloping posteriorly, with three red costae and large turbcles on the coastae and in rows in the intervalls; with strong legs, thick femora, all densely covered with gray down. - Length 22-27 mm, width 14-17 mm.
Var.: All black, the tubercles in the elytra are rarer.
Head and pronotum barely punctured. The latter is laterally very wrinkled, deeply cut out anteriorly, rounded posteriorly, along the psoterior edge is a narrow transverse impression, pronotum thus appearing bent up. The pronotum bears two large red spots, which extend more or less. The elytra are oval, not much longer than wide, somewhat depressed on the disc, with three more or less distinct, usually red, longitudinal costae. On these ribs, depending on the color of the ribs, there are red or black tubercles in an irregular double row, tubercles being smaller at the front and larger towards the back. There are also tubercles in the intervals, arranged in rows on the inner intervals, and more irregularly on the outer ones. The area around the scutellum is smooth. The prosternal process is broad, flat, marginate, straight at the back with slightly marked corners. The legs are very strong, especially the femora, and densely covered with short, gray hairs.
The variety that is characterized by being completely black and having much fewer tubercles arranged in single rows on the costae, could probably be a separate species;
Cape.

iNat observation:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92655618

Genus Piesomera Solier diagnosis in:
Kaminski et al. 2022. Female terminalia morphology and cladistic relations among Tok‐Tok beetles (Tenebrionidae: Sepidiini). Cladistics. 38 (6)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361750699_Female_terminalia_morphology_and_cladistic_relations_among_Tok-Tok_beetles_Tenebrionidae_Sepidiini

• basal pronotal margination complete
• prosternal process deflated
• epipleuron with a distinct groove in median part
• male setal patch large, covering several ventrites
• elytral surface covered with microtubercles.

The genus was erected by Solier and named for the compressed femora (πιέζω = press or squeeze μηρός = femur).
Original description of genus Piesomera and type species P. scabra in:
Solier, A. J. J. 1843. Essai sur les collaptérides de la tribu des Molurites. Imprimerie Royale, Turin, 127 pp. [4 pls.] [extract of Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino (2)6
https://books.google.de/books?id=qVkFAAAAQAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=clinocranion%20spinosum&hl=de&pg=PA289#v=onepage&q=Moluris&f=false

Species:

P.  blapsoides (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/329/mode/1up
Type locality: 'Namajua' (= Namaqua ???), South Africa
GBIF records: Namibia, Namibia (Kubub), South Africa (Namaqualand), South Africa (Western Cape, Namaqualand, Bushmanland), South Africa (Northern Cape, Van Wyksvley (Vlei)), South Africa (Northern Cape, Namaqua, Pella)

P. brunnea
P. brunnea (Olivier 1775)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/125993#page/472/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape of Good Hope
P.  brunnea rufocastaneus (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/328/mode/1up

P.  compta (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/257/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape
GBIF records: Namibia (Nemaan Br. S.W. Africa), South Africa (Northern Cape, (Van) Wyks Vley 30.35° S 21.816666666667° E; Pixley ka Seme, Kareeberg)

P. diabolica
Distribution: coastal south of the Orange River to Spencer Bay
P.  diabolica diabolica (Koch 1952)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49571901#page/347/mode/1up
P.  diabolica tactilis (Koch 1962)

P.  egregia (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/222/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape
GBIF records: South Africa (Northern Cape, 10 m W of Kuboos Richtersveld), South Africa (Northern Cape, Lekkersing, N. Namaqualand), South Africa (Northern Cape, Kleinzee, N. Namaqualand), South Africa (Northern Cape, Anenous, Namaqualand), South Africa (Northern Cape, O'Okiep)
Photo: https://www.google.de/books/edition/Morphology_and_Systematics_Elateroidea_B/Y2k7WfeX2v4C?hl=de&gbpv=1&dq=Psammodes%20egregius&pg=PA613&printsec=frontcover

P.  gerstaeckeri (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/386/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape
GBIF records: South Africa (Western Cape, Murraysburg Dist), South Africa (Western Cape, Beaufort West),

P.  longipes (Haag-Rutenberg)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/256/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape
Possibly widespread, reported from Prieska and Carnarvon Districts and Namibia, Kubub
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Denkschr-Med-Natwiss-Ges-Jena_13_0391-0424.pdf

P.  producta (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/387/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape

P.  scabra (Fabricius 1775) - Type species
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/82400#page/269/mode/1up
Type locality: Cape of Good Hope
GBIF records: South Africa (Cape Town),

P.  setipennis (Haag-Rutenberg 1871)
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/255/mode/1up
Type locality: 'Caffraria'
GBIF record: South Africa (Western Cape, Namaqual.(Namaqualand) Bushmanland)

Genus Piesomera Solier diagnosis in:
Kaminski et al. 2022. Female terminalia morphology and cladistic relations among Tok‐Tok beetles (Tenebrionidae: Sepidiini). Cladistics. 38 (6)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361750699_Female_terminalia_morphology_and_cladistic_relations_among_Tok-Tok_beetles_Tenebrionidae_Sepidiini

• basal pronotal margination complete
• prosternal process deflated
• epipleuron with a distinct groove in median part
• male setal patch large, covering several ventrites
• elytral surface covered with microtubercles.

Original description of genus Piesomera and type species P. scabra in:
Solier, A. J. J. 1843. Essai sur les collaptérides de la tribu des Molurites. Imprimerie Royale, Turin, 127 pp. [4 pls.] [extract of Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino (2)6
https://books.google.de/books?id=qVkFAAAAQAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=clinocranion%20spinosum&hl=de&pg=PA289#v=onepage&q=Moluris&f=false

P.  blapsoides (Haag-Rutenberg 1871) is a very large Piesomera of elongate shape.

Original description in:
Haag-Rutenberg, G. 1871. Beiträge zur Familie der Tenebrioniden (II. Stück). Coleopterologische Hefte VII
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/329/mode/1up
Translated from Latin & German:
Oblong-oval, black, shiny; clypeus punctate, frons smooth; thorax, scarcely wider than long, rounded-expanded, more constricted towards the base, deeply emarginated anteriorly, with anterior angles distinctly produced, posteriorly almost straight, without posterior angles, margined on all sides,
above very convex, almost globose, very finely and smoothly punctate, almost smooth, somewhat rugulose on the sides; elytra oval, basally and apically evenly constricted, convex, margin widely dilated at the apex, suture incised, finely granulated above, almost smooth at the base; underneath scarcely punctate; legs strong, femora elongated, a little compressed, tibiae with loose ferrugineous pilosity. - Length 32 mm, width 17 mm.
The largest of the species with very evenly oval-shaped elytra, whose shape is somewhat reminiscent of one of the large Blaps species. Antennae extended, base reaching thorax. Head weakly transversely furrowed, only on the clypeus with a few larger punctures. Pronotum slightly wider than long, with the greatest width on the anterior third; contracted quite quickly at the front, posteriorly gradually contracted, with perfectly rounded posterior corners, pronotal base straight and marginate; he anterior margin is very deeply cut out, with almost pointed anterior angles corners; the pronotal surface is even, highly convex, very finely punctured on the disc, with a small group of coarse transverse wrinkles on the lateral edge. The elytra are almost three times longer and in their largest width twice as wide as the pronotum, completely evenly long ovoid, with a strongly widened edge at the back and on the tip of a pinched suture; the surface is longitudinally arched and extremely finely granulated. The prosternum is slightly indented in front of the coxae, the process between the coxae appears to be highly raised; the prosternum is slightly bent over and extended into two sharp points, slightly recessed longitudinally, but hardly sculpted. Metasternum and segments almost smooth. The legs are strong, elongated, the femora
slightly compressed at the upper side, roughly wrinkled, with a slight brownish tinge and slight rust colored pubescence.

Distribution: possibly widespread, from Western Cape into Namibia
Type locality: 'Namajua' (= Namaqua ???), South Africa
GBIF records: Namibia, Namibia (Kubub), South Africa (Namaqualand), South Africa (Western Cape, Namaqualand, Bushmanland), South Africa (Northern Cape, Van Wyksvley (Vlei)), South Africa (Northern Cape, Namaqua, Pella)

iNat observations:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71788838
and possibly this obs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72347846

Genus Piesomera Solier diagnosis in:
Kaminski et al. 2022. Female terminalia morphology and cladistic relations among Tok‐Tok beetles (Tenebrionidae: Sepidiini). Cladistics. 38 (6)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361750699_Female_terminalia_morphology_and_cladistic_relations_among_Tok-Tok_beetles_Tenebrionidae_Sepidiini

• basal pronotal margination complete
• prosternal process deflated
• epipleuron with a distinct groove in median part
• male setal patch large, covering several ventrites
• elytral surface covered with microtubercles.

The genus was erected by Solier and named for the compressed femora (πιέζω = press or squeeze μηρός = femur).
Original description of genus Piesomera and type species P. scabra in:
Solier, A. J. J. 1843. Essai sur les collaptérides de la tribu des Molurites. Imprimerie Royale, Turin, 127 pp. [4 pls.] [extract of Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino (2)6
https://books.google.de/books?id=qVkFAAAAQAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=clinocranion%20spinosum&hl=de&pg=PA289#v=onepage&q=Moluris&f=false

Piesomera scabra was first described as Pimelia scabra in:
Fabricius, J. C. 1775. Systema entomologicae, systens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species, adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus. Libraria Kortii, Flensburgi et Lipsiae.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/82400#page/269/mode/1up
Translated from Latin:
Black, scabrous, elytra, antennae and legs brown.
Habitat: Cape of Good Hope
Head black, antennae filiform, brown. Thorax humped, dark, bald, smooth. Elytra dark, with numerous small elevated points, scabrous. Legs all dark brown.

Illustrated in:
Oliver. 1808. Entomologie, ou, Histoire naturelle des insectes : avec leurs caractères génériques et spécifiques, leur description, leur synonymie, et leur enluminée Coléoptères 7.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/125995#page/377/mode/1up

Photo in Kaminski et al. 2022, figure (h):
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marcin-Kaminski-2/publication/361750699/figure/fig5/AS:1174363260878848@1657001428000/Selected-representatives-of-Molurina-sens-nov-a-e-j-abdominal-ventrites-k_Q320.jpg

Description of genus Piesomera and type species P. scabra in:
Solier, A. J. J. 1843. Essai sur les collaptérides de la tribu des Molurites. Imprimerie Royale, Turin, 127 pp. [4 pls.] [extract of Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino (2)6
https://books.google.de/books?id=qVkFAAAAQAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=clinocranion%20spinosum&hl=de&pg=PA289#v=onepage&q=Moluris&f=false

Redescription in:
Haag-Rutenberg, G. 1871. Beiträge zur Familie der Tenebrioniden (II. Stück). Coleopterologische Hefte VII
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/81206#page/257/mode/1up
Translated from Latin & German:
Oval, black or dark brown, shiny; thorax small, slightly convex, disc almost straight, sometimes on the sides rough; elytra oval, globose, with numerous tubercles especially towards sides lined up; with their femora compressed, legs elongated, and all densely covered with rusty tomentum. - Length 16-19 mm, width 10-12 mm.
Male abdominal segments 1-4 densely covered with gray setal patch, the fourth more obsolete.
A common and well-known species, recognizable by the compressed femora and the elytra, which are almost entirely covered with pointed granulations. Head almost smooth. Pronotum relatively small, slightly wider than long, strongly cut out at the front, straight at the back; greatest width slightly in front of the middle, more narrowed towards the back than towards the front, finely marginate everywhere, indistinct in the middle of the base; the disc is slightly convex, almost smooth, the sides of the pronotum more or less roughly rugose. Scutellum granulated with smooth posterior edge and tip. Elytra ovate, arched, rather steeply sloping, 2.5 times as long as the thorax, densely covered with small pointed, backward-facing tubercles, scutellum area and elytral tip a little smoother and shinier. In many specimens there are also three weak longitudinal ridges between the granulations. Prosternal process extended into two strong angles, epipleura narrow, smooth, deepened in the middle. Segments finely punctured. Legs long, with compressed femora and quite dense gray tomented. Male with broad setal spot over the first four segments, the fourth less densely hairy.
Cape. In all collections.

iNat observations:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/199273149

Elytra yellow, punctuation of elytra strong, with irregular pattern of reddish spots, never with black. Pronotum yellow, with two small red or black round spots.

Detailled description and figure in Borowiec 1994, page 54

Original description in:
Boheman, C. H., 1854. Monographia Cassididarum. Tomus secundus. Holmiae.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/37920#page/347/mode/1up

Distribution: South Africa, eSwatini, southern Zimbabwe

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200289361

References:

https://www.cassidae.uni.wroc.pl/katalog%20internetowy/conchylocteniabipuncticollisfig.htm

Borowiec, L., 1994. A monograph of the Afrotropical Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Part I. Introduction, morphology, key to the genera , and reviews of the tribes Epistictinini, Basiprionotini and Aspidimorphini (except the genus Aspidimorpha). Genus (suppl.), Biologica Silesiae, Wroclaw, 276 pp.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338833187_A_monograph_of_the_Afrotropical_Cassidinae_Coleoptera_Chrysomelidae_Part_I_Introduction_morphology_key_to_the_genera_and_reviews_of_the_tribes_Epistictinini_Basiprionotini_and_Aspidimorphini_except_th