Review of Tribe Scaurini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninae) From Egypt

INTRODUCTION

The biology of the genus Scaurus is practically unknown. Most species are xerophilous and lapidicolous and seems to be crepuscular, frequently itinerant. Some species are myrmecophilous, others simulating rigor mortis when disturbed. A matter of future investigation is to explain why the presence of Scaurus in anthills is tolerated by ants. Some species are troglophilous (Antoine, 1953), living in the entrance of caves or in sub-rock shelters (Julio Ferrer et al 2014; Maxim Nabozhenko, 2020). Taravati & Ferrer 2007, described Scaurus puncticollis in Iranian fauna for the first time.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The present work is based on the examination of all the specimens preserved in the four main insect collections in Egypt (Cairo university Collection, Entomology Department, Faculty of Science [CUC]; Ain Shams university Collection, Entomology Department, Faculty of Science [ASUC]; Alfieri collection, Entomology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar Univ. [ALFC]; Plant Protection Research Institute Ministry of Agriculture collection [MAC]) and the specimens obtained during survey in different regions of Egypt.

Diagnosis of the tribe, genus, and species, together with a key to the species are presented. Illustrations and drawings of the taxonomic characters of species are also given. The taxonomic hierarchy, synonyms, and distribution, obtained from Löbl et al. 2008.

RESULTS

Tribe Scaurini Billberg, 1820

                Head free, often prominent and thick at rear to form collar; submentum stalked; ligula passing mentum; labial palp inserted laterally at basis; last segment of maxillary palp slightly triangular and rarely scuriform; epistom almost stretched out trapeze, cover mandible and great part of labrum; antennae eleven segmented, with free last segment. Elytra big, varied in shape; epipleura of elytra with fold; posterior coxae more or less greatly separated and oval; spurs robust and distinct; tarsus almost canaliculated and spiny underneath; intercoxal protrusion short, subparallel, wide, and rounded at apex; mesothoracic epimers oblique; metathoracic episternum narrow, parallel, The taxonomic hierarchy, synonyms, and distribution, obtained from Löbl et al. 2008.  or slightly rounded at apex. 

Genus Scaurus Fabricius, 1775

Scaurus Fabricius 1775: 253.

Type species: Scaurus atratus Fabricius 1775: 253.

Diagnosis:

                Body glabrous; head stretched out enough with collar at rear, carinated above eyes (fig.1); epistome more or less separated from frons by arched furrow, indifferently shrunk and emarginated forward; eyes very narrow and lanulate-shape; antennae enough robust; second segment very short; third segment stretched out, segments 4^th -10^th obconic and attenuated at tip, short and thick, segment 11^th as long as segments 9^th and 10^th together, cylindrical and attenuated at tip (fig.2). Pronotum plan, truncated forward, rounded laterally, weakly emarginated at basis, with rounded angles, marginated at all sides. Scutellum transverse trigone. Elytra oblong-oval, slightly convex, greatly decline at rear; epipleura of elytra with narrow fold; legs long, particularly the previous; femur bulged. The genus Scaurus has a small secondary bursa copulatrix, separated glandular, moderately short, spermatheca and a relatively short accessory gland.

Key to species of genus Scaurus

1-Humeral rib of elytra not complete or appears entirely flat at the basis………………………… 2          

 - Humeral rib of elytra sharp, carinated, and completely developed…………………………...3

2- lateral side of pronotum with wide furrow, elytra with finely punctatated sterial intervals…………………………………atratus

 - lateral side of pronotum with narrow furrow, elytra with strong punctated steria

    Intervals……………………………... bougonii

3-Inner dorsal rib of elytra mostly reaches the basis of elytra; elytra at basis weakly 

  retired.                                                   carinatus

 - Inner dorsal rib of elytra never reach to basis of elytra; elytra at basis suddenly and strongly retired……………………………………....……4

4-Pronotum at the middle of the disk with very fine punctation, very flat and finer than punctation of lateral sides. …………………………………….  aegyptiacus

 - Pronotum with very big and dense punctation, disk often with punctation bigger than punctation of lateral sides and sometimes wrinkles. …………..…..……………...…..……. 5

5-Pronotum at disc with wrinkled punctation (fig.3); elytra with very fine

   Punctated striae, punctation often entirely exist (fig.5).…                              . puncticollis syriacus

- Pronotum at disk indeed densely punctated (fig.4); elytra is clearly punctated rows (fig.6).  …………………………puncticollis  puncticollis

                Scaurus aegyptiacus Solier, 1838

(Fig. 7-10)

Scaurus aegyptiacus Solier, 1838: 170.

Scaurus giganteus Kuster, 1848: 54.

Type locality: Egypt. 

Description:

                Body about 18 – 19 mm. in length, black and bald. Head stretched out, necked at rear, carinated above eyes; epistome separated from frons by arched furrow, slightly emarginated forward, finely punctated, finer than punctation of frons; eyes very narrow and lanulate-shape; antennae enough robust, long, nearly reach to pronotal basis, second segment very short, third segment stretched out, segments 4^th -10^th obconic, short and thick, segment 11^th as long as segments 9^th and 10^th together, cylindrical and attenuated at tip. Pronotum plan, truncated forward, rounded laterally, weakly emarginated at basis, with rounded angles, marginated at all sides, Pronotum at middle of disc with very fine punctation, very flat and finer than punctation of lateral sides. Scutellum transverse trigone. Elytra oblong-oval, convex, greatly decline at rear, rounded at shoulders, with fine, flat punctatured striae and three elevated ribs, inner dorsal rib not reaching to elytral basis; epipleura of elytra with narrow fold; legs long, particularly the previous; femur bulged.      

Distribution:

World: Greece, Italy, Malta, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Cyprus, Iraq,

            Lebanon, Syria.

Local: This species is distributed in the Lower Nile Valley, Upper Nile Valley, and

             Coastal strip and Sinai.

Material examined:

Burg 2.5.1955, Shafiq (1); Burg 6.5.1955, Shafiq (1); Abu Rawash 9.2.1955 (1)   …………….…………………………… .. (CUC)

Saint Catherin 10.1.1948, Alfieri (1); Mansouriya 13.8.1925, Alfieri (1); El-Katta (Alex)12.9.1925, Alfieri (1). ……………………          …. (ALFC)

Kafr El-Dawwar (Behara).5.1915; Ballah .7.1916; Imbaba .3.1928...……... (MAC)

Scaurus atratus Fabricius, 1775

(Fig. 11)

Saurus atratus F., 1775: 253.

Saurus breviatus Desb., 1881: 81.

Helops morio Fab., 1777: 241.

Saurus planidorsis Fairm., 1879: 190.

Saurus quadraticollis Fairm., 1875: 189.

Saurus vagecostatus Fairm., 1879: 165.

Description: after Reitter, 1914.

                Body about 12.5 – 16 mm. in length, black and dull, oblong, short, and wide; length of the third antennal segment not double as long as its apical width; basis of pronotum simply marginated with very obtuse or rounded posterior angles, lateral margin with wide furrow; elytra oblong, subparallel, shoulders weakly indicated and obtuse, without elevated dorsal ribs, with finely punctated striae, intervals of elytra with finer punctation; femur without posterior teeth; anterior tibia of male before middle of upper margin with angled swelling  

Distribution:

World: France, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt.

Local: Not represented in the Egyptian collections and not collected during the survey.

Scaurus bougonii Fairmaire, 1883

(Fig. 12)

Scaurus bougonii Fairm., 1883: CXXV.

Description: after Reitter, 1914.

                Body about 11-15 mm. in length, black and opaque; length of third antennal segment double as long as its apical wide; basis of pronotum finely and slightly dense punctated, posterior angles not marginated and appear truncated obliquely; lateral side of pronotum with narrow furrow; elytra  elliptical, entirely rounded at shoulders, with strong punctated striae, intervals hardly observed punctated; fore femur of male with small posterior teeth; anterior tibia of male with small swelling.        

Distribution:

World: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia.

Local: Not represented in the Egyptian collections and not collected during the survey.

Scaurus carinatus Solier, 1838

(Fig. 13&15)

Scaurus carinatus Solier, 1838: 176.

Description:

Body about 18 – 19 mm. in length, black; epistome separated from frons by an arched furrow, slightly emarginated forward and finely punctated; punctation of frons strong and wrinkled; Pronotum at the middle of disc with strong and dense punctation more than punctation of lateral sides. The inner dorsal rib of elytra mostly reaches the basis of elytra

Distribution:

World: Egypt, Libya.

Local: This species is distributed in the Lower Nile Valley, coastal strip and

            western desert. 

Material examined:

Burg 6. 5. 1955, Shafiq (3); Burg 2. 5. 1955, Shafiq (2); Burg Abu Sir 6. 5. 1955, Shafiq (1); Burg 14. 4. 1953 (1) ……………………………..……...………(CUC)

King Mariout 21. 4. 1925, Alfieri (1); Balteem 10. 7. 1926, Alfieri (1); Burg 16. 2. 1925, Alfieri (1); El-Hammam 2. 1. 1917, Alfieri (1); Boulak 10. 11. 1913, Alfieri (1); Amriya 4. 9. 1913, Alfieri (1); Mergheb 17. 5. 1912, Alfieri (1) .…  ……………………………………….…..(ALFC)

Mariout 18. 3. 1927, Carneri (1); B.El Arab 7. 4. 1945, Aly (9); Abu Qir 21. 4. 1952, P.O.R. (2). ………………………………..………… (ASUC)

Mariout. 3. 1914; Marg .1. 1928; Alexandria. 7. 1931; Mersa Matrouh . 3. 1933; Burg El-Arab. 8. 1967. …………………………………… (MAC)

Scaurus puncticollis puncticollis Solier, 1838

(Fig. 16&22)

Scaurus puncticollis Solier, 1838: 172.

Scaurus parvicollis Fairm., 1875: 525.

Scaurus rugicollis Reitt., 1914: 374.

Description:

                Body about 11 – 16 mm. in length, black; punctation of epistome more  smooth than punctation of frons; pronotum narrow and weakly rounded and narrow towards basis laterally pronotum at disk densely and strongly punctated; elytra clearly with deep and well-marked punctated rows.

Distribution:

World: Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia Israel, Saudi Aribia, Syria.

Local: This species is distributed in Lower Nile Valley, Upper Nile Valley, coastal

           strip, western desert and Sinai.

Material examined:

Marakia. 2. 1926, Andres (1); Egypt 1931, Andres (3); Sinai 10. 1. 1930, Andres (1); Toura. 11., Chakour (1); Dekheila 5. 6. 1926, Andres (2); Heliopolis. 2. 1915, Andres (1); Baltim 10. 2. 1926, Andres (2); W. Rashid 18. 2. 1929, Andres (1); Abu Rawash 3. 2. 1946, Andres (1); Kirdasa 17. 4. 1926, Andres (1); Abu Rawash 15. 8. 1925, Andres (1); Abu Kir. 5. Chakour (1); Cairo 1925, Alfieri (16); Abu Kir 30. 10. 1916 (8); Mariout. 4., Ferrante (2); Dabaa 15. 6. 1930, Andres (1); Alexandria 21. 3. 1909, Ferrante (1); Mariout 5. 11. 1910, Ferrante (1); Hammam. 5. 1908, Ferrante (2); Mariout 20. 12. 1907, Ferrante (1); Mex 11. 1. 1907, Ferrante (2); Hammam. 1. 1909, Ferrante (1); Zeitoun. 9. 1909, Ferrante (2); Shubra 13. 4. 1908, Ferrante (1); Helwan 20. 9. 1891, Ferrante (1); Mokatam 12. 12. 1909, Ferrante (1); Helwan 18. 7. 1895, Ferrante Kharga Oasis. 2. 1912; Alexandria. 6. 1914; King Mariout. 8. 1923; Mansouriya. 10. 1925; W. Um Elek (Helwan). 11. 1925; Kafr Hakim Giza. 6. 1926. ............…………..………………… (MAC)

Scaurus puncticollis syriacus Reitter, 1914

(Fig. 23&26)

Scaurus puncticollis syriacus Reitter, 1914b: 374.

Description:

                Body big, about 16 – 19 mm. in length, black; pronotum wide and strongly rounded, strongly narrow at lateral sides basally, pronotum at disk with dense and wrinkled punctation; elytra with very fine punctated striae, punctation often entirely exists.

Distribution:

World: Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus.

Local: this species is distributed in Coastal strip.

Material examined:

Burg 14. 4. 1953 (1).

Fig.1: Head of Scaurus sp.            

Fig.2: Antennae of Scaurus sp.

Fig.3: Pronotumsculpture of Scaurus puncticollis syriacus.

Fig.4: Pronotumsculpture of Scaurus puncticollis puncticollis.