Chromosomal separation of difficult species of Copris Geoffroy, 1762 and Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae), with discussion of O. massai Baraud as a British Pleistocene fossil

By

Falahee, Sarah
Angus, Robert B.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2010

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

34

Pages

17-32

Subjects

Chromosomes , Copris hispanus , Copris hispanus cavolinii , Karyotypes , Last (Eemian) Interglacial , Onthophagus fracticornis , Onthophagus massai , Pleistocene fossils

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.34.256

 

Abstract

Karyotype analysis shows that Copris hispanus cavolinii Petagna should be regarded as a separate species from C. hispanus Linnaeus, and that Onthophagus massai Baraud is a valid species, not a synonym of Onthophagus fracticornis Preyssler. Chromosomal variation between populations of O. fracticornis is discussed, and Spanish material is shown to be the most distinct of the populations studied, but it is not considered that it should be placed as a separate species. Pleistocene fossil O. massai and Bronze Age O. fracticornis from England are discussed and illustrated. The distinctive elytral puncturation of O. massai is shown by the Pleistocene material, while Bronze Age O. fracticornis resembles modern material of that species.