Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 93. (Budapest 2001)

Kirejtshuk, A. G.: Notes on the systematics of the African Nitidulidae (Coleoptera)

Aethina (Circopes) africana GROUVELLE, 1909 Circopes africanus GROUVELLE, 1909 Circopes philippinensis GROUVELLE, 1916a, syn. n. Specimens examined - Tanzania: holotype of A. (C.) africana, female (NRS) - "Kilimandjaro, Sjöstedt, 1905-6", "ang.stapp.", designated by Endrődy-Younga as lectotype; Cameroon: holotype of A. (C.) philippinensis, male (MNHN) - "Cameroon, 1916.144", "Circopes philippensis Grouv." (written by A. GROUVELLE), "Lectot. Circopes philippinensis Grouv., des. Endrődy-Younga". This is very abundant and widely distributed species, represented in many collections by specimens from many places of Equatorial Africa, also from Zambia (MIZW) and Republic of South Africa [3 (ZISP, ZSM) - "Natal, Umtentweni River, Juli 1953, A.L. Capcncr"]. More than 450 specimens from DEI, FMNH, HNHM, MIZW, MNHN, MRAC, MSNG, NHL, NMB, NRS, NMW, SMNS, ZISP, ZMB, ZML, ZSM and other museums were studied by the author of "this paper. Notes- This species is extremely variable in body size, coloration and sculpture, although the underside is in all cases mostly light, head and pronotum very is rarely partly infuscate and with microreticulation, if raised, is never contrasting. Elytra, if darkened, are usually darkened from lateral and apical edge towards scutellum, but prescutellar parts remain almost in all cases light. However, in few cases elytra are darkened only in prescutellar parts and light along lateral and apical parts. Elytra are usually slightly shorter than combined width, although in few cases they are about as long as combined width or even slightly longer. General coloration mostly is reddish to bright light brownish, but sometimes it is almost unicoloured straw yellow and few specimens are light brown. Antennái club usually like that in other African species, although in some large specimens ultimate antennomere markedly larger and wider than the previous one. Level of development of pubescence is rather variable as well, however, on elytra there are 2 rows of shorter hairs between rows of longer hairs (very rarely between rows of longer hairs there are seen 3 indistinct rows of shorter hairs, but never 1 row of shorter hairs). Some specimens fCameroon: (ZISP, ZML) - "20 km NW Bafia, 5 km N Bayomen, Riverine forest in savannah, at light, 14.Ï.I978", "GÄRDENFORS-HALLSAMUELSON"; Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire): (MRAC) - "P.N.A., 17—IX—

1956, P. VANSCHUYTBROEK, VS 734", "Massif Ruwenzori, riv. Bombi, affl. Butahu, I860 m"] have an appearance very similar to the typical specimens of A. (C.) parvula sp. n., including body size, coloration and character of punctation, but with sculpture of dorsal sclerites and pubescence, including arrangement of hairs on elytra rather as those in A. (C.) africana. Specimens of this species from Zambia are in general slightly larger and some of them with infuscate not only lateral and apical parts of elytra, but also pronotal disk.