Ocnodes virago (Koch 1952)

This species is best told from similar Ocnodes species by location and examination of the underside.
Ocnodes virago is easily recognisable by the abdominal setal brush on the ventrites that also occurs in females. (In Ocnodes scrobicolle even the male is without a distinct setal brush).

Original description in:
Koch C. 1952. Die Tenebrioniden des südlichen Afrikas XIII. Vorstudien zu einer Monographie der Molurini, 3. (Col. Tenebrionidae). Entomologische Arbeiten 3.

Tranlation from German:
Very closely related to the previous species [torosum] and distinguised by the following features.
Shape broader, but very variable, often with broadly rounded elytra as in scrobicolle often more elongated-ovate as in torosum. Pronotum wider in the middle, with almost parallel sides, straight and only very slightly narrowed towards the back. Sculpture very similar to that of scrobicolle subsp. simulans, on the disc with smoothed, densely packed, but transverse and jagged, teardrop-like grains or wrinkles running into one another, which mostly change into coarse and flat dots towards the base, more pronounced towards the sides becoming raised, irregular compact wrinkles. Proepisternum smooth and glabrous, more or less densely grained inside. Elytra shiny, punctuation extremely fine and scattered, the punctures disappearing on the apical slope. Punctuation on middle and hind femora distally dense, less rough and merged transversely. In the male, the front leg spot small, about the same size as in scrobicolle, closer to the middle of the femur and moved to the inner edge. The three basal abdominal ventrites have a strong setal brush on the disc, which extends sparsely to the metasterum and the middle of the penultimate ventrite. In the female, the metasternum and the two basal discal sternites also have a very short-haired, but dense reddish-brown setal brush, which extends sparsely onto the third ventrite.
Length 21-35 mm.

Illustrated in Koch C. 1952.
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49571901#page/379/mode/1up

Distribution: Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls, Zambezi, between Limpopo und Zambezi); Zambia (Livingstone); Botswana (Gemsbok Pan, Damara Pan, Kaotwe, Chobe River, Maun, Tsotsorogo Pan, Kuke Pan, Gomodimo, Kuring-Kuru, Tondoro, Okavango); Namibia (Ovamboland: Oshikango, Damaraland: Sandfontein and upper Auob River); Southern Angola.

iNat observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141405310

Posted on 04 de fevereiro de 2024, 05:01 PM by traianbertau