Abstract
The type locality (Korea) of the dung beetle Paragymnopleurus singularis (Waterhouse, 1890) (Gymnopleurini, Scarabaeidae, Coleoptera) has been questioned. For example, Génier (2003) synonymized P. singularis with P. maurus (Sharp, 1875) and considered P. maurus to be endemic to Borneo. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of P. singularis in Korea and to infer its actual type locality by reviewing available literature. Several faunistic studies have documented P. singularis in Korea, albeit without specimen confirmation. However, the species has not been collected in Korea since its original description. The voyage log of E. Belcher, who captained the H.M.S. Samarang from 1843 to 1846, suggests that the P. singularis type specimens were collected from Sarawak, Borneo, and mislabeled as specimens from Korea. Therefore, the actual type locality of P. singularis is likely Sarawak in Borneo, and Gymnopleurus mopsus (Pallas, 1781) is the only member of the tribe Gymnopleurini that actually occurs in Korea.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 435-442 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Entomological News |
Volume | 129 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 Dec 1 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful to Dr. Olivier Montreuil (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris) and Dr. Max Barclay (Natural History Museum, London) for providing information about type specimens and to Dr. Jin-Kyung Choi (Daegu National University of Education, Daegu) and Dr. Kyong In Suh (Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources, Sangju) for providing information and photographs of P. maurus specimens. We are also grateful to Ms. Helena Maratheftis, who photographed the lectotype of P. singularis, and to the Natural History Museum (London) for allowing us to use the photograph. This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of the Republic of Korea (NIBR201839201).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Entomological Society. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Gymnopleurini
- Gymnopleurus singularis
- Korean dung beetles
- Paragymnopleurus maurus
- Voyage log of E. Belcher
- Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Insect Science