Stegopterus Burmeister & Schaum, 1840

Ricchiardi, Enrico, Perissinotto, Renzo & Strümpher, Werner, 2025, Revision of the Western Cape endemic genus Stegopterus Burmeister & Schaum, 1840 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae, Trichiini), African Invertebrates 66 (1), pp. 151-191 : 151-191

Stegopterus Burmeister & Schaum, 1840

Stegopterus Burmeister & Schaum, 1840: 404 (as Trichius (Stegopterus)). Type species Trichius suturalis Gory & Percheron, 1833: 48 (by subsequent designation of Smith 2004: 288; Smith 2005: 75, 76). Placed on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology ( International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2006).

Stegopterus : Schaum 1844: 348; Lacordaire 1856: 562; Harold 1869: 1342 (revised status); Péringuey 1907: 296; Schenkling 1922: 14; Schein 1960: 112; Krikken 1984: 40; Krajčik 1999: 49; Ricchiardi 2000: 205; Ricchiardi 2015: 3; Ricchiardi 2017: 132; Smith 2004: 288; Smith 2005: 76 (protected name); Allsopp and Schoolmeesters 2024: 67.

Tetrophthalmi Kirby, 1827: 156; Burmeister and Schaum 1840: 404; Smith 2004: 287; Smith 2005: 75, 76.

Tetrophthalmus Kirby, 1827: 156, as Trichius (Tetrophthalmi) (synonym of Stegopterus): Smith 2004: 278; Smith 2005: 75, 76. Type species of Tetrophthalmus is Trichius sutularis Kirby, 1827 by monotypy. Placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology ( International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2006).

Diagnosis.

The males and females of Stegopterus can be distinguished at first glance from other South African Trichiini by their appearance and the following set of characters: General appearance. Abdominal tergites are covered by elytra in dorsal view, with only the pygidial apex visible. Elytra elongate. Pronotal length is less than 0.5 times that of the elytra length. Clypeus broader than long. The front and vertex of the head, pronotum, and sometimes the inner margins of the elytron and lower sides are covered with thick, long, inclined, testaceous setae pointing backwards. Head. Antennal club is longer in males than females and as long as or much longer than clypeus. Eye-canthus covers approximately three-quarters of the semi-circumference of the eye. Pronotum. Slightly broader than long, more attenuated anteriorly than posteriorly, and with basal angles clearly defined. Posterior corners of pronotum acute. Scutellum. Cordiform, as broad as long. Legs. Long; tarsi longer than tibiae, strongly spinose underneath; protibia bi-dentate on lateral margin in males, tri-dentate in the females with the lower spurs of the hind tarsus clearly compressed and blunted at the tip. Protarsi claws 0.7–0.9 times as long as proximal protarsus. Mesotibia. In males, it is either strongly bent inward and the apex widened (species group vittatus, see the key below) or weakly curved with the apex not strongly modified (species group septus ). Metatibia. Widened distally, without projections, with two distal spurs. First metatarsal segment equal to or slightly shorter than the second. Metafemora. Slender (maximum width less than 0.25 times its length).