Heterochelus miserabilis

Heterochelus miserabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Heterochelus
Species:
H. miserabilis
Binomial name
Heterochelus miserabilis
Blanchard, 1850

Heterochelus miserabilis is a species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.[1] It is found in South Africa (Western Cape).[2][3]

Description

Adults reach a length of about 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in). The head and pronotum are black, while the abdomen, legs, and elytra are reddish-brown. The latter is sparsely covered with scattered yellow scales. These scales are sometimes are arranged in rows. The rest is dark and finely pubescent. In subspecies obscurus, the elytra and legs are also black and the elytra only have a few yellow scales at the tip, while the rest is quite densely covered with dark and fine hairs.[3]

Subspecies

  • Heterochelus miserabilis miserabilis (Western Cape)
  • Heterochelus miserabilis obscurus Kulzer, 1960 (Western Cape)

References

  1. ^ BioLib
  2. ^ Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Heterochelus miserabilis at Catalogue of Life". World Scarabaeidae Database (version 2025-10-07). In O. Bánki, Y. Roskov, M. Döring, G. Ower, D. R. Hernández Robles, C. A. Plata Corredor, T. Stjernegaard Jeppesen, A. Örn, T. Pape, D. Hobern, S. Garnett, H. Little, R. E. DeWalt, J. Miller, T. Orrell, & R. Aalbu, Catalogue of Life (2026-01-16). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Catalogue of Life Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Kulzer, H. (1960). "Revision der Dichelus Untergattungen Heterochelus Burm. und Ischnochelus Burm. (Col. Melolonth.)" (PDF). Entomologische Arbeiten Aus Dem Museum G.Frey. 11: 433–580. Retrieved March 8, 2026.