Platychelus alternans
| Platychelus alternans | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Genus: | Platychelus |
| Species: | P. alternans
|
| Binomial name | |
| Platychelus alternans Burmeister, 1844
| |
Platychelus alternans is a species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.[1] It is found in South Africa (Cape).[2][3]
Description
Adults reach a length of about 6.25 mm (0.246 in). The head is rounded in the front, is rough, pitted and bears black hairs. The antennae and the palpi are reddish brown. The plate behind the head (pronotum) has a groove running down the middle, is finely rough and pitted (scabroso-punctate). The front and middle are covered with simple black bristles (setae), and the rear has a shorter hair covering. Along the margin and in the central furrow there are some short scale-like (squamose) white hairs. Similar squamose hairs occur in the plate between the wing covers (scutellum), as also on the three furrows which run along each of the wing covers (elytra). These furrows are opaque, finely pitted, sunken and hairy. The widest groove runs along the suture, the other two grooves are one on each side of the shoulder "bump" (humeral callus), narrowing as they go and unite at the tip of the callus. The abdomen and underside of the chest (pectus) are clothed with fine, small, distant hairs.[3]
References
- ^ BioLib
- ^ Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Platychelus alternans 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 16, 2026.
- ^ a b Péringuey, L. (1902). "Descriptive catalogue of the Coleoptera of South Africa (Lucanidae and Scarabaeidae), Sub-families: Rutelinae, Hopliinae". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 12: 561–920. Retrieved March 16, 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.