Platychelus nitidulus

Platychelus nitidulus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Platychelus
Species:
P. nitidulus
Binomial name
Platychelus nitidulus

Platychelus nitidulus 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 4–4.25 mm (0.157–0.167 in). They are similar to Platychelus semivirgatus, but much smaller. The colour and sculpture are alike, and the pronotum especially is very metallic. In males, the clypeus is sharp laterally and has a very slight prominence in the centre. The elytra have the same vestiture, the pygidial part is equally hairy, and the only difference between the two species is to be found in the shape of the two basal teeth of the anterior tibiae which in P. nitidulus are separate, whereas in P. semivirgatus these are set very close to each other.[3]

References

  1. ^ BioLib
  2. ^ Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Platychelus nitidulus 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.
  3. ^ 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.