Forum Entomologi Italiani

New taxon for the forum.
Rare phytosaprophagous species with relatively small area of distribution. It was originally described from Hungary (Frivaldszky 1879) and subsequently recorded from Austria (Burgenland, Niederösterreich), Italy (Liguria, Marche, Abruzzi, Molise), Czech Republic (southern and central Moravia), Slovakia, Romania and southern Bosnia (Roubal 1936, Mikšić 1953, Endrődi 1956, Tesař 1957, Horion 1958, Dellacasa 1977, 1983, Carpaneto et al. 1994, Colacurcio & Gallerati 1996, Juřena 1996, Král & Vitner (1996), Juřena et al. 2000, 2008, Dellacasa & Dellacasa 2006a,b). Ladislav Mencl collected this species in a small karstic locality in southern Bulgaria: Bulgaria mer., Sozopol env., cca 1 km inland, 15.IV.1979, 1 ex., goat droppings, L. Mencl lgt. et coll. (Juřena et al. 2008) The species is associated with karstic habitats on limestone and its larvae live in decaying plant matter. Several authors observed facultative coprophagy of the adults (e.g., Horion 1958, Colacurcio & Gallerati 1996, Juřena et al. 2000). Additional bionomic data were given by Heikertinger (1911), Franz (1948) and Petrovitz (1956). Overlooked species, partly due to early appearance of the adults, which are active mostly in March. (I.) II.-IV.

REFERENCES:
CARPANETO G. M., PIATTELLA E. & SABATINELLI G. 1994: I Coleotteri Scarabeoidei dell’Appennino Marchigiano settentrionale (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea). Biogeographia, 17: 293-320.
COLACURCIO L. & GALLERATI M. 1996: Coleoptera, Aphodiidae. Boll. Assoc. Romana Entomol., 50: 85-86.
DELLACASA G. 1976 (1977): Heptaulacus porcellus (J. Friv.): rara specie pannonica nuova per l’Italia (Coleoptera: Aphodiinae). Mem. Soc. Entomol. Ital. (Genova), 55: 106-108.
DELLACASA G. 1983: Sistematica e nomenclatura degli Aphodiini italiani (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae). Monografie I. Mus. Region. Sci. Natur., Torino, 464 pp.
DELLACASA G. & DELLACASA M. 2006a: Coleoptera Aphodiidae, Aphodiinae. Fauna d’Italia. Vol. 41. Calderini, Bologna, 484 pp.
DELLACASA M. & DELLACASA G. 2006b: Tribe Aphodiini Leach, 1815, pp 105-143. In: LÖBL I. & SMETANA A. (eds.): Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 3. Scarabaeoidea – Scirtoidea – Dascilloidea – Buprestoidea – Byrrhoidea. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 690 pp.
ENDRŐDI S. von 1956: Lemezescsápú bogarak – Lamellicornia. Coleoptera IV. Magyarország Állatvilága 12. IX. kötet. 4. füzet. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 188 pp (in Hungarian).
FRANZ H. 1935-1938: Die thermophilen Elemente der mitteleuropäischen Fauna und ihre Beeinflussung durch die Klimaschwankungen der Quartärzeit. Zoogeographica, Internationales Archiv für Vergelichende und kausale Tiergeographie, 3: 159-320.
FRIVALDSZKY J. 1879: Coleoptera nova ex Hungaria. Term. Füzet. (Budapest), 3: 3-6.
HEIKERTINGER F. 1911: Die Schwärmzeit von Heptaulacus porcellus Friv. Wien. Entomol. Zeit., 30: 220-221.
HORION A. 1958: Faunistik der Mitteleuropäischen Käfer. Band VI: Lamellicornia (Scarabaeidae-Lucanidae). A. Feyel, Überlingen – Bodensee, xxiv + 343 pp.
JUŘENA D. 1996: Příspěvek k faunistice listorohých brouků (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) Čech, Moravy a Slovenska. (Contribution to the faunistics of Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia). Klapalekiana, 32: 27-32 (in Czech, English abstr.).
JUŘENA D., BEZDĚK A. & TÝR V. 2000: Zajímavé nálezy listorohých brouků (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) na území Čech, Moravy a Slovenska. (Interesting faunistic records of Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) from Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia). Klapalekiana, 36: 233-257 (in Czech, English abstr. and summary).
JUŘENA D., TÝR V. & BEZDĚK A. 2008: Příspěvek k faunistickému výzkumu listorohých brouků (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) na území České republiky a Slovenska. (Contribution to the faunistic research on Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia). Klapalekiana, 44 (Suppl.): 17-176 (in Czech, English summary).
KRÁL D. & VITNER J. 1996: Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, pp 419-431. In: ROZKOŠNÝ R. & VAŇHARA R. (eds.): Terrestrial Invertebrates of the Pálava Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO, III. Fol. Fac. Sci. Natur. Univ. Masarykianae Brunensis, Biol., 94: 409-631.
MIKŠIĆ R. 1953 (1955): Fauna Insectorum Balcanica. Scarabaeidae. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Scarabaeiden. Prilog poznavanju Scarabaeidae. God. Biol. Inst. Sarajevo, 6: 49-281 (in German and Serbo-Croatian).
PETROVITZ R. 1956: Die koprophagen Scarabaeiden des nördlichen Burgenlandes. Burgenland. Landesmus. Inst. Wiss. Wirts. Neusiedl. (Eisenstadt), 13: 5-24.
ROUBAL J. 1936: Katalog Coleopter (brouků) Slovenska a Podkarpatské Rusi na základě bionomickém a zoogeografickém a spolu systematický doplněk Ganglbauerových „Die Käfer von Mitteleuropa“ a Reitterovy „Fauna Germanica“. Díl II. (Catalogue des Coléoptères de la Slovaquie et de la Russie Subcarpathique d’après les documents et zoogéographiques ainsi que supplément systématique au Ganglbauer „Die Käfer von Mitteleuropa“ et Reitter „Fauna Germanica“. Tome II.). Uč. Společ. Šafaříkova, Bratislava, viii + 434 pp (in Czech, French title).
TESAŘ Z. 1957: Brouci listorozí – Lamellicornia. Díl II. Scarabaeidae – vrubounovití. Laparosticti. Fauna ČSR 11. NČSAV, Praha, 326 pp, 16 pls. (in Czech, German and Russian summary).

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Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)

PP (= přírodní památka, the Natural Monument) Vápenice, the locality of E. porcellus:

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Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)

And the prepared male:

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Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)

Sempre una gran bella bestiola, tutt'altro che banale sia per la sua particolare fenologia che per il fatto di non essere strettamente coprofaga.

Complimenti per specie e foto

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Loris

A bit of etymology:

ἑπτά [hepta] = seven
αὖλαξ [aulax] = groove

Heptaulacus = having 7 grooves

porcus = hog
porcellus = adjective for hog

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Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)

Distribution of Euheptaulacus porcellus in the Czech Republic and Slovakia:

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Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)

have not found yet this species and not sure if was found in Romania, in the old monograph work (Panin, 1957) is considered as probable for Romania... in your text Romania is mentioned... you have a reference for that?
When will reach west part of Romania will have to check some karstic places

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Cosmin-Ovidiu Manci
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cosmln's place - my blog
just insects
Dragonflies of Romania

Hi Cosmin, I searched in the literature sources but I could not find a reference to the Romanian record of this species. Maybe I saw some specimen(s) from Romania in the past but I can not find this record. Anyway, no doubt this species lives in karstic places of Romania - You can try to confirm it's occurrence in your country (in January and February next year).
In the following photo You can see the collecting method of E. porcellus (tear-off grass from the limestones):

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Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)

Today I found the source with Romania as one from the countries of this species:

DELLACASA M. & DELLACASA G. 2006: Tribe Aphodiini Leach, 1815, pp 105-143. In: LÖBL I. & SMETANA A. (eds.): Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 3. Scarabaeoidea – Scirtoidea – Dascilloidea – Buprestoidea – Byrrhoidea. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 690 pp.

_________________
Daniel

Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. (ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ, 1,9)