Phoberus herminae
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| Phoberus herminae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
| Family: | Trogidae |
| Subfamily: | Troginae |
| Genus: | Phoberus |
| Species: | P. herminae |
| Binomial name | |
| Phoberus herminae Strümpher, 2016 | |
Phoberus herminae is a species of hide beetle in the subfamily Troginae discovered by coleopterologist Werner P. Strümpher in 2016.[1][2]
Initially, the scientific community treated all P. herminae specimens as part of the P. capensis species. These beetle specimen resided within the genus Trox. When Phoberus was recognized as a full genus, taxonomists moved P. capensis, and all P. herminae beetles along with it, from the genus Trox to the genus Phoberus. Recent evolutionary genetics allowed coleopterologist Strümpher and his team to uncover molecular and morphological differences between mainline P. capensis beetles and the P. herminae variant, causing the new Phoberus herminae species to be discovered and classified.[3]
Within the genus Phoberus, P. herminae is most similar to P. capensis and P. disjunctus due to their shared evolutionary history, and historically researchers have often confused the three species for each other. P. herminae is extremely similar to P. capensis, and females of the two species are practically indistinguishable; indeed, morphologically, only the shape of the parameres and median lobes in male genitalia can distinguish the two species. P. herminae has more apparent differences to P. disjunctus. P. herminae has a high disc on the pronotum, whose margins spike out from the beetle's carapace, and a deep valley-like depression runs through the disc's middle; by contrast, P. disjunctus has an evenly-rounded disc on the pronotum with a shallow depression running through its middle.[3]