Skip to main content

Sakalava dung beetle (Scarabaeus sakalava), a new species from Madagascar using transformative approach

Sakalava dung beetle (Scarabaeus sakalava), a new species from Madagascar using transformative approach

NEWS - Researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland tested the utility of phenoscripts by describing a new species, Sakalava dung beetle (Scarabaeus sakalava sp. nov.), found in west-central Madagascar and closely related to S. vietti (Paulian, 1953) from northwestern Madagascar.

Scarabaeus (Coleoptera, scharabaeinae, scharabaeini) are found primarily in the arid regions of the Old World, including three endemic species that inhabit the arid ecosystems of western and southern Madagascar. These species are thought to form a monophyletic clade nested within the African scarabaeus.

Semantic phenotype modeling using ontologies is a transformative approach to species description in biology, making phenotypic data fair and computable. The developed Phenoscript language enables the creation of computable semantic species descriptions using a syntax similar to human natural language (NL).

However, Phenoscript has not yet been tested as a tool for describing new taxa. Giulio Montanaro and Sergei Tarasov tested the phenoscript by describing Scarabaeus (sensu lato) sakalava. The initial description was written directly in phenoscript, replacing the traditional natural language format.

This phenoscript description was then translated into human-readable form using the phenospy tool and converted into a computer-readable RDF graph using semantic technology.

S. sakalava is similar to S. vietti (Paulian, 1953), but can be distinguished by the laterally projecting tip of the anterolateral pronotal angle (vs. obliquely forward in S. vietti). Females are easily distinguished by the shape of the cephalic tubercle, which is medially slanted (vs. conical).

Males are distinguished by the shape of the parameres, which are shorter and have more strongly ventrally curved apices (vs. in the other species) and the shape of the protibia, which are less slender and have a more flared ventral margin.

The new species is found in a restricted area of central-western Madagascar inhabiting dry deciduous forests that are unusual for Scarabaeus. They are attracted to human waste, cattle and rotting fish. These ecological aspects are similar to S. vietti.

The named after the Sakalava people who inhabit western Madagascar. The name Sakalava probably means "long ravine/valley", referring to the relatively flat landscape of western Madagascar. The Sakalavas descend from a mixture of Austronesian and Bantu peoples and established kingdoms mainly during the 18th century. They rely mainly on pastoralism for their livelihood.

Original research

Montanaro G, Tarasov S (2024). Beyond natural language: an ontology-based description of a new Scarabaeus dung beetle from Madagascar (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae). Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e134364, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e134364

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Sandbox tree (Hura crepitans)

Sandbox tree ( Hura crepitans ) is species in Euphorbiaceae, a tropical tree, growing up to 60 meters tall and with a trunk circumference of up to 13.2 meters, the trunk is covered with long and sharp thorns and exudes a poisonous sap. H. crepitans has large, oval leaves, 15 cm wide and 20 cm long. The petioles are 22 cm long. The flowers are red and lack petals. Male flowers grow on long stalks, while female flowers grow singly in leaf axils. The fruit is a large, flask-shaped capsule, up to 10 cm in diameter, with 12-16 radially arranged carpels. The seeds are flat and about 2 cm in diameter. The capsule bursts when ripe, dividing into segments and ejecting the seeds at a speed of 70 m/s, a distance of 30-100 meters. This tree prefers moist soil and partial shade or partial to full sun, a warm, humid environment. It is often cultivated for shade. The wood is light and used to make canoes. The sap is used to poison fish. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiosperma...
Read more

Telotaun (Manihot carthagenensis)

Telotaun ( Manihot carthagenensis ) is a plant species in Euphorbiaceae, trees or shrubs 2-10 m tall, erect and fibrous, white latex, leaves varying with the subspecies noted are Manihot carthagenensis ssp. carthagenensis , Manihot carthagenensis ssp. glaziovii and Manihot carthagenensis ssp. hahnii . M. carthagenensis has an erect stem, a tubular shape, a young stem which is bright green and covered in white wax, an old stem that has a thin layer of brown skin. Long leaf stems and white waxy, arranged alternately, growing in all directions, green on the bottom and redish on the top. Leaves have 3-7 fingers each up to 25 cm long and up to 15 cm wide, ellipses become obovoid, sometimes pandurate and apex acute. Each leaf finger has a bone in the middle that moves linearly with some pinnate bones. The upper surface is green and slightly shiny, the lower surface is whitish green. The base of the leaf is centered at the end of the stalk, the pointed end which ends at the head of the sp...
Read more

Giant green leech (Raksasa hijau)

Lintah raksasa or giant green leech ( Raksasa hijau ) is a species of animal in Salifidae, large green leeches, carnivores, not hematophagic, can grow to lengths of more than 50 cm, the front is perfectly tubular, but it is getting bigger, wider and flat backward. R. hijau has a front end that ends with a white mouth and has a width equal to the diameter of the front end of the body. The rear end ends with the anus and has a width equal to the diameter of the rear end of the body. The upper surface is whole dark green or leafy green, looks shiny and has no other additional color features. The bottom surface is lighter or brownish green. The skin is wrinkled like tight, elastic joints that make it possible to lengthen the body. Giant green leech moves forward by extending the tip of the front of the body to keep the new location farther away and this movement is then followed by the middle body and gradually the rear where the body moves completely. R. hijau does not suck blo...
Read more