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The genus Eudicella White comprises horned cetoniines widespread in the sub-Saharan Africa. Two subgenera, Eudicella (Eudicella) White and Eudicella (Cyprolais) Thomson, compose the genus. Here, the remarkably uniform subgenus Eudicella (Eudicella) is revised based on the study of the aedeagal parameres and the re-analysis of type material. It is found that several misidentifications have been propagated in the literature over the past two centuries up to the present day. Furthermore, a number of new synonymies have emerged at the species level. The most important taxonomical changes proposed in this revision are summarized below: - A neotype is designated for E. (E.) daphnis (Buquet, 1835) and the species re-described and illustrated; - E. (E.) schultzeorum Kolbe, 1906; E. (E.) darandi Bourgoin, 1923; and E. (E.) opdebeeki Allard, 1991, are synonymised with E. (E.) daphnis; - E. (E.) bertherandi Fairmaire, 1891; E. (E.) hereroensis Kraatz, 1900; E. (E.) nyassica Kolbe, 1901; E. (E.) immaculata Heath, 1904; and the taxa previously ranked under E. (E.) “smithii” sensu Allard (nec MacLeay) are synonymised with E. (E.) euthalia (Bates, 1881); - E. (E.) euthalia is ranked to the subspecific level under E. (E.) tetraspilota Harold, 1879; - E. (E.) woermanni Kraatz, 1890 (nec Allard); E. (E.) challemeli Allard, 1985; and E. (E.) pseudowoermanni Allard, 1991, are synonymised with E. (E.) morgani (White, 1839); - E. (E.) poggei Kolbe, 1884 (nec Allard), and E. (E.) viridana Kolbe, 1884, are synonymised with E. (E.) gralli (Buquet, 1836); - E. (E.) pauperata Kolbe, 1884 (nec Allard), is re-established to designate E. (E.) woermanni sensu Allard (nec Kraatz); E. (E.) congoensis Schürhoff, 1942, is synonymised with E. (E.) pauperata. - E. (E.) smithii (MacLeay, 1838; nec Allard) is confirmed a good species; E. (E.) trilineata Quedenfeldt, 1880, is synonymised with E. (E.) smithii. Of the 22 species and ca. 50 subspecies currently included in Eudicella (Eudicella), only 14 species and 2 subspecies remain valid following this study: E. (E.) daphnis; E. (E.) tetraspilota (with ssp. tetraspilota and ssp. euthalia); E. (E.) trimeni Janson, 1884; E. (E.) morgani; E. (E.) darwiniana Kraatz, 1880; E. (E.) gralli; E. (E.) chloe Raffray, 1885; E. (E.) aethiopica Müller, 1941; E. (E.) pauperata; E. (E.) inexpectata Antoine, 1984; E. (E.) ducalis Kolbe, 1914; E. (E.) smithii; E. (E.) frontalis Westwood, 1843; and E. (E.) colmanti Braem, 1907. The known species and colour varieties of Eudicella (Eudicella) are re-described and illustrated. The aedeagal parameres of the former and current taxa are photographed and described systematically for the first time.
Devis Tuia, Benjamin Alexander Kellenberger
Kristin Schirmer, Marco Baity-Jesi, Fernando Perez Cruz