Abstract
Eudicella trimeni is reportedly one of the most endangered species of the genus, having been declared virtually extinct until recently. Present research has shown that the species occurs in an area wider than previously known. However, its habitat is disappearing at a fast rate and the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal populations appear to be sufficiently different from each other to warrant at least subspecies status and further investigation. Third instar larvae of the northern population were collected recently in the Karkloof Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal. They were reared to adulthood under environmentally controlled conditions and are here described.
Highlights
Eudicella trimeni is a prominent goliathine endemic to the eastern part of South Africa, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, where it occurs only in a few relict rainforests
A similar assessment was provided by Holm and Marais (1992), who stated: ‘This rare species was described from Umvoti in Natal, and was long regarded as extinct
Larval characters of a fifth species, E. tetraspilota euthalia (Bates) were included in the phylogenetic analysis of Micó et al (2008) and Šípek et al (2009), but the species still lacks a formal description with illustrations
Summary
Eudicella trimeni is a prominent goliathine endemic to the eastern part of South Africa, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, where it occurs only in a few relict rainforests. Allard (1991) described the population from the former Transkei region of the Eastern Cape as a distinct subspecies, E. trimeni transkeiensis. His description was based on characters that are known to vary intraspecifically and was promptly dismissed by Holm and Marais (1992), who argued that the ‘slight colour variation described by Allard as a subspecies is unjustified: a long series from the Port St Johns area
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