White-legged toktokkies | |
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D. cubica | |
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Genus: | Dichtha
Haag-Rutenberg JG, 1871
[1]
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The white-legged toktokkies (genus Dichtha) are ground-dwelling, Afrotropical beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. [2] They are stout, black beetles of about 2 – 2.5 cm in length. The antennae and legs are covered in pale [3] to brownish [4] down. Like the related genus Psammodes, the adults tap out a rhythm on the ground to attract and locate mates. They feed on both plant and animal material. [3] Some species, like D. inflata, may feign death. [4]
The species include: [5]
A catalogue of the Sepidiini tribe from 2019 [5] considers Dichtha incantatoris Koch, 1952 a nomen nudum and therefore invalid. A likely source of this erroneous name is the popular Field Guide to Insects of South Africa by M Picker, C Griffiths & A Weaving. Specimens identified under this name are likely Dichtha cubica (see this explanation by iNaturalist curator Riaan Stals).
Media related to Dichtha at Wikimedia Commons