NEW AND LITTLE-KNOWN SOUTH-AFRICAN MELIGETHES STEPHENS OF THE MELIGETHES-CONVEXUS GROUP (COLEOPTERA, NITIDULIDAE, MELIGETHINAE)

The known South African species of the convexus species group in the g enus Meligethes Stephens are revised. Four new species are described f rom South Africa and Botswana: Meligethes becivorus, M. byrrhoides, M. oberprieleri and M. paraconvexus. Meligethes gibbulus Spornraft & Kir ejtshuk and M. xyphosuroides Kirejtshuk are transferred from the subge nus Lariopsis Kirejtshuk to the M. convexus species group. Meligethes pallipes Boheman is removed from the M. convexus species group and pro visionally placed in the unrelated M. aethiopicus Grouvelle species gr oup. Redescriptions and illustrations of male and female genitalia, le gs and habitus of M. convexus Boheman, M. subglobosus Reitter and M. a ccretus Kirejtshuk, and ecological data on most of the species are inc luded. Meligethes atomus Grouvelle, previously known only from Tanzani a, is a new record from southern Africa, and a new synonym, Meligethes atomus Grouvelle, 1904 = Meligethes johnsi Easton, 1960, is establish ed.