occurrenceID	taxonID	catalogNumber	collectionCode	institutionCode	typeStatus	verbatimLabel	sex	individualCount	eventDate	recordedBy	recordNumber	decimalLatitude	decimalLongitude	minimumElevationInMeters	maximumElevationInMeters	minimumDepthInMeters	maximumDepthInMeters	country	stateProvince	municipality	locality	references	basisOfRecord
038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1.mc.3B4F6473FFC9D02632C3836885B65BB6	038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1.taxon				holotype	The synonymy of K. namibicus with K. cupreus (Deschodt et al. 2011) was based on a reference collection containing individuals identified as K. cupreus from more than 15 localities across northern Namibia and more than 30 localities to the east (Figs 1 A, 1 B). Deschodt et al. (2011) observed that Gobabis and Otavi fell well within the known range of K. cupreus and that northern Namibian specimens were darker than the cupreous individuals found further east. With regards to type material of K. namibicus, they also explained that the “ not projected ” or “ obtuse ” condition of denticles on the front tibiae resulted from wear during soil excavation. Furthermore, the aedeagus of the holotype was comparable to a cupreous specimen from Kariba, Zimbabwe (16 ° 31 ’ S, 28 ° 46 ’ E) determined as K. cupreus by Richard zur Strassen, a specialist in the tribe Scarabaeini		1				-16.516666	28.766666					Namibia		Furthermore	The	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1	MaterialCitation
038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1.mc.3B4F6473FFCAD02632C3859A807B59C2	038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1.taxon				syntype	Notably, Deschodt et al. (2011) was published without our having examined type specimens of Kheper cupreus or photographs of types. This has now been rectified by an examination of photographs of a syntype habitus sent from the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. The specimen should be considered a syntype (Fig. 2 A) as it is unclear if Laporte de Castelnau’s original description was based on a single or multiple individuals. However, staff of the museum have been unable to locate other specimens that might belong to a type series. As Kheper species show little, external, sexual dimorphism, dissection by museum staff has shown that the syntype is a female		1		de Castelnau's											Laporte de Castelnau's	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1	MaterialCitation
038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1.mc.3B4F6473FFCAD02732C3825081785BB1	038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1.taxon				syntype	We have compared the habitus image of the female Caffraria syntype (cupreous with worn tibial and clypeal dentition) with that of the male K. namibicus holotype from Namibia (dark with a cupreous sheen and worn tibial / clypeal dentition) (Krajcik 2006, 2020), that of the male K. cupreus specimen from Kariba in Zimbabwe (cupreous with unworn fore tibial / clypeal dentition) (Deschodt et al. 2011) and those of male specimens that we determined as K. cupreus comprising a dark specimen with unworn fore tibial / clypeal dentition from 20 km south of Opuwo (S 18.2027 ° E 13.81305 °) in Namibia as well as a cupreous specimen with unworn tibial / clypeal dentition from Orapa to the east in Botswana. All images show close similarities. Therefore, this comparison suggests that, contrary to Krajcik (2020), we have correctly understood the identity of K. cupreus as originally described in only twelve, half-column lines (78 words) by Laporte de Castelnau (1840). Furthermore, images of the aedeagi extracted from the Opuwo (dark), Orapa (cupreous), Kariba (cupreous) and K. namibicus holotype (dark with cupreous sheen) specimens (Krajcik 2006; Deschodt et al. 2011, Fig. 3) are clearly identical. Therefore, after a consideration of (1) the close similarity between the habitus of the five compared specimens representing the two colour varieties (K. cupreus syntype, K. namibicus holotype, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe K. cupreus), (2) the identical aedeagi from K. namibicus and three western and eastern specimens identified as K. cupreus and (3) the identical aedeagi from dark worn (K. namibicus) and dark unworn (K. cupreus) specimens from Namibia, we confirm the synonymy of Kheper namibicus Krajcik, 2006, with Kheper cupreus (Laporte de Castelnau, 1840)		1				-18.2027	13.81305					Namibia		Kariba	Opuwo	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/038EDF38FFC8D027329386EC81745BB1	MaterialCitation
