Description and ecology of two new species of Gyronotus van Lansberge, 1874 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) from southern Africa

Abstract. Recent collections in KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland have led to the discovery of two new species of the flightless and highly threatened Scarabaeinae genus Gyronotus van Lansberge, 1874. A description of G. perissinottoi sp. n. and G. schuelei sp. n. is provided here, along with notes on their habitat and ecology. Unlike the vast majority of the species previously known in the genus, which have been reported as forest dwellers, the two new species are found during daytime in grassland/savanna vegetation, at the margin of forest patches.