This species is known only from three male specimens bought in markets in Algeria towards the end of the 19th century. There are no records from the wild. The place of origin of these specimens is unknown and it is likely they had been traded across the Sahara. This kind of trade still occurs in 2007 (K. de Smet pers. comm., F. Cuzin pers. comm.). One original specimen has been recently examined and identified as G. rufifrons (K. de Smet pers. comm. to ASG, May 2008).