Zophohelops montanatolicus, Nabozhenko & Keskin & Ras, 2014

Nabozhenko, Maxim, Keskin, Bekir & Ras, Institute of Arid Zones Ssc, 2014, New data about ‘ nalassoid’ genera from south-eastern Anatolia with description of a new species of Zophohelops (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 (1), pp. 243-249 : 245-246

Zophohelops montanatolicus sp. nov.

( Figs 2–9 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J( ZDEU) and PARATYPES ( ZIN: 4 JJ 3 ♀♀; ZDEU: 1 J 2 ♀♀ (dry specimens), 3 JJ 4 ♀♀ (in ethanol)): TURKEY: HAKKARI PROVINCE: ‘ Berçelan Yayla , 3.06.2013, 2800 m, N37°38’11.6” / E43°45’20.2” (Leg. M. V. & S. V. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin, A. Pektaú) ’.

Description. Body length 6–8 mm, width 3–3.3 mm.

Male. Body robust, dark brown, elytra almost black; pronotum and head shining, elytra dull. Head widest at level of eyes. Ratio of head width at level of eyes to distance between eyes 1.37. Eyes small, weakly convex, widely spaced. Anterior margin of clypeus straight, with weakly projected angles. Outer margin of head between genae and clypeus weakly sinuate. Head with moderately coarse and dense punctation (puncture diameters equal or little wider than distance between them). Surface of head with short recumbent hairs. Temple groove absent. Antennae short, antennomeres 10–11 extending beyond base of pronotum when directed backwards, antennomeres 8–11 more widened than others.

Pronotum transverse (1.3 times as wide as long), widest in middle, rectangular, 1.75 times as wide as head. Lateral margins and base of pronotum weakly rounded, anterior margin almost straight. Anterior angles of pronotum rounded, weakly obtuse. Disc moderately convex with narrowly flattened margins. Lateral and basal bead of pronotum thickened, anterior margin with narrow bead interrupted in middle. Punctation moderately coarse, not dense (puncture diameters 2–3 times lower than distance between them); punctures slightly elongated on sides of disc. Prothoracic hypomeron with very ¿ne longitudinal wrinkles, outer margin distinctly flattened. Prosternal process very weakly convex, with small tubercle in apical part.

Elytra distinctly convex, moderately broad (1.4 times as wide as long), widest before middle, 1.14 times as wide and 2.17× as long as pronotum, 2× as wide as head. Punctures in striae oval, not connected in grooves; elytral intervals flat, with ¿ne and sparse punctation. Intervals 1 and 9 connected at apex. Epipleural carina very wide, especially at base, completely visible dorsally, almost reaching elytral apex. Epipleura broad, depressed from base to half of length, almost reaching sutural angle.

Legs short, tibiae straight, densely pubescent on inner side. Protarsi not widened, tarsomeres 2 and 3 transverse. All trochanters with dense brush of short hairs.

Ventral side of body with short setation.Abdominal ventrites with ¿ne punctation, ventrite 1 with small hair brush in middle, ventrite 5 beaded at apex.

Female. Body more robust, antennae shorter, pronotum widest behind middle, abdominal ventrite 1 without hair brush in middle.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is closely related to Zophohelops protzenkoi Skopin, 1964 (Tien Shan: Chatkal Range) which also has widened and dorsally visible epipleural carina and hair brush on the ¿rst abdominal ventrite. Zophohelops montanatolicus sp. nov. differs from Z. protzenkoi in robust body of male, pro- and mesotarsi of male not widened, shorter antennae and pronotum not sinuate at base. The new species also differs from Zophohelops humeridens ( Reitter, 1902) in dark brown body with dull elytra ( Z. humeridens has strongly shining, lacquered body), pubescent head, presence of hair spot on the ¿rst abdominal ventrite of male, absence of protruded humeral angles in male, and dorsally visible epipleural carina in female.

Etymology. The name montanatolicus is formed from two words: montanus and anatolicus. Adjective.

Habitat. The species was found in high mountain alpine plateau under very small stones without lichens, in areas with very dense and short grass.

Figures

Figs 2–8. Zophohelops montanatolicus sp. nov. 2 – male; 3 – female; 4 – aedeagus, ventral view; 5 – same, lateral view; 6–7 – gastral spicula (6 – ventral view, 7 – lateral view); 8 – sternite VIII of male.

Fig. 9. Distribution of the genus Zophohelops and the subgenus Helopocerodes (Nalassus) in south-eastern Anatolia. Black circle – N. faldermanni (Faldermann, 1837); white circle – N. kaszabi Nabozhenko, 2001; square – Z. montanatolicus sp. nov.