Therates fruhstorferi australis Matalin et Wiesner, 2023

Matalin, Andrey V. & Wiesner, Jürgen, 2023, Revision of the Therates fruhstorferi complex (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae), Zootaxa 5256 (5), pp. 401-433 : 406-407

Therates fruhstorferi australis Matalin et Wiesner , ssp. n.

Figs 7, 8, 33, 34, 56, 57, 88, 89, 126–130.

Type material. HOLOTYPE, Ô— Vietnam, Gia Lai Prov., ~ 40 km NEE of Pleiku, Kon Ka Kinh Natn. Park , h = 890 m, 14 o 12’11’’N 108 o 18’54’’E, 9–22.V.2016, leg. D. Fedorenko ( ZIN) , PARATYPES: ♀ —same labeled as the holotype ( MSPU) ; 1♀ — Vietnam, Gia Lai Prov., ~ 50 km N of An Khe, Kon Chu Rang Nat. Reserve , h = 1000– 1040 m, 14 o 30–31’N 108 o 32’E, 24. V –2. VI.2016, leg. D. Fedorenko ( SIEE) ; 1Ô— Vietnam, Gia Lai, 4.2022 (AA); 2ÔÔ— Vietnam, Kon Tum Prov., Kon Plong Distr. , env. Ngok Boc I Mt., 14 o 44’N 108 o 18’E, h = 1100–1200 m, 8–23. VI.2015, leg. D. Fedorenko ( SIEE, MSPU) ; 7♀♀ — Vietnam, Kon Tum Prov., Kon Plong Distr., Pak Khe River , 14 o 43’20’’N 108 o 18’58’’ E, at light, 4–12. VI.2016, leg. D. Fedorenko (2♀♀ — ZIN; 2♀♀ — SIEE, 2♀♀ — MSPU, 1♀ — JW); 8ÔÔ 2♀♀ — Vietnam, Quang Nam Prov., Nam Gian distr., Song Thanh Natn. Park , h = 1050 m, 15 o 33’48’’N 107 o 23’22’’E, 23.IV–11. V.2019, leg. D. Fedorenko (1Ô 1♀ — ZIN; 3ÔÔ— SIEE, 3ÔÔ 1♀ — MSPU, 1Ô— JW) ; 1♀ — Vietnam, Quang Nam Prov., Tay Giang, Axan mt. , 1300 m, 06.2017 (AA) .

Diagnosis. A new subspecies is distinguished from the nominotypical one by darker colouration, reduced white elytral pattern and narrower elytral apex ( Figs 7, 8, 88, 89 vs. Figs 1, 3–5, 81–85), by wider pronotum ( Figs 179, 181), by the longer hind tarsi—mean HTbL/HTaL = 1.18 in T. f. australis ssp. n. vs. mean HTbL/HTaL = 1.22 in T. f. fruhstorferi ( Figs 179, 180), and by the shorter aedeagus—mean EL/AL = 2.59 in T. f. australis ssp. n. vs. mean EL/AL = 2.47 in T. f. fruhstorferi ; from dark-coloured specimens of T. f. fruhstorferi ( Figs 6, 86, 87) the new subspecies is readily distinguished by the shape of aedeagus ( Figs 115–125, 136–151 vs. Figs 126–130). From T. pseudovitalisi sp. n. the new subspecies is differentiated both by the shape and the size of aedeagus ( Figs 126–130 vs. Figs 132–135), by the narrower elytral apex ( Figs 7, 8, 88, 89 vs. Figs 9–11, 90–95), and by the longer hind tarsus ( Figs 182, 183).

Description. TL = 10.0–12.0 mm in males (mean = 10.95 mm, n = 12), 10.0– 12.4 mm (mean = 11.42 mm, n = 12) in females.

Head shining black-blue with purple-violet reflection, especially bright on vertex, occiput and on smooth, finely or indistinctly striated in posterior third orbital plates; frons convex, semi-circular (see above), slightly downward anteriorly (see at the side), smooth or slightly rugose, frontal sulci deep and slightly convergent in anterior half or 2/3, shallow and distinctly divergent in posterior half or third. Mandibles in males brown underside, yellow or yellow-brown topside with light-brown teeth and apical molar, in females dark-brown except pale base topside. Labial palpomeres 2 and 3 yellow, palpomere 4 dark brown; maxillary palpomeres 1 and 2 yellow, yellow-brown or brown, palpomeres 3 and 4 dark brown or brown-black. Antennae do not extend posteriorly to the shoulders, scape in males yellow or yellow-brown on anterior side and dark-brown on posterior side, in females entirely black or brown-black rarely dark brown on anterior side; antennomeres 3–6 dark brown with narrow light brown apices, antennomeres 9–11 flattened; in males antennomeres 9 and 10 with slightly protruding downward anterior lower margins, antennomere 11 slightly dilated not wider than 10 one, in females antennomeres 9 and 10 slightly dilated on anterior side ( Figs 33, 34). Labrum indistinctly transverse, LW/LL = 1.0–1.15 (mean = 1.07, n = 24), in males black-brown with medium-sized or small yellow-brown central spot bordered from central apical teeth ( Fig. 56), in females entirely black or brown-black ( Fig. 57), rarely with small brown central spot.

Pronotum wider than long, PW/PL = 1.0–1.13 (mean = 1.06, n = 24) ( Figs 179, 181), shining blue with violet reflection, apical lobe with slightly narrower sides or virtually equal wide throughout; thorax shining blue with light violet reflection.

Fore and middle femora in males pale-yellow with brown violet-tinged posterior side, in females middle femora with more expanded black colour; hind femora bicolored, pale-yellow in basal half or third in males or in basal quarter in females, and black with violet tinge in other portion; fore tibiae light brown on outer sides and brown on inner sides with dark apices, middle tibiae light brown or yellow-brown with brown apices, in some specimens fore- and middle tibiae dark-brown with slightly lighter basal third, hind tibiae dark brown with black blue tinged apices, rarely all tibiae dark brown or brown-black; all tarsi black with light blue tinge; HTbL/HTaL = 1.09–1.29 (mean = 1.18, n = 23) ( Figs 179, 180, 182, 183).

Elytra subparallel, indistinctly divergent toward apex, EL/EW = 1.85–2.06 (mean = 1.97, n = 24); longer in females—EL/PL = 3.41–3.83 (mean = 3.61, n = 12) vs. 3.3–3.72 (mean = 3.45, n = 12) in males; shining blue with purple-violet reflection and narrow bright blue or golden-blue reflection along suture; punctuation deep and regular between basal humps and central dot, shallower behind it, entirely absent in apical quarter; scutellum black with greenish-blue tinge; apical margin gradually rounded. Elytral pattern presented by pale-yellow basal portion of humeral lunule and by small basal dot, in some specimens both of them very small or basal dot barely visible or absent, by elongate, slightly oblique, wide-uniformed central dot, semilunar and slightly curved towards to suture in some females as well as by very narrow dark brown apical edge ( Figs 7, 8, 88, 89).

Aedeagus with moderately short, straight or indistinctly curved, blunt apex without lateral carinae ( Figs 126– 130); AL = 2.5–2.8 mm (mean = 2.64, n = 12), EL/AL = 2.38–2.73 mm (mean = 2.59, n = 12).

Etymology. The name of this new subspecies is derived from the Latin, “ australis ”, meaning ‘southern’, which indicate the southern border of distribution of T. fruhstorferi at present time.

Distribution. VIETNAM: Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Gia Lai Provinces ( Fig. 184).