Microhoria punctatissima, Telnov, 2022

Telnov, Dmitry, 2022, Revisional notes on the genus Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Anthicidae) from the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey, with new descriptions, an annotated catalogue, and a key, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 22 (2), pp. 195-312 : 275-277

Microhoria punctatissima sp. nov. ( Fig. 42 ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:548F59D5­3EC4­41B7­9DB1­F0BAD7CAC3C7

Type material designated. Holotype male BMNH: Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 15 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 07­ 26 Nicklas Jansson/Mustafa Coskun/Tamer Kayis [printed].

Paratypes 25 specimens. 1 male DTC : same data as holotype ; 1 male IUIT : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 4 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 07­ 26 Nicklas Jansson/Mustafa Coskun/Tamer Kayis [printed] ; 1 male BMNH : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 7 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 07­ 26 Nicklas Jansson/ Mustafa Coskun/Tamer Kayis [printed] ; 1 male BMNH : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 17 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 06­ 24 Nicklas Jansson/Mustafa Coskun/Tamer Kayis [printed] ; 1 male NME : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 11 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 06­ 24 Nicklas Jansson/Mustafa Coskun/ Tamer Kayis [printed] ; 1 male NJC : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 12 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 06­ 24 Nicklas Jansson/ Mustafa Coskun/Tamer Kayis [printed] ; 1 female DTC : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36° 30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 13 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 07­ 26 Nicklas Jansson/Mustafa Avci [printed] ; 1 male DTC : Turkey, Mersin, 40 km N. Gülnar N 36°30’22,5; E 33°07’43,3 Köseçobanli/Tasdüstü, W­trap 16 Hollow Quercus 2006­ 06­ 24 Nicklas Jansson/ Mustafa Avci [printed] ; 4 males BMNH , 3 males DTC , 4 males IUIT & 6 males NME : TURKEY S, Mersin Prov., Gülnar distr. , 36°27’3’’ N 33°09’40’’ E 1400­ 1450 m, vi–viii.2017, hollow Quercus sp. , leg. M. Avci & S. Göktepe.

Etymology. The species epithet, “punctatissima ”, is derived from the Latin for “most punctate”, referring to the densely punctate dorsum of this new taxon.

Description. Holotype male, total body length 3.2 mm. Head 0.8 mm long, across compound eyes 0.65 mm wide. Pronotum 0.6 mm long, 0.65 mm wide. Elytra 1.8 mm long, maximum combined width 1.1 mm. Dorsum and venter uniformly black, mouthparts, basal antennomeres, tibiae and tarsi yellowish to pale brown. Head about 1.2× as long as wide, head base broadly rounded, tempora subparallel, posterior temporal angles rounded. Compound eye small, distinctly shorter than tempus, moderately protruding from lateral outline of head. Head dorsum slightly glossy, densely punctate. Intervening spaces smooth, narrower than to somewhat wider as punctures. Dorsal cranial setae whitish to yellowish, moderately long, rather dense, subdecumbent.Antennae slightly enlarged in apical third. Terminal antennomere elongate, pointed, about 2.3× as long as penultimate antennomere and 1.2× as long as combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Pronotum barely wider than long, barely narrower than head across eyes, broadly rounded at anterior margin. Pronotal disc slightly glossy, barely convex in dorsal aspect. Lateral margins strongly converging in posterior half. Latero­basal pronotal fovea broad. Pronotal punctures, intervening spaces and setation similar to those on head; punctures somewhat denser on median part of pronotal disc. Elytra about 1.5–1.6× as long as wide, laterally subparallel, subtruncate at apex, dorsally flattened. Humerus broadly rounded.Apex of elytron modified, with an inconspicuous, broad denticle at opening of gland channel. Elytral surface moderately glossy, rather densely punctate, some punctures on basal half of elytra with crateriform (somewhat raised) margins. Intervening spaces variable, generally wider than punctures. Elytral setae whitish, rather long and dense, subdecumbent, directed posteriad. Metathoracic wings fully developed. Legs without modifications, tibial terminal spurs paired. Tergite VII truncate at posterior margin. Morphological sternite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin. Spiculum gastrale as in Fig. 42C . Aedeagus ( Fig. 42D–F ) elongate. Tegmen apex hooked, endophallicarmaturewithpaired, strongly C­like curved spines and numerous subapical spinules.

Sexual dimorphism. Female externally similar to male, antenna comparatively shorter, head comparatively smaller and posterior temporal angles comparatively broader rounded.

Intraspecific variability. Some paratypic specimens uniformly dark black­brown. Density of punctures on forebody slightly varies in paratypes.

Differential diagnosis. Microhoria punctatissima sp. nov. belongs to the M. terminata species group. It and can be distinguished from all congeners by the densely, rather roughly punctured dorsum, the comparatively robust body, and the shape of the aedeagus and the structure of its endophallic armature. The aedeagus of M. punctatissima sp. nov. somewhat resembles that of M. rubronotata (Pic, 1896) stat. nov. (Insular Greece, European Turkey; consider the new status for this taxon below), but the later species is significantly smaller, has the palercoloured forebody and much less roughly punctured dorsum. The aedeagus of the new species appears very similar to that of M. halophila Kejval in Kejval & Chandler 2020 ( Turkey) but is specific in the presence of the strongly curved spines of the endophallic armature, the presence of the metathoracic wings and the elytral humeri.

Ecology. Sampled using flight interception traps installed on hollow trunks of pollarded veteran Quercus ithaburensis Decne. trees in an open pasture woodland at 1400 m a.s.l. Trap No. 4 (paratype) was installed 3.2 m above the ground on a hollow trunk of 180 cm circumference, trap No. 7 (paratype) – 2.5 m and 350 cm, trap No. 11 (paratype) – 1.7 m and 180 cm, No. 12 (paratype) – 3 m and 200 cm, No. 15 (holotype and one paratype) – 2 m and 230 cm, and No. 17 (two paratypes) – 1.3 m above the ground and of 260 cm circumference.

Distribution. Southern Turkey.

Figures

Fig. 42. Microhoria punctatissima sp. nov. male paratype.A – Habitus, dorsal view; B – Forebody, dorsal view; C – Spiculum gastrale; D – Aedeagus, lateral view; E – Endophallic armature; F – Apical portion of aedeagus [not to scale].