Ludioctenus pakistanicus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012

Kundrаtа, Robin, Sormovа, Eliskа & Prosvirov, Аlexаnder S., 2018, Revisiting the diversity of Ludioctenus Fairmaire (Elateridae: Agrypninae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan, and discussion on the systematic position of Tetrigusina, Zootaxa 4455 (2), pp. 377-388 : 381-386

Ludioctenus pakistanicus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012

( Figs 42–61 )

Ludioctenus pakistanicus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012: 127 .

Material examined. PAKISTAN. Holotype, male, "NW-Pakistan, Prov. Swat, 71°90'L/35°70'B, Madyan, 1400 m, am Licht, 19.6.– 4.7.1971, leg. C. Holzschuh " ( NKME) . 2 paratypes, males, same data as for the holotype ( NKME) ; 2 paratypes, male and female, "Pakistan-N, NWF prov., Chitral env., 27.–29.vii.1998, L. Čížek & L. Černý leg." ( NMPC) ; 1 paratype, male, "T. R. Pell, Karachi, Coll. E. Fleutiaux " ( MNHN). INDIA. 1 paratype, male (?), " Shembaganur [ Shenbaganur ], Sd. Ind. [southern India]" ( MNHN).

Description of terminal abdominal segments and genitalia. Male. Tergite VIII ( Fig. 50 ) about 1.3 times as wide as long, apically widely rounded, finely punctate, covered with dense pubescence. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 49 )

subtriangular, partly membranous, about 1.3 times as wide as long, apically slightly emarginate, medially and apicolaterally finely punctate, covered with short dense pubescence. Tergites IX and X ( Fig. 53 ) connected by membrane; tergite IX about 1.8 times as wide as long, emarginate apically; tergite X small, widely rounded apically. Sternite IX ( Fig. 51 ) elongate, about 2.1 times as long as wide, apically rounded, apicolaterally finely punctate, with short dense pubescence. Sternite X ( Fig. 52 ) connected by membrane to sternite IX, partly membranous, with two elongate, subparallel-sided sclerotized plates. Аedeagus ( Figs 54–55 ) elongate, about 3.3 times as long as wide. Median lobe elongate, robust, slightly surpassing parameres, gradually narrowed towards apex, apically abruptly narrowed, apex narrowly rounded, with moderately long basal struts. Paramere elongate, gradually narrowed from base toward apex, gradually constricted subapically, with subapical hook, apical portion covered with short setae, apex narrowly rounded; subapical hook short, thin, its outer portion not or only shallowly emarginate. Phallobase robust, transverse, about 1.2 times as wide as long. Female. Tergite VIII ( Fig. 61 ) subtriangular, slightly longer than wide, narrowed toward apex, subacute apically, finely punctate, covered with moderately dense pubescence, mainly at margins. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 59 ) slightly longer than wide, with sides and apex rounded, finely punctate, covered with dense pubescence, spiculum ventrale slender, long, about 2.6 times sternite length. Ovipositor ( Fig. 58 ) elongate; paraprocts about 7.5 times as long as gonocoxites, styli absent. Vagina with plate-like sclerotized structures. Bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 60 ) mebranous, sac-like, anteriorly elongate, with long rows of jointly connected spines. Two elongate spermathecae attached to anterior part of bursa copulatrix.

Distribution. India, Pakistan.

Remarks. Schimmel & Tarnawski (2012) listed only Pakistan for the distribution of L. pakistanicus . However, they included in the type series a specimen from MNHN with the data "Shembaganur, without further data". We examined this specimen and in fact it bears the label "Shembaganur, Sd. Ind.". Because Shembaganur (or Shenbaganur) lies in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, we include here also India in the distribution of Ludioctenus . Schimmel & Tarnawski (2012) suggested that the specimen from Shembaganur is a female. Unfortunately, it is in a bad condition and most of abdomen including the soft tissues and genitalia is missing. However, based on the shape of pronotum ( Fig. 56 ) and antenna it is most probably a male. What is more, this specimen has much sparser pronotal punctation than the specimens from Pakistan ( Figs 56–57 ) and might represent an undescribed species. Since several morphological characters such as the shape of the scutellar shield are variable in L. pakistanicus (scutellar shield about 2.1 times as long as wide in the holotype ( Fig. 47 ) but 1.8–2.0 times in the examined male paratypes), we prefer to include the specimen from Shembaganur tentatively under L. pakistanicus until more specimens are available for more detailed study.

The male holotype of L. pakistanicus was not originally dissected and therefore we figure here the pregenital sclerites and aedeagus ( Figs 49–55 ). For the first time, we figure here also pregenital segments and genitalia of a female of this species ( Figs 58–61 ).

Figures

FIGURES 42–55. Ludioctenus pakistanicus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012, holotype, male. 42, habitus, dorsal view; 43, habitus, ventral view; 44, habitus, lateral view; 45, antenna; 46, pronotum; 47, scutellar shield; 48, interior part of metacoxal plate, 49, abdominal sternite VIII; 50, abdominal tergite VIII; 51, abdominal sternite IX; 52, abdominal sternite X; 53, abdominal tergites IX–X; 54, aedeagus, dorsal view; 55, aedeagus, ventral view. Scale bars = 5.0 mm (Figs 42–44), 2.0 mm (Fig. 45–46), 1.0 mm (Figs 47–55).

FIGURES 56–61. 56, Ludioctenus pakistanicus Schimmel & Tarnawski, 2012, paratype, male? (India), pronotum; 57–61 L. pakistanicus, paratype, female (Pakistan). 57, pronotum; 58, ovipositor; 59, abdominal sternite VIII; 60, female genital tract; 61, abdominal tergite VIII. Scale bars = 5.0 mm (Figs 56–57), 2.0 mm (Figs 58–61).