Helops punctatissimus Nabozhenko & Keskin, 2017

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Keskin, Bekir, Keskin, Nurşen Alpagut, Gagarina, Ludmila V. & Nabozhenko, Svetlana, 2021, Two new species and new records of lichen-feeding darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) from Turkey with notes on bionomics and trophic relations, Zootaxa 5057 (1), pp. 69-86 : 82

Helops punctatissimus Nabozhenko & Keskin, 2017

( Fig. 8 )

Material. 2♂, 2♀ ( SMNS): Turkey, Bitlis Prov., Reşadiye, Van Lake , 1– 17.06.2007 (leg. C. Reuter) ; 4♂, 3♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Bitlis Prov., Tatvan env., Küçüksu , 38°28ʹ05.91ʺN / 42°19ʹ21.68ʺE, 1770 m, 29.05.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, U. Çalışan, K. Yılmaz) .

Note. This species was described based on a single male specimen. The newly collected material enables us to supplement the initial description with data on females.

Brief description of female. Measurements: Y—1.36; PH —1.67; P w P l —1.17; E l E w —1.65; EH w —3.65; EP w — 1.3; EP l —2.55. Body much more robust than in male, strongly convex. Head, legs and scutellar shield blue, prothorax dark violet, pterothorax and abdomen dark-blue. Antennae short, not reaching base of pronotum; antennomere 11 asymmetric, with oblique apex. Pronotum slightly transverse, widest little behind middle. Elytra widest behind middle. Pro- and metatibiae straight, mesotibiae slightly bent. Protarsomeres 1–4 very short, transverse, but not widened as in males.

Distribution and bionomics. This species was described from the surroundings of Tatvan based on a single male specimen, which was collected under the trunk of old Juniperus excelsa . After a long search, H. punctatissimus was not found further on junipers, however, numerous specimens were registered in 2021 on Quercus cerris L. around Tatvan.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Helops punctatissimus, female, habitus:A—dorsally; B—ventrally.