Dendarus matthewsi Nabozhenko, 2022

Nabozhenko, Maxim V. & Poggi, Roberto, 2022, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Dendarus Dejean, 1821 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Blaptinae: Dendarini) from Iran, Turkmenistan and some adjacent territories, Zootaxa 5155 (1), pp. 105-123 : 112-113

Dendarus matthewsi Nabozhenko sp. n.

( Figs 4A–C , 5A , 9E , 10D , 11D , 12D , 13D, E )

Type material. Holotype (♂) and two paratypes (1♂, 1♀) ( ZIN): West Azerbaijan Prov., S of Piranshahr , 36°36ʹ31ʺN, 45º08ʹ21ʺE, 20–22.v.2015 (leg. D.G. Kasatkin) . Paratypes: 2♂♂, 1♀ ( ZIN): Iran, Kermanshah Prov., Shamshir settlement environment, 35°0ʹ38.99ʺN, 46°26ʹ17.41ʺE, H= 1770–2000m, 22.05.2015 (leg. D.G. Kasatkin) ; 1♂ ( HNHM): Iran, Kordestan Prov., pass 26 km SE Saqqez , 17.iv.2002 (leg. S. Kadlec) ; 1♂ ( HNHM): Iran, Chahăr- Mahãl-o Bakhtiya Prov., Kuhhă-ye Zagros , 32 km S of Borujen, 31°41ʹN, 51°14ʹE, 2200 m, mountain meadow, 26.iv.2016 (leg. A. Lasón) .

Comparative material ( PCMN). Dendarus simplex Seidlitz, 1893 ( Figs 4D–F , 9D ). 2♀♀, Turkey, Van Prov., near Erçek Lake (southern coast), Baklatepe env., 2000 m, 23.04.2007 (leg. M.V. Nabozhenko) ; 1♂, 2♀♀, Turkey, Van Prov., Görentaş , 31.v.2013, 38°07ʹ27.4ʺN, 43°09ʹ30.7ʺE, 2156 m (leg. M.V. & S.V. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin, A. Pektaş) ; 1♀, Turkey, Van Prov., Erekdaǧ , 1.vi.2013, 38°25ʹ53.1ʺN, 43°29ʹ03.6ʺE, 2077–2600 m (leg. M.V. & S.V. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin, A. Pektaş) ; 1♂, 1♀, Turkey, Van Prov., Güzeldere pass, 3.vi.2013, 38°10ʹ45.6ʺN, 43°54ʹ26.6ʺE, 2750 m (leg. M.V. & S.V. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin, A. Pektaş) ; 8♂♂, 8♀♀, Turkey, Hakkari Province, Berçelan Yayla , 3.vi.2013, 37°38′11.6″N, 43°45′20.2″E, 2700 m (leg. M.V. & S.V. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin, A. Pektaş) .

Description. Male. Body black, weakly convex, dull; elongate and slender, but legs robust and thickened. Measurements: body length 10–11.5 mm, body width 4–4.3 mm; PH w —1.6; P w P l —1.26–1.27; E l E w— 1.4; EH w — 1.85–1.87; EP w —1.16; EP l —2–2.1.

Head widest at genae level. Lateral margin of temples (dorsal view) weakly rounded; genae sharply narrowed from eyes to base. Head ventrally with strongly impressed longitudinal furrow beyond prementum. Lateral angles of laryngeal emargination rounded at apex. Puncturation of head dorsally coarse, moderately dense. Punctures along outer margin of head denser than on frons. Antennae short, comparatively robust, antennomeres 8–10 transverse.

Prothorax. Pronotum moderately transverse, widest at middle; lateral margins weakly rounded in anterior ¾ and weakly emarginated in basal quarter; anterior margin widely emarginated, base bisinuate. Anterior angles weakly protruding, the posterior ones right-angled, also weakly protruding but not extending beyond base of pronotum; all margins beaded, except in the middle of the anterior margin; disc weakly convex, uniformly, finely and sparsely punctured by round punctures (puncture diameter 2–3 times shorter than interpuncture distance). Prothoracic hypomera sparsely and coarsely punctured. Prosternal process strongly impressed in the middle, acute at apex.

Elytra elongate, widest at middle. Striae consisting of 27–32 slightly impressed fine punctures, which are about 3 times larger than sparse and fine interstrial punctures. Ventral side of pterothorax and abdominal ventrites have no significant differences from other Iranian species. Abdominal tergite VII with sparse setae along midline.

Legs. Protibiae strongly widened, with moderately deep notch on inner side and right-angled tooth beyond this invagination; protibia widest at level of mentioned tooth, where it is visibly wider than at apical level. Mesotibiae almost very weakly bent, almost straight. Mesotarsomeres 1–4 weakly widened; mesotarsomeres 2 and 3 with full hair brush on sole.

Genitalia. Rods of spiculum gastrale thickened but not wider than blades (derivates of sternite IX). Aedeagus with acute ventral apophyses of apical piece, which are slightly longer than median lobe.

Female. Body more robust and wider; antennae slightly shorter; protibiae weakly bent.

Etymology. The species is named in memory of Eric Glasswell Matthews (1932–2022), my friend and colleague, famous Australian entomologist, an excellent specialist on Tenebrionidae and Scarabaeidae .

Comparative diagnosis. The new species is similar to D. simplex and D. armeniacus , which also have deeply impressed longitudinal furrow beyond prementum and combination of thin strial punctures with uniform shine (or dull) integument in males and females. Dendarus matthewsi sp. n. differs from:

– D. simplex by the shape of temples, weakly rounded and sharply narrowed from eyes to base; the shape of the pronotum with protruding anterior angles and deeper bisinuate base with right-angled posterior angles; the shape of male protibiae having the rectangular tooth and widest at level of this tooth, where it slightly wider than at the apical level; male mesotarsi with full hair brush on sole of mesotarsomeres 2 and 3 (only one reduced small brush on mesotarsomere 2 in D. simplex );

– D. armeniacus by the larger body; the thickened, more robust legs; the shape of pronotum with protruding anterior angles and deeper bisinuate base with rectangular posterior angles; the male protibiae with right-angled tooth (acute and strongly protruding tooth in D. armeniacus ); the male mesotarsi with full hair brush on sole of mesotarsomeres 2 and 3 (absence of brushes or only one small brush on mesotarsomere 2 or one small brush on mesotarsomere 2 and strongly reduced tuft on mesotarsomere 3 in D. armeniacus ); the median lobe of the aedeagus is widened at apex (the median lobe is narrowed at apical third in D. armeniacus ); the strial punctures are larger and well visible (strial punctures smaller and poorly visible against the background of interstrial punctures in D. armeniacus ).

Distribution. W Iran (Zagros Mts).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Dendarus spp., habitus. A–C = D. matthewsi sp. n.; D–F = D. simplex (Turkey, Hakkary Prov., Berçelan Yayla); A, D = male, dorsally; B, E = male, ventrally; C, F = female, dorsally.

FIGURE 5. Dendarus spp., male, head and pronotum. A = D. matthewsi; B = D. simplex.

FIGURE 9. Dendarus spp., male protibia. A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. simplex; E = D. matthewsi sp. n.; F = D. transcaspicus; G = D. vagabundus.

FIGURE 10. Dendarus spp., male tergite VIII. A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = D. transcaspicus; F = D. vagabundus.

FIGURE 11. Dendarus spp., male inner sternite VIII.A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = D. transcaspicus; F = D. vagabundus. sVIII—inner sternite VIII, tVIII—inner tergite VIII, tIX—inner tergite IX.

FIGURE 12. Dendarus spp., spiculum gastrale.A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = D. transcaspicus; F = D. vagabundus.

FIGURE 13. Dendarus spp., aedeagus, ventrally. A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = the same, turned forward; F = D. transcaspicus; G = D. vagabundus.