Helops punctatissimus, Nabozhenko & Keskin, 2017

Nabozhenko, M. V. & Keskin, B., 2017, Taxonomic review of the genus Helops Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) of Turkey, Caucasian Entomological Bulletin (Caucas. entomol. bull.) 13 (1), pp. 41-49 : 46-48

Helops punctatissimus sp. n.

(Color plate 2: 9, 11, 13, 18; Figs 39–43 )

Material. Holotype, ♂ (will be deposited in ZIN): Turkey, Bitlis Prov., E Tatvan, 38°28ʹ18.06ʺN / 42°19ʹ13.54ʺE, 23.04.2009 (leg. M. V. and S. V. Nabozhenko).

Description. Male. Body black, moderately shiny, head and protibiae with very weak bluish shade. Head widest at eye level. Eyes large, strongly transverse. Head width 1.54 times width of interocular space. Outer margins of genae regularly rounded. Lateral margin of head with very weak and short sinuation between genae and frontoclypeus. Head with continuous depression between frons and frontoclypeus. Frons weakly convex. Punctation of head dorsally very coarse and dense (puncture diameter 3–4 times as long as interpuncture distance), punctures not merged; vertex with dense merged punctation. Antennomeres long, with 3 apical antennomeres extending beyond base of pronotum, antennomeres 2–8 with blue shine, antennomeres 1 and 9–11 black.

Pronotum weakly transverse (1.14 times wide as long), cordiform, widest before middle, 1.6 times wider than head. Lateral margins weakly rounded, emarginated in basal quarter. Anterior margin weakly broadly emarginated, base straight. Anterior angles weakly obtuse, posterior ones right. Disc of pronotum regularly convex, without impressions, all margins with simple, not thickened bead (excluding middle of anterior and basal margins, where bead more widened). Punctation of disc the same as on head, sparser at middle and merged on side, punctures round. Outer margins of prothoracic hypomera not flattened; hypomera with coarse, very dense not merged punctures, without wrinkles. Prosternal process smooth, without punctation, beaded, with short cone apically.

Elytra elongate (1.6 times as long as wide), 1.2 times wider and 2.24 times longer than pronotum, 1.96 times wider than head. Elytral interstriae flat, with dense punctation (puncture diameter subequal to distance between punctures) of small deep punctures and sparse, not depressed transverse wrinkles. Strial punctures round, deep, not connecting. Epipleura not impressed, with very coarse irregular wrinkles.

Meso- and metaventrite, mesepimera, mes- and metepisterna with very dense and coarse merged punctation. Abdominal ventrites with very dense punctation, from coarse on 1 th ventrite to fine on 5 th ventrite, without wrinkles. Ventrite 5 completely beaded.

Pro- and mesotibiae curved, weakly club-shaped, with very dense brush of long black setae on inner side. Protibiae longitudinally impressed along middle of inner side. Tarsi with dense brush of black hairs on ventral side. Protarsi transverse, mesotarsi longitudinal.

Body length 15 mm, width 5.7 mm.

Etymology. The name is translated from Latin as “densely punctated”.

Differential diagnosis. This new species is similar to Helops caeruleus , from which it differs in the structure of elytral striae (in Helops caeruleus strial punctures are connected to continuous grooves, in H. punctatissimus sp. n. strial punctures consist of not merged round punctures), less elevated protrusion on mentum, which weakly visible at lateral view, denser and coarser punctation and black colour of the body.

Figures

Figs 39–43.Helops punctatissimus sp. n., male genitalia and terminalia. 39 – aedeagus, ventral view; 40 – median piece (penis); 41 – aedeagus, lateral view; 42 – male inner sternite VIII, ventrally; 43 – gastral spicula. Рис.39–43. Helops punctatissimus sp. n., генитаΛии и терминаΛии самца. 39 – эΑеагус вентраΛьно; 40 – пенис; 41 – эΑеагус ΛатераΛьно; 42 – VIII внутренний стернит самца, вентраΛьно; 43 – гастраΛьная спикуΛа.