Microhoria gorgus ( Truqui, 1855 )

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 : 236-238

Microhoria gorgus ( Truqui, 1855) ( Fig. 21 ) Anthicus gorgus Truqui, 1855: 180 (description, key).

Anthicus Gorgus – Kiesenwetter 1861: 248 (records – Cyprus, mainland Greece); Stein 1868: 89 (checklist); Baudi di Selve 1877: 154 (supplementary description); Baudi di Selve 1878: 19 (checklist); Heyden et al. 1883: 141 (checklist); Heyden 1891: 268 (checklist).

Anthicus gorgus – Lacordaire 1859: 597 (checklist); Marseul 1879: 192 & 221 (supplementary description, key, record – Syria); Pic 1896b: 180 (key, record – Cyclades Islands); Pic 1902a: 41 (key); Pic 1911a: 51 (checklist).

Anthicus “Bifossicolles ” gorgus – Marseul 1887: 353 (checklist).

Anthicus (Eonius) Gorgus – Reitter 1906: 445 (checklist).

Anthicus (Immicrohoria) gorgus – Winkler 1927: 849 (checklist); Hariri 1968: 206 (checklist).

Microhoria gorgus – Uhmann et al. 2005: 53 (new combination, bibliography, bionomy, comment on distribution in Levant); Chandler et al. 2008: 440 (checklist); Kejval & Chandler 2020: 131 (assigned to the M. terminata species group); Telnov 2020a: 610 (checklist).

Type material not studied.

New material. 3 specimens BMNH: Cyprus ; 3 specimen BMNH: Cyprus Nicosia 15.IV.39 Th. Shiakides // On wild flowers // 1.518 // COM INST ENT. COLL. NO 11448 // Pres. by Comm Inst Ent B.M. 1981­ 315 ; 1 specimen MHNN: Aglantzia (Nicosia, Chypre) 3­ IV­2007 G. Alziar leg. ; 5 specimens NME & 2 specimens DTC: CY; Prov. Lefkosia 82 Politiko 1 km S, Macchia, 400 m Fritzlar leg. 21.III.2012; 7 specimens NME: CYPRUS, N, Camlibel, 6 km SW, Tepebasi, W, pine for., Macchia , 180 m, 35°18’10” N, 33°00’11” E 30.III.15, leg. D. Frenzel #25; 13 specimen NME & 5 specimens DTC: N­CYPRUS, Çamlibel, 6 km SW, Tepebasi, W, pine forest, Macchia , 180 m NN, 35°18’10” N, 33°00’11” E, 30.III.2015, leg. A. Kopetz #25; 2 specimens NME: CYPRUS, N, Grine , 27 km E Bahceli, 2 km SW, stony meadow 450 m NN 35°19’27” N, 33°37’17” E 01.IV.15, leg. D. Frenzel #35; 1 specimen NME: CYPRUS, N, Grine , 28 km E Bahceli, W, 100­ 120 m NN 35°20’14” N, 33°37’28” E to 35°20’26” N, 33°37’34” E 05.IV.15, leg. D. Frenzel #47; 1 specimen NME: CYPRUS, Distr. Nicosia, Mathiatis, NE, field sideline and dry grassland elevations, 34°58’16” N, 33°20’43’’ E, 355 m NN, 18.IV.2019, leg. A. Kopetz #09; 2 specimens NME: CYPRUS, Distr. Lemesos [sic!] Skarinou , 0, 5 km NW, dry slope macchia, 225 m NN 34°49’27” N, 33°21’13’’ E, 20.IV.19, leg. D. & M. Frenzel ; 1 specimen NME: CYPRUS, Distr. Lemessos, Skarinou , 0, 5 km NW, dry slope macchia, 34°50’53” N, 32°28’21’’ E, 225 m NN, 20.IV.2019, leg. A. Kopetz #103.

Supplementary description. Belongs to the M. terminata species group. Male from Tepebasi env., Cyprus. Total body length 2.6 mm. Dorsum and venter uniformly black except for brownish mandibles, labrum, femora and antennomeres 1–6. Tibiae and tarsi dirty yellowish brown. Head about 1.2× as long as wide, basal margin rounded in one broad arc with posterior temporal angles. Compound eye rather small, moderately protruding from lateral outline of head, about as long as subparallel tempora. Head dorsum moderately glossy, minutely, variably densely punctate. Intervening spaces glossy, about as wide to twice as wide as punctures. Dorsal cranial setae inconspicuous – whitish, rather sparse, appressed to subdecumbent. Antenna vaguely thickened in apical half. Terminal antennomere elongate, apically bluntly pointed, slightly more than twice as long as penultimate antennomere, as long as combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Pronotum about as long as wide, narrower than head across eyes, moderately glossy, rounded at anterior margin. Lateral margins strongly constricted in posterior half. Latero­basal pronotal fovea broad and deep, without conspicuous, denser setae. Pronotal disc slightly convex in dorsal aspect, punctures and intervening spaces similar to those on head. Pronotal setae similar to those on head, mainly appressed. Elytra short, about 1.2× as long as wide, laterally slightly widened, dorsally slightly convex. Humerus obsolete. Elytral disc moderately glossy, punctures slightly coarser than those on forebody. Intervening spaces smooth, about as wide as punctures. Elytral setae whitish, moderately long, rather sparse, subdecumbent.Apex of elytron subtruncate, channel of gland opening forming short, acute triangular denticle and provided with a few very short setae. Brachypterous or apterous. Legs without modifications, tibial terminal spurs paired. Tergite VII truncate at posterior margin. Morphological sternite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin. Aedeagus as in Fig. 21C–D . Tegmen with moderately long, preapically slightly widened, apically rounded process; endophallic armature of numerous bunched, narrow, strongly elongate, subparallel spines, numerous small spinules and a pair of knife­shaped, indistinctly curved spine.

Sexual dimorphism. Female elytral apex broadly rounded, without modifications. Female tergite VII broadly rounded to subtruncate at posterior margin.

Ecology. Specimens collected from pine forest floor, in dry grasslands and stony meadows, as well as from flowering plants.

Distribution. Cyprus, Greece, Syria. However, the specimens from mainland Greece and Syria were not verified during the present study and require further confirmation.

Chorotype. SW­Asiatic (1.13 SWA). Here considered Cypriot endemic (3570.01 CYPR).

Figures

Fig. 21. Microhoria gorgus (Truqui, 1855) male from Macchia, Cyprus.A – Habitus, dorsal view; B – Head, dorsal view; C – Aedeagus, lateral view; D – ditto, median portion of endophallic armature [not to scale].