Anthrenus corona, Holloway, 2021

Holloway, Graham J., 2021, Anthrenus (s. str.) corona (Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Anthrenini): a new species in the A. pimpinellae Fabricius, 1775 complex from Turkey, Zootaxa 4991 (3), pp. 555-560 : 556-559

Anthrenus corona sp. nov.

Specimen examined. New record (holotype) for Anthrenus (Anthrenus) corona sp. nov. Turkey , Keçiören, 16 May 1939, F.S. Bodenheimer leg., one ♂, NHM, London , UK .

Description. External characteristics. Large (BL = 4.434 mm) and broadly oval (BW = 3.297 mm) ( Fig. 1A ), BW/ BL = 0.744. Head with one median ocellus on vertex. Cuticle reddish brown on elytra, dark brown on pronotum. Dorsal surface covered in flat, oval scales, which are approximately twice as long as broad. Scales either black, orange, or creamy-white. Creamy-white scales concentrated in sub-basal, trans-elytral band, broadest at the lateral margin, narrowing towards the elytral suture. The scutellum is triangular and black. One sub-apical creamy-white spot on each elytron and two more diffuse creamy-white patches on the hind angles of the pronotum. Orange scales more scattered as small patches across the pronotum, around the elytral apices, along the apical half of the elytral suture and scattered as loose patches across the disk of each elytron posterior to the white band. Eyes emarginated on inner edge and mostly glabrous apart from a few scattered micro setae in top half of eye. Abdominal ventrites covered in closely packed white scales ( Fig. 1B ). Anterior 1/3 of ventrite I devoid of scales. Anterior halves of lateral margins of ventrites II–V carry spots of black scales and there is a spot of black scales at the apex of ventrite V. Ventrite I also carries spots of black scales towards each lateral margin, but these spots are small, sublateral and surrounded by white scales. The femora, tibiae, and tarsi unicolorous mid-brown. Femora carry scales on the outer surface, especially basally. Antennae with 11 antennomeres, antennomeres 1–8 reddish brown ( Fig. 1C ). Antennomeres 9–11 form an asymmetric club (AL = 0.247 mm; AW = 0.180 mm; AL/AW = 1.372) that is marginally darker than antennomeres 1–8.

Internal characteristics. PL = 0.572 mm. PL/BL = 0.129, aedeagus ( Fig. 2A ) short relative to BL compared with equivalent measures in some other species (Holloway & Bakaloudis 2020; Holloway et al. 2020a). Parameres carry hairs on the apical third. The spikey hairs on the outer surface of each paramere are noticeable and unusual. Also, some sparsely distributed hairs on inner surface of each paramere starting marginally further away from the apical tip than hairs on outer surface. Inner surfaces of each paramere at the apical tip carry several short, spikey hairs emerging at right angles from each paramere pointing inwards. Parameres very narrow, evenly curved from base to apex. Parameres expand slightly at apex forming blunt, rounded, and white tips that tilt in towards each other. The white patches extend further down the inner margins of the parameres than the outer margins. Median lobe has a wide base and narrows rapidly towards the apex until about halfway along its length from which point it barely narrows any further, forming an almost parallel-sided finger to the apex. Apical tip of median lobe evenly rounded, without expansion, falling short of tips of parameres. Apical (posterior) end of sternite IX ( Fig. 2B ) spatulate. Margins of expanded apex of sternite IX carry sharp hairs, including around the evenly rounded tip. From the apex towards the anterior end, posterior stem narrows forming a neck before expanding rapidly towards two slim horns pointing into abdomen. Fig. 2C illustrates structure of the evident, but narrow, sclerotinized margins, just posterior to the neck that expand evenly to terminate at the base of each horn. Horns similarly sclerotinized with contrast between colour at base of each horn and the broad ends of the sclerotinized margins described above. Between the horns, the membrane is translucent. From apex to base, sternite IX = 0.626 mm.

Differential diagnosis. External characteristics. The most striking feature of the specimen shown in Fig. 1A is its size. The only other species in the complex that approaches this size and has a colour pattern resembling A. corona is A. goliath Mulsant & Rey 1868 ( Fig. 3A ). NHM holds just one A. goliath: BL = 3.962 mm, BW = 3.171 mm, BW/BL = 0.700. The NHM A. goliath specimen has a narrower habitus profile than A. corona . Fig. 3B shows an image of an antenna from A. goliath . Anthrenus goliath has a slim, asymmetric antennal club (AL = 0.250 mm, AW = 0.165 mm, AL/AW = 1.515). Anthrenus corona also has an asymmetric antennal club ( Fig. 1C ) that is not as narrow as A. goliath .

Internal characteristics. Anthrenus corona has very narrow aedeagal parameres ( Fig. 2A ). The parameres of A. goliath ( Fig. 3C ) are considerably broader than A. corona . The setae on A. goliath parameres are short, sparse and cover the surface of the parameres, in contrast to the spikey setae along the paramere margins in A. corona . Anthrenus goliath PL = 540 µm, PL/BL = 0.136, so the aedeagus in A. goliath is longer relative to BL than A. corona . The median lobe of A. goliath is broader for much of its length than the median lobe of A. corona .

Discussion. The specimen of A. corona described here is large at 4.434 mm. Kadej et al. (2007) examined 60 specimens of A. goliath and found body length to vary between 3.0 mm and 4.25 mm. The only A. goliath held by the NHM measures 3.962 mm. However, the A. corona specimen has a much rounder profile (BW/BL = 0.744) than A. goliath (BW/BL = 0.700). Holloway & Bakaloudis (2020) and Armstrong et al. (submitted) found BW/BL to be highly conserved, so it is likely that A. goliath is a consistently slimmer species than A. corona . According to Háva (2020), Anthrenus goliath also occurs in Turkey. It would be interesting to get more body measurements for A. corona to establish whether body size and shape could be an initial guide to identification. Genital structure remains the principal way of differentiating among species within the A. pimpinellae complex. Even when habitus characteristics are very similar, genital structure varies consistently among species ( Kadej et al. 2007) but varies very little within species (Holloway & Bakaloudis 2020; Holloway et al. 2020a).

The discovery of A. corona brings the number of known species within the Anthrenus pimpinellae complex to 23. One further species within the A. pimpinellae complex is claimed: A. almatyensis Háva 2018 ( Háva 2018) . Unfortunately, the quality of the images provided in Háva (2018) does not offer readers the opportunity to explore the calibre of the claim, in particular differentiation from the similar A. mesopotamicus Háva 2001 ( Kadej et al. 2007).

Etymology. Anthrenus corona is named after the COVID-19 pandemic that has been causing so much suffering globally at the time this species was discovered.

Figures

FIGURE 1. External features of ♂Anthrenus corona: A, habitus dorsal aspect (scale bar: 1 mm); B, ventrites (scale bar: 1 mm); C, antennal club (scale bar: 0.2 mm).

FIGURE 3. ♂Anthrenus goliath: A, habitus dorsal aspect (scale bar: 1 mm); B, antennal club (scale bar: 0.2 mm); C, aedeagus dorsal aspect (scale bar: 0.2 mm).

FIGURE. 2. Genitalia of ♂Anthrenus corona: A, aedeagus dorsal aspect, low intensity transmitted light to highlight setae; B, sternite IX, low transmitted light intensity to highlight setae; C, sternite IX, high transmitted light intensity to highlight sclerotinized features. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.