Deretus hulai, Purchart, Luboš, 2012

Purchart, Luboš, 2012, Biodiversity research of darkling beetles on Socotra Island. Part I. The genus Deretus Gahan, 1900 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Zootaxa 3153, pp. 57-68 : 61-62

Deretus hulai sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 , 15)

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Firmihin.

Type material. Holotype —(1Ƥ NMPC): Republic of Yemen, Socotra Isl., Firmihin plato, Dracena [ Dracaena ] tree forest, N12°28’ 465’’, E54°00’ 89830’’, V. Hula lgt., 22.– 25.6.2009. The paratypes —(1Ƥ LPCB): same as holotype; (1Ƥ LPCB): YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island, Firmihin, 400–500 m, N 12°28´27´´, E 54°0´54´´, 22–25. vi. 2009, L. Purchart lgt.

Differential diagnosis. Deretus hulai sp. nov. is the only species in the genus to possess no emargination on the anterior margin of pronotum. The margin is concave in dorsal view. Moreover, the pronotum is subquadrate and not distinctly transverse, while in the rest of the species it is transverse. With D. bezdeki sp. nov. it shares dentate sides of the pronotum and sculptured elytra. However, D. hulai sp. nov. possesses small spine-like teeth on lateral margin of pronotum ( Fig. 15) and very small tubercles on the elytra. D. bezdeki sp. nov. has large tubercles in the elytral intervals, large acute teeth on the pronotal sides and strongly elongated anterior corners of the pronotum ( Fig. 13). The remaining four species have no spine-like or acute teeth, and lack tubercles on the elytra.

Description. Holotype, body length 5.3 mm, width 2.1 mm. Variability of size in paratypes—females: 5.7–5.8 x 2.15–2.3 mm; male: unknown. Body subcylindric, dark brown, shiny ( Fig. 5 ).

Head densely punctate, punctures as large as eye facets. Space between punctures narrower or equal to their diameter. Eyes reniform, not divided by genae. Clypeus with almost straight anterior margin. The latter with several long yellowish setae. Labrum transverse, punctate, covered with long yellowish setae. Ventral side of head shiny and punctate. Mentum transverse with midlongitudinal and smooth gibbosity. Apical labial palpomere broadened, triangular. Antennae filiform, relatively short, covered by yellowish setae. Third antennomere prolonged, longer than fourth antennomere but shorter than the two following joints combined.

Pronotum ( Fig. 15) subquadrate, punctate, punctures same as on head. Lateral margin of pronotum with several (4–6) small spine-like teeth. Base of pronotum and anterior corners bordered. Pronotal base rounded. Anterior margin not emarginated, convex (dorsal view).

Elytra sub parallel, sparsely covered with short and erected yellowish setae, slightly flattened (lateral view) with steep apical declivity (lateral view). Base of elytra bordered only around humeri. Scutellum subtriangular. Elytral striae conspicuous, composed of relatively deep punctures which are little larger than eye facet. All nine elytral interstriae flat, shagreened, covered irregularly with small shiny tubercles. Elytral epipleuron narrow and very finely punctate.

Prosternum , hypomeron and mesepisternum glabrous, smooth, densely and coarsely punctate. Mesoventrite, mesepimeron and metaventrite finely pubescent, smooth, densely and coarsely punctate. Abdominal ventrites shallowly punctate, pubescent.

Legs punctate and covered with yellowish setae.

Etymology. Dedicated to my dear colleague and friend Dr. Vladimír Hula ( Czech Republic), zoologist and ecologist, specialist in Lepidoptera and Aranea, and collector of type specimens, for his long-term support.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Habitus, dorsal view. 1. Deretus bezdeki sp. nov. (paratype), male; 2. D. bezdeki sp. nov. (paratype), female; 3. D. denticollis Gahan, 1900, male; 4. D. denticollis Gahan, 1900, female; 5. D. hulai sp. nov. (paratype), female; 6. D. maderai sp. nov. (holotype), male; 7. D. maderai sp. nov. (paratype), female.