Selasia arabica Geisthardt, 2003

Trllova, Sarka & Kundrata, Robin, 2015, A review of the genus Selasia (Elateridae: Agrypninae: Drilini) in the Palaearctic Region, Zootaxa 3920 (4), pp. 563-571 : 564-565

Selasia arabica Geisthardt, 2003

( Figs 1 , 7–14 , 22 )

Selasia arabica Geisthardt, 2003: 100 .

Type depositories. Holotype and 8 paratypes ( SMNK), 6 paratypes ( PCMG).

Type locality. Yemen: Bajil, Madinat ash Shirq, 25 km NW Madinat, Tankstelle [14°43'N, 43°51'E].

Distribution. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Jizan prov.), Oman (Dhofar), Yemen (Abyan, Al Hudaydah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Ma'rib, Raymah, Sana'a).

Literature. Wittmer (1980): note on the undescribed Selasia sp. from Saudi Arabia; Geisthardt (2003): original description; Bocak (2007): catalogue; Geisthardt (2009): comparison with S. sweihana Geisthardt, 2009 ; Kundrata (2012b): comparison with S. socotrana Kundrata, 2012b .

Material studied. YEMEN: Holotype, male, N-Jemen, Bajil, 18.5.1998, 25 km NW Madinat ash Shriq Tankstelle, 1250m, 14°43' N 43°51' O, leg. Brechtel, Ehrmann, Wurst ( SMNK); 2 paratypes, males, the same data as holotype ( SMNK); 1 male, W YEMEN, 10 km W Al Manşürīah, N14°43' E43°12', 110 m, 8.IV.2007, lgt. P. Kabátek, Selasia arabica Geist., Jiří Háva det. 07; 2 males, YEMEN, AL HUDAYDAH gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP (stream valley, at light), 240–350 m 14°52.4–5'N, 43°24.6–25.2'E, J. Bezděk leg., 4.xi.2010; 1 male, YEMEN, AL HUDAYDAH gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP (stream valley, at light), 14°52.4–5'N, 43°24.6–25.2'E, 240–350m, 4.xi.2010, P. Hlaváč lgt.; 2 males, YEMEN, AL HUDAYDAH gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP (stream valley, at light), 240–350m, 14°52.4–5'N, 43°24.6–25.2'E, L. Purchart leg., 4.xi.2010; 2 males, YEMEN, AL HUDAYDAH gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP (stream valley, at light), 240–350m, 14°52.4–5'N, 43°24.6–25.2'E, Jiří Hájek leg., 4.xi.2010; 11 males, YEMEN, Al Huydaydah gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP, N 14°52', E 43°24', 225–600 m, 30.x.–1.xi.2005, S. Kadlec leg.; 5 males, W YEMEN, Jabal Bura‘, NEE Al Hudaydah, N14°52' E43°24', 225–600 m, 30.x.–1.xi.2005, lgt. S. Kadlec, ex coll. S. Kadlec; 4 males, YEMEN—Al Hudaydah gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP, N 14°53', E 43°26', 225–600 m, 30.x.–1.xi.2005, S. Kadlec leg.; 2 males, YEMEN—Al Hudaydah gov., Jabal Bura valley forest NP, N 14°53', E 43°26', 557 m, 19.–21.iii.2007, S. Kadlec leg.; 1 male, YEMEN—Dhamar gov., 2 km E HAMMAM ALI, N 14°40', E 44°10', 1677 m, 12.IV.2007, S. Kadlec leg.; 1 male, YEMEN, Sana'a gov., Mafhaq, 2350 m, 7.x.2005, N15°09'03'' E43°57'16'' David Král lgt.; 2 males, YEMEN, Al Mahwit gov., AL MAHWIT SW env., 840 m, 1/ 2.xi.2005, N15°25'49'' E43°28'59'', David Král lgt., ex coll. D. Král; 1 male, YEMEN, Abyan gov., LAWDAR W env., 1150 m, 22/ 23.x.2006, N13°52'36'' E 45°48'01'', David Král lgt.; 1 male, YEMEN, Abyan gov., 20 km LAWDAR, N 13°53', E 45°48', 1101 m, 26.–27.III.2007, S. Kadlec leg. ( NMPC); 2 males, YEMEN –W, Jabal Bura, NEE Al Hudaydah, 200–800 m, 30.X.–1.XI.2005, N 14°52', E 43°24', J. Halada lg. ( PCRS); THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA: 1 male, ARABIA, FIFA, 30.VI. 82 [head and prothorax missing] ( PCLB); OMAN: 2 males, OMAN, Dhofar, Jabal al Qamar, 20 km NW Dhalqut, 16°42'39.31''N, 53°9'12.60''E, 21.9.2011, Richard Ambrus lgt. ( PCRK); 1 male, OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Mugurah, 10 m, 9.VII.2010, leg. Sándor Ilniczky ( PCSI); 2 males, OMAN, Dhofar, Jabal al Shawr, at light, 11.VII.2010, leg. Sándor Ilniczky ( PCSI, PCRK); 4 males, OMAN, Dhofar prov., Jabal al Qamar, 15 km N Rakhyut, N 16.76876° E 53.33720°, 820 m, 24.ix.2011, W. Grosser lgt. ( PCRK); 5 males, OMAN, Dhofar provincie, Jabal al Qamar, W Al Mughsayl - Wádí, N 16.84497° E 53.68615°, 20.- 31.8.2012, lgt. P. Kučera ( PCPK); 2 males, OMAN, Dhofar provincie, Jabal al Qamar, 5 km N Dhalqut, N 16.72291° E 53.27424° (300 m n.m.), 22.9.2011, lgt. P. Kučera ( PCPK); 1 male, OMAN, Dhofar provincie, Jabal al Qamar, 5 km N Dhalqut, N 16.72291° E 53.27424° (300 m n.m.), 23.8.2012, lgt. P. Kučera ( PCPK); 1 male, OMAN, Dhofar provincie, Jabal al Qamar, AJDARAWT, Ra's Sajir - Wádí (30 m n.m.), 22.8.2012, lgt. P. Kučera ( PCPK).

Remarks. Selasia arabica is recorded for the first time from Oman. This species shows a remarkable intraspecific variability in the coloration ( Figs 1 , 7–14 ). Specimens from the western Yemen and Saudi Arabia usually have elytra black only in apical one third or at most half, antennomeres 3–11 darker than scape and pedicel, and antennomeres 4–10 with dark brown to black lamellae ( Figs 1 , 7–12 ). All specimens from Oman and the southern Yemen (Abyan gov.; two specimens) have elytra with black coloration beginning at humeri and continuing obliquely to the inner elytral margins, and uniformly light brown antennae (in few cases antennomeres 3–11 slightly darker; Figs 13–14 ). The morphology of this species, e.g., the body size (4.0– 8.6 mm), the length ratio of lamellae of antennomeres 3 and 4 (0.4–0.8), the shape of pronotal lateral margins, the strength of basal elytral striae, the relative length of abdomen, and the shape of apical inner parts of parameres slightly varies not only within the specimens from the geographically distant populations, but also within the specimens from single locality. We failed to find any stable morphological character which would separate differently colored populations, and both are treated as S. arabica .

In the original description of S. arabica, Geisthardt (2003) figured parameres of that species (not holotype) and of S. homhilia from Socotra. The brief descriptions of male genitalia of both species were almost identical and although they apparently differ in the shape of parameres, there was no remark about the male genitalia in the diagnoses ( Geisthardt 2003). Herein, we studied the genitalia of the S. arabica , including the holotype ( Fig. 22 ). Contrary to S. homhilia (see Kundrata 2012b), the phallus of S. arabica is curved in lateral view and have a hook located subapically on the dorsal side, which is typical for Drilini representatives ( Figs 21–22 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Habitus images of Selasia species. 1, Selasia arabica Geisthardt, 2003 (holotype); 2, S. atriventris Pic, 1914 a (holotype); 3, S. boruckae Kundrata, 2012 a (paratype); 4, S. homhilia Geisthardt, 2003 (holotype); 5, S. merkli Kundrata, 2012 a (holotype); 6, S. socotrana Kundrata, 2012 b (holotype). Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 14. Habitus comparison of Selasia arabica Geisthardt, 2003 specimens from different governorates. Yemen, 7, Al Hudaydah; 8, Al Hudaydah; 9, Ma'rib; 10, Al Mahwit; 11, Sana'a; 12, Dhamar; 13, Abyan. Oman, 14, Dhofar. Scale bars = 2.0 mm.

FIGURES 15 – 22. Structures of Drilus bleusei (Olivier, 1913). 15, habitus; 16, mandible; 17, pronotum (setae removed); 18, antenna; 19, mesoventrite; 20, last abdominal segments; 21, aedeagus; 22, Selasia arabica Geisthardt, 2003 (holotype), aedeagus. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Fig. 15), 1.0 mm (Fig. 17 – 18), 0.5 mm (Figs 16, 19 – 22).