Pharaonus (Pharaonus) adelphus Keith, Sabatinelli

Keith, Denis, Sabatinelli, Guido & Uliana, Marco, 2015, Synopsis of the genus Pharaonus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 4012 (1), pp. 167-180 : 168-171

Pharaonus (Pharaonus) adelphus Keith, Sabatinelli , and Uliana, new species

( Figs. 3, 4 , 13 , 15, 21 )

Diagnosis. A species of Pharaonus with dark body integuments, except for yellowish-brown elytra. Clypeus strongly transverse (2.2–2.5 times as wide as long), with right angles. Head and pronotum with long, erect pilosity; elytra glabrous except for on narrow basal-humeral area. Pronotum impressed along the midline, punctation dense and coarse. Pygidium with a large, impunctate area. Antennal club of the male 0.91–0.94 times as long as the clypeus width. Protibiae bidentate.

Examined material. Holotype: [ Iran], Kerman, 2.VI. [19]51, [leg.] Salavatian, ♂ ( MHNG); aedeagus ( Fig. 15 d) lost after being photographed. Paratypes: same data as the holotype, 2 ♂ ( HMIM, MUCC); [ Iran], Kerman, Bakram-djord [= Bahramjerd, sensu Barari 1998], 17.IV. [19]51, [leg.] Salavatian leg, 1 ♀ ( GSCP). [ Iran], Persien, Prov. Kerman, 7.V. [19]64, and a more recent label “ Persia, Prov. Kerniam”[sic!], 1 ♀ ( NMP, ex coll. D. Král).

Description of the male holotype. Length (from the anterior margin of the clypeus to the apex of the elytra) 8.1 mm.

Head, pronotum and underside black, antenna light brown with apex of 1st article and club darker, legs black with brown tarsi, elytra yellowish brown, darker along the suture and the epipleural margin.

Head: clypeus very transverse (2.5 times as wide as long), almost rectangular, with margins clearly raised. Anterior margin straight, anterior angles right, broadly rounded. Integument glabrous; with large, shallow, and irregular punctures defining a coarse and reticulate sculpture. Frontoclypeal suture almost invisible, but marked by a dense tuft of long, yellowish-gray, erect pilosity. Frons with sculpture similar to that of the clypeus, and with pilosity becoming shorter and sparser going from frontoclypeal suture towards vertex. Ocular canthus strong, eyes small, not very protruding. Antennae with 9 antennomeres; club with 3 antennomeres, 1.8 times longer than the funicle (antennomeres 2–6) and 0.93 times as long as clypeal width. Scape noticeably enlarged at the apex; antennomere 2 wider than long; antennomeres 3, 4, 5 increasing in length; antennomere 6 discoidal.

Pronotum transverse, 1.35 times wider than long. Sides subparallel in the basal two thirds, strongly convergent in the anterior third, slightly concave in both regions and most notably in the basal region. Anterior angles acute; posterior angles rounded and right. Base broadly truncate in front of scutellum. Anterior margin inconspicuous, lateral and basal margins distinct, the basal margin broader laterally. Punctation dense, forming irregular series of rough punctures, open dorsally. Surface with long, greyish-yellow, erect pilosity. Median longitudinal furrow weakly defined over the entire length. Scutellum semi-elliptical, with sculpture and pilosity similar to those of the pronotum.

Elytra quite flat with 7 poorly defined striae of punctures, with sparse punctures over entire surface, punctures less dense than on pronotum. First (sutural) interval slightly raised in the distal half, flat in the basal half. Humeral callus strong, more finely punctate than the surrounding integument. Apical callus also evident, but weaker. Surface glabrous but for some sparse setae along the basal and humeral area. Epipleural margin broad and inflated under the humeral callus, then flattened and narrowing until the middle of the elytra; from the middle of the elytra to the apex again with relief in the form of a narrow border. Membranous margin of the epipleura gradually widening from the basal third to the apex, where it is conspicuous. Suture prolonged in a short, apical spine.

Propygidium punctate all over, without apical fringe of pilosity. Pygidium convex, with a glabrous central band, which is smooth at the base and sparsely punctate at apical half. Distinct punctate triangular area on either side of central band bearing a patch of almost adpressed, greyish-white, long pilosity. Apical margin with erect pilosity.

Protibiae bidentate, both teeth acute and directed forwards; apical tooth slightly curved. Apical inner spur short, inconspicuous. Protarsomeres 1–4 slightly and gradually widened. Protarsomere 5 approximately of the same length as the 4 preceding tarsomeres. Inner claw broad, bifid; outer claw narrow. Mesotibiae clearly tumefied in the middle. Claws of the mesolegs simple and elongate. Metatibiae elongate, slightly enlarged in the middle, with 2 notches bearing spiniform setae. Claws of the metalegs identical to the mesolegs.

Labrum appearing slightly bilobate. Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, fusiform, with a sulcus in the basal two thirds.

Aedeagus as in Fig. 15 .

Female ( Fig. 4 ) with the following sexual dimorphism: slightly larger, squatter; pronotal longitudinal impression less evident; pygidium flat; legs lighter in color (brown or reddish brown), less elongate; prolegs with distal femoral tooth larger and inner anterior claw not modified; antennal club distinctly shorter. Genital sclerites as in Fig. 21 .

Variability. Size of males ranging from 8.1–8.4 mm, size of females from 8.5–9.5 mm. Clypeus 2.2–2.5 times as wide as long, antennal club of the male 0.91–0.94 as long as the clypeus width. Sides of the pronotum either slightly concave in the distal portion or straight. Shape of parameres ( Fig. 15 ) variable, especially in lateral view. No other relevant variation was observed on the small number of examined specimens.

Etymology. From the Greek ἀδελφός, meaning “brother”, with reference to the similarities to P. farsensis , with which this species initially confused.

Discussion. See discussion under P. farsensis .

Pharaonus (Pharaonus) caucasicus ( Reitter, 1888) ( Figs. 5 , 16 )

Examined material. Armenia: 2 specimens ( MNHN); Armenian SSR, Vedi, 19.VI. [19]82, leg. Kalashjan: 2 ♂ ( GSCP); Armenia, Vedi, Gorovan, 16.VI.84, leg. Kalashian: 4 ♂ ( DKCC); Armenia, Vedi distr., Gorovan Sands, 22.VI.1992, vendit I. Osipov: 1 ♂ ( GSCP); Armenia, Vedi, Garavanskie peski [=Gorovan Sands], 6-8.VI.1994, leg. P. Kazarjan: 2 ♂ ( MUCC); Armenia, Ararat prov., Goravan village subr., semi-desert, 03-08.VI.2013, Leg. T. Ghrejyan: 2 ♂ ( MUCC); Armenia, Vedi, Gorovan 17- 20.6.2013, leg. Skoupy: 1 ♂ ( MUCC).

Distribution. Turkey, Armenia.

Remarks. The record for Iran ( Barari 1998) is based on the specimens from Kerman, Bahramjerd, here recognized as belonging to the new species P. adelphus . Pharaonus caucasicus should therefore be removed from the Iranian fauna.

The record for Turkey is apparently based only on the type locality (Aralik) by Reitter (1888), which requires confirmation. However, Aralik is close to the boundary with Armenia, just about 15 km from the Armenian area of occurrence. The present-day distribution seems limited to sandy areas of the Goravan State Nature Reservation, while in the past the species was recorded from nearby sites from which it has apparently disappeared (Iablokov- Khnzorian 1967; Kalashian and Karagyan 2010; T. Ghrejyan [Gavar, Armenia], personal communication).

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 6. Habitus of Pharaonus (Pharaonus) species. 3: P. adelphus, male paratype (Kerman, Iran). 4: P. adelphus, female paratype (Kerman, Bakram-djord [= Bahramjerd], Iran). 5: P. caucasicus, male (Gorovan sands, Armenia). 6: P. farsensis, male paratype (Darab, Iran).

FIGURES 13 – 14. Different elytral setation in evidence. 13: P. adelphus. 14: P. farsensis.

FIGURES 15 – 23. Genitalia of Pharaonus. 15 – 19: aedeagus in dorsal, ventral, and lateral view of Pharaonus (Pharaonus): 15: P. adelphus, paratype (a-c) and holotype (d) (Kerman, Iran); 16: P. caucasicus (Gorovan, Armenia); 17: P. fasciculatus (Egypt); 18: P. farsensis, holotype (Darab, Iran); 19: P. saharicus, paratype (Tamrit, Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria); 20: P. varicoloreus (Halfeti, Birecik, Adiyaman, Turkey). 21: female genital sclerites of P. adelphus (Kerman, Bakram-djord [= Bahramjerd], Iran). 22 – 23: aedeagus in dorsal, ventral, and lateral view of Pharaonus (Tamerlanius): 22: P. lederi (Koron 15 km Ekoc. Dzejran, Buckara, Uzbekistan); 23: P. semenowi (Kul'dzhuktau, Kizilkum desert, Uzbekistan).