Hypocacculus (Hypocacculus) metallescens (Erichson, 1834)

(Figs. 22, 57, 92, 122, 379–397)

Hister virens: DEJEAN (1821): 48 (nomen nudum). Synonymized by DEJEAN (1837): 142.

Hister metallescens: DEJEAN (1821): 48 (nomen nudum).

Saprinus metallescens Erichson, 1834: 192 .

Hister sardeus Dejean, 1837: 142 (unnecessary new name for S. metallescens Erichson, 1834).

Saprinus metallescens: MARSEUL (1855): 686, t. XIX, Fig. 128; SCHMIDT (1885a): 310; GANGLBAUER (1899): 388; JAKOBSON (1911): 650.

Saprinus geminatus Wollaston, 1867: 86 . Synonymized by BICKHARDT (1913): 701.

Saprinus arachnidarum Marseul, 1876: 39 . Synonymized by SCHMIDT (1885a): 310.

Hypocaccus metallescens: RAGUSA (1892): 265.

Hypocacculus metallescens: REICHARDT (1932): 35, 105; Reichardt (1941): 282, 289; HINTON (1945): 316, 327, Fig. 46; HORION (1949): 338; KRYZHANOVSKIJ & REICHARDT (1976):202, 206, Figs. 411, 412; VIENNA (1980): 174, 177; MAZUR (1984): 85; MAZUR (1997): 251; YÉLAMOS (2002): 315, 316, Figs. 156D, 157D; MAZUR (2004): 93.

Saprinus (Hypocacculus) metallescens var. marqueti Thérond, 1948: 124 .

Type locality. Italy, Sardinia.

Material examined. ALGERIA: Ain Sefra, 26.iv.1987, 2 spec., A. Olexa lgt .; Bèni Abbés, 11.iv.1988, 1 ♁, A. Olexa lgt . SYRIA: Palmyra env., 25.–27.iv.1982, 1 ♁, A. Olexa lgt . TUNISIA: Monastir, 12.–15.vi.1982, 3 ♁♁, A. Olexa lgt .; Msaken, 8.vi.1982, 1 ♁, A. Olexa lgt . TURKEY: Kahramanmaras, 25 km SW K. Maras, Yesilyöre, 600 m, 37º27′18″N, 36°46′55″E, 18.iii.2005, 1 ♁, V. Assing lgt. (TLAN) .

Redescription. Body length: PEL: 1.625–2.05 mm; APW: 0.50–0.75 mm; PPW: 1.25–1.575 mm; EL: 1.00– 1.375 mm; EW: 1.30–1.75 mm.

Body (Figs. 379–380) oval, moderately convex; cuticle brown, shining, with brassy luster; legs, antennae and mouthparts light brown.

Antennal scape (Fig. 382) moderately dilated with few short setae; club (Fig. 388) rounded, without visible articulation, entire surface imbricate, basal sixth of club glabrous, apical twothirds with dense short sensilla, intermingled with sparse somewhat longer sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club (Fig. 22) in form of stipe-shaped vesicle situated under circular sensory area on internal distal margin of the ventral side of antennal club.

Mouthparts. Mandibles (Fig. 92) with rounded outer margin curved inwardly, acutely pointed; sub-apical tooth on inner margin of left mandible moderately large, almost perpendicular; labrum convex (Fig. 57) with two well-impressed labral pits, with two well-sclerotized setae present in each pit; anterior margin of labrum with shallow concavity interrupting convexity; terminal labial palpomere elongated, its width about one-third its length; mentum sub-trapezoid, with tiny notch in middle of anterior margin (Fig. 122); antero-lateral corners with few ramose setae, lateral margins with two rows of much shorter ramose setae; disc of mentum imbricate, with scattered microscopic setae; cardo of maxilla with few short setae on outer margin; stipes triangular, with three much longer setae; terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, its width shorter than half its length, approximately twice as long as penultimate.

Clypeus (Fig. 382) rounded laterally; disc punctate; frontal stria curved outwardly, somewhat weakened medially; supraorbital stria absent; frontal disc (Fig. 382) with scattered punctation, punctures separated by 2–4 times their diameter; eyes moderately convex, visible from above.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 379) feebly arcuate; apical angles inconspicuous; marginal pronotal stria complete, anteriorly somewhat carinate; disc laterally covered with coarse and dense punctation, medially punctation weakens and becomes sparser; along pronotal base a row of coarse punctures present; pronotal hypomeron with very short, almost invisible amber setae.

Elytral epipleura almost smooth, with fine scattered punctures; marginal epipleural stria complete, rather thin; marginal elytral stria well impressed, apically attaining elytral apex and shortly continued along it, apical stria absent. Humeral elytral stria weakly impressed on basal third; inner subhumeral stria shortly present medially in a form of a short row of coarse punctures; elytra with four dorsal elytral striae 1–4, in punctures, first dorsal elytral stria the longest, reaching about three-fourths of elytral length apically; slightly curved inwardly; second and third striae about the same length, surpassing half of elytral length apically; fourth dorsal elytral stria the shortest, not reaching half of elytral length apically, basally connected with complete sutural elytral stria; between it and elytral suture a row of very fine punctures present. Elytral disc punctate, punctures on basal half fine, almost invisible, apical half with coarse punctures separated about 1–3 times their diameter, punctation becomes coarser and denser towards elytral apex; extreme elytral apex impunctate.

Propygidium and pygidium (Fig. 386) coarsely and densely punctate, punctures separated by about their own to twice their diameter.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 385) almost straight; marginal prosternal stria present laterally; pre-apical foveae deep; prosternal process slightly concave, laterally finely strigulate-coarsely punctate, dorsally smooth, with scattered fine punctation; lateral prosternal striae strongly carinate, united in front of not united sub-parallel carinal prosternal striae.

Anterior margin of mesoventrite (Fig. 385) feebly emarginate medially, discal marginal mesoventral stria well impressed; carinate; disc of mesoventrite with scattered fine punctures; meso-metaventral sutural stria well impressed, undulate; intercoxal disc of metaventrite with very fine, scattered punctation, along apical margin punctures become coarser and denser. Lateral metaventral stria (Fig. 387) deeply impressed, in punctures, almost reaching hind coxa; lateral disc of metaventrite with coarse deep punctures separated by about their own diameter; metepisternum + fused metepimeron (Fig. 387) with even coarser punctures; metepisternal stria present on basal half; along metaventral-metepisternal suture short thin curious parallel stria present basally.

Intercoxal disc of first abdominal sternite completely striate laterally, with sparse round punctures, medially punctures becoming sparser and finer.

Protibia (Fig. 381) flattened and somewhat dilated, outer margin with four very low teeth topped with short denticle followed by two minuscule denticles; setae of outer row rather sparse, regular and short; setae of median row similarly dense and regular, but much shorter than those of outer row; protarsal groove shallow; anterior protibial stria curved, shortened apically; two tarsal denticles present apically; protibial spur tiny, inconspicuous; apical margin of protibia posteriorly with two tiny widely separated apical denticles; outer part of posterior surface of protibia microscopically punctate; distinctly separated from substrigulate median part of posterior surface by a row of about 7 tiny denticles; posterior protibial stria complete, with very sparse weakly sclerotized setae, near apical margin turning into several sclerotized inner posterior denticles; inner margin with double row of short setae.

Mesotibia (Figs. 383–384) slender, outer margin with two sparse rows of thin denticles growing in size apically; setae of outer row regular, well sclerotized; setae of median row irregular, much shorter than those of outer row; posterior mesotibial stria complete; anterior surface of mesotibia imbricate (Fig. 384) with scattered minuscule punctures with microscopic setae; anterior mesotibial stria complete, terminating in two tiny inner anterior denticles; mesotibial spur stout, moderately long; apical margin with two tiny denticles; claws of apical tarsomere shorter than half its length; metatibia basically similar to mesotibia, but more slender and denticles of outer margin much sparser than those of mesotibia.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs. 389–390) on apical half longitudinally separated medially, inflatable membrane (velum) with dense row of long setae; apex with few much shorter and sparser setae; eighth tergite and eighth sternite not fused laterally (Fig. 391). Morphology of 9 th tergite (Figs. 394–395) typical for the subfamily; spiculum gastrale (Fig. 396) expanded on both ends. Basal piece of aedeagus (Figs. 392–393) short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1: 4; parameres fused along their basal two-thirds; aedeagus curved ventrad (Fig. 393).