Saprinus (Saprinus) semistriatus (Scriba, 1790)

(Figs. 9, 68, 102, 134, 142, 177, 627–642)

Hister semistriatus Scriba, 1790: 72 .

Hister semistriatus: HOFFMANN (1803): 77.

Hister nitidulus Fabricius, 1801: 85 . Synonymized by HOFFMANN (1803): 125.

Hister incrassatus Faldermann, 1832 in MÉNÉTRIÉS (1832): 170. Synonymized by MARSEUL (1855): 402.

Hister krynickii Krynicki, 1832: 113 . Synonymized by DEJEAN (1837): 142.

Saprinus nitidulus: ERICHSON (1834): 179; SCHMIDT (1885a): 306.

Saprinus incrassatus: MOTSCHULSKY (1849): 97.

Saprinus uralensis Motschulsky, 1849: 98 . Synonymized by MARSEUL (1855): 402.

Saprinus sparsipunctatus Motschulsky, 1849: 97 . Synonymized by MARSEUL (1855): 402.

Saprinus punctatostriatus Marseul, 1862: 459 . Synonymized by SCHMIDT (1885b): 444.

Saprinus krynickii: MARSEUL (1862): 718.

Saprinus rugipennis Hochhut, 1872: 225 . Synonymized by REITTER (1906): 267.

Saprinus asphaltinus Hochhut, 1872: 226 . Synonymized by SCHMIDT (1885a): 306.

Saprinus semistriatus: GANGLBAUER (1899):384; REITTER (1909): 292, t. 67, Fig. 6; JAKOBSON (1911): 649; REICHARDT (1923): 24; REICHARDT (1941): 181, 220, Figs. 111B, 112A, 115, 116; HORION (1949): 334; IHSSEN (1949): 176; DAHLGREN (1962): 238 –242, Figs. 1, 6, 8, 9; WITZGALL (1971): 171; MAZUR (1973): 32, Figs. 50–53, 59; KRYZHA- NOVSKIJ & REICHARDT (1976): 130, 156, Figs. 174, 255, 256, 265–268, 272, 273, 274; VIENNA (1980): 132, 141, Fig. 54A; MAZUR & KASZAB (1980): 32, Figs. 13, 15G, 16J, 17 A–E.; MAZUR (1981a): 73, 76, Figs. 79, 88, 91, 94; MAZUR (1984): 59; MAZUR (1997): 228; SECQ & SECQ (1997a): 13; YÉLAMOS (2002): 265, 279, Figs. 18F, 136C, 140 J–L; MAZUR (2004): 100.

Saprinus semistriatus var. hochhuti Reitter, 1906: 267 .

Saprinus semistriatus var. punctatus Kolbe, 1911: 10 .

Saprinus semistriatus var. simulans Sahlberg, 1913b: 87 .

Saprinus semistriatus ab. pacoviensis Roubal, 1926: 94 (unavailable name).

Note. Larva and life cycle were studied by LINDNER (1967: 365, 366, Figs. 7 a–d, 12, 21, 22, 29, 30a–d); biology was studied by MATTEI (1906: 14). Spermatheca and sensory structures of antennal club were studied by DE MARZO & VIENNA (1982a,b).

Type locality. Germany, Rheinland-Pfalz, Darmstadt.

Material examined. BULGARIA: Sozopol, vi.1972, 1♀, A.Olexa lgt. CZECH REPUBLIC: BOHEMIA: Rychnov nad Kněžnou, 31.vii.1948, 1♁, A. Olexa lgt. SLOVAKIA: Košice, v.1949, 1♁, A. Olexa lgt. RUSSIA: PRIMORSKIY REGION: Lazo Nat. Reserve, 20.–25.vii.1993, 1 ♁, M. Trýzna lgt. (TLAN).

Redescription. Body length: PEL: 3.85–5.00 mm; APW: 1.25–1.75 mm; PPW: 3.00– 3.50 mm; EL: 2.50–3.25 mm; EW: 3.40–3.50 mm.

Body (Figs. 627–628) broadly oval, convex, cuticle dark brown with bronze metallic luster, shining; legs, mouthparts and antennae castaneous brown; antennal scape and club dark brown.

Antennal scape (Fig. 630) imbricate-punctate, with few short setae; club round, without visible articulation, entire surface with dense short sensilla intermingled with sparse longer erect sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club (Fig. 9) in form of four rather large sensory areas on ventral side and one vesicle situated under internal distal margin.

Mouthparts. Mandibles (Fig. 102) punctate, with rounded outer margin, curved inwardly, mandibular apex rather obtuse; sub-apical tooth rather obtuse, inconspicuous; labrum (Fig. 68) convex, densely punctate, depressed medially, with two deep labral pits deep, each with two well-sclerotized long setae; labral fold significantly less developed; terminal labial palpomere (Fig. 142) elongated, its width about one-third its length; mentum (Fig. 631) sub-trapezoid, anterior margin medially with deep notch (Fig. 134) surrounded with several moderately long setae, lateral margins with several shorter setae; disc of mentum imbricate, with several sparse microscopic setae; cardo of maxilla on lateral margin with few short setae; stipes triangular, with three longer setae; terminal maxillary palpomere elongated, its width about one-third its length, approximately twice as long as penultimate.

Clypeus (Fig. 630) with deep dense punctures, lateral margins rounded; frontal stria usually largely interrupted medially, supraorbital stria rather weakly impressed; frontal disc (Fig. 630) with coarse and dense punctures; eyes convex, well visible from above.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 627) moderately narrowing anteriorly, apical angles obtuse, pronotal foveae deep, rather large, anterior incision for head shallow; marginal pronotal stria complete, slightly carinate; disc of pronotum laterally with a band of coarse and dense punctation, not reaching posterior corners, between it and pronotal margin thin impunctate band present; pronotum medially almost smooth, with scattered microscopic punctation; along pronotal base two to three rows of coarse punctures present; pronotal hypomeron glabrous; scutellum well visible.

Elytral humeri prominent, impunctate; epipleura with scattered fine punctures; marginal epipleural stria fine, complete; marginal elytral stria nearly straight, in deep round punctures, continued as weakened complete apical elytral stria; along marginal elytral stria three rows of round dense punctures present. Humeral elytral stria well impressed on basal third, often joining inner subhumeral stria creating thus another complementary stria subparallel to first dorsal elytral stria; all four dorsal elytral striae 1–4 usually well impressed, in deep coarse punctures, usually reaching elytral half apically, third dorsal elytral stria in most cases not shorter than other striae, first dorsal elytral stria occasionally slightly shorter; fourth dorsal elytral stria basally curved inwardly, but not connected with sutural elytral stria (very occasionally connected with it); sutural elytral stria well-impressed, in punctures, abbreviated on basal third, apically connected with apical elytral stria. Punctation of elytral disc very variable, moderately dense and coarse, usually confined to apical half, along sutural elytral stria reaching basally in most cases further than along elytral lateral margins, rarely entire elytral disc coarsely and densely punctate, with exception of interval between sutural elytral and fourth dorsal elytral striae and elytral humeri; punctures on apical third sometimes confluent, carinulate or reticulate; towards elytral apex punctation becomes finer, reaching elytral apex.

Propygidium almost completely exposed, laterally with depressions, with dense and coarse punctures; pygidium with sparser punctures, becoming even sparser and finer towards apex, antero-lateral corners of pygidium with shallow depressions.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 632) straight; prosternal process flattened, surface between carinal prosternal striae with coarse punctation, interspaces substrigulate; laterally punctures finer and sparser, interspaces substrigulate; carinal prosternal striae well-impressed, on prosternal apophysis parallel, strongly divergent anteriorly, anteriorly connected by marginal prosternal stria; lateral prosternal striae shortened, carinate, sub-parallel, apically attaining approximately two-thirds of length carinal prosternal striae.

Anterior margin of mesoventrite (Fig. 633) broadly emarginate medially; discal marginal mesoventral stria well impressed, complete, occasionally slightly weakened medially; disc of mesoventrite medially slightly depressed, with coarse and dense deep round punctures; meso-metaventral sutural stria absent; intercoxal disc of metaventrite (Fig. 633) flat (in males medially with a longitudinal excavation), smooth medially, area along lateral metaventral stria and posterior margin with fine scattered punctation; lateral metaventral stria well impressed, carinate, almost straight, shortened apically; lateral disc of metaventrite (Fig. 629) slightly concave, with dense shallow setiferous punctures of various sizes; metepisternum (Fig. 629) with even denser and coarser punctures, punctures without setae, on fused metepimeron punctation sparser; metepisternum with complete metepisternal stria.

Intercoxal disc of the first abdominal sternite completely striate laterally, anteriorly with a broad deep depression, laterally and along anterior margin with fine scattered punctation.

Protibia (Figs. 634–635) slightly dilated, outer margin with about 5 low teeth topped with short thin denticle, diminishing in size in proximal direction, followed by about 5 tiny denticles; setae of outer row regular, short; protarsal groove deep; anterior protibial stria shortened apically; setae of median row shorter and sparser than those of outer row; two tarsal denticles present near tarsal insertion; protibial spur well developed, bent, growing out from apical margin of protibia; apical margin of protibia ventrally with 4 short denticles; outer part of posterior surface (Fig. 635) obscurely variolate, separated from glabrous median part of posterior surface by vague boundary and row of short sclerotized setae, several setae present also on median part of posterior surface; posterior protibial stria complete, basally with tiny sclerotized setae and apically with three inner posterior denticles; inner row of setae double, setae sparse and short.

Mesotibia slender, outer margin with two rows of short denticles; setae of outer row regular, dense, about as long as denticles themselves; setae of median row shorter, regular; posterior mesotibial stria shortened apically; anterior surface of mesotibia coriarious-punctate; anterior mesotibial stria complete, terminating in two tiny inner anterior denticles; mesotibial spur short; claws of apical tarsomere slightly bent, shorter than half its length, each mesotarsomere with two long well sclerotized setae, in males these setae are brush-like and even more sclerotized; metatibia slenderer and longer than mesotibia, in all aspects similar to it, but denticles on outer margin much sparser and metatersomeres without long setae.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs. 638–639) widely separated medially, connected with membraneous ‘bridge’, apically with large inflatable membrane (velum) with several rows of short setae laterally; apex of eighth sternite laterally fringed with short brush of setae; eighth tergite and eighth sternite not fused laterally (Fig. 640). Ninth tergite (Figs. 641–642) typical for the subfamily; spiculum gastrale (Fig. 641) widely expanded on apical end, on basal end only slightly expanded. Aedeagus (Figs. 636–637) slender; basal piece of aedeagus short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1: 7.30; parameres fused almost along their apical two-thirds; aedeagus apically slightly curved ventrad (Fig. 637).

Remarks. This is a common and widely spread species exhibiting a considerable degree of variation, especially concerning the dorsal and ventral punctation, elytral striation and body luster.