Eremosaprinus vlasovi (Reichardt, 1941)

(Figs. 37, 42, 52, 87, 116, 144, 299–317)

Gnathoncus (Erebidus) vlasovi Reichardt, 1941: 161, 170, 173, Figs. 74, 83.

Eremosaprinus vlasovi: Kryzhanovskij in KRYZHANOVSKIJ & REICHARDT (1976): 123, Figs. 165–169; MAZUR (1984): 107; MAZUR (1997): 216; MAZUR (2004): 91.

Type locality. Turkmenistan, Ashgabat.

Type material. PARATYPES: 1 spec., ‘Okr. [= surroundings of] Ashgabata [= Ashgabat] / Vlasov 26.iv.[19]31 [printed-written] // V glubine nory [= in the depth of a burrow of] / Rhombomys / opimus (written) // Gn. ( Erebidus) / vlasovi, sp. n. Paratyp / Reichardt det. (printed-written) // Paratypus [red label, printed]’ (ZIN); 1 spec., ‘Okr. [= surroundings of] Ashgabata [= Ashgabat] / Vlasov 8.iii.[19]31 [printed-written] // pri roskopke nory [= digging up the burrow; written] // Gn. ( Erebidus) / vlasovi, sp. n. Paratyp / Reichardt det. [printed-written] // Paratypus [red label, printed]’ (ZIN).

Additional material examined. UZBEKISTAN: Kyzyl Kum, Buchara, 28.–30.iv.1975, 1♁, A. Olexa lgt. TURK- MENISTAN: Ashgabat, Annau, 23.iv.1979, 1 ♁, A. Olexa lgt .; C Karakul Desert, Yerbent, 39°19'N 58°36'E, ex gerbil burrow, 10.–30.xi.1987, 1 spec., H. Atamuradov lgt .; W Kopet-Dagh Mts., km 64, rd. Kizil-Arvat-Kara-Kala, 1.–18.xi.1984, 1 spec., ex Meriones erythrourus burrow, 1 spec., H. Atamuradov lgt. (TLAN) .

Redescription. Body length: PEL: 2.375–2.70 mm; APW: 0.925–1.00 mm; PPW: 1.825–2.00 mm; EL: 1.375 –1.775 mm; EW: 2.00– 2.25 mm.

Body (Figs. 299–300) roundly oval, moderately convex, somewhat flattened from above, cuticle brown without metallic luster; legs, mouthparts and antennae rufous.

Antennal scape (Fig. 302) thin, elongate, with two thin short setae; pedicel rectangular, elongate; club (Fig. 301) elongated, without visible articulation, entirely with dense short sensilla, intermingled with much sparser somewhat longer sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club (Fig. 37) in form of two differently sized sensory areas on ventral side of club and one large round vesicle situated under distal sensory area.

Mouthparts. Mandibles (Fig. 87) regularly rounded, mandibular apex acute; sub-apical tooth on left mandible obtuse; labrum (Fig. 52) depressed medially, sparsely punctate, with labral pits fringed with two setae; labral fold (Fig. 42) weakly developed; mentum sub-trapezoid, anterior margin (Fig. 116) with a tiny median notch, disc of mentum (Fig. 304) substrigulate, with sparse minute setae; terminal labial palpomere elongate, its width about one-fourth its length; maxilla (Fig. 144) with lacinial hook; cardo of maxilla with few short setae; stipes triangular, with three short setae; terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, its width about one-fourth its length.

Clypeus (Fig. 302) large, rectangular, somewhat convex, rounded laterally, with shallow punctures separated by about their own to twice their diameter; frontal and supraorbital striae absent; postorbital stria complete; frontal disc densely punctate, punctures shallow, separated by about their own diameter; eyes moderately convex, visible from above.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 299) on basal two-thirds moderately narrowing anteriorly, on apical third strongly narrowing anteriorly; apical angles blunt; marginal pronotal stria complete, somewhat weakened behind head; disc entirely punctate, punctation becomes coarser and denser laterally; pronotal base with ante-scutellar depression; scutellum very small, almost invisible.

Elytral epipleuron with deep scattered punctures of various sizes; marginal epipleural stria weakly impressed but complete; marginal elytral stria well impressed, carinate, shortly continued along elytral apex as shortened apical elytral stria. Outer and inner subhumeral striae absent; humeral stria vaguely impressed on basal fourth; elytral disc with five dorsal elytral striae 1–5 (fifth dorsal elytral stria present only as short apical fragment), not in punctures, rather thin, reaching about two-thirds of elytral length apically, occasionally fourth dorsal elytral stria slightly shortened basally, not connected with sutural elytral stria; sutural elytral stria shortened on basal fourth, apically stopping just short of elytral apex. Elytral disc with regular dense punctation, becoming sparser anteriorly, on elytral flanks and especially around scutellum, punctures separated by about 1.0–1.5 times their diameter, interspaces finely imbricate. Propygidium transverse, short; pygidium (Fig. 306) about as long as broad; punctation of propygidium and pygidium fine, punctures round, small, separated by about their own to twice their diameter, interspaces with microsculpture.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 305) straight; marginal prosternal stria anteriorly almost invisible, extremely thin; prosternal process laterally coriarious-punctate, dorsally smooth, flat, broad; carinal prosternal striae slightly sinuous, slightly carinate ‘open’ anteriorly; lateral prosternal striae absent; outer-lateral costa reaches prosternal process, its basal margin distinctly elevated.

Anterior margin of mesoventrite (Fig. 309) almost straight; discal marginal mesoventral stria well impressed, somewhat weakened anteriorly; meso-metaventral sutural stria (Fig. 309) sinuate, distanced from meso-metaventral suture; meso-metaventral suture vague, almost invisible; disc of mesoventrite flat, surface between discal marginal mesoventral stria and sinuate meso-metaventral stria with shallow scattered punctation, surface between mesometaventral sutural stria and meso-metaventral suture itself smooth.

Metaventrite somewhat convex, with scattered punctures of various sizes, becoming larger and denser in the area behind hind coxa and apical margin; lateral metaventral stria well impressed, carinate, almost straight, reaching hind coxa; lateral disc of metaventrite almost flat, with round deep large punctures; metepisternum + fused metepimeron with dense deep punctures.

Intercoxal disc of first abdominal sternite completely striate laterally; surface with sparse scattered round punctation, punctures separated by about 1.5–2.0 times their diameter.

Protibia (Figs. 307–310) flattened and slightly dilated, anterior surface with complete anterior protibial stria; outer row of setae inconspicuous; setae of median row minute, sparse; outer margin explanate, with 14 small denticles growing out from posterior surface (Fig. 310); protarsal groove deep; protibial spur tiny, growing out from apical margin of protibia; outer part of posterior surface (Fig. 310) obscurely variolate, separated from median part of posterior surface by a vague line with one row of about eight minute denticles; median part of posterior surface finely substrigulate to smooth; posterior protibial stria complete, terminating in two tiny inner ventral denticles; setae of inner row well sclerotized, short.

Mesotibia slender, long, outer margin with two rows of short thin sparse denticles, outer and median rows of setae inconspicuous; posterior mesotibial stria complete; anterior surface coriarious-punctate; mesotibial spur short; apical margin of mesotibia anteriorly with two short inner ventral denticles; anterior mesotibial stria almost complete, terminating in two minute sclerotized setae; setae of inner row very sparse; tarsus (including claws) about as long as tibia itself; claws of apical tarsomere bent, longer than half its length; metatibia in all aspects similar to mesotibia, but outer margin (Fig. 308) with even sparser denticles.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs. 311–312) longitudinally separated medially, on apical half widely separated, vela on distal margin with several rows of minute dense setae; apex laterally with sparse minute setae; eighth tergite and eighth sternite not fused laterally (Fig. 313). Ninth tergite (Figs. 314–315) divided longitudinally; tenth tergite (Figs 314–315) apically with two minute setae; spiculum gastrale (Fig. 314) widely expanded on apical end. Aedeagus (Figs. 316–317) slender; basal piece of aedeagus short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1: 3.75; parameres fused almost along their entire length with a small circular slit for ejaculatory duct of median lobe; aedeagus apically slightly curved ventrad (Fig. 317).