Blaps caucasica M. Nabozhenko et I. Chigray, 2022

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Chigray, Ivan A., Ntatsopoulos, Konstantinos & Papadopoulou, Anna, 2022, A key to Russian and Eastern European species of Blaps Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Blaptinae) with the description of a new species from the North Caucasus supported by morphological and molecular data, Zootaxa 5116 (2), pp. 267-291 : 282-284

Blaps caucasica M. Nabozhenko et I. Chigray sp. n.

( Figs 12–14 )

Type material. Holotype, ♂ ( ZIN) and 43 paratypes ( ZIN: 23♂♂, 16♀♀ of which 3♂♂ and 3♀♀ were put in ethanol; HNHM: 2♂♂, 2♀♀): Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Uchkulan vill., 43°02ʹ45.7ʺN, 42°05ʹ19.6ʺ, h=1430, 21.07.2013 (leg. M. Nabozhenko, I. Chigray). Paratypes. 77 paratypes (30♂♂, 61♀♀ of which 18♂♂ and 26♀♀ were put in ethanol) ( ZIN): the same locality, 1– 3.05.2017 (leg. I. Chigray) ; 1♀ ( ZIN): Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, confluence of Daut and Kuban rivers, 16.05.2009 (leg. A. Shapovalov) ; 5♂♂, 5♀♀ ( ZIN): Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, near Kart-Yurt village (leg. A. Shapovalov) ; 2♂♂ ( ZIN): Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, near Elbrussky village, 20– 21.05.2009 (leg. A. Shapovalov) ; 3♂♂, 1♀ ( ZIN): Russia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, near Khudes River, 43°30.91ʹN, 42°15.01ʹE, 22.05.2009, leg. A. Shapovalov ” ; 2♂♂ ( PCRKh) Russia, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic , near Baksan , way to Elbrus , 1500 m, vii.1992 (R. Khryapin) ; 7♂, 4♀ ( ZM MSU): Russia, Ossetia, Alagir , in niches of rocks [in fact, these specimens were collected higher, because Alagir is located on plain, and coming rocks start from Biz village, 42°54ʹ45.40ʺN, 44°10ʹ37.16ʺE, 840 m], 27.vii.1946 (leg. A. Bogatshev) ; 1♂ ( ZIN): Russia, North Ossetia-Alania, Zaramag , 6–8.vii.1997 (leg. M. Nabozhenko) ;

Description. Male. Body black, mat, moderately slender. Body length 23–25 mm, width 10.1–10.3 mm.

Head.Anterior margin of epistoma straight or weakly rounded at middle; lateral margins straight. Lateral margins of genae straight at anterior half, rounded at base. Lateral margins of head with slight emargination between epistoma and genae. Head widest at level of eyes and temples. Head 1.5 times as wide as interocular distance. Antennae not reaching base (basal margin) of pronotum when directed backwards. Ratio of length (width) of antennomeres 2–11 as 3 (3.5), 17 (4), 7 (4), 7 (4), 7 (4), 8 (5), 5 (5), 5 (5), 5 (5.5), 7 (5.5). Mentum transversely oval, its base straight. Punctation of head fine, dense (distance between punctures subequal to diameter of one puncture), punctation of epistoma and frons sparser (punctures 2–3 times as short as interpuncture distance). Occiput and temples covered with raduliform punctures and dense subrecumbent light hairs. Underside of epicranium wrinkled, covered with raduliform punctures, small granules and light hairs.

Prothorax. Pronotum transverse (1.25 times as wide as long), widest at anterior third, 1.78 times as wide as head. Ratio of pronotal width near anterior angles, at widest part and at base as 4.7: 7.5: 6.6. Disc of pronotum weakly convex, narrowly flattened along lateral sides and base; anterior margin moderately emarginated; lateral margins usually straight, but sometimes weakly emarginated at basal third, widely rounded at middle and apical third; base widely weakly emarginated. Pronotum completely beaded, except for middle of anterior margin; basal bead indistinct or interrupted in middle; lateral bead narrowed from base to anterior margin. Anterior angles obtuse, narrowly rounded at apex; posterior angles right, rounded wider at apex than anterior ones. Pronotal punctation fine, from moderately dense (punctures 1–2 times as short as interpuncture distance) to sparse (distance between punctures as 4–5 diameters of one puncture). Prothoracic hypomera with coarse transverse wrinkles, covered with small and very sparse granules; lateral sides of prohypomera more gentle than the other part (separated from the rest part by slight explanation), at least in anterior part. Prosternum with fine wrinkles, raduliform punctures and small granules along prothoracic hypomera.

Pterothorax. Elytral disc widely flattened, elytra elongate (1.89 times as long as wide), widest a little before middle or at middle, 3.21 times as long and 1.36 times as wide as pronotum, 2.42 times as wide as head. Caudal extension of elytra (mucro) distinct 2.15 mm long; elytra 8.9 times as long as mucro. Elytra with very fine, barely noticeable smoothed wrinkles, covered also with moderately dense raduliform punctures (punctures 2–3 times as short as interpuncture distance). Lateral inflected margins of elytra visible from above only in basal third and near mucro. Epipleura with fine smooth superficial wrinkles. Mesoventrite and its intercoxal process with fine smoothed wrinkles and fine raduliform punctures, wrinkles in apical part of this process large, clearly visible. Mesepisterna, mesepimera and metepisterna covered with fine smoothed wrinkles and sparse raduliform punctures. Metaventrite covered with sparse raduliform punctures, wrinkles in middle of metaventrite and its intercoxal process between mesocoxae large, clearly visible. Legs slender. Ratio of lengths of femora, tibiae and tarsi of fore, middle and hind legs as follows: 6.7: 6.4: 3.9; 7.8: 6.7: 5.1; 9.5: 8.7: 5.6.

Abdomen. Hair tuft between abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 present. Abdominal ventrites 1–3 with large transverse superficial wrinkles, ventrites 4–5 without wrinkles; ventrite 1 covered with small sparse granules and raduliform punctures, ventrites 2–3 with only raduliform punctures, ventrites 4–5 with simple punctures, ventrite 5 beaded except for lateral margins at base. Middle of abdominal ventrite 1 with elevation transversely wrinkled, rounded and blunt at apex. Intercoxal process of abdominal ventrite 1 square, with large wrinkles between metacoxae.

Genitalia. Anterior margin of male inner sternite VIII weakly emarginate, almost straight, accessory gland of sternite VIII moderately long. Rods of spiculum gastrale not merged, lobes of spiculum gastrale “triangular”, wide. Aedeagus length 4–4.2 mm, width 0.97–1.03 mm. Aedeagus moderately C-curved. Parameres length 1.12–1.14 mm, width 0.71–0.73 mm. Lateral sides of parameres weakly rounded along entire length. Middle of parameres closer to apex with two deep straight furrow on each side.

Female. Body shape and punctation similar to those in male. Body length 20–22 mm, width 9.1–9.3 mm. Head (at widest level) 1.26 times as wide as interocular distance. Pronotum transverse (1.27 times as wide as long), 1.94 times as wide as head. Ratio of pronotal width near anterior angles, at widest part and at base 4.4: 6.7: 5.6. Elytra weakly elongate (1.54 times as long as wide), 2.65 times as long and 1.35 times as wide as pronotum, 2.63 times as wide as head. Mucro very short (0.7 mm).

Genitalia and genital tubes. Stem of spiculum ventrale moderately long and thick. Ovipositor moderately long. Lateral sides of coxite directly tapering towards apex. Apical coxite lobes lanceolate, narrowly rounded at apex; ventral side of apical lobes rough and covered with sparse, moderately long setae; dorsal side smooth, with some short setae in middle and several others between apex and vulva. Anterior margin of proctiger widely rounded, covered with moderately long setae, sometimes anterior margin uneven. Basal duct of spermatheca long, apical duct (between second reservoir and accessory gland) very short. Reservoirs of spermatheca separated, clavate, their apical part elliptical, 1 st reservoir slightly longer and larger than 2 nd one. Accessory gland of spermatheca moderately long, base of gland narrow, middle wider, apical part widest.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is close to Blaps lethifera Marsham, 1802 , Blaps subalpina and Blaps verrucosa Adams, 1817 with regard to the body shape and the structure of the male and the female genitalia, but it differs as follows:

- from B. lethifera by the flattened elytral disc, by the narrower abdominal ventrites and longer legs, especially tarsi (see comparative measurements in the key);

- from B. subalpina by the lateral sides of prohypomera, which are more gentle than the other surface (sides slightly explanated from the rest of the surface), at least anteriorly; additionally by the longer male mucro (mucro of Blaps caucasica sp. n. is 8.5 times shorter than elytra, mucro of B. subalpina is 14 times shorter than elytra).

- from B. verrucosa by the non-rugose elytra and the rounded female elytral apex with very short mucro (elongated apex with longer and narrower mucro in females of B. subalpina ).

The analysis of COI sequences also supports the status of this new taxon, as explained below.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Blaps caucasica sp. n., habitus. A, B = ♂; C = ♀; A, C = dorsal view; B = ventral view.

FIGURE 13. B. caucasica sp. n., details of structure. A = aedeagus dorsal view; B = aedeagus, ventral view; C = aedeagus, lateral view; D = spiculum gastrale; E = male inner sternite VIII; F = spiculum ventrale; G = female genital tube (v = vagina, s = basal duct of spermatheca, r1 = the 1st reservoir, r2 = the 2nd reservoir, ag = accessory gland of spermatheca, vlg = one way valve of accessory gland). Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 14. B. caucasica sp. n., ovipositor, SEM. A = dorsal view; B = ventral view; C = lateral view; D–F apical lobes of ovipositor, D = dorsal view; E = ventral view; F = lateral view.