Podistra (Pidostria), 2023

KAZANTSEV, SERGEY V., 2023, Do the Palaearctic subgenera of Podistra Motschulsky, 1839 really occur in North America: description of P. (Pidostria), subgen. nov. (Coleoptera: Cantharidae), Zootaxa 5263 (3), pp. 389-400 : 391-393

Subgenus Pidostria Kazantsev subgen. nov.

Type species: Telephorus insipidus Fall, 1907

Description. Male. Alate, body elongate ( Fig. 1A ). Head transverse, slightly wider than pronotum. Eyes moderately large, spherical. Gular sutures distinct, broadly separated. Ultimate maxillary palpomere relatively small; ultimate labial palpomere hardly longer than wide; ultimate maxillary and labial palpomeres dissimilar in size and shape ( Figs 2A , 5K, L ). Antenna 11-segmented, filiform, long, almost attaining to elytral apices; antennomeres 4-11 with tiny round glabrous (presumably pheromonous) areas; pedicel (antennomere 2) ca 3 times shorter than antennomere 3; antennal pubescence short and semi-erect ( Fig. 1A ).

Pronotum elongate, rounded anteriorly, almost straight at sides and slightly concave posteriorly; sides inconspicuously widened before anterior angles; acute posterior angles small and inconspicuous ( Fig. 1A ). Scutellum triangular ( Fig. 1A ). Elytra elongate, entire, covering abdomen, with indistinct longitudinal costae; elytral pubescence dual, with denser short and almost decumbent underlying vestiture and sparser relatively long erect hairs ( Fig. 1A ).

Legs long and slender; femurs and tibiae straight and narrow, subequal in length ( Fig. 1A ); tibial spurs relatively short, subequal in size and shape ( Fig. 2A ); tarsi long, tarsomeres 1–3 narrow, tarsomere 4 deeply cleft; protarsal claw with prominent, broad, oval basal dent, meso- and metatarsal claws simple ( Figs 2C–E ).

Abdomen with nine ventrites, ventrite 1 broadly interrupted medially by metacoxae; ultimate ventrite distally triangular.

Aedeagus elongate, sub-oval with infuscate distally dorsal plate and laterophyses; parameres about as long as the dorsal plate; dorsal plate with prominent semi-triangular incision at distal margin; laterophyses about as wide as the dorsal plate, medially, in apical view, concave and rather distant from the dorsal plate ( Figs 3A–D ).

Diagnosis. Podistra subgen. Pidostria subgen. nov., resembling Podistra s. str. in the shape of the aedeagus ( Figs 3A–D ) can be distinguished from all subgenera of Podistra by the relatively small dissimilar ultimate maxillary and labial palpomeres, with the labial palpomere about as long as wide ( Figs 2A , 5K, L ) (ultimate palpomeres similar in shape and considerably longer than wide in the remaining subgenera), the dual elytral pubescence ( Fig. 1A ) (single layer of long pubescence in the other subgenera) and broad and oval protarsal claw dent ( Fig. 2C ) (protarsal claw simple or with a narrow dent in the other subgenera).

Etymology. The name of the new taxon is a slightly modified anagram of the genus name Podistra . Gender feminine.

Figures

FIGURE 1. General appearance of Podistra species, males.A—P. (Pidostria) insipida; B—P. (Absidia) schoenherri (Moscow Oblast); C—P. (s. str.) alpina (Dagestan); D—P. (Hemipodistra) birnbacheri (Obir, Austria); E—P. (s. str.) unicolor (Abkhasia); F—P. (s. str.) prolixa (Morteratsch V., Switzerland). Scales 1.0 mm. (B, C and E from Kazantsev, 2022).

FIGURE 3. Aedeagi of Podistra. A–D—P. (Pidostria) insipida, ventral, dorsal, lateral and apical views (in D median piece removed); E–H—same, P. (Absidia) schoenherri. Scales 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 5. Aedeagi and their details of Podistra. A—P. (Absidia) schoenherri, laterophyses; B – same, P. (s. str.) piceolineata; C, D—P. (s. str.) alpina, aedeagus, ventral and apical views; E, F—same, P. (s. str.) iugosa; G, H—same, P. (s. str.) belousovi; I, J—same, P. (s. str.) circassicola; K—P.(Pidostria) insipida, maxillary palp; L—same, labial palp; M—P. (Absidia) schoenherri, maxillary palp; N—same, labial palp. Scales 0.5 mm. (A, B from Kazantsev, 1998; C, D from Kazantsev, 2001; E–H from Kazantsev, 2010; I, J, from Ganglbauer, 1922)

FIGURE2. Detailsof Podistraspecies,males.A—P.(Pidostria) insipida,head,ventral view;B—same,P.(Absidia) schoenherri; C—P. (Pidostria) insipida, terminal tarsomeres of protarsus; D—same, of mesotarsus; E—same, of metatarsus; F—P. (Absidia) schoenherri, terminal tarsomeres of protarsus; G—same, of mesotarsus; H—same, of metatarsus; I—P. (s. str.) prolixa, lateral pronotal bordering; J—same, P. (s. str.) piceolineata; K—same, P. (s. str.) alpina.