Zargus putzeri, Wrase, 2010

Wrase, D. W., 2010, A new species of genus Zargus WOLLASTON 1854 from Madeira (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Licinini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (1), pp. 325-334 : 327-329

Zargus putzeri nov.sp.

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♀: " PORTUGAL Madeira / route Pico do Arieiro> / Pico Ruivo 1500 m, below / nesting colony of Pterodroma / madeira (MATHEWS 1934) / (Genista-Erica arborea zone, moist litter, sifted) / 8.XI.2006 D. Putzer " (cWR).

D i a g n o s i s: A typical Zargus species of large size (with all characters given by MACHADO 1992: 445: head elongate, two supraorbital setae, clypeus widely excavate, labrum bilobed, V-shaped, with base widely membranous, mentum without tooth, mandibles elongate, bidentate, ligula membranous, bisetose, paraglossa weakly protruding, labial palpomere 2 bisetose, antennae fine and long, pubescent from antennomere 4, pronotum distincly flattened along margin, elytra with scutellar pore puncture in interval 1 and with two pore punctures in or at stria 2, hindwings reduced to small relicts). Body reddish piceous, with a very faint brassy tinge, appendages yellowish with tarsi somewhat infuscated. Pronotum almost quadratic, elytra ovate with striae somewhat irregu- larly interrupted, and consisting of a series of shallow, elongate impressions. Habitus see Fig. 1.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 9.4 mm; width 4.29 mm.

Colour: Body reddish piceous, with a very faint brassy tinge, elytral interval 7 and 8 somewhat infuscated, margins of pronotum and elytra somewhat lightened, appendages yellowish with tarsi somewhat infuscated.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) elongate, much narrower than pronotum (ratio PW/HW: 1.67). Eyes small and fairly flat, eye diameter about 3.64 times as long as almost rectilinearly narrowed tempora (seen in dorsal view). Lobes of labrum wide ( Fig. 5 ), widely rounded at tip. Antennae long, slender, reaching scarcely to middle of elytra, pubescent from antennomere 4.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) almost square (ratio PW/PL: 1.25), widest at about end of anterior third, shortly behind insertion of lateral seta. Anterior margin strongly emarginate, anterior angles somewhat acutely projecting forward, rounded at tip, from there slightly curved laterally till insertion of lateral seta, from there basad almost rectangularly narrowed to posterior angles which are rounded and angled strongly forward, at insertion of seta very weakly angulate. Base medially slightly emarginate, laterally to insertion of seta strongly curved (ratio PW/PBaW: 1.16), distinctly wider than anterior margin (ratio PBaW/PAW: 1.27). Distincly flattened along lateral margin, the latter somewhat reflexed anterior to posterior angles, disc flat. Medial longitudinal impression fine, not deeply impressed, terminated at anterior transverse impression and, becoming indistinct, terminated somewhat anterior to basal margin, posterior transverse impression indistinct, basal impressions round and shallow, whole pronotum impunctate, around termination of longitudinal impression at base somewhat weakly longitudinally wrinkled.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) ovate (ratio EL/EW: 1.37), with rounded humeri, widest somewhat behind middle, flat on disc. Basal bead strongly sinuate, strongly curved inside humerus, weakly curved towards lateral margin, subapical lateral sinuation weak, sutural angle somewhat angulate ( Fig. 7 ). Scutellar pore puncture present in interval 1, two pore punctures in stria 2, the first one shortly anterior to middle, the second one about at beginning of apical fourth. Striae fine, somewhat irregularly interrupted, and consisting of a series of shallow, elongate impressions. Umbellicate series of left elytron with 13 setigerous punctures (forming three groups: 5+1+7), at right side consisting of 15 punctures in a row with punctures of somewhat greater distance from each other at middle. Elytra obviously fused together at suture, relicts of hindwings after removing of abdomen not visible, in all probability extremely reduced.

Sterna: Impunctate, abdominal sternites laterally somewhat wrinkled. Metepisternum short, ventral margin about as long as anterior margin. Last sternite with about 14 seta subapically and with two setae inserted at middle somewhat anterior to them.

Legs shorter and rather more robust than in Z. schaumii but somewhat longer than in Z. desertae .

Microsculpture mesh pattern on upper surface consisting of strongly engraved isodiametric meshes, causing a surface fairly matt.

Median lobe of aedeagus: Unknown.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 9 ): Hemisternite asymmetrical, with some longer and shorter bristles apically. Basal stylomere without setae, apical stylomere moderately curved, with a fine double-sensilla in a furrow at external margin shortly anterior to apex, with one peg-like seta at external margin about at middle, and with two peg-like setae at internal margin anterior to apex.

C o m p a r i s o n s: The new species belongs to the group of species with strongly interrupted elytral striae, consisting of a series of elongate impressions strongly deepened ( Z. schaumii WOLL. ), or with light striae having a weak tendency to be interrupted with shallow, not very noticeable elongate impressions ( Z. desertae WOLL. ).

Z. putzeri nov.spec. has a somewhat intermediate position between these species, it shares with Z. schaumii the flattened elytra with subapical lateral sinuation weak and with sutural angle somewhat angulate ( Fig. 7 ), the labrum with lobes wider, not acuminate, widely rounded at tip, and the reddish piceous coloration of the body, often with a very faint brassy tinge (in Z. desertae elytral disc weakly convex, with subapical lateral sinuation missing or only indicated ( Fig. 8 ), labrum with lobes narrow, acuminate, only weakly rounded at tip, compare Figs 5 and 6 , and body piceous black). In construction of the pronotum and with its legs shorter and rather more robust it is closer to Z. desertae . Its elytral elongate impressions are distincly more shallow than in Z. schaumii but stronger than in Z. desertae which has only indicated impressions.

The gonocoxites and hemisternites ( Fig. 9 ) are similar to each other in the species in question, but more material is wanted to realize if small differences are constant. Ratios (see table 1) can show only tendencies as the number of available specimens was limited. Many values are fairly variable (the fairly strong intraspecific variability probably can be explained by the circumstance that specimens of different populations were investigated which have no contact to each other due to aptery), values between species overlap partly. The ratio PW/PBAW shows in Z. putzeri nov.spec. the lowest value, and the ratio PBAW/PAW is the highest, not overlapping with the values of the remaining two species, but more material is needed to confirm consistence. But other external characters revealed clear differences between these three species which can be differentiated in the following key. For data on variation in some values among Zargus species see table 1.

The other congeners of Zargus from Madeira ( Z. pellucidus WOLL. and Z. monizii WOLL. ) have the elytra regularly and fairly deeply striate with striae having no tendency to be interrupted, and are additionally of smaller body size, therefore Z. putzeri nov.spec. on these characters alone cannot be confused with these species.

Figures

Figs 1-3: Zargus, habitus: (1) Z. putzeri nov.sp.; (2) Z. schaumii WOLL.; (3) Z. desertae WOLL.

Figs 5-9: Zargus: 5, 6: Apical part of labrum, dorsal aspect: (5) Z. putzeri nov.sp.; (6) Z. desertae WOLL.; 7, 8: Outline of apical portion of left elytron, dorsal aspect; (7) Z. putzeri nov.sp.; (8) Z. desertae WOLL.; (9) Z. putzeri nov.sp., female genitalia, left hemisternite with gonocoxites, dorsal aspect; scale bar: 0.39 mm (5, 6); 1.6 mm (7, 8); 0.47 mm (9).