Zuphium seiedyae Muilwijk & Eshraghi Mofrad, 2025

Mofrad, Farhad Eshraghi, Muilwijk, Jan, Talebi, Ali Asghar & Serri, Sayeh, 2025, The ground beetle genus Zuphium and subgenus Chlaenius (Trichochlaenius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Iran, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 5729 (4), pp. 566-580 : 568-571

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5729.4.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:036139F1-7CD9-4277-943E-FE83BC4AA72A
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18020319
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/161287C1-FFDE-4876-DF8A-FF36E09184AB
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Zuphium seiedyae Muilwijk & Eshraghi Mofrad
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Zuphium seiedyae Muilwijk & Eshraghi Mofrad sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

( Figures 1a–b View FIGURE 1 , 2a View FIGURE 2 1–a View FIGURE 1 3 View FIGURE 3 )

Type material. Holotype male labelled “ Iran Fars / 20 km N Kaftar / 1.v.2006, Muilwijk J. // HOLOTYPE // Zuphium ( Zuphium) seiedyae sp. nov. / Muilwijk & Eshraghi Mofrad des. 2024” (black print on red label) . Paratypes: 1 female, collected with holotype, but labelled as “ PARATYPE ” ; 2 females, labelled “ Iran Fars, Pass Komehr–Ardakan / 2 km E. Road, 18.vi.2018, Muilwijk J. / 3100 m, 30°20′57′′ N 51°58′24 E′ ′ // PARATYPE // Zuphium ( Zuphium) seiedyae sp. nov. / Muilwijk & Eshraghi Mofrad des. 2024” GoogleMaps ; 1 male, labelled “IR Fars Barm-e Mad Ab / 1 km W. Hoseyn Khany / 9.vi.2019 Muilwijk J. 2750 m / 30°36′14′′N 51°46’52”E // PARATYPE // Zuphium ( Zuphium) seiedyae sp. nov. / Muilwijk & Eshraghi Mofrad des. 2024” (black print on red label) GoogleMaps . Holotype deposited in HMIM. Paratypes deposited in CJM.

Description. General features as in Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 . BL: 5.3–5.5 mm. Holotype: head brown, pronotum and elytra yellowish; elytra with brownish spot restricted to the base and suture; paratypes (all females): head and pronotum brownish, darker than elytra; elytra with a contrasting brownish spot along the suture, apically and basically broadened. Dimorphic: brachypterous and macropterous specimens are present.

Head triangular elongate, HL/HW: 0.99–1.04. Eyes flat, tempora 1.25 times longer than eyes; anterior supraorbital setae present, posterior supraorbital setae missing; surface shiny, sparsely and coarsely punctured and pubescent, with weak microsculpture. Antennae elongate, with dense pubescence, antennomere I slightly broadened to apex, clearly shorter than head length (ratio: 0.8), with one long apical seta; antennae reaching elytra middle, antennomere 2 globular.

Pronotum cordiform, elongated, wider than head (HW/PW: 0.90–0.97), slightly longer than wide (PL/PW: 1.08); with one anterior and one posterior lateral seta; lateral margins deeply incised before sharp basal angles which are produced laterally, the prebasal excision short; basal fovea very superficial. Median line slightly impressed on disc, strongly impressed near base. Surface shiny, sparsely and coarsely punctured with short pubescence and weak microsculpture.

Elytra elongate, broadened to the apex, EL/EW: 1.33–1.46, with five visible, superficial striae; surface weakly shiny with weak microsculpture (stronger than on pronotum), strong punctation with short and recumbent pubescence. Apex of each elytron separately rounded, not truncate, convergent towards the suture, prominent. Umbilicata series consists of 8–10 humeral setae (arranged in two parallel lines), 1 seta in the middle and 6–7 apical setae.

Legs typical for Zuphium , with stout femora, tibiae straight, meso- and metatibiae at apex with some accessory long setae, mesotibiae short and strongly broadened to apex, no difference in protarsomeres between male and female.

Male genitalia as in Figs 2a View FIGURE 2 1–a View FIGURE 1 3 View FIGURE 3 . Length: 1.15 mm. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view dorsally strongly bent, in dorsal and ventral side sinuous, apex elongated and tip long, slightly bent upwards. Endophallus with groups of sclerotized spines, on both sides of the ostium four fields of partially fused sclerotized spines, the spines larger towards the apex; in ventral view with two groups of 9 large, sclerotized spines arranged in a V-shaped form, ending with a small central end spine, spines directed towards the apex.

Etymology. Patronymic. The species is named after Mrs Marjan Seiedy, expert on the Iranian carabid fauna, and experienced companion during the second author expedition in the Alborz Mountains.

Comparative diagnosis. Zuphium seiedyae sp. nov. differs from Z. olens ( Fig. 3b View FIGURE 3 ) by its smaller size, absence of strong colour contrast between head and pronotum; from Z. cilicium ( Fig. 3a View FIGURE 3 ) by elongate head and position of elytral spot; from Z. testaceum ( Fig. 3d View FIGURE 3 ) by the continuously rounded elytral apex, shorter antennae and the presence of an elytral spot; from Z. orszuliki ( Fig. 3c View FIGURE 3 ) by slender antennomere 1, narrower pronotum, hind angles of pronotum more prominent and yellow body colour. Zuphium seiedyae sp. nov. differs from all other Iranian Zuphium species by shape of the median lobe of aedeagus and the number and position of sclerotized spines in the endophallus. Z. olens does not have sclerotized spines. Z. testaceum ( Fig. 2c View FIGURE 2 ) and Z. cilicium have less spines and in ventral view it is noticeable that the large spine has an asymmetrical position. Z. orszuliki ( Fig. 2b View FIGURE 2 ) is also provided with multiple spines, but the position of their groups and the size of the ventral spines differ.

Distribution range and habitat preference. All known specimens are from the northeastern part of Fars Province. The Sepidan Mountain Pass is about 8 km north of Ardakan. The Komehr–Ardakan pass is about 10 km northeast of Ardakan. Kaftar Lake is 20 km south of Eqlid and about 80 km northeast of Ardakan. Two paratypes of the Komehr–Ardakan Pass have been collected under stones in a dry vegetation without grass at the highest elevations of the mountains ( Fig. 4a View FIGURE 4 ). So far, no captures at light are known.