Gomezzuritus, Kazantsev Michal Motyka & Bocak, 2023

Kazantsev, Sergey V., Motyka, Michal & Bocak, Ladislav, 2023, European net-winged beetles of the Pyropterus clade, with the description of Gomezzuritus gen. nov. (Coleoptera: Lycidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 888, pp. 159-174 : 162-163

Gomezzuritus gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5D12D1EC-7B41-4216-8A7A-6717D92EF390

Type species

Dictyopterus alternatus Fairmaire, 1856 .

Diagnosis

The adults of Benibotarus , Greenarus , and Gomezzuritus gen. nov. share three primary costae in each elytron and developed secondary costae. The new genus may be distinguished from Benibotarus and Greenarus by the general appearance (the elytra of Gomezzuritus are apparently more slender), erect pubescence on male antennomeres 3–11 (distinctly decumbent in Benibotarus and Greenarus ), and noticeably more oval median pronotal areola ( Figs 1B , 2G ). More diamond-shaped/rhomboidal areolae are known in Benibotarus and Greenarus . Pyropterus has similarly wide roundish areola, but four primary costae in elytra. Additionally, Gomezzuritus differs from the other two genera in the preapically toothed median lobe of the aedeagus ( Fig. 2I–K ; Bocak & Bocakova 1987; Kazantsev 1995, 2004).

The larva of Gomezzuritus gen. nov., being quite similar to Pyropterus , can be distinguished by the noticeably less transverse tergite 9 (only ca 1.3 × as wide as long), the location of abdominal spiracles at a distance from the dorsal edge of the epipleurite, and the larger size of the spiracle of abdominal segment 1 compared to the spiracles of segments 2–7. In contrast, Pyropterus has the tergite 9 conspicuously transverse (ca. twice wider than long), its abdominal spiracles are located at the dorsal edge of the epipleurite, and the spiracle of the abdominal segment 1 does not noticeably surpass in size those on segments 2–7 ( Bocak & Matsuda 2003; Kazantsev & Nikitsky 2011). The larvae are known for two species of Gomezzuritus as G. longicornis comb. nov. whose larva was recently reported ( Kazantsev & Zaitsev 2021) is transferred to this genus. As a result, the larva of Benibotarus remains unknown.

Larvae of several more distant Dictyopterini genera have been described. The larva of Gomezzuritus is easily distinguishable from that of Dictyoptera by the divided tergite 9 ( Kazantsev & Nikitsky 2011; Motyka et al. 2022). The other known larva of Dictyopterini is Punicealis medvedevi Kazantsev, 1990 . The larva was earlier reported as unidentified Dictyopterini by Levkanicova & Bocak (2009). Now, with a much denser sampling of Dictyopterini , the adult was associated with earlier sequenced larva ( Fig. 1A ; vouchers ZL2013 and MK1061). The larva of P. medvedevi differs from Gomezzuritus and Pyropterus in a relatively slender and simply rounded pygidium, entire tergites with an incomplete fracture in the middle of the longitudinal midline, and almost straight posterior margin of the ventral cranial plate (see Levkanicova & Bocak 2009).

Etymology

The new genus is named in honour of the Spanish entomologist Jesus Gomez-Zurita Frau (Barcelona, Spain), who is a well-known molecular ecologist and specialist in leaf beetles. Gender masculine.

Description of adult and larva

See Description of Gomezzuritus alternatus .

Included species

Gomezzuritus alternatus comb. nov., G. longicornis comb. nov., and G. rubripennis comb. nov.

Figures

Fig. 1. Phylogenetic relationships of pyropterine genera and their closest relatives (modified from Motyka et al. in press). B–E. The general appearance of Western Palaearctic Dictyopterini Houlbert, 1922. B–C. Benibotarus alternatus (Fairmaire, 1856), ♂. D. B. longicornis (Reiche, 1878), ♂. E. B. rubripes (Pic, 1897), ♂. F. Distribution of Benibotarus Kôno, 1932 in the Western Palaearctic region. Nomenclature follows the placement of species before taxonomic changes discussed in the present study. The northern part of the range of B. taygetanus (Pic, 1905) is not shown (see Bocakova & Bocak 1987; Kazantsev 2012a).

Fig. 2. Gomezzuritus alternatus (Fairmaire, 1856) comb. nov., ♂, dissected (LMBC), from Asturias, Las Agüeras, 35 km SW of Oviedo. A. Head, frontal view. B. Head, ventral view. C. Metathoracic leg. D. Elytron. E. Meso- and metathorax, ventral view. F. Ditto, dorsal view. G. Pronotum. H. Hind wing. I–K. Male genitalia. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.