Cholovocera afghana Johnson, 1977

Delgado, Juan A. & Palma, Ricardo L., 2023, A revision of the genus Cholovocera Victor, 1838 (Coleoptera: Endomychidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 906, pp. 1-71 : 48-49

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2023.906.2329
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:01194EAD-7129-4876-82F9-2173E49C1B0A
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10424581
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6703879E-4D2A-0466-F743-B2836491F90F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Cholovocera afghana Johnson, 1977
status

Treatment

Figs 4A View Fig , 7A View Fig , 9C View Fig , 10A View Fig , 12A View Fig , 14a View Fig

Cholovocera afghana Johnson, 1977: 123 .

Differential diagnosis

The female of Cholovocera afghana may be distinguished from females of other species in the genus by the combination of these characters: prosternal process, metatibiae and spermatheca. The shape of the prosternal process is not unique, but a comparison with the others would assist in an identification ( Fig. 4A View Fig ); the metatibiae ( Fig. 14A View Fig ) are closest to those of Ch. balcanica ( Fig. 14D View Fig ) and Ch. occulta sp. nov. ( Fig. 14L View Fig ) but distinguishable; and the spermatheca is diagnostic by having a long spermathecal duct, a large c-shaped spermathecal reservoir and a short, round nodulus ( Fig. 7A View Fig ).

However, a complete differential diagnosis of Ch. afghana will be achieved when a male is found and properly described.

Type material

Cholovocera afghana : holotype female in the J. Klapperich Collection held in ZFMK. Johnson (1977: 123) wrote that the type material was collected by J. Klapperich together with many other beetles in Afghanistan, during 1953–1954.Also, Johnson (1977: 123) mentioned that part of the material he studied would be deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest, Hungary) and part would remain in the J. Klapperich Collection. The holotype of Ch. afghana was in the latter part, which was later acquired by the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (Bonn, Germany) ( Ulmen et al. 2010: 16), where Klapperich worked as a technician between 1935 and 1952. We assume that the paratype was deposited in Budapest but, despite our enquiries requesting it for our examination, we have not been able to do so.

Holotype

AFGHANISTAN – Nuristan • 1 ♀; “Afghanistan, Nuristan, Bashgutal ”; 1100 m a.s.l.; 14 Apr. 1953; J. Klapperich leg.; [associated with a worker ant of Pheidole indica , det. X. Espadaler]; ZFMK – COL 1000130 View Materials .

Type locality

“Eastern Afghanistan, Prov. Nengrahar: Nuristan, Bashgultal”.

Description

Male

Unknown.

Female as in Fig. 10A View Fig

Body length: 1.57 mm (N = 1, female). Shape of body elliptical, with the lateral margins of the pronotum continuous with those of the elytra, i.e., without an indentation. Elytral apex acute. Terminal antennomere large, subtriangular, as in Fig. 12A View Fig . Metatibiae with straight margins diverging distally ( Fig. 14A View Fig ). Prosternal process slightly keeled on its entire length, with a marked median constriction and rounded distally ( Fig. 4A View Fig ).

Spermathecal duct very long and spermathecal reservoir c-shaped; ramus long and tapering distally; cornu round distally and nodulus short and round ( Fig. 7A View Fig ).

Geographic distribution

The known distribution of Cholovocera afghana is in eastern Afghanistan, comprising the type locality only ( Fig. 9C View Fig ).

Host ants

Johnson (1977: 124) only mentioned an “ ant host”. However, from our examination of the holotype, which is associated with a worker ant, one host species is Pheidole indica .

Taxonomic history and remarks

Johnson’s (1977: 123) original description of Cholovocera afghana is brief and without any definite character to distinguish it from the other species in the genus. Furthermore, Johnson (1977: 123) did not state the sex of either the holotype or the paratype, implying that he did not dissect them, as the external morphology of males and female of Cholovocera is very similar.

As far as we know, no other author has examined the type material or has reported other specimens of this species. Several catalogues and checklists have just listed it as valid species from Afghanistan (L̂bl & Smetana 2007: 557; Rücker 2009: 14, 2020: 34; Shockley et al. 2009b: 65). Ulmen et al. (2010: 16) catalogued all the types of Coleoptera held in ZFMK, including the holotype of Ch. afghana .

The known geographic distribution of Ch. afghana is far from both the Mediterranean Basin and the distribution of its geographically closest species, Ch. formicaria ( Fig. 9C View Fig ). This apparently anomalous distribution would indicate that there may be more populations of Cholovocera between the ranges of these two species, including potentially new, yet undescribed species.