Socotralia montana, Novák & Purchart, 2012

Novák, Vladimír & Purchart, Luboš, 2012, New species of the genus Socotralia and first record of the genus Alogista from Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 323-336 : 327-331

Socotralia montana sp. nov.

( Figs. 6–10 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Al Haghier Mts., Scand Mt. env.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), labelled: ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Al Haghier Mts. / Scant Mt. env. / 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, 1450m / 12.-13.xi.2010, J. Bezděk leg. ’. PARATYPES: 1 J, same data as holotype, but J. Hájek leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 J, same data as holotype, but P. Hlaváč lgt. ( VNCP) ; 4 JJ, same data as holotype, but J. Batelka leg. (3 J J JBCP, 1 J LPCB) ; 3 ♀♀, ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Al Haghier Mts. / wadi Madar, 1180-1230 m / 12°33.2′N, 54°00.4′E / 13.-14.xi.2010, P. Hlaváč lgt.’ (1 ♀ VNCP, 1 ♀ LPCB, 1 ♀ JBCP) .

Description. Male (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 6 . Body relatively large, elongate, narrow, from pale reddish-brown to dark blackish-brown, with pale brown setation, slightly shiny, BL 7.4 mm. Widest near midlength of elytra; BL/EW 3.08.

Head ( Fig. 7 ) relatively small, reddish-brown, with sparse, pale brown setation and microgranulation, dull. HW 1.2 mm; HW/PW 0.71; HL 0.9 mm. Eyes dark, large, transverse, deeply excised, space between eyes approximately as broad as length of antennomere 1, distinctly broader than length of antennomere 2; OI equal to 30.09.

Antennae ( Fig. 8 ). Long, relatively narrow with pale reddish-brown setation; antennomeres 1 and 2 reddish-brown, antennomere 3 bicolored, antennomeres 4–11 dark blackish-brown with distinctly paler apex. AL 4.5 mm, AL/BL 0.61.Antennomere 2 shortest, antennomere 3 distinctly longer than antennomere 2. RLA (1–11): 0.55: 0.33: 1.00: 1.16: 1.01: 0.99: 1.02: 1.03: 0.94: 0.85: 0.88. RL/WA (1–11): 1.85: 1.59: 3.57: 4.13: 3.60: 3.65: 3.88: 3.92: 3.48: 3.16: 3.24.

Maxillary palpus. Pale brown with sparse, short, pale brown setation and a few long pale brown setae. Palpomeres 2–4 with microgranulation, distinctly broadened from base to apex. Ultimate palpomere broadly triangular, with darker posterior half.

Pronotum ( Fig. 7 ). Narrower than base of elytra, blackish-brown with sides narrowly reddish-brown, covered with pale brown setation, microgranulation and punctation, punctures small. PL 1.2 mm; PW 1.7 mm; PI equal to 70.59. Borders complete but not clearly conspicuous. Base of pronotum finely bisinuate, on antescutellar area straight. Posterior angles finely obtuse, anterior angles indistinct.

Elytra. Narrow, parallel, distinctly shiny, blackish-brown, covered with dense pale brown setation, microgranulation and punctation. Broadest near midlength. EL 5.4 mm; EW 2.4 mm; EL/EW 2.25. Elytral striae indistinct. Elytral surface with rows of medium-sized punctures. Scutellum small, triangular, reddish-brown with sides dark blackish-brown, covered with pale brown setae. Elytral epipleura well-developed, blackish-brown, covered with pale brown setation, regularly narrowing from elytral base to first abdominal ventrite, then continues as parallel.

Ventral aspect. Pale reddish-brown, with pale brown setation and punctation. Metaventrite and abdominal ventrites 1–3 partly dark brown. Abdomen reddish-brown with pale brown setation and punctation, slightly shiny.

Legs. Narrow, brown, covered with dense pale brown setation, anterior part of femora pale brown, posterior part dark brown. Tibiae and tarsi narrow, tibiae slightly dilated anteriorly. Penultimate tarsomere of each tarsus very slightly broadened and distinctly lobed. RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.80: 0.86: 1.00: 1.57; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.47: 0.40: 0.61: 0.84; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.45: 0.42: 0.60. Both anterior tarsal claws with 15 visible teeth.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 9, 10 ). Pale brown, slightly shiny. In dorsal view basal part long, shortly rounded, then parallel laterally. In lateral view basal half of basal part rounded dorsally and apical half slightly narrowing dorsally. Apical part (apex) short, covered with short spines, in lateral view in form of long narrow triangle and in dorsal view broadly cross-shaped, respectively. AEB/AEA 3.47.

Female. Anterior tarsal claws with nine visible teeth.

RLA (1–11): 0.55: 0.36: 1.00: 1.23: 1.10: 1.07: 1.05: 1.11: 1.05: 0.97: 1.02. RL/WA (1–11): 1.79: 1.47: 3.65: 3.62: 3.24: 3.00: 2.71: 3.29: 3.10: 3.00: 3.32.

RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.83: 1.00: 0.96: 1.39; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.57: 0.53: 0.64: 0.97; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.41: 0.35: 0.59.

BL 8.2 mm; HL 1.0 mm; HW 1.2 mm; OI 31.62; PL 1.3 mm; PW 2.0 mm; PI 65.00; EL 5.9 mm; EW 2.8 mm; HW/PW 0.60; BL/EW 2.93; EL/EW 2.11; AL 4.4 mm; AL/BL 0.54.

Variability. Measurements: mean (minimum–maximum). Males (n=2). BL 7.35 mm (7.3– 7.4 mm); HL 0.85 mm (0.8–0.9 mm); HW 1.15 mm (1.1–1.2 mm); OI 34.06 (30.09–38.02), PL 1.15 mm (1.1–1.2 mm) PW 1.65 mm (1.6–1.7 mm); PI 69.67 (68.75–70.59); EL 5.55 mm (5.2–5.9 mm); EW 2.35 mm (2.3–2.4 mm). Females (n=3). BL 8.10 mm (8.00– 8.2 mm); HL 0.95 mm (0.9–1.00 mm); HW 1.19 mm (1.1–1.2 mm); OI 34.64 (31.62–37.07), PL 1.27 mm (1.2–1.3 mm) PW 1.93 mm (1.9–2.00 mm); PI 65.88 (63.16–68.54); EL 5.85 mm (5.7–5.9 mm); EW 2.72 mm (2.7–2.8 mm).

Differential diagnosis (for more details see the key below). Socotralia montana sp. nov. differs from the similar species S. vybirali sp. nov. mainly in having antennomeres 3–10 relatively narrow while in S. vybirali sp. nov. antennomeres 3–10 are slightly serrate and distinctly broadest at apex. From S. intermedia sp. nov., S. reitteri sp. nov., S. major and S. minor it differs mainly in having antennomere 11 distinctly shorter than antennomere 3, while in the previous species the antennomere 11 is distinctly longer than antennomere 3. Socotralia montana sp. nov. can be distinguished from S. brunnea by its narrow, elongate body and parallel pronotum, while in S. brunnea the body is slightly oval and pronotum more transverse and rounded.

Etymology. Latin adjective montanus, - a, - um (= montane), expressing the species affinity to high (mountain) altitudes.

Collection circumstances. The adults were collected at night by shaking off the shrub vegetation. They were also attracted to light.

Distribution. Yemen: Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs. 1–10. Male holotypes of Socotralia intermedia sp. nov. (1–5) and S. montana sp. nov. (6–10). 1, 6 – habitus in dorsal view; 2, 7 – head and pronotum in dorsal view; 3, 8 – antenna; 4, 9 – aedeagus in lateral view; 5, 10 – aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale bars = 2 mm (body); 1 mm (antenna); 0.5 mm (pronotum).