Psammocryptus prosternalis Koch, 1943

Nabozhenko, Maxim V. & Chigray, Ivan A., 2022, A review of the genus Psammocrуptus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tentyriini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 62 (1), pp. 165-184 : 182

Psammocryptus prosternalis Koch, 1943

( Fig. 14 )

Psammocryptus prosternalis Koch, 1943: 583 . Type locality: “Quetta, Belutschistan ”.

Psammocryptus prosternalis : Gඋංൽൾඅඅං (1954: 195); Kൺඌඓൺൻ (1959: 388, Tafel II, Fig. 14 ); Kൺඌඓൺൻ (1961: 115); Kൺඌඓൺൻ (1973: 38); Kൺඌඓൺൻ (1974: 188); Lදൻඅ et al. (2008: 202); Iඐൺඇ et al. (2020: 244).

Psammocryptus semenovi Bogatchev, 1946:393 . Type locality: Afghanistan, Bek-tut. Synonymy was established by KඋඒඓHൺඇඈඏඌKංඃ (1965).

Psammocryptus semenovi : KඋඒඓHൺඇඈඏඌKංඃ 1965: 167 (as a junior synonym of P. prosternalis ).

Type material examined. Psammocryptus semenovi : Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ: ♀

( ZIN), ‘ Afganistan / Bek-tut / 13.VI.38’, ‘ Psammocryptus / semenovi

sp. n. / typ. A. Bogačev’, ‘Увы! [Alas!] = prosternalis Koch 1943 ’,

goldish circle.

Additional material examined. AFGHANISTAN: 2 ♀♀ ( ZIN): ‘Afghanistan / №. 409 / 27.ix.[1]957 / Dr. K. Lindberg’, ‘Kabuol / Mont

Cher Dervazen’, ‘ Psammocryptus prosternalis Koch / Dr.Z.Kaszab det.,

1967’; 1 ♀ ( ZIN): ‘ Afghanistan / №. 400 / 27.ix.[1]957 / Dr.K.Lindberg’,

‘Kabuol / Mont Cher Dervazen’; 1 ♀ ( ZIN): ‘ Afghanistan / №. 336 /

10.ix.[1]957 / Dr. K. Lindberg’, ‘Qara Bagh / entre Ghazni et Moqor’;

1 ♀ ( ZIN): ‘ Afghanistan / №. 332 / 10.ix.[1]957 / Dr. K. Lindberg’,

‘Gadjoui’; 1 ♀ ( ZIN): ‘ Afghanistan / Umgeb. Kabul / leg. J. Klapperich

/ 19.5.[19]52’, ‘ prosternalis / Koch / Dr Z. Kaszab det.’; 2 ♀♀ ( ZIN): ‘J.

Klapperich / Umgeb. V. Kabul / 1740 m, 20.3.[19]53 / O - Afghanistan’,

‘ Psammocryptus / prosternalis Koch / det. Kaszab det., 1957’.

Redescription. Body length 5.50–7.00 mm, width 1.90– 2.00 mm. Measurements: PH w – 1.50, P w P l – 1.20, E l E w – 1.60–1.63, EH

w

– 1.80, EP

w

– 1.20, EP

l

– 2.37.

Body and legs slender, moderately shiny. Head widest at level of genae, where it is slightly wider than at level of eyes. Anterior margin of head with very small emarginations between genae and epistoma. Puncturation of head dorsally fine and sparse; punctures round. Lateral surface of mandibles with dense and coarse raduliform punctures. Ventral side of head without deep foveae, only with simple wide transverse depression behind prementum. Prementum and head surface around prementum with large and dense flat-bottomed foveae.

Prothorax. Pronotum weakly transverse, weakly cordate, widest in anterior third. Lateral margins evenly weakly rounded, shortly emarginated near postero-lateral corners; anterior margin straight; base weakly bisinuate. Antero-lateral corners obtuse, pointed at apex; postero-lateral corners weakly obtuse, pointed at apex. Border of anterior margin very widely interrupted in middle, and this interruption longer than bordered part on one side. Puncturation of disc fine and sparse, punctures round; puncture diameter 2–3 times shorter than interpunctural space. Prosternum and prothoracic hypomera with same large round foveae as on head ventrally. Prosternal process with small conical tubercle at apex.

Pterothorax. Punctures in striae not impressed, comparatively large, much larger than fine and sparse interstrial ones. Mesoventrite with large and dense flat-bottomed foveae. Metaventrite with large sparse not deep foveae in anterior part; each fovea with smooth margin posteriorly.

Legs slender, comparatively short. Metatibiae straight. First and fourth metatarsomeres subequal in length.

Abdominal ventrites 1–4 with coarse moderately sparse puncturation on lateral sides, but with fine and sparse puncturation in middle; puncturation of abdominal ventrite 5 much coarser and denser than in middle of ventrites 1–4. Abdominal ventrite 5 rounded at apex.

Male genitalia. Apical piece of aedeagus strongly widened from base to apex, widest in apical quarter.

Distribution ( Fig. 1 ). Afghanistan (Gඋංൽൾඅඅං 1954), Pakistan (Quetta) (KඈർH 1943).

Figures

Fig. 14. Psammocryptus prosternalis Koch, 1943, female, habitus, details of structure.A – holotype of P. semenovi Bogatchev, 1946, dorsally; B – ditto, labels; C – habitus ventrally; D – head and anterior margin of pronotum; E – head and prothorax, ventrally (arrow:conical tubercle of prosternal process); F – mesoventrite; G – abdomen (arrow: rounded apex).

Fig. 1. Map of distribution of Psammocryptus species.