Arabotroglops, Tshernyshev, 2022

Tshernyshev, Sergei E., 2022, Soft-winged flower beetles (Coleoptera: Malachiidae) of the United Arab Emirates, European Journal of Taxonomy 817, pp. 58-77 : 70-72

Arabotroglops gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3B5C9DBD-BED3-48EA-B173-82456696552D

Type species

Arabotroglops longantennatus gen. et sp. nov., designated by monotypy in the present paper.

Diagnosis

Size small, 1.3 mm, with the body elongate, parallel-sided and twice narrowed, at the base of pronotum and at the middle of elytra ( Fig. 25 ), slightly expanded posteriorly. Body brown, antennae, legs, commissure of adbominal ventrites, underside of head yellow, spots on elytra pale-yellow. Antennae filiform, long, extending over apices of elytra, 1 st segment sub-conic, 2 nd oval, 3 rd triangular, 4 th cylindrical, 5 th –10 th elongate, narrow with stretched outer edge at the apical fourth, apical antennomere the longest, oval, 1.2 × as long as 10 th, 6 th –10 th antennomeres of the same length, 5 th 1.2 × as long as 4 th, 4 th 1.1 × as long as 3 rd, and 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd are almost of equal length. Head small, flat, wider than pronotum, interocular area slightly impressed in the middle with U-shaped carina between antennae; eyes simple, not large, slightly protruding. Pronotum longitudinal, trapezoid, strongly sinuate at base, with evenly rounded angles, straight anteriorly and posteriorly, and with thin margination of sides; disc convex anteriorly and strongly depressed at the base, with posterior margin, elevate and narrow. Elytra subparallel, compressed near the middle, slightly expanded posteriorly, sparsely and finely punctured, with small, distinct and weakly protruding shoulders; apices evenly rounded, simple. Anterior tarsi 5-segmented, lacking comb above the 2 nd segment, but the 3 rd segment depressed at base, all femora and tibiae thin and straight, simple. Metathorax slightly swollen and weakly bituberculate, with longitudinal median groove, lacking appendage or tuft of hairs.

Pygidium undivided, wide and transverse, evenly rounded and weakly narrowed distally, lacking emargination in distal side; 8 th ultimate abdominal ventrite undivided, wide and strongly narrow, weakly rounded distally, with triangular emargination in middle; aedeagus slightly curved dorsally, widened in the middle, with elongate flat and straight lamella; two parallel groups of three black-brown curved and strong bristles are visible in the inner sac at both sides of the aedeagus. Tegmen elongate, with short parameres and protruding lobe between them.

Etymology

The new genus ‘ Arabotroglops ’, is composed of two words, ‘ Arabo ’ – from the name of ‘ terra typica ’ Arabian Peninsula, and ‘ Troglops ’ – name of the genus, nominative to the tribe Troglopini .

Comparison

A species of the genus comparable only with the Troglomorphus omanus Wittmer, 1996 , but differing in its small size, extremely long antennae, longitudinal pronotum, narrowed and depressed at base.

Notes

This tiny species possesses extremely long antennae, longer than the whole body length, thin and of ‘Cantharidae-type’. Massive head with carinate clypeus transversely impressed above, strongly sinuate to the base pronotum and typical genitalia with double-side armed aedeagus and narrow transverse sternite allow this species to be attributed to the tribe Troglopini . Small size (ca 1.3 mm in length), characteristic shape of the body depressed at base of the pronotum and below scutellum as in Myrmecospectra Motschulsky, 1858 (see Tshernyshev & Kopetz 2018) differentiate this genus from all other members of the tribe.

The key below differentiates Arabotroglops gen. nov. from the other genera of the tribe Troglopini that occur in the Arabian Peninsula.

Distribution

The monotypic genus includes a species known from one locality in the United Arab Emirates, which is presumably endemic to the area.

List of species of the genus Arabotroglops gen. nov.

1. Arabotroglops longantennatus gen. et sp. nov. ( UAE).

Figures

Figs 25–34. Arabotroglops longantennatus gen. et sp. nov., holotype (SCH_ISEA_000164), ♂. 25. External appearance, dorsal view. 26. External appearance, lateral view. 27. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. 28. Right antenna. 29. Right anterior tarsus. 30. Left anterior tarsus. 31. Pygidium. 32. Ultimate abdominal ventrite. 33. Aedeagus, dorsal view. 34. Tegmen. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.