Lacon punctatus ( Herbst, 1779 )

Kundrata, Robin, Mertlik, Josef & Németh, Tamás, 2019, Unexpected diversity of Lacon Laporte, 1838 (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae) in the Levant: revised species concepts, new species, and an identification key, Zootaxa 4679 (3), pp. 401-449 : 403-406

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4679.3.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4F71C33E-8B87-4D9E-ACAD-CED563A7033B

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/213F87D6-BE55-014C-FF35-3E0BD8C1FA02

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Lacon punctatus ( Herbst, 1779 )
status

 

Lacon punctatus ( Herbst, 1779)

( Figs 1, 2 View FIGURES 1–8 , 9, 13, 16, 17 View FIGURES 9–21 , 188, 189 View FIGURES 188–193 , 194 View FIGURE 194 )

Elater punctatus Herbst, 1779: 316 .

= Elater carbonarius Schrank, 1781: 184 .

= Elater pulverulentus Panzer, 1795: 235 .

= Elater atomarius Fabricius, 1798: 139 .

Lacon punctatus: Fleutiaux (1926: 94) ; see Hayek (1973: 14, 76).

For more information on synonyms see Hayek (1973: 76) and Cate (2007: 101).

Type material. Type material of L. punctatus is probably deposited in the MFNB ( Hayek 1973: 76). However, since L. punctatus is widespread and common species which is well represented in the collections and figured in numerous publications, the examination of its type was not necessary (e.g., Hayek 1973, Cate 2007, Németh & Merkl 2009, Prosvirov 2016b, Kabalak & Özbek 2018, Németh 2019).

Type locality. Germany (see Hayek 1973: 76).

Other material examined (only from the Levant). Cyprus, 1 male, „ Mont Armen, Cypern , coll. Splichal ( NHMW)“; Israel , 3 ex., „ Israel , 9.3.[19]85, W Jerusalem, under bark of Pinus halepensis , leg. Jäch “ ( NHMW) ; 1 ex., „ Israel: Hadera , iii.2008, G. Wizen [leg.]” ( SMNH) ; 1 ex., “ Israel: Upper Galilee, Biriyya , 11.III.2009, E. Rotholz [leg.]” ( SMNH) ; 1 ex., “90818, Israel: Panyas , 33°14.9’N, 35°41.7’E, 15.iii.2011, E. Morgulis [leg.]” ( SMNH) GoogleMaps ; 1 ex., “ Israel: ‘ En Zetim , 33°00’N, 35°29E, 10.v.2006, L. Friedman [leg.] ( SMNH); GoogleMaps Lebanon, 2 ex., „ Appl , 1878 I., Beirut “ ( NHMW); 1 ex., „ Appl, Beirut, 1878“ ( NHMW); Syria, 1 male, „ Syria, Coastal Region, VII.1999, R. Lízler leg.“ ( PCJM); 1 male, „ Syria , Coll. Plason “ ( NHMW); 1 female, „ Syria , prov. Latakia, Jabal al Aqra , 5 km S Kasab, ~ 800m, 2004.V.29., Leg: Nádai László“ ( HNHM); 1 female, „ Aleppo, Syrien, Collect. Konschegg“ ( NHMW); 1 female, „Syria, Al Lathqiyah env., Slenfe env., 1500m, 30.- 31.5.1998, Josef Mertlik lgt.“ ( PCJM); 5 ex., „ Syria, Prov. Latakia, 5km S Kasab, pine forest, from beneath bark, 3.VI.2010, leg. Attila Kotán, Edvárd Mizsei, Tamás Németh & Nikola Rahmé “ ( PCRK) .

Comparative remarks. Lacon punctatus is easily recognizable from the remaining Lacon species in the Levant by its large, black body (11.5–21.0 mm) ( Figs 1, 2 View FIGURES 1–8 , 189 View FIGURES 188–193 ), black and white, wide, scale-like setae which are curved and decumbent ( Fig. 13 View FIGURES 9–21 ), pronotum longer than wide, with longitudinal median impression distinctly widened at basal half, with punctures rough, dense, almost contiguous, and surface between punctures shiny ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 9–21 ), aedeagus with the median lobe longer than parameres, and elongate parameral apical lobes ( Fig. 16 View FIGURES 9–21 ), and the typical shape of large sclerite of bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 9–21 ).

Diagnostic characters. Male. Body about 11.5–18.5 mm long and 3.5–5.5 mm wide. Body moderately shiny to shiny, black; covered with relatively wide, scale-like, greyish-black setae with several white setae, setae strongly curved with apices oriented towards body surface. Antenna short, usually reaching about half of pronotal length. Antennomere III about 1.15 times as long as antennomere IV, median antennomeres serrate, about 1.0–1.2 times as wide as long. Pronotum with uneven suface, about 1.10–1.15 times as long as wide, sides widely to equally rounded, with posterior angles slightly to distinctly divergent; pronotal disc covered with almost contiguous large punctures, surface between punctures convex, narrow, shiny. Scutellar shield about 1.1–1.2 times as long as wide. Elytra 2.00–2.25 as long as wide, and 2.10–2.15 times as long as pronotum, densely covered with large punctures. Aedeagus ( Fig. 16 View FIGURES 9–21 ) with median lobe robust, elongate; paramere with apical lobe elongate, apically rounded, subapical hook distinct.

Female ( Figs 1, 2 View FIGURES 1–8 , 9, 13, 17 View FIGURES 9–21 ) similar to male, usually slightly more robust, body about 14.0– 21.5 mm long and 4.2–6.2 mm wide. Antenna less serrated, median antennomeres with serrations more rounded. Large sclerite of bursa copulatrix distinctly curved, with narrow body and very long spines.

Larva described and figured e.g. by Dolin (1982: 93).

Distribution. Europe (from Iberian Peninsula to Russia and the Caucasus), Minor Asia, Levant ( Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria; Fig. 194 View FIGURE 194 ), Iran, Pakistan (dubious data, see Prosvirov 2016b: 290), North Africa ( Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). For more details see Cate (2007) and Németh (2019); for the habitat photograph see Fig. 188 View FIGURES 188–193 .

Biology. Larvae of L. punctatus prey on small invertebrates associated with dead, fungus-grown wood, and develop in dead trunks of Pinus ( Greece, Syria, Lebanon, Croatia, Albania), Quercus , ( Croatia, Montenegro, Hungary), Fagus ( Hungary) , and Platanus ( Greece) ( Laibner 2000, Németh & Merkl 2009, Merkl et al. 2010, Kovács et al. 2014; T. Németh, personal observation). Adults are active usually in the late afternoon, evening or at night.

Literature. Herbst (1779: 316): original description [as Elater ]; Candèze (1857: 26): revision [as Agrypnus ]; Candèze (1874: 10): revision [as Agrypnus ]; Schwarz (1906: 10): catalogue [as Adelocera ]; Schenkling (1925: 10): catalogue [as Adelocera ]; Fleutiaux (1926: 94): catalogue, nomenclatural note; Hayek (1973: 76): revision; Guglielmi & Platia (1985: 170): distributional note; Sánchez-Ruiz (1996): catalogue; Cate (2007: 101): catalogue; Mertlik & Platia (2008: 3): catalogue; Németh & Merkl (2009: 123): distributional note; Gülperçin & Tezcan (2010: 4): catalogue; Merkl et al (2010: 98): distributional note; Pedroni & Platia (2010: 70): distributional note; Akhter et al. (2012: 44): distributional note; Kovács & Merkl (2013: 90): distributional note; Kovács et al. (2014: 83): distributional note; Mardjanyan & Barimani Varandi (2014: 82): distributional note; Platia (2014: 75): distributional note; Prosvirov (2016b: 290): taxonomical and distributional note; Kabalak & Özbek (2018: 145): distributional note; Tarnawski et al. (2018: 17): catalogue; Németh (2019: 130): catalogue, distributional note.

NHMW

Naturhistorisches Museum, Wien

SMNH

Department of Paleozoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History

HNHM

Hungarian Natural History Museum (Termeszettudomanyi Muzeum)

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Elateridae

Genus

Lacon

Loc

Lacon punctatus ( Herbst, 1779 )

Kundrata, Robin, Mertlik, Josef & Németh, Tamás 2019
2019
Loc

Lacon punctatus: Fleutiaux (1926: 94)

Hayek, C. M. F. von 1973: 14
Fleutiaux, E. 1926: 94
1926
Loc

Elater atomarius

Fabricius, J. C. 1798: 139
1798
Loc

Elater pulverulentus

Panzer, G. W. F. 1795: 235
1795
Loc

Elater carbonarius

Schrank, F. 1781: 184
1781
Loc

Elater punctatus

Herbst, J. F. W. 1779: 316
1779
GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF