Lacon qatanensis, Kundrata & Mertlik & Németh, 2019

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 : 435-436

Lacon qatanensis sp. nov.

( Figs 152–158 , 194 )

Type material. Holotype, male, „SW Syria, Quatana [Qatana], W Damascus, Burqush, 24.V.1998, lgt. E. & P. Hajdaj, Lacon drusum (Mars.) , det. R. Preiss 2003, Lacon drusa (Mars.) det. Platia 2010 “ ( PCJM). Paratype, male, „Sy [Syria] — Mts. Hermon, Qatana — Burqush, 3.VI.1998, Z. Košťál + V. Bíža lgt., Lacon drusum (Mars.) , det. R. Preiss 2003, Lacon drusa (Mars.) det. Platia 2010 “ ( PCJM).

Type locality. Syria: W Damascus, Burqush, Qatana .

Etymology. The species name is derived from the type locality, i.e., Qatana ( Syria).

Comparative remarks. This species is the most similar to L. platiai sp. nov., L. tafilensis sp. nov. and L. ze- nobiae sp. nov. but it differs in having the more elongate pronotum in males (1.30 times as long as wide; usually only up to 1.2 times in other species, in some L. platiai sp. nov. 1.25 times; Figs 145 , 155 , 164 , 175 ), and distinctly bisinuate paramere with the apical lobe robust, elongate, and with a longer hook ( Figs 148 , 158 , 168 , 179 ).

Description. Male ( Figs 152–158 ). Body 8.7 mm long and 2.3–2.4 mm wide, dorsally moderately shiny to matt, dark brown to black (paratype lighter), frons, antennae from antennomere II, and legs ferruginous; densely covered with mostly dark brown to black setae (some of the bicolorous, with greyish apices), and several white setae, all moderately long and thick.

Head including eyes 0.7 times as wide as pronotum, frons with large moderately deep median depression; punctures rounded, moderately large, rather densely distributed. Labrum transverse, slightly convex, sparsely punctate, covered with moderately long, semi-erect to erect setae. Maxillary palpi with apical palpomere elongate, almost twice as long as wide, hatchet-like, apex obliquely cut and flattened. Antenna serrate from antennomere III, moderately long (apical antennomere missing), if complete, almost reaching pronotal posterior angles; length ratio of antennomeres II–V = 1.0: 2.5: 2.3: 2.2; antennomere II short, transverse; antennomere III about 1.20–1.25 times as long as wide, antennomeres IV–X transverse, median antennomeres about 1.25 times as wide as long, with serrations narrowly rounded; surface of antennomeres moderately densely covered with relatively short setae.

Pronotum elongate, 1.3 times as long as wide, widest medially, moderately convex dorsally; sides almost subparallel; anterior angles short, slightly produced forward; posterior angles short but distinct, moderately strongly divergent; disk densely covered with large, deep, setiferous punctures, separated by about diameter of puncture. Pubescence on pronotal disc sparse, long, curved, almost decumbent. Prosternum moderately densely covered with large punctures, with dense semi-erect setae; prosternal lobe with frontal margin widely rounded; prosternal process about 3.5 times as long as diameter of procoxal cavity. Scutellar shield elongate, about 1.5 times as long as wide, slightly convex, widest basally; anterior margin slightly emarginate, sides shallowly emarginate, apex narrowly rounded; punctures rather small, dense; pubescence sparse, moderately long, decumbent. Elytra elongate, 2.35 times as long as wide, and 2.25 times as long as pronotum, slightly convex, widest at about half, sides widely rounded, in apical third narrowed toward apex; striae and interstriae formed by lines of moderately large, setiferous punctures, punctures on interstriae of about 2/3 of size of punctures on striae; surface between punctures in basal half more rugose, forming cell-like structures; pubescence sparse, moderately long, curved, almost decumbent. Tarsomeres elongate; tarsomere I almost twice as long as tarsomere II; tarsomeres II–IV gradually shorter, tarsomeres II elongate, about twice as long as wide; tarsomere III elongate, less than twice longer than wide; apical tarsomere long, narrow, almost as long as tarsomere I.

Abdomen with ventrites covered with moderately large punctures, covered with short, more or less decumbent pubescence. Aedeagus with median lobe slightly shorter than paramere; parameres with bisinuate outer margins, slightly constricted medially, more constricted before apical lobe, apically with inner sides diverging; apical parameral lobe robust and elongate, with rounded apex, outer margin distinctly concave; subapical hook distinct and sharp.

Female unknown. Immature stages unknown.

Distribution. Syria ( Fig. 194 ).

Figures

FIGURE 194. Distribution of Lacon spp. in the mainland Levant. Dots representing L. candezei in Lebanon and Syria are only approximate since there are no exact data for these countries.

FIGURES 152–158. Morphology of Lacon qatanensis sp. nov., holotype, male. 152, habitus, dorsal view; 153, habitus, lateral view; 154, antenna; 155, pronotum, dorsal view; 156, scutellar shield; 157, detail of elytral surface; 158, aedeagus. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 152, 153), 1.0 mm (Fig. 155), 0.5 mm (Figs 154, 158), 0.2 mm (Fig. 156); Fig. 157 not to scale.

FIGURES 139–151. Morphology of Lacon platiai sp. nov. Holotype, male: 139, habitus, dorsal view; 140, habitus, lateral view. Paratype, female: 141, dorsal view; 142, lateral view. Antenna: 143, holotype, male; 144, paratype, female. Pronotum: 145, holotype, male; 146, paratype, female. 147, holotype, male, scutellar shield. 148, holotype, aedeagus. Paratype, female: 149, sternite VIII; 150, ovipositor; 151, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 139–142), 1.0 mm (145, 146, 149, 150), 0.5 mm (143, 144, 148), 0.2 mm (147, 151).

FIGURES 159–169. Morphology of Lacon tafilensis sp. nov. Holotype, male: 159, habitus, dorsal view; 160, habitus, lateral view. Paratype, female: 161, habitus, dorsal view; 162, habitus, lateral view. 163, holotype, male, antenna. Pronotum: 164, holotype, male; 165, paratype, female. 166, holotype, male, scutellar shield. 167, holotype, male, detail of elytral surface. 168, holotype, male, aedeagus. 169, paratype, female, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 159–162), 1.0 mm (Figs 163–165), 0.5 mm (Figs 168, 169), 0.2 mm (Fig. 166); Fig. 167 not to scale.

FIGURES 170–180. Morphology of Lacon zenobiae sp. nov. Holotype, male: 170, habitus, dorsal view; 171, habitus, lateral view. Paratype, female: 172, habitus, dorsal view; 173, habitus, lateral view. 174, holotype, male, antenna. Pronotum: 175, holotype, male; 176, paratype, female. 177, holotype, male, scutellar shield. 178, holotype, male, detail of elytral surface. 179,