Orthomus tazekensis (Antoine, 1941)

Serrano, J., 2021, The genus Orthomus Chaudoir, 1838 in the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, Russian Entomological Journal 30 (4), pp. 430-447 : 432

Orthomus tazekensis (Antoine, 1941)

Dorsum dark brown, appendages lighter, body length 7.3–9.7 mm. Antennomeres pubescent from middle antennomere 4, in rare cases with some fine, short setae at apex of antennomere 3.

Pronotum transverse, anterior angle moderate or acutely projecting forward; maximum width before middle, side almost linearly narrowed to posterior angle, sometimes slightly sinuate. Inner basal fovea deep and linear, outer fovea frequently shallow, posterior basis with punctures in moderatelow density. Posterior basis somewhat depressed, including the postangular field.

Elytra moderately convex with fine and unpunctured fine striae, intervals slightly convex, interval 3 with 2 setigerous punctures adjoining stria 3. Humerus well-marked with a moderate tooth projecting laterally. Parascutellar stria well-developed, without scutellar setigerous puncture (present in aberration “scutellaris ” and O. tazekensis rifensis ). Elytron microsculpture indistinct, elytra moderately shiny in males, isodiametric in females, that have dull elytra.

Prosternal process rounded. Meso- and metepisterna irregularly punctured, ventrites with rugose punctures. Mesotibia of males not dilated apically, metatibia almost straight, with crenulation at internal margin starting at about the beginning of apical half and consisting of about 8 tubercles. In O. tazekensis rifensis crenulation is rather weak.

Apical shaft of median lobe asymmetrical, more narrowed to tip in the left side, internal sac with some groups of middle-sized thorns, almost straight in lateral view.

This subspecies is found in forests of Middle Atlas, in the surroundings of Taza.