Microhoria heracleana Kejval

Telnov, Dmitry & Degiovanni, Augusto, 2024, Notes On Some Greek Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Anthicidae) With New Descriptions And Synonymy, Acta Biologica Universitatis Daugavpiliensis 24 (1), pp. 81-127 : 97-101

Microhoria heracleana Kejval in Kejval &

Chandler, 2020 ( Figs. 13‒14 )

Microhoria heracleana ‒ Kejval in Kejval & Chandler 2020: 138‒139 & 149, figs 105‒107 & 154 (description: Crete).

New material examined. 1♀ DTC: GREECE, Crete Iraklio, Amudara // 1999.6VI.30-VII.6. Ech. spinosissimus leg.: Szalóki D.

Supplementary description. We provide photographic images of male terminalia and genitalia of this taxon for the first time

( Fig. 14 ).

Ecology. The studied specimen was sampled from a flowering Echinops spinosissimus ( Asteraceae ). Therefore, the species is to be considered at least facultatively anthophilous with imagoes feeding from pollen.

Distribution. Greece: Crete. First record since the original description. It is likely that the records of M. nectarina (Panzer, 1794) from Crete by Uhmann (1985) are referring to this species; occurrence of M. nectarina in Crete is dubious.

Chorotype. E-Mediterranean (3.03 EME).

Microhoria mammuthus sp. nov. ( Figs. 15‒ 17 ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4B79538E-6EF5-4435-A862-279E6EC32983

Type material designated. Holotype ♂ NME: Kreta,M.V.87 Chersonnissos [sic!] leg. R.Frieser [printed] // Microhoria ionica (Pic) det. G. Uhmann 1992 [printed]. Correct name of the type locality is Hersonissos.

Paratypes 78 specimens. 5♂ NME , 3♂ ( Fig. 15A ) & 1♀ DTC: same labels as holotype ; 1 specimen HNHM: GREECE, Crete, Prov. Iraklio, Amoudara , 9.V.1993, leg. I.Rozner [printed] // Microhoria angulapex (Koch) det. D.Telnov, 2002 [printed] ; 2 specimens HNHM: GREECE, Crete, Prov. Iraklio, Vourvoulitis , 13.V.1993, I.Rozner [printed] // Microhoria angulapex (Koch) det. D.Telnov, 2002 [printed] ; 6 specimens HNHM & 2 DTC: GREECE, Crete, Prov. Iraklio, Magarikari , 13.V.1993, I.Rozner [printed] // Microhoria angulapex (Koch) det. D.Telnov, 2002 [printed] ; 2 specimens NME & 1 DTC: CRETE, Ierapetra 20kmN, Koutsourgas ,

97

Dmitry Telnov, Augusto Degiovanni

N, 2km, 23.04.2000 leg. A.Kopetz 50mNN [printed] // Microhoria angulapex (Koch) det. D.Telnov, 2002 [printed]; 20♂ ♀ [4 ADC, 3 BMNH, 5 DTC, 4 JVC & 4 NME]: GREECE, CRETE N, Hersonissos, 35°18'36.3"N 25°23'53.9"E, 15.v.2024, Pistacia, Ceratonia , Prunus , Vitis vinifera , Olea – beating, Větrovec J. leg. [printed]; 2♂ & 1♀ DTC: GREECE, CRETE N, Malia env., 35°17'26.1"N 25°29'22.8"E, 15-20.v.2024, from flowers and Pistacia, Ceratonia , Olea – beating, Větrovec J. leg. [printed]; 18♂ ♀ [2 ADC, 3 BMNH, 3 DTC, 2 DUBC, 3 NME, 1 NMP & 4 ZKC]: GREECE, CRETE N, Malia env., 35°16'29.0"N 25°28'22.3"E, 15- 20.v.2024, Pistacia, Ceratonia , Carduus – beating, Větrovec J. leg. [printed]; 15♂ ♀ [3 BMNH, 2 DTC, 3 NME & 7 NMP]: GREECE, CRETE N, Aposelemi Dam env., 35°14'30.3"N 25°24'16.0"E, 15-20.v.2024, Quercus , Olea, Ceratonia and various flowers - beating, sweeping, Větrovec J. leg. [printed].

Etymology. Named after Mammuthus Brookes, 1828, the extinct genus of enigmatic elephantids of the late Miocene – Holocene, since a paired spine of endophallic armature in this new species somewhat resembles mammoth tusk. Noun in the nominative case, standing in apposition.

Description. Holotype male, total body length 2.6 mm. Head 0.65 mm long, across compound eyes 0.55 mm wide, pronotum 0.45 mm long, maximum width 0.5 mm, elytra 1.5 mm long, maximum combined width 1.1 mm. Selected male paratypes 2.1–2.8 mm, selected female paratypes 2.4–2.6 mm long. Body uniformly black to black-brown, mouthparts, tibiae, tarsi and antennomeres 2‒5 yellowish brown to brown. Head longer than wide, posterior temporal angle rounded. Head base broadly rounded. Compound eye moderate, moderately protruding from lateral outline of head, about as long as converging tempus. Head dorsum moderately glossy, moderately densely and deeply punctate.

98 Intervening spaces smooth, about as wide as to twice as wide as punctures. Dorsal cranial setae whitish to yellowish, moderately long and dense, not fully appressed. Antenna hardly enlarged in apical third, extending slightly beyond humeral area of elytra. Antennomere three subequal in length to antennomere two. Antennomeres 8‒10 slightly widened distally. Antennomere nine slightly longer than wide. Penultimate antennomere about as long as wide. Terminal antennomere elongate, apically rounded, about twice as long as

Notes on Some Greek Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 ( Insecta: Coleoptera : Anthicidae ) with New Descriptions and Synonymy penultimate antennomere, slightly shorter than combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Pronotum hardly transverse, slightly narrower than head across eyes, broadly rounded at anterior margin (subtruncate medially), broadly rounded at anterolateral angles. Pronotal disc moderately glossy, flattened in dorsal aspect. Lateral pronotal margins slightly converge in posterior half. Latero-basal pronotal fovea moderately broad and deep. Pronotal punctures similar to those on head dorsum but larger. Intervening spaces as wide as to twice as wide as punctures, smooth. Dorsal pronotal setation whitish to yellowish, as those on head dorsum. Scutellar shield small, apically broadly rounded. Elytra about 1.3–1.4× as long as wide, laterally widened in posterior half, rounded at apex, dorsally flattened. Humerus distinct, broadly rounded. Apex of elytron modified, with short, acutely angulate denticle-like process at gland channel opening. Elytral surface moderately glossy, punctures dense but shallower than those on dorsal forebody. Intervening spaces smooth, generally as wide as to somewhat wider than punctures. Elytral setae whitish to yellowish, moderately long and dense, subdecumbent, directed posteriorly. Metathoracic wings fully developed (functional). Legs without modifications, tibial terminal spurs paired. Basal metatarsomere shorter than combined length of remaining metatarsomeres. Tergite VII subtruncate at posterior margin ( Fig. 16E ). Morphological sternite VII broad and short, rounded medially at posterior margin ( Fig. 16D ). Tergite VIII rounded at posterior margin and with some moderately long setae and with a membranous lamina ( Fig. 16F ). Morphological sternite VIII two membranous subtriangular sclerites interconnected by thin membrane ( Fig. 16G ). Morphological sternite IX Y-shaped, lateral arms long and stout ( Fig. 16H ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 16A–C ) short-cylindrical, tegmen apex short, hooked; endophallic armature of a slender, paired, equally long, basally strongly curved, tusk-like spine. Sexual dimorphism. Female ( Fig. 15C ) externally similar to male, elytral apex without modifications, tergite VII broadly emarginate at posterior margin ( Fig. 17B ), morphological sternite VII with a deep apical emargination ( Fig. 17A ). Morphological sternite VIII rod-like ( Fig. 17C ).

Intraspecific variability. This species varies considerably in the body length. In some paratypes, mouthparts, antenna and legs are nearly entirely brown, in other – distinctly paler, yellowish brown. Intervening spaces on dorsal head slightly microreticulate around punctures in some paratypes, head appears slightly less glossy.

Differential diagnosis. Microhoria mammuthus sp. nov. belongs to the M. terminata species group as defined by Kejval & Chandler (2020). In the general appearance and colouration, it strongly resembles several uniformly black-coloured congeners from the eastern Mediterranean with developed elytral humeri. The new species is specific primarily in the shape and structure of the aedeagus with the relatively short and strongly curved tegmen apex and the paired, basally curved spine of the endophallic armature. The similar endophallic armature appear, for instance, in M. angulapex (C. Koch, 1935) ( Greece ( Dodecanese Islands: Rhodes), W Turkey), M. basithorax ( Greece: Crete), M. berrai sp. nov. ( Greece: Crete), M. melecisi sp. nov. ( Greece: Crete). In M. angulapex , the tegmen is apically hooked at both edges (in lateral view) and one of the hooks is significantly stronger, in M. basithorax the spines of the endophallic armature are C-like curved and basally bifurcate, in M. berrai sp. nov., there is only single long, basally strongly curved spine present, and in M. melecisi sp. nov., the both spines are considerably thicker and distinctly subequally long. Also the female tergite and morphological sternite VII are different in shape from those in females of similar species.

Ecology. Some specimens sampled in numbers from flowering bushes ( Carduus, Ceratonia , Olea , Pistacia , Prunus, Quercus , Vitis vinifera ) and other plants at 10– 250 m.

Distribution. Greece (Crete). Possibly occurs sympatrically with M. basithorax (see the localities above).

99

Dmitry Telnov, Augusto Degiovanni

Chorotype. E-Mediterranean (3.03 EME).

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Notes on Some Greek Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 ( Insecta: Coleoptera : Anthicidae ) with New Descriptions and Synonymy

Figures

Figure 13. Microhoria heracleana Kejval in Kejval & Chandler, 2020. A – Paratype ♂ from Crete, Vai, habitus, dorsal view; B – ditto, dorsal forebody; C – Paratype ♀ from Crete, Vai, habitus, dorsal view [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.

Figure 14. Microhoria heracleana Kejval in Kejval & Chandler, 2020, paratype ♂ from Crete, Vai, genitalia and terminalia. A – Aedeagus, lateral view; B – ditto, ventral view; C – Tergite VII, dorsal view; D – Morphological sternite VII, ventral view; E – Tergite VIII, morphological sternites VIII & IX [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.

Figure 15. Microhoria mammuthus sp. nov. A – Paratype ♂, habitus, dorsal view; B – ditto, dorsal forebody; C – Paratype ♀ from ‘Chersonnissos’, Crete, habitus, dorsal view [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.

Figure 16. Microhoria mammuthus sp. nov., male genitalia and terminalia. A – Paratype, aedeagus, lateral view; B – ditto, another paratype, ventral view; C – ditto, another paratype, lateral view; D – Morphological sternite VII, ventral view; E – Tergite VII, dorsal view; F – Tergite VIII; G – Morphological sternite VIII, ventral view; H – Morphological sternite IX [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.

Figure 17. Microhoria mammuthus sp. nov., paratype ♀, terminalia. A – Morphological sternite VII, ventral view; B – Tergite VII, dorsal view; C – Morphological sternite IX [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.