Microhoria melecisi, Telnov & Degiovanni, 2024

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 : 101-104

Microhoria melecisi sp. nov. ( Fig. 18‒20 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AB76A1C5-0751-45FF-90D0-355223D0F65B

Type material designated. Holotype ♂ ADC ( Fig. 18A‒B ): KRITI – nom. Chaníon, Omalos , 20.V.1984, leg. F & M. Berra [printed].

Paratypes 5 specimens. 1♂ BMNH : Suda Bay [printed] // 3 [handwritten] // ? corallicollis Reitt. sp Pic [handwritten] // G.C.Champion Coll. B.M. 1927‒409. [printed] [this specimens is strongly damaged, one elytron is missing] ; 2♂ BMNH : Suda Bay [printed] // G.C.Champion Coll. B.M. 1927‒409. [printed] ; 1♀ ADC ( Fig. 18C ) : CRETE, 5.6. 1981 Lefka Ori Mts. Samari Gorge Nat Park,Sv.Bílý leg [printed] ; 1♀ BMNH : CRETE: Khania Khora Sfakion 24.iv.1982 M.I.Russell [printed] // Brit. Mus. 198 [printed] 2-325 [handwritten] .

The three paratypes from ‘Suda Bay’ misinterpreted as M. emaciata (Pic) by Telnov (2022: 230).

Etymology. Patronymic. Named for Prof. Viesturs Melecis (University of Latvia, Rīga) for his life-time investment into entomology, insect ecology, and nature conservation.

Description. Holotype male, total body length 2.7 mm. Head 0.7 mm long, across compound eyes 0.6 mm wide, pronotum 0.5 mm long, maximum width 0.5 mm, elytra 1.5 mm long, maximum combined width 0.9 mm. Female paratype 2.5 mm long. Head and elytra black to black-brown, pronotum rufous. Mouthparts, antenna, and legs yellowish, terminal maxillary palpomere, antennomeres 7‒11 and femora yellowish brown (in the paratypes from ‘Suda Bay’, also the basal antennomere is partially darkened). Venter uniformly black-brown. Head slightly longer than wide, head base and posterior temporal angle rounded. Compound eye moderate, moderately protruding from lateral outline of head, about as long as subparallel, posteriorly rounded tempus. Head dorsum moderately glossy, moderately dense and deep punctate. Intervening spaces smooth, about as wide as to 3× as wide as punctures. Dorsal cranial setae yellowish, moderately long and dense, not fully appressed. Antenna hardly enlarged in apical third, extending slightly beyond humeral area of elytra. Antennomere three slightly longer than antennomere two. Antennomeres 8‒10 shortened. Antennomere 9 slightly longer than wide. Penultimate antennomere transverse. Terminal antennomere elongate, slightly asymmetrical, apically rounded, about 2.2× as long as penultimate antennomere, about as long as combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Terminal maxillary palpomere securiform. Pronotum as long as wide, slightly narrower than head across eyes, broadly rounded to medially subtruncate at anterior margin, broadly rounded at anterolateral angles. Pronotal disc moderately glossy, flattened in dorsal aspect. Lateral pronotal margins

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Dmitry Telnov, Augusto Degiovanni moderately converge in posterior half. Latero-basal pronotal fovea broad and deep. Pronotal punctures about as large and coarse as those on head dorsum. Intervening spaces slightly wider than punctures, smooth. Dorsal pronotal setation somewhat shorter than that on head. Scutellar shield small, apically broadly rounded, minutely punctate. Elytra about 1.65× as long as wide, laterally subparallel, subtruncate 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 generally larger and less regular than those on forebody, variable in shape. Intervening spaces variable, generally as wide as to 3× as wide as punctures. Elytral setae pale yellowish, moderately long and dense, subdecumbent, directed posteriorly. Metathoracic wings fully developed (functional). Legs without modifications, tibial terminal spurs paired. Basal metatarsomere about as long as combined length of remaining metatarsomeres. Tergite VII subtruncate at posterior margin. Morphological sternite VII broad, broadly rounded at posterior margin ( Fig. 19F ). Tergite VIII rounded at posterior margin and with numerous moderately long setae ( Fig. 19G ). Morphological sternite VIII of two membranous subtriangular sclerites intercomnected by thin membrane ( Fig. 19H ). Morphological sternite IX Y-shaped, lateral arms short ( Fig. 19H ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 19A–E ) shortly cylindrical, tegmen apex short, hooked (the hook is poorly visible on the fig. 19A, C, D due to the suboptimal position of the tegmen apex), the apically narrowed part of tegmen also shortly hooked at apex; endophallic armature of a strong, paired, basally C-like curved spine, one distinctly shorter than another.

Sexual dimorphism. Female ( Fig. 18C ) elytra comparatively stronger widened laterally in posterior half, elytral apex rounded, without modifications. Tergite VII and morphological sternite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin ( Fig. 20 ).

102 Differential diagnosis. Microhoria melecisi 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 similarly coloured congeners from the eastern Mediterranean with pronotum paler than rest of body and bicoloured antennae. The new species is specific primarily in the shape and structure of the aedeagus. Additionally, in M. corallicollis ( Reitter, 1889) ( Greece) the humerus is obsolete, in M. emaciata ( Pic, 1896) ( Greece) the male elytral apex appears non-denticulate, in M. kaifensis ( Pic, 1896) ( Jordan, Levant, S Turkey) the forebody is more regularly, comparatively stronger punctate, the femora are rufous, in M. lafertei (Truqui, 1855) ( Cyprus; unconfirmed records from Greece, Levant, Mesopotamia, Turkey) the head is somewhat paler than the elytra, the humerus is obsolete and the penultimate antennomere at most as wide as long, not transverse, in M. leuthneri ( Pic, 1897) (Levant, S Turkey) the general colouration is paler brownish and the pronotum is not contrastingly paler than the rest of the body, in M. rubronotata ( Pic, 1896) ( Greece, European Turkey) the head is paler than the elytra, in the highly variable M. terminata (widespread in S and SE Europe, southern European Russia, Turkey, recorded also from N Africa) the female elytron apex is deflected. The aedeagus of M. melecisi sp. nov. is rather similar to that of M. emaciata ( Pic, 1896) ( Greece: Crete) and M. raveli (Pic, 1899) ( Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Turkey (the latter record requires additional confirmation)). In M. emaciata , the paired spine of the endophallic armature is distinctly shorter, the hook of the tegmen apex is robust and strongly rounded apically, the aedeagus generally shorter cylindrical. In M. raveli , there is only a single, thickened, curved spine in the endophallic armature.

Ecology. Unknown.

Distribution. Greece: Crete. Possibly occurs sympatrically with M. emaciata around the Souda Bay (the type locality of the latter).

Chorotype. E-Mediterranean (3.03 EME).

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

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Dmitry Telnov, Augusto Degiovanni

Figures

Figure 18. Microhoria melecisi sp. nov., dorsal view A – Holotype ♂, habitus; B – ditto, dorsal forebody; C – Paratype ♀ from Lefka, Crete, habitus [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.

Figure 19. Microhoria melecisi sp. nov., male genitalia and terminalia. A – Holotype ♂, aedeagus, lateral view; B – ditto, ventral view; C – ditto, second lateral view; D – Paratype ♂ from ‘Suda Bay’, Crete, aedeagus, apical portion; E – ditto, apical portion of tegmen; F – ditto, morphological sternite VII, ventral view; G – ditto, tergite VIII, dorsal view; H – Holotype ♂, tergite VIII and morphological sternites VIII and IX, dorsal view [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.

Figure 20. Microhoria melecisi sp. nov., female terminalia. A – Paratype, morphological sternite VII, ventral view; B – ditto, tergite VII, dorsal view [not to scale]. Images: A. Degiovanni & D. Telnov.