Dendarus transcaspicus Brancsik, 1899

Nabozhenko, Maxim V. & Poggi, Roberto, 2022, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Dendarus Dejean, 1821 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Blaptinae: Dendarini) from Iran, Turkmenistan and some adjacent territories, Zootaxa 5155 (1), pp. 105-123 : 114-115

Dendarus transcaspicus Brancsik, 1899

( Figs 6 , 10E , 11E , 12E , 13F )

Brancsik, 1899: 101; Reitter, 1904: 84; Medvedev, 1968: 98, 99, 110, figs 109–111; Medvedev & Nepesova, 1985: 123; Medvedev & Nepesova, 1990a: 25; Medvedev & Nepesova, 1990b: 886.

Type material. Types were not found in the collection of K. Brancsik in Field Museum, Chicago, USA (personal communication of the curator Maureen Turcatel). Here we interpreted the species according to the original description of Brancsik (1899) (especially slender and dull body; only one species has this combination of characters) and the redescription of Medvedev (1968).

Material. Turkmenistan, 1♂ ( ZIN): Kazandzhik [now Bereket] environs, mountains, 600 m, 21.iv.1952 (leg. O.L. Kryzhanovskij) ; 1♀ ( ZIN): Kopetdag , 15 km S Iskander station, 13.vi.1953 (leg. O.L. Kryzhanovskij) ; 1♂, 1♀ ( ZIN): mountains 12 km SW Kyzyl-Arvat [now Serdar ], 26.iv.1952 (leg. Shteinberg) ; 1♂, 3♀♀ ( ZIN): Kopetdag , 12 km SW Kyzyl-Arvat, 900 m, 23.iv.1952 (leg. K. Romadina) ; 1♂ ( ZIN): footnotes, 13 km S Kyzyl-Arvat , 25.iv.1952 (leg. Il’ichev) .

Diagnosis. Male. Head and pronotum dorsally shiny, elytra matt. Body slender, legs and antennae slender, long. Head with moderately coarse, sparse puncturation (puncture diameter subequal to interpuncture distance). Head ventrally with simple (not impressed) longitudinal furrow beyond prementum. Pronotum strongly convex. Lateral margins of pronotum evenly rounded, not emarginated at basal quarter; anterior angles not protruding; base slightly bisinuate, posterior angles rectangular or weakly obtuse, not protruding. Puncturation of pronotum uneven: fine and sparse, with round punctures at middle and sharply coarse and dense elongate, often merged punctures on lateral sides. Prosternal process comparatively wide, rounded at apex. Elytra widest at middle or slightly beyond middle. Strial punctures small, moderately sparse (30–34 punctures in one row), round, weakly impressed. Interstriae with very fine and sparse, poorly visible puncturation. Protibiae narrow, with a deep and wide notch on inner side and protruding rectangular tooth before indentation; protibia widest at level of tooth and apex. Mesotibiae straight. Mesotarsomeres 1–4 not widened, tarsomere 2 with reduced hair brush on sole.

Female. Body more robust, protibiae weakly bent. Elytra widest beyond middle.

Distribution. S Turkmenistan (Kopetdag, low mountains).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Dendarus transcaspicus, habitus. A = male, dorsally; B = male, ventrally; C = female, dorsally.

FIGURE 10. Dendarus spp., male tergite VIII. A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = D. transcaspicus; F = D. vagabundus.

FIGURE 11. Dendarus spp., male inner sternite VIII.A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = D. transcaspicus; F = D. vagabundus. sVIII—inner sternite VIII, tVIII—inner tergite VIII, tIX—inner tergite IX.

FIGURE 12. Dendarus spp., spiculum gastrale.A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = D. transcaspicus; F = D. vagabundus.

FIGURE 13. Dendarus spp., aedeagus, ventrally. A = D. armeniacus; B = D. crenulatus; C = D. leonhardi; D = D. matthewsi sp. n.; E = the same, turned forward; F = D. transcaspicus; G = D. vagabundus.