Blaps nitiduloides Soldati, 2017

Laurent Soldati, Fabien L. Condamine, Anne-Laure Clamens & Gael J. Kergoat, 2017, Documenting tenebrionid diversity: progress on Blaps Fabricius (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Tenebrioninae, Blaptini) systematics, with the description of Fve new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 282, pp. 1-29 : 15-18

Blaps nitiduloides Soldati sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FF763E9B-8763-45D7-B809-2030C9802FAA

Fig. 4A–I

Etymology

The name of this species refers to its resemblance to Blaps emondi var. nitidula Solier, 1848 .

Material examined

Holotype

TUNISIA: ♂, “27.IV.1964, Maktar, TUNISIE, Besnard réc. / MUSEUM PARIS COLL. P. ARDOIN 1978 / Blaps binominata Esc. = caudigera Allard P. ARDOIN DET. 1977 / Blaps nitiduloides m. n. sp. L. Soldati 2015, HOLOTYPE” (MNHN).

Allotype

TUNISIA: ♀, “Tunis / MUSEUM PARIS COLL. L. BEDEL 1922 / Blaps nitiduloides m. n. sp. L. Soldati 2015, ALLOTYPE” (MNHN).

Paratypes

ALGERIA: 1 ♂, “Aïn Beida, Constantinois, ALGERIE” (MNHN).

TUNISIA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, “Tunis 9.IX.26 J. Briel” (MNHN); 1 ♂, “27.IV.1964, Maktar, TUNISIE, Besnard réc.” (MNHN); 1 ♂, “Carthage, Tunisie, 10.IX.26, Briel” (MNHN); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, “MUSEUM PARIS TUNIS Belvédère A. WEISS 1902” (MNHN); 1 ♂, “Teboursouk, Tunisie” (MNHN); 1 ♂, “Hadger El Aioun (Tunisie) DE VAULOGER” (MNHN); 1 ♂, “Sbeitla, De Vauloger” (MNHN); 1 ♀, “Tunis: Gassa (91 Augos) / Edmondi / Sammlung J. Daniel / Blaps ♀? torretassoi Koch i. l. 1977 N. Skopin det.” (HNHM); 1 ♂, “Tunisie, Teboursouk” (CS); 1 ♂, “Tunis” (CS); 1 ♂, “Tunisie, Sousse, 10.IV.1997, M. Martinez leg.” (CS); 1 ♀, “27.IV.1964, Maktar, TUNISIE, Besnard réc.” (CS); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, “Tunisia NE, Hammam-Lif, 3–4.IV.1999, lgt. M. Kalabza” (CT); 1 ♀, “Tunisia NW, 20 km N Beja, 19.4.2001, LGT. M. Halada” (CT).

Other material (3 specimens, MNHN)

ALGERIA: Constantine (Khenichela), Mt Tebessa, 1100 m (MNHN).

TUNISIA: Carthago, Radès (MNHN).

Description

Length: 33.0–42.0 mm; width: 12.5–16.0 mm. Semi-gloss black ( Fig. 4A–C ). Upper surface covered with extremely fne, sparse and superfcial punctures.

HEAD. Covered with fne punctation, more pronounced than on rest of upper body surface. Punctation becomes even denser on clypeus. Clypeus arcuately emarginated, with anterior angles right and protruding frontwards, leaving clypeo-labial membrane partially visible. Clypeo-frontal suture reduced to thin, brilliant line. In middle of frons, just behind eyes, two shallow, circular depressions, sometimes joined by short transverse depression. Mentum transverse, densely and coarsely punctate. Gula microshagreened, matte. Labium deeply notched in middle of front edge.

ANTENNAE ( Fig. 4D ). Short, barely reaching basal third of pronotum when directed backwards. Antennomeres 4–7 particularly short and thick.

PRONOTUM. Usually weakly transverse, not wider than long, broadest at or just behind its middle. Disc slightly convex. Sides regularly arcuate, except at posterior angles. Posterior angles obtuse and blunt. Anterior angles rounded. External rim complete on lateral margins, but obliterated in middle of front edge and base. Punctation extremely fne, sometimes barely visible. Carina of anterior foramen of pronotum very thick and neck-shaped. Episternum of prosternum superfcially wrinkled. Prosternal apophysis vertically bent just after anterior coxae, then fat and generally non-protruding posteriorly.

ELYTRA. Ovoid, broadest around its middle. Upper surface smooth and covered with extremely fne and sparse punctures; background integument shining. Pseudopleural carina just visible on anterior half from above because of transversal convexity of elytra. Posterior declivity of elytra steep in lateral view. Mucro at apex of elytra measuring between 2.0 and 5.0 mm. Seen from above, deep suture fanked by two thick, coarsely transversely striated ribs, converging in curve toward apex, apex ending in deep and narrow apical gap ( Fig. 4E ). In lateral view, mucro thick on ¾ of its length, then abruptly sloping toward apex ( Fig. 4F ). Basin-shaped below, with bottom coarsely striated transversely.

ABDOMEN. Ventrites wrinkled; anal ventrite punctate, with light depression on disc, external rim complete.

LEGS. Quite short and stout. Protibiae slightly curved. Tarsi short.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM. No tuft of bristles between ventrites 1 and 2, but strong callosity present in middle of intercoxal process of ventrite 1 in males. Mucro longer in males (2.5–5.0 mm) than in females (2.0– 2.2 mm) ( Fig. 4E, G ). Male mesotibiae curved, slightly grooved on upper face. Male posterior tibiae fexuous and shallowly emarginated in middle of inner side, straight and simple in females.

AEDEAGUS. On sternal face ( Fig. 4H ), parameres open, subparallel for 4/5 of their length, then triangularly narrowed at apex. In lateral view ( Fig. 4I ), parameres frst subparallel for 9/10 of their length, then obliquely truncated and end in a point.

Bionomics

The examined material was collected between April and September.

Distribution

Algeria and Tunisia. This species is currently only known from Tunisia and the Constantine region of Algeria.

Remarks

This species belongs to the Blaps emondi species group (sensu Condamine et al. 2011). It is morphologically related to B. emondi Solier, 1848 and B. binominata Escalera, 1914. In B. binominata the characteristic mucro is very broad and parallel, with a strong apical gap at a right angle. The male of B. emondi exhibits a tuft of yellow bristles between ventrites 1 and 2, and the abdominal callosity is located near the front edge of the intercoxal process of ventrite 1. It is also worth highlighting that Blaps nitiduloides sp. nov. is not found in sympatry with either B. binominata or B. emondi ; the latter occurs in central and western Algeria, north of the ‘Hauts Plateaux’, and northeastern Morocco, whereas the distribution of B. binominata extends from the Oran region to the northeast of Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla.

Figures

Fig. 4. Blaps nitiduloides Soldati sp. nov. A. ♂, habitus (dorsal view). B. ♂, habitus (lateral view). C. ♂, habitus (ventral view). D. ♂, left antenna (dorsal view). E. ♂, mucro (dorsal view). F. ♂, mucro (lateral view). G. ♀, mucro (dorsal view). H. ♂, aedeagus (ventral view). I. ♂, aedeagus (lateral view). Scale bars: A – C = 10 mm; D = 5 mm; E – I = 2 mm.