Lacon carmelensis Platia, 2010

Kundrata, Robin, Mertlik, Josef & Németh, Tamás, 2019, Unexpected diversity of Lacon Laporte, 1838 (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae) in the Levant: revised species concepts, new species, and an identification key, Zootaxa 4679 (3), pp. 401-449 : 417-418

Lacon carmelensis Platia, 2010

( Figs 65–69 , 194 )

Lacon carmelensis Platia, 2010: 24 .

Type material. Holotype, male, „ Israel, Mt. Carmel , 1.5 km NW Gal‘ed, 5.iv.1999, E. Orbach [leg.], Holotypus Lacon carmelinus [sic!] n. sp. Platia-Preiss ( SMNH). 1 paratype, male, same data as for holotype except: “ Paratypus Lacon carmelensis n. sp. G. Platia descr.“ ( PCGP); 1 paratype, male [not examined in this study], “ Mt Carmel , Kibbutz Daliyya, 5.IV.1999, leg. B. Orbach ” ( PCEO) .

Type locality. Israel: Mt. Carmel , 1.5 km NW Gal‘ed.

Comparative remarks. Platia (2010: 24) compared this species with L. candezei and distinguished it „by the smaller size and the black colour“. This species is very similar to L. candezei and L. ganglbaueri by habitus, length of antennae, and male genitalia with a median lobe shorter than parameres ( Figs 52, 53, 59 , 65, 66, 69 ). Some specimens of L. candezei are of the similar size as L. carmelensis . Here, we keep L. carmelensis as a separate species because it differs from the above mentioned species in a darker body and pubescence ( Figs 52, 53, 58 , 65, 66, 68 ), and a shape of male genitalia. The aedeagus of L.carmelensis without phallobase is slightly stouter, less than four times longer than wide (more than 4.2 times longer than wide in L. candezei and L. ganglbaueri ), and a median lobe does not reach lateral hook of paramere of about 0.5 length of the apical parameral lobe (about the length of the apical lobe or more in L. candezei and L. ganglbaueri ; Figs 59 , 69 ).

Diagnostic characters. Male ( Figs 65–69 ). Body 6.7–7.5 mm long, 1.9–2.0 mm wide (first numbers are for holotype). Body moderately shiny, dark brown to brown-black, with antennae, pronotal posterior angles and legs ferruginous; covered with mostly brown setae (sometimes with white tips) and several white setae, all moderately long and thick. Antenna relatively long, surpassing posterior angles of pronotum by about 1.5 antennomeres.Antennomere III 1.25 times as long as antennomere IV, median antennomeres serrate, about 1.0–1.2 times as long as wide. Pronotum 1.20–1.25 times as long as wide, sides almost subparallel, with posterior angles slightly divergent, disk covered with moderately deep punctures, intervals between punctures about 1–2 times as a diameter of puncture. Scutellar shield about 1.5 times as long as wide, with anterior margin slightly concave. Elytra 2.2–2.3 as long as wide, and 2.2–2.3 times as long as pronotum, with moderately deep punctures of almost equal size, surface between punctures rather rugose. Aedeagus (without phallobase) slightly less than four times as long as wide; median lobe short, not reaching lateral hook of paramere of about 0.5 length of apical parameral lobe; parameres subparallelsided along most of their length, apically slightly diverging; apical parameral lobe elongate, narrow, with outer margin more or less straight, apically subacute.

Female unknown. Immature stages unknown.

Distribution. Israel ( Fig. 194 ).

Literature. Platia (2010: 24): original description.

Figures

FIGURE 194. Distribution of Lacon spp. in the mainland Levant. Dots representing L. candezei in Lebanon and Syria are only approximate since there are no exact data for these countries.

FIGURES 65–69. Morphology of Lacon carmelensis, holotype, male. 65, habitus, dorsal view; 66, habitus, lateral view; 67, pronotum, dorsal view; 68, detail of elytral surface; 69, aedeagus. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 65–66), 1.0 mm (Fig. 67), 0.5 mm (Fig. 69); Fig. 68 not to scale.

FIGURES 52–64. Morphology of Lacon ganglbaueri. Habitus: 52–53, lectotype, male, dorsal and lateral view, respectively; 54, male from Lebanon, dorsal view; 55, female from Lebanon, dorsal view. Pronotum, dorsal view: 56, male lectotype; 57, female paralectotype. Lectotype, male: 58, detail of elytral surface; 59, aedeagus. Female paralectotype, pregenital segments and genitalia: 60, tergite VIII; 61, sternite VIII; 62, ovipositor; 63, large sclerite of bursa copulatrix. 64, female from Lebanon, large sclerite of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 52–55), 1.0 mm (Figs 56–57), 0.5 mm (Figs 59–62), 0.2 mm (Figs 63–64); Fig. 58 not to scale.