Pelochares sabaeanus, Hernando & Ribera & Csic, 2014

Hernando, Carles, Ribera, Ignacio & Csic, 2014, The Limnichidae (Coleoptera) of the Arabian Peninsula and the island of Socotra, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 173-189 : 178-180

Pelochares sabaeanus sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 8–9 )

Type locality. Yemen, Al Hudaydah Governorate, Jabal Bura ( Fig. 15C ).

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ YEMEN, Al Hudaydah gov. / Jabal Bura valley forest NP / (stream valley; at light), 240-350m / 14º52.4-5ʹN, 43º24.6- 25.2ʹE / J. Bezděk leg. 4.xi.2010 ’ [genitalia and abdominal ventrites mounted in DMHF on a transparent card pinned with the specimen] . PARATYPES (50 specimens; CHBS, IBEB, NHMW, NMPC): 16 spec.: same data as holotype ; 1 spec.: same data, but Jiří Hájek leg. ; 1 spec.: ‘W YEMEN, Jabal Bura´ , / NEE Al Hudaydah, N14º52ʹ / E43º24ʹ, 225-600 m, / 30.X-1.XI.05, lgt. S. Kadlec’, ‘ex coll. S. Kadlec / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic’ ; 1 spec.: ‘W YEMEN, JABAL BURA / NEE Al Hudaydah, N14º52ʹ E43º24ʹ, 261-600m / 9.-11.IV.2007, lgt. S. Kadlec’, ‘ex coll. S. Kadlec / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic’ ; 30 spec: ‘ YEMEN, Hadramawt gov. / GHAYL BA WAZIR, NE env. / bottom of karstic abyss 118m a.s.l. / 14º47ʹ33ʺN ; 49º22ʹ46ʺE [GPS] / 6.-7.xi.2007 A. REITER lgt.’ [7 cards and 1 pin with 3 spec. each]; 1 spec.: ‘W YEMEN, 10 km W Al / Manşūrīah , N14º43ʹ / E43º12ʹ, 110 m, 8.IV.2007, / lgt. P. Kabátek’ .

Additional material examined. 1 J 2 ♀♀ ( NMPC): ‘ JORDAN mer.occ. - 280m, / 30º52,906ʹ N 35º26,015ʹ E / 20 km W of At Tafila, / J. Bezděk leg., 31.v.-1.vi.2007 ’.

Dubious specimen. 1 ♀ ( NMPC): ‘ ETHIOPIA, Dire Dawa, / 9º40,934ʹN, 41º57,930ʹE, / 1055 m, 2.vi.2011, / V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg.’ [genitalia dissected and mounted in DMHF on a separate transparent card pinned with the specimen, together with two eggs].

Description. Externally very similar to P. sinbad sp. nov., from which only main differences are noted. Length 1.6–1.7 mm; maximum width 0.9–1.0 mm. Body slightly narrower than in P. sinbad ( Fig. 2 ); dorsal pubescence shorter and lessdense, more silvery than golden. Pronotum slightly more transverse (ratio median length / width at base = 0.42–0.46). Eyes very flat, hardly visible from above. Eye border very prominent, especially next to insertion of antennae. Lateral border of pronotum less marked. Elytral border finer than in P. sinbad ; elytral margin with acute denticles from median part to elytral locking device (not visible from above).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 8 ). Median lobe of the aedeagus slightly shorter than parameres, apex acuminate. Parameres as long as phallobase; apex of parameres straight. Phallobase shorter than in P. sinbad sp. nov.; base asymmetrical, with long struts, almost as long as phallobase.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 9 ): ovipositor longer than in P. sinbad sp. nov., with a marked angle in median region.

Etymology. Named after the ancient Kingdom of the Sabaeans, in what is nowadays Yemen and north Ethiopia, with an area similar to the distribution of the new species; adjective.

Collection circumstances. Most specimens were collected at light. The type locality (Jabal Bura, Fig. 15C ) is a stream on stony substratum in an area with dense scrubland and palm trees.

Distribution. Known from continental Yemen and Jordan, likely to be present in Ethiopia ( Fig. 16 ).

Remarks. We could not appreciate any difference in the external morphology or the male and female genitalia between the specimens from Jordan and Yemen, but did not include them as paratypes due to the scarcity of the material for study. The female from Ethiopia is also identical to those from Yemen, including the shape of the ovipositor and spiculum ventrale, but due to the absence of males its identity remains uncertain. According to the general shape of the ovipositor, P. sabaeanus sp. nov. seems to be related to some Afrotropical species (e.g. P. congoensis Delève, 1968 ) ( DELÈVE 1968), although this author did not note the presence of denticles in the elytral margin in any of the African species of the genus.

Figures

Figs 1–5. Habitus of the Limnichidae of Arabian Peninsula and Socotra Islands. 1 – Pelochares sinbad sp. nov.; 2 – P. sabaeanus sp. nov.; 3 – Limnichus arabicus sp. nov.; 4 – Byrrhinus socotrensis sp. nov.; 5 – B. helicophallus sp. nov. Upper scale bar applied to Figs 1–3, bottom scale bar to Figs 4–5.

Fig. 8. Male genitalia of the holotype of Pelochares sabaeanus sp. nov. A – aedeagus; B – genital segment; C – ventrite VIII. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Fig.9. Female genitalia of Pelochares sabaeanus sp. nov. A – ovipositor; B – spiculum ventrale. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Fig. 15. Representative habitats where specimens of Limnichidae were found. A – Oman, wadi 15 km southwest of Sur, type locality of Pelochares sinbad sp. nov.; B – Oman, wadi west of Qalhat, also with P. sinbad sp. nov.; C – Western Yemen, Jabal Bura, type locality of Pelochares sabaeanus sp. nov. and Byrrhinus helicophallus sp. nov.; D – Socotra, wadi Dirhor (Esgego), type locality of B. socotrensis sp. nov.(photos:A–B –A. Cieslak; C–D – J. Hájek)

Fig. 16. Distribution of the known Arabian Limnichidae. Blue circles – Pelochares sinbad sp. nov.; green circles – P. sabaeanus sp. nov.; red circles – Byrrhinus helicophallus sp. nov.; yellow circles – B. socotrensis sp. nov.; purple circle – Limnichus arabicus sp. nov. With question marks, specimens of uncertain identity from Ethiopia; inset – detailed distribution of B. socotrensis sp. nov. in Socotra.