Gunarus gayirbegi Nabozhenko & Keskin

Nabozhenko, Maxim V. & Keskin, Bekir, 2009, Two new species of the genus Gunarus Des Gozis, 1886 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) from Southern Turkey, Zootaxa 2170, pp. 53-60 : 54-58

Gunarus gayirbegi Nabozhenko & Keskin , sp. n.

( Fig. 1a , c, e, f, h. Fig. 2a , b. Fig. 3 )

Male. Body strongly shining, brown, legs pale brownish, antennae reddish-brown. Head widest at the level of eyes. Eyes large, convex. Ratio of head width at eyes to distance between eyes – 1.5. Anterior edge of clypeus straight. Genae strongly angulate. Outer margin of head at junction of gena and clypeus with obtuse emargination, rarely without emargination. Head with deep transverse depression between frons and clypeus. Genae raised in comparison with other surface of head in lateral view. Head glabrous dorsally except for short recumbent light setae near anterior margin of eyes. Punctation of head coarse and dense. Clypeus, genae and anterior part of frons with deep round punctures. Middle part of frons and on occiput with longitudinally elongate punctures. Punctures near eyes merged in long and coarse rugae. Head ventrally covered with yellow recumbent setae. Antennae long, five apical segments extending beyond base of pronotum. Ratio of length/ width of 2–11 antennal segments: 0.5/0.7; 2.2/0.7; 1.4/0.6; 1.5/0.6; 1.7/0.7; 1.7/0.7; 2.1/0.7; 2/0.8; 1.8/0.8; 2.5/0.8. 3rd, 8–11th antennal segments visibly longer than other segments. 11th antennal segment strongly elongated (3.1 times as long as wide), arcuate, banana-shaped, 1.4 times as long as 10th.

Pronotum cordate, weakly transverse (1.1 times as wide as long), widest before middle, 1.24 times as wide as head. Lateral sides of pronotum moderately rounded. Base of pronotum rounded, anterior margin weakly rounded. All sides of pronotum margined. Margination of lateral sides very deep. Anterior angles obtuse, widely rounded on apex; basal angles obtuse, narrowly rounded at apex. Punctation of pronotum moderately coarse and dense, punctures longitudinally elongate. Punctation sparser in middle (puncture diameter subequal to distance between punctures). Diameter of punctures on sides of pronotum 1.5 times as long as distance between them. Disc regularly convex, only near lateral sides with deep depression on middle. Propleura near outer and inner margins smooth, with sparse puncturation. Surface of propleura covered with very narrow and short recumbent setae. In some specimens, propleura fully covered with narrow distinct confused rugae, only near outer margins smooth and with punctures. Prosternal process densely pubescent, not projected (in lateral view).

Elytra convex, elongate, oval (length 1.65–1.7 times as wide as long), widest in the middle, 1.7 times as wide as head, 1.35 times as wide and 2.5 times as long as pronotum. Vertical basal margin of elytral base well defined. Humeral angles projected as rounded dents. Intervals convex, 5th interval with small, sometimes indistinct granules. Puncturation of intervals sparse and fine. Strial punctures merged in entire deep rows.

Body ventrally completely pubescent. Abdominal sternites with regular coarse, sparse punctation. 5th abdominal sternite margined at the apex, pubescent (besides ordinary recumbent setae) with long erected goldish setae.

Tibiae straight. Outer apex of each tibia laterally projected. Anterior tarsi slightly widened, 2nd and 3rd tarsomeres weakly transverse (2nd tarsomere 1.25 times as wide as long, 3rd tarsomere 1.1 times as wide as long). Ventral surface of tarsi with very dense brush of setae.

Parameres spear-shaped, apex of penis acute, sclerites of penis not arcuate on apex. Blade of gastral spicula with obtuse angle at base of outer margin. Branches of gastral spicula formed trunk and merged only on the apex.

Female. Body robust, antennae shorter, only their three apical segments extending beyond base of pronotum. Pronotum more tranverse (1.25 times as wide as long). Intervals of elytra not convex. Fore tarsi not widened.

Sexual ducts of female. Vagina with sclerotized structures, oviduct with sclerites, spermatheca with 4 long ducts, gland long ( Fig. 3 )

Length of body (males and females) 6–9.5 mm, width 2–3 mm.

Type material. Holotype, male: Turkey, Prov. Antalya, Akdag rige, pass between Seki and ElmalI, 1700 m, 16– 17.04.2008 (leg M.V. Nabozhenko) [Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.- Petersburg, Russia]; paratypes (8 males, 4 females), same, 2 paratypes (male and female) in collection of Ege University (Izmir-Bornova, Turkey), 1 paratype (male) in collection of M.V. Nabozhenko; 1 paratype, male [SMN], with labels: “Tr., Lyk. Taurus, Elmali, Kohu dag, 27– 29.4.1990 (leg Kuft + Szallies)”, “Kein Catomus / Gunarus , det. Schawaller”; 2 paratypes, males: Turkey, prov. Antalya, Çaltilar, N37o54’ 309’’, E29o42’ 054’’, 1340 m, 9.05.2009 (leg. S.V. & M.V. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin) [in collection of Ege University]; 1 paratype, male: Antalya, Kas, Gömbe, Sinekcibeli, 36°27'N, 29°39'E, 1435m, 23.04.2001 (leg. Hasbenli), [Zoological Museum of Gazi University].

Etymology. The species is named in honour of the outstanding Caucasian entomologist, Prof. Gayirbeg Magomedovich Abdurakhmanov (Institute of applied ecology, Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia).

Bionomics. The new species was found on red juniper ( Juniperus oxycedrus ), active at night between 21:00 and 23:00, creeping on the base of trunks and crawling higher later. The beetles feed on lichens. In the afternoon the beetles were hiding in deep cracks of trunks or at the base of trees or in needle litter.

Differential diagnosis. This species is closely related to G. korkutelensis sp. n. (differences are in the key), and differs from G. l a p i d i c o l a on the basis of cordiform, less transverse pronotum, densely pubescent ventral side of the body and completely margined anal sternite.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Gunarus gayirbegi sp. n., sexual ducts of female. A) Vagina. B) Oviduct. C) Spermatheca. D) Gland of spermatheca.

FIGURE 1. A – B) Head and pronotum. C – D) Genitalia. E) Gastral spicula. F – G) Antenna. H – I) Fore tarsus. A), C), E), F), H) G. gayirbegi sp. n. B), D), G), I) G. korkutelensis sp. n.

FIGURE 2. A) G. gayirbegi sp. n., male. B) G. gayirbegi sp. n., female. C) G. korkutelensis sp. n., male, D) G. korkutelensis sp. n., female,