Reitterelater prosternalis, Nasserzadeh, 2021

Nasserzadeh, Hiva, 2021, A study of the click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) of northwestern Iran with three new species Reitterelater prosternalis sp. n., Melanotus borumandi sp. n. and M. kurdestanicus sp. n., Zootaxa 4941 (3), pp. 338-368 : 355-357

Reitterelater prosternalis sp. n.

( Fig. 7 , Map 5)

Type locality. Mirabad Protected Area , Degeh village , Sardasht to Mirabad road, southern Azarbaijan-e Gharbi province .

Type material. Holotype Ƌ ( HMIM): Azarbaijan-e Gharbi prov. , Sardasht to Mirabad rd., ca. 5 km NW Nalas, Degeh village, N36°16’ E45°29’, ca. 1200 m, 27.V.2016, leg. H. Nasserzadeh (Light trap).

Differential diagnosis. The species can be separated from the species in neighboring regions, Reitterelater fulvus Reitter, 1891 and R. kovalenkoi Prosvirov, 2017 by the longer antenna that exceeds the apex of the posterior angles by less than one antennomere while the antenna in none of the mentioned species reaches the apex. It also differs from R. dubius Platia & Cate, 1990 by the acuminate hind angles of the pronotum, the general morphology of the prosternal process and the more elongated parameres.

Description. Male. Body uniformly dark, rufo-piceus; scutellum rufous in central part; antennae, legs and ventral side brown to reddish brown; covered with testaceous, semi-recumbent pubescence, rather dense on ventral parts, antennomeres with long and dense pubescence on ventral half.

Body length 11.2 mm, width 3.4 mm.

Head in outer margin of eyes as wide as anterior margin of pronotum, covered with dense, umbilicate punctures with interspaces narrower than their own diameter; frons pentagonal, declining anteriorly, flat between eyes, anterior margin thickened, prominent at middle, rather triangular and thicker in apex; antennae ( Figure 4c ) exceeding the apex of posterior angles by less than apical antennomere, antennomeres serrated from fourth to tenth, first antennomere thick, curved and cylindrical, as long as both second and third combined, two latter antennomeres subconical, third 1.3 × longer than second, fourth antennomere 1.3 × longer than both second and third combined and slightly (1.1 times) longer than all serrated antennomeres.

Pronotum 1.3 × broader than length, moderately convex, widest behind middle, narrowing anteriorly from middle, very weakly sinuate in posterior third near base of posterior angles; the latter very weakly divergent with two divergent carinae ( Figure 4b ) (external and internal) on each angle, external carina almost as long as or slightly longer than internal carina, both exceeding the base of angle and reaching to posterior third of lateral side; punctures on disc coarse, umbilicate with intervals mainly narrower than their diameters, denser and rather ovalshape on lateral sides; pronotosternal suture gaping in anterior third; prosternal lobe (collar) short and not covering mouthparts, broadly rounded in anterior margin, the latter thickened and prominent; prosternum rather parallel sided, covering with umbilicated double punctures, larger punctures dense, with interspace narrower than their own diameter, disperse in anterior and lateral portions, smaller punctures with interspace wider than their own diameter, dispersed mainly in posterior and central parts; hypomeron covered with dense and oval-shape punctures dispersed densely except in posterior fourth; prosternal process ( Figures 4d,e ) (0.7 mm long), exceeding posteriorly as long as diameter of procoxa, roundly dilated between procoxae, rather parallel sided, with a longitudinal carina ventrally, carina smoothly concave and sharply bent at its end, process becoming narrower from apical third and sharply rounded at apex.

Scutellum almost 1.4 × longer than wide, shield-shaped, wider apically and narrowing posteriorly, rather convex in anterior margin and rounded in posterior end, flat, punctures coarse and pubescent.

Elytra 3.1 × longer than pronotum and as wide as pronotum at its widest point; lateral margins sub-parallel at anterior half and widest at anterior quarter; base slightly narrower than width of pronotum at apices of hind angles, margin of base to shoulders thickened and slightly prominent anteriorly; ninth stria densely and deeply punctured, interstriae with sparse irregular punctures, distinctly smaller than punctures of the stria, also with short irregular and transversal linear impression.

Tarsomeres simple, first to fourth decreasing in length, apical tarsomere almost two times longer than penultimate and as long as two-thirds of first tarsomere.

Aedeagus as in figures 4f and 4g, length 1.2 mm, elongate; median lobe narrowing anteriorly and pointed at apex, exceeding apices of parameres by more than one-eight of its length.

Female. unknown

Etymology. The epithet refers to the morphology of the prosternal process that is slim, rather parallel sided with smoothly concave carina in comparison with other similar species with oval sided processes and more concave carinae.

Habitat. In a valley of mountainous region covered by Oak forest and near a village with old and large walnut trees.

Remarks. The validity of the genus Reitterelater has been discussed by different authors (Chassain 1992; Delnatte et al. 2011; Prosvirov 2017b). Further biological studies or systematic analysis may clarify this taxonomic ambiguity. The genus is new to Iran.

Climate types. Sub-humid, cold winters and warm summers.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Female genitalia of Melanotus borumandi sp. n.: (a) ovipositor; (b) bursa copulatrix with sclerified spines inside membranous wall; (c) and (d) female abdominal sternite VIII.

FIGURE 7. Reitterelater prosternalis sp. n.: (a) Dorsal habitus; (b) two divergent carinae on posterior angle of pronotum; (c) antenna; (d) prosternal process, ventral view; (e) prosternal process, lateral view; (f) aedeagus, dorsal view, (g) aedeagus, ventral view.