Melanotus borumandi, 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 : 348-349

Melanotus borumandi sp. n.

( Figs. 3–4 , Map 6)

Type locality. Kusalan va Shaho Protected Area, near Sarvabad city, Sarvabad to Dezli road, 2 km east of Dezli , southern Kordestan province .

Type material. Holotype Ƌ ( HMIM): “ Kordeatsn province , Kusalan va Shaho Protected Area, Sarvabad, 2 km E Dezli, N35°22’34.5”, E46°09’36.4”, 1379 m, 30.VI.2015, leg. H. Nasserzadeh (L. T.) [Light trap]” . Paratypes: 1 ♀ ( HMIM): “ Ardabil [province], 14. VI.2000, [leg.] Aghdam, on potato”; 1 Ƌ ( HMIM): “ Ardabil province, Moghan Protected Area, ca. 1 km W Aslanduz, nr. Aras river , N39°26’15.1”, E47°24’05.9”, 182 m, 25. VI.2017, leg. H. Nasserzadeh & M. Mojdehi (L. T) [Light trap]”; 40 ƋƋ , 4♀♀ ( HMIM, CGP): “ Ardabil province, Moghan Protected Area, Sarband to Ardabil rd., ca. 20 Km S Sarband, nr. Alamlu vill., N39°37’30.6”, E47°46’57.8”, 58 m, 27.VI.2017, leg. H. Nasserzadeh & M. Mojdehi (Light trap)”; 2 ƋƋ ( HMIM): “ Ardabil province, Moghan Protected Area , ca. 4 km W Aslanduz, Aras river, nr. Border Guard Police Station , N39°29’42.1”, E48°03’04.5”, 101 m, 28.VI.2017, leg. H. Nasserzadeh & M. Mojdehi (L. T) [Light trap]”; 3 ƋƋ ( HMIM): “[Ardabil province], Khalkhal, 25.7.[19]49, [leg.] Mak.”. (Azarbaijan-e Gharbi): 1 Ƌ ( HMIM): “ W. Azarbayjan, Rezaieh [Urmia], [leg.] Abai (L. T) [Light trap]”. Azarbaijan-e Sharghi: 10 ƋƋ ( HMIM, CPG): “ Azarbaijan-e Sharghi province , Arasbaran Protected Area , nr. Vinagh, N38°59’56.6”, E46°51’45.4”, 23.VI.2015, leg. Nasserzadeh, Hajesmailian, Montreuil (L. T) [Light trap]” ; 1 ♀: Arasbaran Protected Area, Jananlu to Kaleybar rd. , ca. 28 km S Jananlu, N38°57’09.8”, E47°01’17.3”, 756 m, 26. VI.2017, leg. H. Nasserzadeh

Kordestan province): 2 ƋƋ, 1 ♀ ( HMIM, CGP): same data as holotype; 1 Ƌ: “ Kordestan province, Marivân, Kanisânân , 1320m, 9.VIII.2004, [leg.] Gh./Nem.” .

Additional material examined. The localities marked with an asterisk (*) include individual(s) with some morphological features intermediate between M. borumandi sp. n., M. kurdestanicus sp. n. and/or M. fusciceps (Gyllenhal, 1817) (see Remarks).

Azarbaijan-e Gharbi province: * 80 exs.: Lake Urmia National Park , Rashakan Research Station, N37°20’38.8”, E45°17’37.4”, 1315 m, 08.VII-6.VIII.2016, leg. R. Vahabzadeh (Malaise trap) ; * 6 exs.: Lake Urmia National Park , Rashakan Research Station, N37°20’38.8”, E45°17’37.4”, 1315 m, 18-25.VI.2016, leg. E. Gilasian & M. Parchami- Araghi (Malaise trap (. Azarbaijan-e Sharghi province: * 1 ex.: “AZARBAIJAN, TABRIZ, BOSTANABAD / TIKMEHDASH, 2.8.[19]83, [leg.] KAZEMI-NOSHAD”.

Differential diagnosis. The length of the third antennomere in this species is less than half length of fourth (0.3–0.4 ×) this ratio is slightly more than 0.5 in the similar species Melanotus kurdestanicus sp. n., M. fusciceps and M. zagrosensis Platia 2016 . It can also be separated from M. fusciceps and M. zagrosensis by the longer antennae that exceed the apicis of the posterior angles of pronotum by 1.5-2 antennomeres. It is one antennomere or less than one antennomere in M. fusciceps and M. zagrosensis respectively. The aedeagus and median lobe in M. borumandi sp. n. is not as slender and elongated as M. kurdestanicus sp. n. The length of the sclerified part of the bursa copulatrix in M. borumandi is almost as long as (or often clearly shorter than) the length of the ovipositor while it is clearly longer in M. fusciceps.

Description. Male. Body and legs unicolorous, rufous to rufo-testaceus, covered with dense and testaceous pubescence; blackened along marginal edges of contours and striae.

Body length 12.2–16.5 mm, width 3.5–5.0 mm.

Head as wide as anterior margin of pronotum near outer margin of eyes; covered with dense, umblicate punctures with interspaces mainly narrower than their own diameter; frons declining anteriorly, flat between eyes without a distinct depression, anterior margin thickened and slightly sinuate or straight at middle and protruding sub-horizontally above clypeus; antennae exceeding the apices of posterior angles of pronotum by one and a half to two antennomeres, antennomeres serrated from fourth to tenth; second and third moderately subconical, the latter slightly longer than half the length of second (second antennomere 0.7 × as long as third one, third antennomere slightly shorter than half length of fourth antennomere third antennomere 0.3–0.4 × as long as fourth) ( Figure 6b ).

Pronotum slightly (1.1 ×) broader than long, moderately and regularly convex, covered with coarse punctures, rather uniformly distributed, umbilicate, with interspaces mainly narrower than their own diameter, sides arcuate in posterior third, posterior angles slightly divergent with subparallel lateral sided, angles with raised carinae, carina longer than the angles, exceeding posterior third and sometimes reaching half the length of the lateral sides of pronotum.

Scutellum shield-shaped, almost 1.5 × longer than wide, flat, punctures coarse and pubescent.

Elytra 2.8–3.1 × longer than pronotum and as wide as or slightly (1.1 ×) wider at widest point, moderately convex; sides subparallel in anterior third, moderately narrowing to apex, striae regularly punctured, interstriae moderately and finely punctured.

Last abdominal sternite entire and rounded along apical margin.

Tarsomeres simple, first to fourth gradually decreasing in length, apical tarsomere slightly longer than the first and two times longer than the penultimate tarsomere.

Aedeagus as in Figure 6c , moderately elongated, length 2.0– 2.2 mm, median lobe rather thickened, longer than parameres (by less than 1.25 times) ( Figure 6c ), narrowing from the midlength and pointed at the apex, posterior angles of parameres apically rounded.

Female. Similar to males except as follows: body length 14.0– 18.4 mm, width 4.4–5.4 mm; antenna reaching apices of posterior angles of pronotum, second antennomere half or slightly longer than half the length of the third, third antennomere half as long as fourth; apical tarsomere almost as long as first tarsomere.

Female genitalia as in Figure 4 . Bursa copulatrix covered with sclerotized spines inside the memberanous wall; sclerified part of the bursa shorter than the length of the ovipositor.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Hooshang Borumand (1936–2009), the first curator and the founder of the Coleoptera collection at the Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum.

Remarks. The localities marked with an asterisk (*) include individuals with some variable morphological features intermediate between M. borumandi sp. n. and M. kurdestanicus sp. n. or M. fusciceps. Some specimens have a more thickened median lobe and are rather parallel sided or have a longer and slimmer median lobe; the ratio of the length of second and third antennomeres is intermediate between M. borumandi sp. n. and M. kurdestanicus sp. n. These specimens are also have fewer coarse punctures on the pronotum and show affinities to M. fusciceps and/or M. kurdestanicus sp. n. in the mentioned diagnostic features.

Habitat. Specimens were collected in different habitat types ranging from mountainous oak forest in Arasbaran and Zagross to alluvial plain in the Moghan protected area and to saline land near Urmia lake. Specimens were collected by light trap or Malaise traps that were installed for collecting Hymenoptera and Hemiptera ( Fig. 15 ).

Climate types. Semi-arid, cold to cool winters and warm summers.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Melanotus borumandi sp. n.: (a) Dorsal habitus; (b) antenomeres 1–4 (c) aedeagus, dorsal view.

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 6. Pittonotus iranicus: (a) Dorsal habitus; (b) aedeagus, dorsal view.

FIGURE 15. Saline land near Urmia lake. The malaise trap in smaller photo was set up in Rashakan ranger station in Urmia National Park to capture Hemiptera and Hymenoptera specimens. Photos by M. Parchami-Araghi.