Microhoria sawda Kejval, 2020

Kejval, Zbyněk & Chandler, Donald S., 2020, Generic revision of the Microhoriini with new species and synonymies from the Palaearctic Region (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (1), pp. 95-154 : 145-146

Microhoria sawda Kejval , sp. nov.

( Fig. 120 )

Type locality. Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Province, Salhoukh, wadi near dam, 25°05′N 46°20′E, alt. 698 m.

Type material. HOLOTYPE:, ‘ Saudi Arabia, Riyadh prov. 6.ii.2016, SALHOUKH (wadi nr. dam), 698 m 25°05′N 46°20′E J. Bezděk & D. Král lgt. [p]’ ( NMPC) . PARATYPES: 19 6 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( NMPC, ZKDC); 2 1 ♀, ‘ Saudi Arabia, Riyadh prov. 2.ii.2016, WADI HANIFA, btw UYAYNA and SADUS (nr. dam), 24°54′N 46°11′E 805 m, J. Bezděk & D. Král lgt. [p]’ ( NMPC).

Description. Male (holotype). Body length 3.1 mm. Body black, elytra with brownish tinge posteriorly; legs

brownish-black, tibiae and tarsi somewhat paler, antennae black, antennomeres II, III slightly brownish.

Head elongate, 1.3 times as long as wide, widely round- ed posteriorly; eyes small, moderately convex. Surface moderately glossy, minutely punctate; punctures distinctly spaced; setation short, subdecumbent. Antennae moderately enlarged in apical half; antennomeres X 1.2 times, XI nearly 2.7 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.1 times as long as wide, moderately narrower than head including eyes, evenly rounded anteriorly, pronotal disc moderately convex, outline in dorsal view with lateral margins slightly narrowing posteriorly. Surface moderately glossy, punctate; punctation and setation as on head, with few very short erect setae.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide, somewhat flattened medially in basal half; humeri distinctly protruding; apices modified, channel of gland forming short tubular process. Surface moderately glossy, distinctly and densely punctate; punctation coarser and setation slightly longer than on head, with scattered, inconspicuous, short erect setae.

Legs slender, simple; all tibiae with paired terminal spurs.

Abdominal sternum VII widely rounded to subtruncate and slightly emarginate apically; sternum VIII forming paired, subtriangular sclerites that are distinctly setose posteriorly.Aedeagus ( Fig. 120 ): apical portion of tegmen rather wide, nearly evenly narrowing towards bluntly pointed apex, with several short setae along margins, and with conspicuous, slender rod-like projection; endophallic armature with numerous robust spines (longer spines bunched) and delicate minute spinules.

Female. Identical with male for most external characters; elytral apices simple; sternum VII simple; tergum VII simple, evenly rounded apically.

Variation. Body length (♀) 3.0– 3.6 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Microhoria sawda sp. nov. belongs to the M. terminata species-group. It can be recognized by the elongate, subparallel body, posteriorly slightly narrowed and uniformly setose pronotum, and mainly by the characters of aedeagus (wider apical portion of tegmen, with some short setae laterally and with slender, rod-like projection).

Etymology. The species name sawda is derived from the Arabic word ‘Sawaad’ (black colour); refering to generally dark colouration of this species; noun in the nominative case, standing in apposition.

Distribution. Saudi Arabia.

Figures

Figs 119–122. Aedeagus: 119 – Microhoria persica sp. nov., lateral view; 120 – M. sawda sp. nov., ventral (left) and lateral (right view); 121 – M. strejceki sp. nov., lateral view, and apex of tegmen in dorsal view; 122 – M. truncatipennis (Pic, 1897) comb. nov., lateral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm – A (Figs 120, 121), B (Figs 119, 122).