Microhoria decolorata (Pic, 1897), 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 : 121-123

Microhoria decolorata (Pic, 1897) stat. restit. & comb. nov.

( Figs 69, 71 ) Anthicus truncatus var. decoloratus Pic, 1897a: 120 . Anthicus truncatus var. decoloratus : PIC (1911b): 78 (catalogue); WINKLER

(1927): 841 (catalogue). Anthicus (Stricticomus) decoloratus : PIC (1901): 179 (species status). Anthicus (Stricticollis) decoloratus : SAHLBERG (1913b):19 (record Corfu). Stricticomus truncatus var. decoloratus : UHMANN (1985): 192 (record

Greece); TELNOV (2010): 22 (checklist, synonymy). Anthicus (Stricticomus) decoloratus var. subcoloratus Pic, 1901: 179 . Anthicus trunncatus var. subcoloratus : WINKLER (1927): 841 (catalogue). Stricticomus truncatus var. subcoloratus : TELNOV (2010): 22 (checklist,

synonymy).

Type locality. Anthicus truncatus var. decoloratus – Greece, Corfu, Gastouri; A. decoloratus var. subcoloratus – Greece, Peloponnesse, Olympia. Type material. Anthicus truncatus var. decoloratus – SYNTYPE: ♀, ‘Gasturi Apfelbeck Corfu [p+h] // type [h; yellowish label] // TYPE [p; red label] // A. angulifer Pic var? tres desiré immature [h] // decoloratus Pic ? var de truncatus [h]’ (coll. Pic, MNHN).

Anthicus (Stricticomus) decoloratus var. subcoloratus – SYNTYPES [common label ‘ v. subcoloratus Pic [h]’ pinned on bottom]: 9 ♀♀, ‘Olympia [h]’; 3 ♀♀, ‘Olympia 8 Mai [h] // decoloratus Pic var [h]’; 3 ♀♀, ‘Olympia 8 Mai [h]’; 3 ♀♀, ‘Olympia 10 Mai [h]’; 4 ♀♀, ‘Olympia Moree [h]’; 3 ♀♀, ‘Morée Olympia [h] // decoloratus Pic var [h]’; 2 ♀♀, ‘Morée Olympia [h] // decoloratus Pic [h]’; 5 spec., same plain card, no labels (all coll. Pic, MNHN).

Additional specimens. GREECE: EPIRUS: 1 ♀, Parga, 22.–26.iv.1998, P. Poot lgt. ( ZSMC). IONIAN ISLANDS: 1 ♀, Cephalonia, Rudi, 1905, O. Leonhard lgt. ( NHMW); 6 ♀♀, Corfu, Agios Mattheos [no date and collector] ( NHMW, ZKDC); 1 ♀, Corfu, Mount Deca [no date and collector] ( NHMW); 1, Corfu [no date], Reitter lgt. ( ZKDC). NORTH AEGEAN ISLANDS: 2 ♀♀, Samos Island, Avlakia, 37°47′N 26°51′E, 100 m, 28.iv.2003, Brachat & Meybohm lgt. ( ZSMC); 2 ♀♀, Samos Island, Manolates, 37°47′N 26°49′E, 300 m, 29.iv.2003, Brachat & Meybohm lgt. ( ZSMC); 1 3 ♀♀, Samos Island, Platanakia, Nightingale Valley, 37°47′N 26°50′E, 50–200 m, 21.iv.2003, Brachat & Meybohm lgt. ( ZSMC, ZKDC).

Diagnosis. Microhoria longiceps species-group; robust, reddish-brown species. Male elytra slightly bulging subapically (flattened in female), apical margin distinctly angled, channel of gland slight (inconspicuous slit at margin). Male sternum VII produced and moderately widely

rounded apically; sternum VIII forming paired, triangular sclerites, narrowly rounded and setose apically; tergum VII simple; tergum VIII simple; aedeagus ( Figs 69, 71 ). Female sternum VII simple; tergum VII simple.

Variation. Body length (♀) 2.6–3.1 mm; moderately variable in size and convexity of eyes; head base narrowly rounded to subtruncate (Epirus, Ionian Islands, Peloponnese), more or less evenly rounded (North Aegean); head and pronotal disc more or less coarsely and densely punctate. The male specimen from Samos Island has the apical part of the tegmen somewhat longer, with spines of the endophallus densely spaced, similar to Fig. 68 .

Distribution. Greece.

Remarks. PIC (1897a) described Anthicus truncatus var. decoloratus from an unstated number of specimens collected on the Greek island of Corfu. It was recently treated as synonym of Stricticollis truncatus ( Pic, 1895) by CHANDLER et al. (2008) and TELNOV (2010), however its identity and generic placement were never accurately determined.

Based on examination of the type and additional specimens from Corfu (including males), Anthicus truncatus var. decoloratus is removed from synonymy and has proven to be a separate species of Microhoria , differing clearly from M. truncata comb. nov. by the more elongate head and elytra, the distinct humeri and postbasal impression (while ovoid, lacking humeri and evenly convex in M. truncata ), denser punctation of the pronotal disc and elytra, and mainly by characters of the aedeagus ( Figs 69, 71 ).

The syntypes of variety subcoloratus that were examined are essentially identical with the type of M. decolorata . However, this synonymy should be confirmed by examination of male specimens taken in the Peloponnese. Remarks. The specimens from Samos are tentatively identified as this species, while noting clear differences in the dense arrangement of spines of the endophallus. Nevertheless, in Microhoria species the internal sac is largely membranous and therefore position of its small sclerotized structures is not stable. Moreover, study of male material was limited to only two specimens.

Figures

Figs 68–73. Aedeagus: 68 – Microhoria antalya sp. nov., ventral view; 69 – M. decolorata (Pic, 1897) stat. restit. & comb. nov., ventral view; 70 – M. antalya sp. nov., apex in lateral view; 71 – M. decolorata, apex in lateral view; 72 – M. truncata (Pic, 1895) comb. nov., lateral view; 73 – same, apical half in ventral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm – A (Figs 72, 73), B (Figs 68–71).