Deronectes adanensis, Hájek & Šťastný & Boukal & Fery, 2011

Hájek, Jiří, Šťastný, Jaroslav, Boukal, Milan & Fery, Hans, 2011, Updating the eastern Mediterranean Deronectes (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) with the description of two new species from Turkey, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 463-476 : 465-468

Deronectes adanensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 3–5 )

Type locality. Turkey, Adana province, near Boztahta village, ca. 37°23′N, 35°15′E, 460 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE, J ( NMPC): ‘ TURKEY 13.-14.VI.2003, Adana vil. [= prov.] (ca. 45 km N), BOZTAHTA env. (stream), (37°23’N, 35°15’E; 460 m), Jiří Hájek & Josef Hotový leg.’ [printed] , ‘ HOLOTYPE, DERONECTES adanensis sp. nov., J. Hájek et al. det. 2011’ [red label, printed]. PARATYPES: 10 JJ 8 ♀♀, same label data as the holotype ( CHF, NHMW, NMPC, ZSMC) ; 10 JJ 10 ♀♀, and 151 unsexed specimens, ‘ Turkey, Adana prov., 36°56.430’N 35°39.638’E, Yakapinar, Kizildere env., stepní rokle s potůčkem [= steppe gorge with streamlet], 90 m a.s.l., 30.III.2010, M. Boukal leg.’ [printed] ( CHF, CJS, CKE, CMB, NHMW, NMPC, ZSMC) ; 7 JJ 7 ♀♀, and 57 unsexed specimens, same label data, but ‘ 6.IV.2010 ’ ( CHF, CJS, CMB, NHMW, NMPC, ZSMC). Each paratype is provided with the respective red printed label .

Description. Body elongate, appearing almost parallel-sided, rather flat in lateral view, broadest near midlength of elytra. Clypeus anteriorly slightly emarginate. Pronotum broadest in anterior third; sides slightly concavely sinuate before base (pronotum cordiform), posterior angles obtuse. Sides of pronotum without distinct longitudinal impression parallel to lateral margins. Base of elytra much broader than pronotal base; sides of elytra widely rounded ( Fig. 1 ). In perpendicular view on dorsal surface, lateral margin of elytra only visible near shoulders.

Measurements. TL: 3.9–4.4 mm (holotype 4.2 mm), TL-h: 3.5–3.9 mm (holotype 3.8 mm), MW: 1.8–2.0 mm (holotype 1.9 mm).

Colouration. Dorsal surface, head appendages, and legs more or less uniformly testaceous; lateral bead of pronotum brownish, antennomeres indistinctly darkened apically. Ventral surface brownish black; head, lateral parts of prosternum, prosternal apophysis, and elytral epipleura testaceous.

Surface sculpture. Beetle submatt. Head microreticulated, reticulation composed of moderately deeply impressed irregular polygonal meshes. Punctation double, small punctures with diameter smaller than that of meshes, irregularly dispersed by coarser, deeply impressed punctures with diameter about two times that of meshes. Distance between smaller punctures much bigger than their diameter, that of coarser puncture even much bigger. Head dorsally with row of very coarse setigerous punctures along inner margin of eyes and in two clypeal grooves. Foremargin of clypeus not bordered. Head at level of hind margin of eyes with indistinct depression. Antenna with antennomeres club-shaped, in cross section more or less elliptical.

Pronotum with slender, but distinct lateral beading; beading shiny, posteriorly elevated, at anterior angles obsolete. Microreticulation similar to that of head, but less impressed and thus in part badly perceptible, in particular near base. Punctation simple, punctures similar to smaller ones on head, sparser on disc, becoming denser laterally; pronotum with band of coarse punctures along anterior margin, some indistinct coarse punctures along lateral and posterior margins; sublaterally before posterior margin with very rough wrinkles. Centre of pronotum with very coarse puncture. Pronotum with very indistinct, irregular depressions on disc and transverse depression before posterior margin. Surface covered with sparse yellowish setae.

Microreticulation of elytra practically imperceptible because small punctures very dense; distance between punctures approximately same as their diameter. Coarser punctures weaker impressed than on head and pronotum, only present in four indistinct longitudinal rows on each elytron, one near suture, two on disc, and one near lateral margin. Setation of elytra similar to that on pronotum.

Legs simple, slender. Tibiae almost straight. Protarsal claws slender, only weakly curved.

Ventral surface. Most parts of venter covered with dense small punctures, thus, surface appearing very matt. Punctures especially dense on abdominal ventrites IV–VI, and thus surface roughly sculptured. Only on centre of metaventrite and on posterior margins of abdominal ventrites II–IV punctures less dense; here weak reticulation perceptible and surface more shiny. Epipleura sculptured as metacoxal plates. Setation on venter sparse, similar to that on upper surface. Prosternal apophysis lanceolate, without distinct keel, but at least in posterior half with longitudinal swelling along midline, sides flattened and provided with setae. Metacoxal lines distinct, slightly convergent anteriorly. Apex of last abdominal ventrite with distinct notch.

Male. Protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres 1–3 broadened, protarsal claws indistinctly thickened. Median lobe of aedeagus broader in basal half and slender in apical half; in lateral view median lobe almost evenly curved from base to pointed apex ( Fig. 3 ); in ventral view attenuated near midlength, apical part slender, almost parallel-sided, apex broadly pointed ( Fig. 4 ). Lateral lobe (paramere) as in Fig. 5 .

Female. Similar to male in habitus. Pro- and mesotarsomeres less broadened, protarsal claws slightly thinner and a little more curved than in male.

Variability. Testaceous colour of dorsal surface somewhat darkened in some specimens. Depressions on pronotal disc absent in some specimens; centre of pronotum either with slight scratch or very coarse puncture. Depression before posterior margin of pronotum variable in size and shape, in some specimens almost along entire posterior margin (except sides), in others more or less only as two indistinct depressions sublaterally.

Differential diagnosis. Based on the cordiform pronotum and the lack of distinct longitudinal impression parallel to its sides, the new species belongs to the Deronectes parvicollis species group. Inside that group, the simple metacoxal lines in males and not sharply delimited notch on the last abdominal ventrite classify D. adanensis sp. nov. to the D. longipes subgroup. The new species is externally very similar to Deronectes evelynae Fery & Hosseinie, 1998 , which has been described from Diyarbakır province in south-eastern Turkey (see also under that species below). In particular, both species have the upper surface rather lightly brownish coloured. However, a safe separation of at least the males is possible by studying the shape of the median lobe. Additionally, the punctation of the upper surface is much less dense in D. evelynae .

Etymology. The new species is named after the Adana province where both known localities are situated. The specific epithet is an adjective.

Collection circumstances. At the type locality, D. adanensis sp. nov. was collected together with Deronectes angulipennis (Peyron, 1858) and D. ermani sp. nov. in a single stream, ca. 2–3 m wide, with rocky bottom and a few sandy deposits. In Kızıldere, the new species was collected together with D. angulipennis ; the beetles were buried in the sand of the ground, predominantly in the still water parts of a drying up streamlet ( Figs. 9–10 ).

Distribution. So far known only from two localities in Adana province, southern Turkey.

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Habitus, dorsal view. 1 – Deronectes adanensis sp. nov. (paratype); 2 – D. ermani sp. nov. (paratype).

Figs.3–8. Male genitalia of Deronectes species. 3–5 – D. adanensis sp. nov.; 6–8 – D. ermani sp. nov. 3, 6 – median lobe in lateral view; 4, 7 – median lobe in ventral view; 5, 8 – left paramere in external view. Scale bar = 0.3 mm.

Figs. 9–10. Kızıldere (Turkey). 9 – general view of the locality; 10 – habitat of Deronectes adanensis sp. nov. Photos M. Boukal.