Deronectes ermani, 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 : 468-470

Deronectes ermani sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 6–8 )

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 ermani sp. nov., J. Hájek et al. det. 2011’ [red label, printed]. PARATYPES: 15 JJ 13 ♀♀ and 31 unsexed specimens, same label data, as the holotype ( CHF, CJS, CMB, NHMW, NMPC, ZSMC). Each paratype is provided with the respective red printed label.

Description. Body oblong-oval, rather flat in lateral view, broadest near midlength of elytra. Clypeus anteriorly emarginate. Pronotum broadest near midlength; sides rounded, however, less so in posterior half; posterior angles obtuse, shortly rounded.

Sides of pronotum with distinct longitudinal impression parallel to lateral margins and bulged between these impressions and lateral margins. Base of elytra of same width as pronotal base, in dorsal view discontinuity in outline between pronotum and elytra distinct. Sides of elytra more or less evenly rounded ( Fig. 2 ).

Measurements. TL: 3.9–4.4 mm (holotype 4.1 mm), TL-h: 3.6–4.0 mm (holotype 3.9 mm), MW: 2.0– 2.2 mm (holotype 2.1 mm).

Colouration. Dorsal surface brownish black; head ferruginous on clypeus, along eyes, and on vertex; pronotum ferruginous along margins; elytra indistinctly ferruginous along suture. Appendages and legs predominantly ferruginous; antennomeres very indistinctly darkened apically beginning with antennomere IV, apical antennomere more distinctly darkened in apical half; femora medially darkened. Venter dark brownish black; prosternum including its apophysis, elytral epipleuron, intralinear space between metacoxal lines, posterior margin of abdominal ventrites III–V and apex of last abdominal ventrite ferruginous.

Surface sculpture. Beetle matt. Head microreticulated; reticulation composed of weakly impressed transverse meshes near anterior margin of clypeus, but strongly impressed irregularly shaped oval meshes on rest of surface. Punctation simple, composed of deeply impressed small punctures spread densely on surface, diameter of punctures becoming larger towards frons; distance between them larger than their diameter on clypeus, smaller than their diameter on frons; here surface rather roughly sculptured. Foremargin of clypeus not bordered.Antenna with antennomeres club-shaped, in cross section more or less elliptical. Pronotum with narrow lateral beading, near posterior angles becoming obsolete. Microreticulation of pronotum consisting of small weakly impressed and thus badly perceptible polygonal meshes. Punctation rather dense, on disc punctures smaller than small ones on head and less impressed; band of coarser punctures behind anterior margin, some coarse punctures also in sublateral depressions, before posterior margin and a very few also on disc. Surface covered with dense yellowish-greyish setae.

Microreticulation on elytra similar to that on pronotum, but still more imperceptible. Punctation of elytra double, smaller punctures somewhat smaller than those on pronotum, distances between them approximately same as their diameter; coarser punctures dispersed over entire elytral surface, distance between them much bigger than their diameter, equalling two to three times the distance between smaller punctures. Coarse punctures form also an almost imperceptible longitudinal row on disc; here elytra weakly longitudinally impressed. Entire elytral surface covered with yellowish-greyish setae as in pronotum.

Legs simple, slender. Tibiae almost straight.

Ventral part. Entire venter covered with dense punctures of more or less equal size, somewhat larger than small punctures on elytra; surface rather roughly sculptured in large part and thus appearing matt. However, ground of punctures and narrow areas between punctures shiny. Microreticulation absent. Epipleura sculptured like rest of venter. Setae on venter short and very sparse.

Prosternal apophysis lanceolate, flat in large parts, longitudinal swelling or carina only indistinctly indicated in apical half; strong transverse wrinkles present on entire surface, sides with strong setae. Metacoxal lines slightly divergent anteriad, disappearing short before posterior margin of metaventrite. Apex of last abdominal ventrite with distinct notch.

Male. Protarsomeres and mesotarsomeres 1–3 broadened. Protarsal claws slightly thickened, only weakly curved. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view evenly curved, apical fifth almost straight ( Fig. 6 ); in ventral view, near base broad and only slightly converging, then more attenuating to apical fifth, then very slender, apex pointed ( Fig. 7 ). Lateral lobe (paramere) as in Fig. 8 .

Female. Similar to male in habitus. Pro- and mesotarsomeres less broadened, protarsal claws thinner and slightly shorter than in males.

Variability. Intensity of ferruginous parts varies among specimens, colour more extensive basally on head, pronotum, and on base and along suture of elytra; especially in not fully mature specimens. Longitudinal impressions on sides of pronotum slightly more impressed in several specimens. Curvature of sides of pronotum in some specimens stronger. Setation on pronotum and elytra sparser dorsally in several specimens, possibly rubbed off. Longitudinal swelling on prosternal apophysis in some specimens more distinct and appears like more or less complete carina over entire length, but never sharp keel or distinctly elevated carina as in other species.

Differential diagnosis. Externally the new species reminds of a small Deronectes moestus inconspectus (Leprieur, 1876) of the D. moestus group at first glance, but it is also similar to Deronectes hakkariensis Wewalka, 1989 of the D. platynotus group. However, it can be easily separated from both of them by the shape of the prosternal apophysis: roof-like in D. moestus , provided with a strong longitudinal carina in D. hakkariensis , but almost totally flat in the new species. We have been tempted to group it together with the members of the D. platynotus group, but these lack the notch at the apex of the last abdominal ventrite and, additionally, have more stocky habitus. The shape of the prosternal apophysis does not allow to group D. ermani sp. nov. with members of the D. moestus , D. fairmairei , and D. theryi groups. Instead of changing the definitions of well-known species groups and putting the new species forcibly together with others, we prefer to create new D. ermani group which contains only a single member: D. ermani sp. nov. (see the updated key to species below).

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to our colleague Ö. Köksal Erman (Erzurum, Turkey), specialist on Turkish Dytiscidae . The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Collection circumstances. The new species was collected in several springs and small streams in a small forested area with predominant pines.

Distribution. So far known only from the type locality 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.