Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) psychopompus, Ziani & Moradi, 2010

Ziani, Stefano & Gharakhloo, Mohammad Moradi, 2010, Studies on palearctic Onthophagus associated with burrows of small mammals. IV. A new Iranian species belonging to the furciceps group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Onthophagini), ZooKeys 34, pp. 33-40 : 34-37

Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) psychopompus sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5A92C961-3AD2-4635-9F47-60EE2DB8BFFA

Figs 1–7 , 9–10

Type locality. Iran, Tehran prov.: Hashtgerd, 35°57'N, 50°40'E.

Type series. Holotype ♁: IRAN, Tehran prov., Hashtgerd , 1250 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. Allotype: same data as holotype . Other paratypes: 73 specimens as follows: IRAN, West Azarbaijan prov., Kelisa Kandi , 1684 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 5 males and 1 female ; IRAN, East Azarbaijan prov. , Haris, 1900 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 3 males and 1 female ; IRAN, Zanjan prov., Garmab , 1590 m, M. Moradi leg. 2 males and 1 female ; IRAN, Kordestan prov., Saqqez , 1500 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 male and 3 females ; IRAN, Qazvin prov., Sirdan , 1308 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 8 males and 3 females ; IRAN, Hamedan prov., Razan , 1840 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 5 males and 4 females; IRAN, Kermanshah prov., Islam Abad , 1335 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 4 males ; IRAN, Qum prov., Dastjerd , 1680 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 2 males and 3 females ; IRAN, Tehran prov., Hashtgerd , 1250 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 male and 4 females ; IRAN, Ilam prov., Saleh Abad , 620 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 4 males ; IRAN, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari prov. , Chelgard , 1950 m, IV.2009, M. Moradi leg. 4 males and 3 females ; IRAN, Razavi Khorasan prov., Torbat-e-Jam , 1390 m, M. Moradi leg. 1 male ; IRAN, Southern Khorasan prov., Birjand , 1480 m, V.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 male ; IRAN, Yazd prov., Abarkooh , 1510 m, VI.2009, M. Moradi leg. 3 males and 1 female ; IRAN, Yazd prov., Taft , 1560 m, VI.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 female ; IRAN, Kerman prov., Rafsanjan , 1510 m, VI.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 female ; IRAN, Kerman prov., Ravar , 1175 m, VI.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 male and 1 female ; IRAN, Sistan and Baluchestan prov., Iranshahr , 1570 m, VI.2009, M. Moradi leg. 1 female .

Type depositaries. Holotype and allotype in MHNG. Other paratypes in SZCM and in ABCB, ANCR, EBCT, GCCR, LNCB, TBCP.

Type labelling. Holotype bears three labels, as follow. 1 st, white, printed in black: “IRAN-Tehran / Hashtgerd 1250m / 35° 57’ N, 50° 40’ E / IV.2009 M. Moradi leg.”; 2 nd, white, printed in black: “in burrows of Microtus sp. / probably M. socialis Pall. ”; 3 rd, red, printed in black: “ Holotype / Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) / psychopompus nobis / S. Ziani & M. Moradi, 2009”.

Etymology. Latinized from the classical Greek ΨΥΧΟΠΟΜΠóς (“ psyche ”, soul and “ pompós ”, guide). In the mythology, psychopomps were figures who usually escorted the souls of the dead men to the netherworld. It is here referred to the subterranean habits of the new species. The noun is in apposition.

Description. Holotype. Length 8.8 mm, width 5.2. Pronotum shorter than elytra (length ratio = 0.90).

Black, dorsal side moderately shiny with a distinct isodiametric microreticulation, pubescence yellowish white, antennal scape, pedicel and funicle red, antennal club dark red.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) short, clearly wider than long (width/length ratio = 1.73), clypeus round, weakly reflexed anteriorly, only very slightly emarginate at middle, anterior angles very broadly round, sides evenly arcuate with no sinuations, genae distinctly protruding from eyes; clypeo-frontal carina distinct, strongly bent backwards, its edge in contact with a very barely traced clypeo-genal suture; occipital carina extended in a high, slender, terminally expanding and bifurcate horn, very weakly dentate at middle apically, twice as long as width of its base; clypeal and frontal surface with rather coarse setigerous punctures, more spaced on frons than on clypeus, with long erected bristles clearly thicker basally, gradually thinner apically.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) convex, strongly declivous towards anterior edge, with four anterior, equidistant, slender and apically almost sharp tubercles, the middle two slightly more prominent and projected upwards, the two anterolateral slightly projected outwards; base margined; anterolateral angles round, subtruncate, dorsal surface with setigerous punctures, separated by half to one diameter anteriorly, gradually more spaced towards base, where punctures are separated by two to four diameters; each puncture bears a small granule at its anterior margin; bristles yellowish white, moderately long, scale-shaped, usually bifid or trifid at about two thirds of their length.

Elytral striae thin, shallow, slightly shining, their punctures only barely crenating interstriae; the latter flat, granulose, granules minute, as big as strial punctures or a little smaller, each granule bearing at its base a long yellowish white bristle which is sometimes bifid or trifid, or lanceolate.

Pygidium with setigerous, large punctures, widely spaced, with long thin yellowish white hairs.

Fore tibial spur bent inwards and downwards. Fore, middle and hind femora ventrally with small, rather sparse setigerous punctures.

Male genital armature as in Figs 5–6 . Lamella copulatrix as in Fig. 7 .

Allotype. Length 8.9 mm, width 5.2 mm. Pronotum shorter than elytra (length ratio = 0.85).

Head ( Fig. 4 ) short, clearly wider than long (width/length ratio = 1.75), clypeus sub-truncate, clypeo-frontal carina distinct, slightly more elevate than in male, slightly bent backwards, frontal carina with a narrow lamina ending in a pair of erect horns, margin between horns straight or slightly sinuate in frontal view.

Pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) with distinct, male-like, anterolateral tubercle on either side, and with an anteromedian transverse sunk gibbosity, only very slightly sinuate at middle.

Variability. Length 5.8 – 9.9 mm, width 3.4 – 5.7 mm. Occipital carina is femalelike in minor males. In some males, usually but not necessary minor specimens, pronotal anteromedian gibbosities are closer to each other than in most of the examined specimens. Some minor males, less than 6.0 mm long, have pronotal anteromedian tubercles joined together in a small projection, but always divided in two by a shallow depression. In one minor male (the smallest of the type series) anterolateral tubercles are only vestigial and the occipital carina is reduced to a straight transverse and very low ridge. On the other hand pronotal morphology is quite homogenous in both major or minor females. Only the occipital carina is clearly lower and straighter in minor than in major females.

Distribution. The new species appears to be widespread all over Iran ( Fig. 8 ) from 620 to 1950 m above sea level.

Remarks. Onthophagus psychopompus sp. n. belongs to the subgenus Palaeonthophagus Zunino, 1979 , and can be placed in the furciceps group, characterized by medium size (6.0 to 10.0 mm), black colour, the occipital carina of the head with a high slender lamina, which is expanding and bifurcate apically in major males, broader basally and more or less elevate and horned in females, pronotum with anterior angles subtruncate, with a distinct anterolateral tubercle on either side and a more or less bilobate anteromedian gibbosity, elytra with yellowish white to reddish yellow stout bristles, sometimes bifid or trifid along their length or lanceolate, and a lamella copulatrix of quadrangular shape, excluding the basal emargination ( Ziani and Gudenzi, 2006). O. psychopompus sp. n. can be assigned to the lineage of O. ponticus , characterized by both pronotal and elytral bristles stout, lanceolate, always distinctly thicker basally than distally, sometimes bifid or trifid along their length, and by the dorsal surface dull, with distinct microreticulation. The new species can be easily distinguished from the other species of the group, particularly O. ponticus , apparently its closest relative, by the characters given in the key to furciceps species group proposed by Ziani and Gudenzi, 2006, modified as follows:

Figures

Figure 8. Onthophagus (Paleonthophagus) psychopompus sp. n. Distribution map.

Figures 1–7. Onthophagus (Paleonthophagus) psychopompus sp. n. Male, holotype, and female, allotype (Iran, Hashtgerd,Tehran prov.). 1 Male: head and pronotum, dorsal view 2 Male: head, frontal view 3 Female: head and pronotum, dorsal view 4 Female: head, frontal view 5 Parameres, lateral view 6 Parameres, dorsal view 7 Lamella copulatrix, ventral side. Drawings by I. Gudenzi.