Tituboea harteni Bezděk, 2018

Bezděk, Jan, 2018, Contribution to the knowledge of the Clytrini of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and the Arabian Peninsula, with descriptions of four new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 481, pp. 1-37 : 15-18

Tituboea harteni Bezděk sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:714861E4-A62E-40A6-8CF3-1DFF75897B95

Figs 6 , 7A

Differential diagnosis

Tituboea harteni sp. nov. resembles three species distributed in the southern Arabian Peninsula: Tituboea lacordairei (Pic, 1929) , Tituboea pindai Bezděk, 2011 and Tituboea ogloblini ( Medvedev, 1962) . Tituboea harteni sp. nov. can be easily distinguished by the shorter male protarsi and protarsomere I 3.2 times as long as wide (protarsi more prolonged and protarsomere I ca five times as long as wide in other three species) and in the structure of the aedeagus (tricuspidate in Tituboea harteni sp. nov., triangular in the other three species) ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology

Dedicated to Antonius van Harten, the collector of the new species.

Material examined

Holotype

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 1 ♂, “ United Arab Emirates , / Wadi Siji, water traps, / 25.09N 56.02E, 24.09–22.10. / 2006, A. van Harten leg. [w, p]” ( NMPC). The type specimens are provided with one printed red label: “ HOLOTYPUS, [or PARATYPUS, resp.] / Tituboea / harteni sp. nov., / J. Bezděk det. 2018”.

Paratypes

1 ♂, “ United Arab Emirates, / Wadi Bih dam, / 19.ii.–30.iv.2008, light trap, / A. van Harten leg. [w, p]” ( JBCB); 1 ♂, “N Oman, Al Batinah / North Gov., W of / Falaj Bani Rabiah / lgt. J. Pelikán 1.4.2018 [w, p] // 23°50′13.101″N / 57°4′55.710″E 101 m / kamenitá poušť [stony desert] / noč. lov na UV světlo [night collecting at UV light] [w, p] // COLLECTION / JAN PELIKÁN / Hradec Králové / Czech republic [w, p]” ( JPCH).

Type locality

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Wadi Siji.

Description

BODY LENGTH. ♂♂: 3.8–5.3 mm (holotype 5.2 mm).

Male (holotype, Fig. 6 )

COLOURATION. Body completely orange, except gradually darkened antennomeres VI–XI, black apices of mandibles, claws and two small black spots on each elytron behind middle (outer spot smaller and placed slightly more anteriorly).

HEAD AND MANDIBLES. Not enlarged ( Fig. 6B ). Mandibles small. Labrum semiopaque, transverse, with anterior angles widely rounded and anterior margin shallowly emarginated, surface with four long setae along anterior margin. Clypeus lustrous, almost impunctate, with longer pale setae cumulated laterally, anterior margin almost straight. Eyes moderately large. Frons wide, 3.18 times as wide as diameter of eye, surface uneven, densely covered with larger punctures and short pale setae, posteriorly in middle distinctly impressed. Frons indistinctly separated from vertex. Vertex lustrous, covered with small punctures and short pale setae, with indistinct median line. Antennae short, 0.21 times as long as body, antennomere I club-shaped, II small, subglobular, III very small, antennae serrated from antennomere IV, antennomeres V–X wider than long.

PRONOTUM. Pronotum glabrous, lustrous, strongly transverse, 1.86 times as wide as long, widest in middle, moderately convex, covered with irregular mixture of fine and very fine punctures. Anterior margin straight, lateral margins rounded, posterior margin nearly straight but moderately thickened in scutellar area. Anterior angles obtusangulate, posterior angles widely rounded. Lateral and posterior margins thinly bordered, anterior margin bordered only at lateral parts, in middle border is almost invisible. Posterior angles slightly elevated above elytral base.

SCUTELLUM. Scutellum subtriangular with rounded tip, in basal half punctate and covered with setae, towards apex becoming impunctate and glabrous, scutellar apex elevated upon elytral level.

ELYTRA. Elytra subcylindrical, 0.60 times as long as body, 1.41 times as long as wide at humeral part, glabrous, lustrous, densely covered with small confused punctures, in posterior half with indistinct traces of regular punctation. Basal margin with complete thin border forming narrow elevated keel. Epipleura impunctate, glabrous, wide in anterior quarter, suddenly narrowed and disappearing in anterior 1/4 of elytral length. Lateral margin of elytra widely concave in lateral view.

LEGS. Protibiae moderately prolonged. Lateral margins of all protarsomeres covered with long setae. Protarsomere I moderately prolonged, narrow, 3.2 as long as broad, parallel except convergent basal part, protarsomere II elongate subtriangular, as wide as I, length ratios of protarsomeres I–IV equal to 8–6–5–7. Metatarsi short and slender, length ratios of metatarsomeres I–IV equal to 5–4–3–6. Claws simple.

GENITALIA. Aedeagus three time as long as wide, apical part tricuspidate, middle part triangular, sharp, lateral angles widely rounded. In ventral view, apex with short keel and two large impressions, middle part with two lateral sharp keels ( Fig. 7A ).

VARIABILITY. Paratype from UAE ( Fig. 6D ) with broad black band between eyes, pronotum with two black spots near basal margin, scutellum black, each elytron with four black spots (two, two), underside black, anterior legs with black coxae, middle and hind legs with black coxae and basal 2/3 of femora,

outer margin of all tibiae near apex infuscate. The paratype from Oman is a very small male with a comparatively smaller and less developed aedeagus in comparison with the two males from UAE.

Female

Unknown.

Distribution

United Arab Emirates.

Figures

Fig. 6. Tituboea harteni Bezděk sp. nov. A–C. Holotype, ♁, 5.2 mm (NMPC). A. Dorsal view. B. Head. C. Labels. D. Paratype, ♁, 5.3 mm, dorsal view (JBCB).

Fig. 7. Aedeagus in dorsal, lateral and ventral views. A. Tituboea harteni Bezděk sp. nov. B. T. lacordairei (Pic, 1929). C. T. ogloblini (Medvedev, 1962). D. T. pindai Bezděk, 2011.