Zonitoschema kaszabi, Batelka & Bologna, 2014

Batelka, Jan & Bologna, Marco A., 2014, A review of the Saharo-Sindian species of the genus Zonitoschema (Coleoptera: Meloidae), with description of new species from Tunisia, Yemen and Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 241-268 : 258-260

Zonitoschema kaszabi sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 34 , 37 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Wadi Ayhaft, 12°36.5ʹN, 53°58.9ʹE, 200 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀ ( NMPC), YEMEN: SOCOTRA ISLAND: Wadi Ayhaft , 12°36.5ʹN, 53°58.9ʹE, 200 m, 7./ 8.xi.2010, J. Batelka & L. Purchart lgt., at light . PARATYPES: YEMEN: SOCOTRA ISLAND: 1 ♀ (in ethanol 95%) ( MBCR), the same data as the holotype ; 1 ♀ ( IRSN), Haghier Mts. , [Wadi] Ayhaft, 500 m, 4.iii.2008, I. G. 31.496, A. Saldaitis lgt .

Description. Female. Body subopaque orange brown, but elytra mustard-brown, eyes, apical third of mandibles, maxillary palpomeres III–IV and apex of II, labial palpomere III, antennomeres III–XI (lightly yellow only in basal telescopic portion), knees, tibiae and tarsi black; one paratype with head and pronotum slightly darker, and metapleurites and metaventrite slightly infuscate. Setation light golden-yellow, recumbent, dense both dorsally and ventrally, thus cuticle below is almost invisible, setation longer on head, especially on temples, antennomeres I− II and pronotum. Body length: 14.0–15.0 mm.

Head ( Fig. 34 ) scarcely narrower than pronotum, maximum width at eye level. Eyes very large, bulged, fore side evidently emarginated near antennal socket, extended ventrally and reaching medial margin of maxillae on underside of head, 1.6 times as wide as frontal space between eyes. Frontal suture curved, very curved in one paratype; frontal longitudinal middle line not depressed, but glabrous and shiner. Head punctures approached, medium in width and fairly deep, intermediate surface very narrow and shiny; setae suberected, directed towards front except on temples. Temples subparallel, ca. 0.5 times as long as longitudinal middle diameter of eye, slightly rounded posteriorly. Clypeus not convex, subtrapezoidal and sides progressively narrowed, one paratype with anterior half glabrous and impunctate, shagreened, posterior half with punctation and setation as on head capsule; second paratype with clypeus almost completely unpunctate. Labrum suboval, darkened and slightly depressed on sides, anterior margin scarcely arcuate, about as long as clypeus. Mandibles reaching apex of labrum, straight but curved in apical third. Galeae penicillate, about as long as maxillary palpi; palpomeres II–III slender and subcylindrical, IV progressively widened in anterior half and subtruncate at apex. Antennae elongate, ca. 3.5 times as long as pronotum disc; ratio between each antennomere and shortest one (II) as follows: I: 1.4; III: 1.4; IV: 1.6; V: 1.6; VI: 1.6; VII: 1.6; VIII: 1.4; IX: 1.4; X: 1.4; XI: 1.7.

Pronotum subcampaniform ( Fig. 37 ), 1.1 times as wide as long, sides widened from basis to middle and anteriorly progressively narrowed with slightly curved sides; fore third not distinctly but progressively depressed; base only slightly depressed and posterior margin slightly rebordered; sides depressed in basal half in lateral view; punctures and setae as on head, setae recumbent along outline, mostly directed laterally; prosternum progressively and scarcely narrowed posteriorly. Mesonotum slighty depressed in middle, progressively narrowed and rounded at posterior apex; mesosternum transverse but laterally narrowed on sides and posteriorly greatly narrowed and at apex slightly rounded and recurved; metasternum large, middle longitudinal line impunctate and slightly depressed. Elytra densely punctate, but punctures less deep than on head and pronotum, and setae shorter than pronotum, except at base, venations scarcely visible in first paratype, both more visible in second paratype. Posterior wings present and completely developed. Legs slender, setae of tibiae very dense and silver- -yellow, those of femora shorter and more robust, particularly on ventral side. External apex of fore tibiae slightly triangularly expanded; both foretibial spurs slender, inner one pointed, outer one slightly obtuse; mesotibial spurs both slender at apex; both metatibial spurs sticklike, parallel and subquadrate at apex; fore and middle tarsi 1.3 times as long as respective tibia, metatarsi 1.14 times as long as metatibia; tarsal claws denticulate, ventral blade thick.

Abdominal ventrites densely setated, surface almost shagreened; last ventrite scarcely incised on posterior margin, posterior margin of IV ventrite greatly emarginated in middle.

Differential diagnosis. Species characterized by the combination of the following features: elytra unicolour orange-brown, femora almost completely orange except at apex, antennomeres I–II yellow and the remaining ones black, antennomere II ca. 2.2 times as long as wide; similar to Z. iranica and Z. gibdoana , but distinct by the pronotum shape, widest in middle and not narrowed in the anterior third, forming a neck-like structure.

Only a few species with this combination of phenetic characters have the basal two antennomeres yellow-orange: Z. capensis endemic to southern Africa; Z. gibdoana probably widely spread through the Sahel and eastern Africa and possibly synonym of Z. paolii (see above); Z. iranica distributed from Chad and Sudan to the east to Negev, Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran; Z. paolii from Somalia; Z. oculatissima Peyerimhoff, 1929 from the western portion of Sahara (see below); and an undescribed species from Namibia close to Z. capensis (M. A. Bologna, unpublished data). The new species differs from all remaining species in the shape of its pronotum which is widened in the middle and not clearly “narrow-necked” in front. The setation on pronotum is slightly longer than in other species.

At least three other Afrotropical and Saharo-Sindian species are phenetically similar to Z. kaszabi sp. nov. in colour, but they are easily distinguishable because of the antennomere II black and most of them also by the shape of pronotum, not widened in the middle: Z. pallidissima (Reitter, 1909) from Egypt and Israel (and possibly Morocco); Z. cf. genicularis (Wellman, 1910) widely spread through the Sahel, eastern and central Africa and west part of the Arabian Peninsula (see above); and Z. saga (Péringuey, 1899) from South Africa. This last is the only species with the pronotum widened as in Z. kaszabi sp. nov., but differs from the new Socotran species because of the colour of antennomeres, the longer temples and body colouration deeper orange.

Etymology. The species is named after an outstanding specialist on Meloidae , the late Hungarian entomologist Zoltán Kaszab, who represented the first teacher during the studies of blister beetles for one of us (MAB).

Collecting circumstances. The holotype and one paratype collected by J. Batelka and L. Purchart were attracted by the UV light in a valley bed with disturbed primary vegetation ( Fig. 61 ). The main components of the native flora at the locality were Boswellia Roxb. (Burseraceae) , Euphorbia L. ( Euphorbiaceae ), Sterculia L. ( Malvaceae ) and probably some Mimosaceae trees, and bushes Croton L., Jatropha L. ( Euphorbiaceae ) and Sarcostema R.Br. ( Apocynaceae ). The sky was clear, however, a day later dark rainy clouds appeared above the Haghier massive above the valley, and soft rain fell around the nearby Hadibo on 9 th November.

Remarks. With the taxonomy of the genus being unclear, we discuss only some morphological features useful to distinguish Z. kaszabi sp. nov. among the Afrotropical and Saharo-Sindian species with unicolour orange-brown or yellowish elytra and partially red femora and antennae. All types are females, and consequently relationships of the species remain uncertain.

Figures

Figs 1–2. 1 – Zonitoschema arabica sp.nov., dorsal habitus of holotype (male); 2 – Z.kaszabi sp. nov., dorsal habitus of female paratype. Not on the same scale.

Figs 28–34. Heads. 28 – Zonitoschema iranica Kaszab, 1959 from Iran. 29 – Z. griseohirta Pic, 1914 from Yemen. 30 – Z. pallidissima (Reitter, 1908) from Morocco. 31–32 – Z. pallidissima from Egypt: 31 – female; 32 – male. 33 – Z. arabica sp. nov., holotype (male). 34 – Z. kaszabi sp. nov., paratype (female). Not on the same scale.

Figs 35–49. Pronotal disc, dorsal view. 35–36 – Zonitoschema iranica Kaszab, 1959: 35 – male from the U.A.E.; 36 – female from Iran. 37 – Z. kaszabi sp. nov., paratype. 38–39 – Z. sp. cf. genicularis (Wellman, 1910): 38 – specimen from Somalia; 39 – specimen from Yemen. 40–41 – Z. pallidissima (Reitter, 1908) from Egypt: 40 – male; 41 – female. 42 – Z. pallidissima from Morocco. 43 – Z. rubricolor Pic, 1924 from Kenya. 44–45 – Z. chourriba sp. nov.: 44 – male paratype; 45 – female paratype. 46 – Z. arabica sp. nov., holotype. 47–48 – Z. oculatissima Peyerimhoff, 1929: 47 – holotype; 48 – specimen from Chad. 49 – Z. cf. pallidissima from Algeria. Not to the same scale.

Figs 60–61. 60 – Blidette (Tunisia), type locality of Zonitoschema chourriba sp. nov. 61 – Ayhaft (Yemen, Socotra Is.), type locality of Z. kaszabi sp. nov.