Socotralia vybirali, Novák & Purchart, 2012

Novák, Vladimír & Purchart, Luboš, 2012, New species of the genus Socotralia and first record of the genus Alogista from Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52, pp. 323-336 : 333-334

Socotralia vybirali sp. nov.

( Figs. 16–20 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Homhil area.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), labelled: ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Homhil area , 400-510 m / 12°34′25″N 54°18′53″E / 9.-10.i.2010, at light / L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt .’. PARATYPES: 5 JJ 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype (1 ♀ NMPC, 2 JJ 2 ♀♀ LPCB, 3 JJ 1 ♀ VNCP) ; 2 ♀♀, ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Shibhon plateau / ESERHE, 13.vi.2012 / Croton socotranus shrubland / 12°25.2’N, 53°56.6’E, 547 m // SOCOTRA expedition 2012, J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ (1 ♀ NMPC, 1 ♀ LPCB) .

Description. Male (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 16 . Body small, elongate, from pale brown to dark blackish-brown, with pale brown setation, BL 4.5 mm. Widest near two thirds of elytral length; BL/EW 2.65.

Head ( Fig. 17 ). Relatively narrow, small, brown, with long, pale brown setation and microgranulation, slightly shiny, punctation conspicuous, punctures relatively large. HW 0.9 mm; HW/PW 0.56; HL 0.4 mm. Eyes dark, very large, transverse, deeply excised, space between eyes approximately as long as antennomere 2; OI equal to 20.05.

Antennae ( Fig. 18 ). Shorter, relatively narrow; pale brown with microgranulation, punctation and pale brown setation, slightly shiny; AL 2.4 mm, AL/BL 0.53. Antennomere 2 shortest, antennomere 3-10 distinctly broadest at apex. Antennomere 3 and 4 distinctly longer than each of antennomeres 5–11. RLA (1–11): 0.61: 0.57: 1.00: 1.06: 0.98: 1.04: 0.97: 1.06: 0.98: 0.95: 0.96. RL/WA (1–11): 1.61: 1.97: 3.45: 2.87: 2.58: 2.48: 2.26: 2.26: 2.09: 1.86: 2.26.

Maxillary palpus. Pale brown with pale brown setation and microgranulation. Palpomeres 2–4 distinctly broadened from base to apex, slightly shiny. Ultimate palpomere broadly triangular.

Pronotum ( Fig. 17 ) unicoloured dark reddish-brown, transverse, with long, dense, pale brown setation, setae directed backwards, closely covering to body, with punctation, microgranulation not clearly conspicuous. Punctures conspicuous, relatively large and coarse. PL 0.9 mm; PW 1.6 mm; PI equal to 56.25. Borders complete, base bisinuate, on antescutellar area straight. Posterior angles roundly rectangular, anterior angles indistinct, sides slightly rounded, in posterior half parallel.

Ventral side of body. Brown, with pale brown setation. Abdomen dark brown with pale brown setation, microgranulation and punctation, punctures relatively large, sparse.

Elytra unicoloured dark blackish-brown, slightly oval, shiny, covered by dense, long, backward directed, body closely covering, pale brown setation. EL 3.1 mm. Elytra broadest near midlength, EW 1.7 mm. EL/EW 1.82. Elytra with very fine microgranulation and punctation; punctures in elytral striae and elytral interspaces of approximately same diameter, relatively large. Rows of punctures in striae not clearly conspicuous. Scutellum triangular, pale brown, paler than elytra, with sides darker, with microgranulation and long, pale brown setae. Elytral epipleura well-developed, at base pale brown, then brown, with large punctures, pale brown setation and distinct microgranulation, regularly narrowing from pronotal base to abdominal ventrite 1, then continues as parallel.

Legs. Unicoloured pale reddish-brown, with dense, pale brown setation. Tibiae, tarsi narrow, tibiae slightly dilated anteriorly. Penultimate tarsomere of each tarsus very slightly broadened and distinctly lobed. RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.90: 0.68: 0.84: 2.00; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.61: 0.34: 0.42: 0.87; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.28: 0.22: 0.38. Anterior tarsal claws with nine visible teeth.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 19, 20 ). Pale brown, with fine microgranulation, slightly shiny. Basal part rounded in lateral view and in dorsal view regularly narrowing. Apex short, in dorsal view slightly broadening from base towards end of 1/3 then narrowing anteriorly, without sharp tip; in lateral view slightly bent upwards. AEB/AEA 4.82.

Female. More oval. Anterior tarsal claws with 5–7 teeth.

RLA (1–11): 0.64: 0.61: 1.00: 1.14: 1.04: 1.07: 1.05: 1.05: 1.00: 0.89: 1.07. RL/WA (1–11): 1.44: 1.42: 1.81: 2.00: 1.71: 1.77: 1.74: 1.79: 1.81: 1.43: 1.82.

BL 4.4 mm; HL 0.4 mm; HW 0.9 mm; OI 24.43; PL 0.8 mm; PW 1.3 mm; PI 61.54; EL 3.2 mm; EW 1.7 mm; HW/PW 0.69; BL/EW 2.59; EL/EW 1.88; AL 2.1 mm; AL/BL 0.48.

Variability. Measurements: mean (minimum–maximum). Males (n=6). BL 4.5 mm (4.2– 4.6 mm); HL 0.4 mm (0.3–0.5 mm); HW 0.8 mm (0.8–0.9 mm); OI 21.01 (17.34–26.35), PL 0.9 mm (0.8–0.9 mm) PW 1.3 mm (1.2–1.6 mm); PI 66.85 (62.45–70.16); EL 3.1 mm (3.0– 3.2 mm); EW 1.7 mm (1.6–1.8 mm). Females (n=4). BL 4.4 mm (4.3–4.7 mm); HL 0.5 mm (0.4–0.6 mm); HW 0.8 mm (0.8–0.9 mm); OI 29.94 (24.43–34.53), PL 0.8 mm (0.8–0.9 mm) PW 1.3 mm (1.2–1.5 mm); PI 62.42 (61.27–64.86); EL 3.1 mm (3.0– 3.3 mm); EW 1.8 mm (1.7–1.9 mm).

Differential diagnosis (for more details see the key below). Socotralia vybirali sp. nov. differs from similar species S. intermedia sp. nov., S. reitteri sp. nov., S. major and S. minor mainly in having antennomere 11 shorter than antennomere 3, while S. intermedia sp. nov., S. reitteri sp. nov., S. major and S. minor have antennomere 11 distinctly longer than antennomere 3. S. vybirali sp. nov. differs from similar species S. montana sp. nov. and S. brunnea mainly in smaller body length and distinctly serrate antennomeres 3–10, while in S. montana sp. nov. and S. brunnea the body is large and antennomeres 3–10 are narrower.

Etymology. Named in honour of Jan Vybíral (Židlochovice, Czech Republic), one of the collectors of the type series.

Collection circumstances. Specimens of the new species were collected at night when they were attracted to light. Two specimens (Eserhe) were found also during the day on herb and shrub vegetation.

Distribution. Yemen, Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs. 11–20. Male holotypes of Socotralia reitteri sp. nov. (11–15) and S. vybirali sp. nov. (16–20). 11, 16 – habitus in dorsal view; 12, 17 – head and pronotum in dorsal view; 13, 18 – antenna; 14, 19 – aedeagus in lateral view; 15, 20 – aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale bars = 2 mm (body); 1 mm (antenna); 0.5 mm (pronotum).