Socotralia intermedia, 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 : 325-326

Socotralia intermedia sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–5 )

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Aloove area, Hassan village.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), labelled: ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Aloove area, HASSAN vill. env. / N 12°30′58.2″, E 54°06′39.2″ / 270-350 m, 3.-4.ii.2010 / L.Purchart lgt.’. PARATYPES: 18JJ 3♀♀, same data as holotype (1 ♀ NMPC, 1 J BMNH, 1 J HNHM, 1 J SMNS, 1 J ZSMC, 7 JJ 1 ♀ LPCB, 7 JJ 1 ♀ VNCP); 4 JJ, same data as holotype, but ‘ 300 m, at light / L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt.’ (2 JJ LPCB, 2 JJ VNCP); 1 J: ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Kesa env., 220-300 m / 12°39′37″N, 53°26′42″E / 28.-29.i.2010, L. Purchart lgt.’ ( LPCB); 1 J, ‘ Yemen: Socotra Isl. / Ayhaft, 15.3.2000 / V. Bejček & K. Šťastný lgt.’ ( VNCP); 2 JJ: ‘ Yemen, Socotra Isl., Calanthia, / 29.-30.iii.2001, / leg. V. Bejček & K. Šťastný’ ( VNCP); 1 J: ‘ SOCOTRA: Homhill / 23-24.II.2009 -leg. P. / Lo Cascio & F. Grita’ ( PLFG); 1 J: ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island / Aloove area, ALOOVE vill. env. / Jatropha unicostata shrubland with / Boswellia elongata trees / 19.-20.vi.2012 / 12°31.2’N, 54°07.4’E, 221 m // SOCOTRA expedition 2012, J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( LPCB).

Description. Male (holotype). Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Body small, elongate, brown, with pale brown setation, BL 6.1 mm. Widest near elytral midlength; BL/EW 2.69.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) brown, with long, pale brown setation and microgranulation, slightly shiny, punctation distinct, punctures relatively large. HW 1.1 mm; HW/PW 0.69; HL 0.5 mm. Eyes dark, very large, transverse, deeply excised, space between eyes distinctly shorter than length of antennomere 2; OI equal to 13.42.

Antennae ( Fig. 3 ). Long, relatively narrow, unicoloured pale brown with microgranulation, punctation and pale brown setation, slightly shiny; AL 3.8 mm; AL/BL 0.62. Antennomere 2 shortest, antennomere 3–10 distinctly broadest at apex. RLA (1–11): 0.82: 0.47: 1.00: 1.11: 1.07: 1.02: 1.05: 1.13: 1.05: 0.93: 1.14. RL/WA (1–11): 2.30: 1.77: 3.39: 3.13: 2.66: 2.79: 2.46: 2.81: 2.67: 2.46: 3.19.

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. 2 ) unicoloured brown, elongate, distinctly longer than semicircular, bellshaped, with long, dense pale brown setation, setae directed backwards, closely covering body, with microgranulation and punctation. Punctures conspicuous, relatively large, coarse. PL 1.3 mm; PW 1.6 mm; PI equal to 81.25. Borders complete, pronotal base bisinuate. Posterior angles of pronotum rectangular, anterior angles indistinct.

Elytra. Unicoloured brown, slightly oval, covered with dense, long, backward directed, closely adhering to body, pale brown setation. Broadest near midlength. EL 4.3 mm; EW 2.3 mm; EL/EW 1.87. Elytra with microgranulation and punctation; punctures relatively large. Rows of punctures in striae not clearly conspicuous, punctures in elytral interspaces smaller than in striae. Scutellum triangular, brown, with darker sides, covered with long, pale brown setae. Epipleura well developed, brown, with large punctures and pale brown setation, regularly narrowing from pronotal base to first abdominal ventrite, then continuing as parallel.

Ventral part. Reddish-brown, with pale brown setation, punctation and microgranulation. Punctures large. Abdomen with shallow, medium-sized punctures.

Legs. Unicoloured pale brown, covered with dense, short, pale brown setation. Tibiae and tarsi narrow, tibiae slightly dilated anteriorly. Penultimate tarsomere of each tarsus very slightly broadened, distinctly lobed. RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.49: 0.46: 0.55: 1.12; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.54: 0.37: 0.35: 0.93; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.34: 0.29: 0.50. Both anterior tarsal claws with 10 visible teeth.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 4, 5 ). Pale brown, with microgranulation, slightly shiny. Basal part slightly rounded dorsally in lateral view, in dorsal view regularly narrowing laterally. Apical part (apex) short, in lateral view in form of long narrow triangle and dorsal view regularly narrowing laterally, with sharp tip. AEB/AEA 4.53.

Female. Antennae slightly shorter than in male. Anterior tarsal claws with seven visible teeth.

RLA (1–11): 0.76: 0.54: 1.00: 1.30: 1.11: 1.22: 1.24: 1.41: 1.19: 1.16: 1.30. RL/WA (1–11): 1.40: 1.54: 2.31: 2.67: 2.16: 2.50: 2.88: 2.89: 2.32: 2.39: 3.20.

RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.56: 0.59: 0.72: 1.48; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.63: 0.45: 0.51: 0.89; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.32: 0.35: 0.61.

BL 6.1 mm; HL 0.5 mm; HW 1.0 mm; OI 17.05; PL 1.2 mm; PW 1.5 mm; PI 80.00; EL 4.4 mm; EW 2.4 mm; HW/PW 0.67; BL/EW 2.54; EL/EW 1.83; AL 3.6 mm; AL/BL 0.59.

Variability. Measurements: mean (minimum–maximum). Males (n=28). BL 5.2 mm (4.5–6.1 mm); HL 0.5 mm (0.4–0.6 mm); HW 1.0 mm (0.8–1.0 mm); OI 18.05 (13.42–24.95), PL 1.2 mm (1.0– 1.3 mm) PW 1.4 mm (1.2–1.7 mm); PI 82.39 (76.53–88.48); EL 3.5 mm (3.0– 4.4 mm); EW 1.9 mm (1.7–2.4 mm). Females (n=3). BL 5.7 mm (5.2–6.0 mm); HL 0.5 mm (0.4–0.7 mm); HW 1.0 mm (0.9–1.0 mm); OI 19.27 (17.05–23.18), PL 1.1 mm (0.9–1.3 mm) PW 1.5 mm (1.4–1.6 mm); PI 75.25 (65.49–81.28); EL 4.1 mm (3.8–4.4 mm); EW 2.1 mm (1.9–2.4 mm).

Differential diagnosis. Socotralia intermedia sp. nov. differs, besides characters stated in the key, from all similar species of Socotralia mainly in having space between eyes very narrow, distinctly narrower than length of antennomere 2, while other Socotralia species have space between eyes distinctly broader than length of antennomere 2.

Etymology. Latin adjective intermedius, - a, - um (= intermediate), expressing the species body size, which is halfway within the size range of the genus Socotralia .

Collection circumstances. Members of this species were collected during the day on herb layer – flowering plants of the family Fabaceae . They were also attracted to the light.

Distribution. Yemen: Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs. 1–10. Male holotypes of Socotralia intermedia sp. nov. (1–5) and S. montana sp. nov. (6–10). 1, 6 – habitus in dorsal view; 2, 7 – head and pronotum in dorsal view; 3, 8 – antenna; 4, 9 – aedeagus in lateral view; 5, 10 – aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale bars = 2 mm (body); 1 mm (antenna); 0.5 mm (pronotum).