Glycia socotrana, Felix, 2017

Felix, Ron F. F. L., 2017, New species and new distributional data on Carabidae (Coleoptera) from the Socotra Archipelago, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57, pp. 41-54 : 42-44

Glycia socotrana sp. nov.

( Figs 1, 4 , 7 )

? Calleida sp. : GAHAN (1903): 264. Glycia cf. spencei (Gistel, 1838) : FELIX et al. (2012): 91.

Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Noged plain, Sharet Halma village env., 12°21.9ʹN, 54°05.3ʹE.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), Yemen, Socotra Island, Noged plain, Sharet Halma village env. 12°21.9ʹN, 54°05.3ʹE, 20 m, 10.–11.xi.2010, J. Bezdĕk leg. PARATYPES: 15 JJ 15 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( NMPC, RFBE, RMNH) ; 1J, Noged plain, Qaareh, 57 m, 12°20.10ʹN, 53°37.56ʹE, 5.–6.xii.2003, D. Král leg. ( NMPC) ; 2JJ, Dixam plateau, Firmihin, 12°28.6ʹN, 54°01.1ʹE, 490 m, 15.–16.xi.2010, J. Bezděk leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, Firmihin , 400–500 m, 12°28.27ʹN, 54°0.54ʹE, 6.–7.ii.2010, L. Purchart & J. Vybíral leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 J 1 ♀, Firmihin plato, 400–500 m, 12°28.46ʹN, 54°00.89ʹE, 18.–19.vi.2010, V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 J 1 ♀, Dixam plateau, Firmihin, 12°28.6ʹN, 54°01.1ʹE, 490 m, 14.–15.VI.2012, Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 J 1 ♀, Delisha village env., 12°41.2ʹN, 50°07.7ʹE, 36 m, 8.vi.2012, Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg. ( NMPC) ; 2 JJ, Qalansiyah env., Ditwah (lagoon), 12°41.42ʹN, 53°30.08ʹE, 23 m, 9.xii.2003, D. Král leg., Socotra expedition 2003: Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, Wadi Ayaft , 12°36.5ʹN, 53°58.9ʹE, 200 m, 7.–8.xi.2010, P.Hlaváč leg. ( NMPC) ; 1♀, Aloove area , Aloove village env., 12°31.2ʹN, 54°07.4ʹE, 221 m, 19.–20.vi.2012, Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V.Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, Hadiboh , Taj Socotra hotel, 16.xi.2010, J. Bezděk leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, Noged plain, Wadi Ireeh, N 12°23ʹ11ʺN, 53°59ʹ47ʺE, D. Král leg., Socotra expedition 2003: Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král leg. ( NMPC) ; 2 JJ, Hadiboh env., ca. 10–100 m, 12°65.02ʹN, 54°02.04ʹE, 21.xi.–12.xii.2003, D. Král leg., Expedition Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek, David Král ( NMPC) ; 9 JJ 5 ♀♀, Noged , Firmihin, 0 m, 12°24.41ʹN, 54°13.35ʹE, 24.–25.x.2000, H. Pohl leg. ( HLMD, RFBE) ; 1 ♀, Hadiboh , Stadt und unmittelbare Umgebung, 12°39ʹN, 54°01ʹE, 2.–26.ii.1999, H. Pohl leg. ( HLMD) ; 2 ♀♀, Hadiboh , camp house, 12°38ʹ55.79ʺN, 54°00ʹ46.79ʺE, 21.ii.2009, R. Felix leg. ( RFBE) ; 2 ♀♀, Wadi Momi , 12°32ʹ40.3ʺN, 54°17ʹ41.1ʺE, 24.iii.2009, R. Felix leg. ( RFBE) ; 1 ♀, Hadiboh plain, 0–300 ft, 16.iv.1967, K. Guichard leg. ( BMNH) ; 1 J, same data, 3.v.1967, K. Guichard leg. ( BMNH) ; 2 JJ 1 ♀, Hills near Hadiboh, 29.ii.2008, A. Saldaitis leg. ( IRSB) ; 2 JJ 3 ♀♀, Qalansiya env., 12°41ʹN, 053°29ʹE, 22.ii.2008, A. Saldaitis leg. ( IRSB) ; 1 ♀, Ayheft valley , 22.xi.2008, Saldaitiene & Saldaitis leg. ( IRSB) ; 1 J, Wadi Difourha , southside, 15.i.2010, Saldaitis leg. ( IRSB) ; 1 ♀, Shuab location, 23.iii.2009, Saldaitis leg. ( IRSB) ; Abd al Kuri Island, Towanie village env., 12 JJ 10 ♀♀, 12°10ʹN, 52°13ʹE, 25.–27.ii.2008, Saldaitis leg. ( IRSB, RFBE) ; 1 spec., without exact locality, ii.2000, W.Wranik leg.( WWCR) ; 2 spec., without exact locality, 6.ii.2000, W.Wranik leg. ( WWCR) ; 1 J, Hadibú Umg. , 100m “NN, 12º38.179’N 54º01.196’E, 02.ii.2001, V. Neumann leg. ( DWBG) .

Description. Male holotype: Habitus elongate, parallel-sided; dorsoventrally flattened ( Fig. 1 ). Body length 9.0 mm; maximum width: 3.1 mm. Macropterous.

Colour. Head and appendices light red, only ridges of mandibles narrowly black. Pronotum light red, somewhat lighter than head. Pedoncule and scutellum red, dark red towards shoulders. Colour of elytra dark reddish with blue metallic lustre, except for suture and first interval red. Marginal gutter dark red. Epipleura red, darkened towards elytral apex. Whole underside red, except for ventrites. Legs light red, knees slightly darkened.

Sculpture and structures. Head. Clypeus bisetose, its anterior margin straight. Labrum weakly incised anteriorly, with six setae. Frons along eyes with diverging and branching furrows, between eyes smooth, shiny, with small punctures, which are more dense towards clypeus. Eyes big, protruding. Temples oblique. Apical labial palpomere strongly dilated and pubescent, penultimate palpomere with two large setae and some very small setae. Maxillary palpomeres smooth, except for some tiny setae. Mentum with broad mental tooth. Antennomeres pubescent from IV.

Pronotum somewhat transverse, 1.2× wider than long; anterior angles broadly rounded, not prominent, posterior angles more shortly rounded, strongly obtuse, slightly pronounced. Marginal gutter wide, margin raised; coarsely punctured, disc smooth, shiny, with scattered fine punctures, somewhat more dense along fine median line. Greatest width just posteriorly from anterior lateral seta. Second lateral setae in posterior angle. Both anterior and posterior margins ciliated.

Elytral striae distinctly punctured, intervals with distinct isodiametric microsculpture and disorderly punctured in 1–2 rows. Scutellar stria in first elytral interval, with scutellar pore. Intervals weakly convex. Apex almost straight, obliquely truncated. Lateral margins almost parallel. Basal line regularly rounded. Third interval with two pores.

Tarsomere IV of front legs semicircular incised at 1/3, claws pectinate. Metatarsomere I as long as III and IV together. Tarsomeres glabrous except for some apical and lateral setae. Onychium with two rows of four bristles.

Aedeagus, see Fig. 4 .

Variability. Female. Without conspicuous differences from the male. Stylomeres, see Fig. 7 .

In most male specimens of the new species, the flagellum is weakly waved, but straight in some and more strongly waved in others. The reticulate field in the median lobe in the new species is mostly situated laterally of the base of the flagellum (when observed in lateral view) and therefore not always visible, but in some cases this field is positioned ventrally of the flagellum as in G. spencei (Gistel, 1838) and G. rufolimbata Maindron, 1905 . Apart from the variability in the shape of the aedeagus, there is some variation in length of the specimens (8.0– 9.5 mm) and in shape of the pronotum: width/length ratio varies from 1.1–1.2 and in some cases sides are less narrowed and less sinuate towards the posterior angles. The dark parts of the elytra vary between blue and more or less violet. The red colour of the suture varies from 0.5–1.5 interval and from base to apex or already vanished halfway the elytra. There seem to be no differences between the populations on Socotra Island and Abd al Kuri Island.

Differential diagnosis. Glycia socotrana sp. nov. was mentioned by FELIX et al. (2012) as Glycia cf. spencei . However, thorough comparative study of Glycia Chaudoir, 1842 material from North and East Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula revealed, that the population from the Socotra Archipelago shows unique characteristics, which appropriate its descriptionas a distinct new species. When compared with other, rather similar species, Glycia spencei ( Fig. 2 ) and Glycia rufolimbata ( Fig. 3 ), the new species can be distinguished undoubtedly by its clearly convex intervals of the elytra, its much shinier appearance and its elytral design. In addition, the punctuation of the head and disc of the pronotum is finer than in G. spencei and G. rufolimbata . A third species known from northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Glycia unicolor Chaudoir, 1848 , differs from G. socotrana sp. nov. by being uniformly brown in the colouration of the elytra.

The aedeagus ( Fig. 4 ) in the new species is rather variable. In most cases, the apex of the median lobe in the new species is somewhat longer and more parallel sided than in G. spencei ( Fig. 5 ), and more broadly rounded than in G. rufolimbata ( Fig. 6 ). In G. spencei , the flagellum is very strongly waved and in G. rufolimbata almost straight. However, because of the intraspecific variation in the flagellum (see above), it seems that the aedeagus is not discriminating the species.

Comments to classification. LORENZ (2005) mentioned additional Glycia species : G. afgana Jedlička, 1956 and G. klapperichi Jedlička, 1956 . I did not see these species, but, according to the original description, these taxa surely belong to the genus Merizomena Chaudoir, 1872 , which was confirmed by I. Kabak (pers. comm., 2016).

BEDEL (1907) established two colour varieties of G. rufolimbata : var. brevivittis Bedel, 1907 (currently treated as a subspecies of G. unicolor ) in which the dark colour is restricted to the distal half of the elytra; and var. bimaculata Bedel, 1907 (currently regarded as valid species), see KABAK (2003). In the latter, the dark colour is reduced even more to a preapical spot. However, based on the description, both varieties differ significantly from both, G. rufolimbata and G. socotrana sp. nov.

BEDEL (1907) also mentioned an unnamed colour variety of G. ornata (Klug, 1832) (= G. spencei ), in which the sutural band is restricted to the first interval. It is not clear whether this variation is regional or if it is intermingled within the specimens with the typical pattern. I could not find specimens of this variation. In the studied specimens of G. spencei and G. rufolimbata the pattern is highly consistent.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the presence of the species in the Socotra Archipelago; an adjective.

Collection circumstances. All specimens were collected at light in various habitats, like sand dunes, Dracaena forest, Jatropha unicostata shrubland with or without Boswellia elongata trees, mangroves or in villages.

Distribution. Endemic species to the Socotra Archipelago; recorded from Abd el Kuri and Socotra.

Figures

Figs 1–6. Details of Glycia. 1–3 – habitus; 4–6 – median lobe of aedeagus is lateral view. 1, 4 – Glycia socotrana sp. nov.; 2, 5 – G. spencei (Gistel, 1838); 3, 6 – G. rufolimbata Maindron, 1905. Not in scale.

Figs 7–12. 7 – Glycia socotrana sp. nov., female stylomeres. 8–10 – Apristus dioscoridus sp. nov.; 8 – habitus; 9 – median lobe of aedeagus is lateral view; 10 – female stylomeres. 11–12. Mesolestes niger sp. nov. 11 – habitus; 12 – median lobe of aedeagus is lateral view. Not in scale.