Euboeus (Pelorinus) grimmi, Nabozhenko, 2022

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., 2022, A taxonomic review of the genus Euboeus Boieldieu, 1865 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) of the Caucasus, Iran and Turkmenistan, Zootaxa 5159 (4), pp. 451-486 : 463-465

Euboeus (Pelorinus) grimmi sp. nov.

( Fig. 9 )

Type material. Holotype, ♂ and paratype, ♀ ( ZIN): Iran, Zanjan Prov., 40 km NE Bonab , 36°47ʹ57ʺN, 48°43ʹ53.7ʺE, 2400 m, 9.v.2017 (leg. D.G. Kasatkin) . Paratypes. 1♀ ( ZIN): Iran, Zanjan Prov., 36°45ʹ37ʺN, 48°48ʹ13ʺE, 9.v.2017 (leg. A. Zubov) ; 1♀ ( SMS): Iran, Zanjan Prov., Alborz Mts., Sendan Mt., Zanjan, Abbar , 36°48.462ʹN, 48°53.127ʹE, 1480 m, 11–12.v.2008, sigling (leg. T. Hácz, K. Székely, K. Vig) ; 1♀ ( HNHM): Iran Zangan [Zanjan] Prov., Zangan [Zanjan], 1800–2000 m, 7.vi.1999 (leg. K. Gaskó) ; 1♀ ( HNHM): Iran, Zanjan Prov., Sendan Mts. , 20 km SW of Gilvan, 36°48ʹN, 48°55ʹE, 1000 m, 18.v.2001 (leg. B. Benedek, G. Csorba) .

Description. Male. Body slender, elongate, black, with dull shine. Measurements: Y = 1.47; PH w = 1.6; P w P l = 1.23; E l E w = 1.7; EH w = 1.95; EP w = 1.2; EP l = 2.58. Body length 16 mm, width 5.5 mm.

Head ( Figs 9B, D, E ). Anterior margin of epistoma slightly rounded. Head widest at eye level. Eyes moderately convex, circumocular impression narrow. Lateral margins of genae angularly rounded. Puncturation of head fine and sparse, interpuncture distance 1.5–2 times as long as puncture diameter. Ventral side of epicranium coarsely and densely punctured. Antennae comparatively short, with only three apical antennomeres, extending beyond base of pronotum, reaching 1/5 of elytral length.

Prothorax ( Figs 9B, D–F ). Pronotum cordate, widest ahead of middle, transverse ( Fig. 9D ). Lateral margins of pronotum moderately rounded at apical half and slightly widely emarginated at basal half; anterior margin straight at middle and widely emarginated near corners; base slightly rounded. Antero-lateral corners projected, obtuse, widely rounded at apex; postero-lateral corners weakly obtuse, pointed at apex. Lateral margins beaded, interrupted only near antero-lateral corners; bead of anterior margin interrupted in middle. Disc of pronotum evenly weakly convex, not flattened along lateral margin, with oval impression on each lateral side and two small oblique impressions near base. Puncturation of disc fine and sparse, puncture diameter 2–4 times as short as interpuncture distance; punctures round ( Figs 9D, E ). Prosternum with moderately coarse and sparse raduliform puncturation ( Fig. 9B ). Prothoracic hypomera not flattened along margin, with small confused microwrinkles with poorly distinguished sparse smoothed puncturation against their background; wrinkles with microgranulation at anterior third ( Fig. 9F ). Prosternal process smooth and shiny, almost without punctures, slightly convex at apex, beaded only in basal half ( Figs 9B, F ).

Pterothorax ( Figs 9A, B ). Scutellar shield with slightly rounded margins, finely and sparsely punctured. Elytra strongly elongate, widest at middle; punctures in striae fine, slightly elongate, widely spaced; punctures in interstriae fine and sparse, much smaller than strial ones ( Fig. 9A ). Anterior half of mesoventrite pubescent, with triangle smooth middle and coarsely wrinkled another surface ( Fig. 9B ). Mesepisterna coarsely and densely punctured by large foveae; puncturation of mesepimera and metepisterna sparser and finer; metaventrite finely and sparsely punctured and covered with short setae.

Legs. Trochanters with brush of short dark-reddish setae and one long seta ( Fig. 9B ). Basal third of femora with the same brush on flex side ( Fig. 9B ); another surface of femora with coarse puncturation and short setae. Pro- and mesotibiae straight, metatibiae weakly bent. Pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–4 strongly widened, trasverse, pro- and mesotarsomere 1 as wide as apex of protibia.

Abdomen ( Figs 9B, G–K ). Abdominal ventrites with dense and fine puncturation and simple short setae (not pubescent); ventrite 5 with coarser punctures and long strong setae. Genitalia ( Figs 9G–K ). Apical part of basal piece of aedeagus smooth, without rugosity. Apical piece of aedeagus with median shiny longitudinal keel; lateral margins slightly emarginated at middle and sharply narrowed at apical quarter.

Female ( Fig. 9C ). Body much robuster, elytra matt. Eyes little smaller (see measurements). Antennae short, not reaching base of pronotum. Metatibiae straight. Measurements: Y = 1.4; PH w = 1.7; P w P l = 1.3; E l E w = 1.47; EH w = 2.28; EP w = 1.34; EP l = 2.57. Body length 13.5–17 mm, width 5,5– 6.5 mm.

Etymology. This species is named in memory of Roland Grimm (1948–2021), my colleague and co-author, a famous specialist on Tenebrionidae of the Old World ( Burmeister 2021, Schawaller & Staniczek 2021).

Differential diagnosis. This new species is different from all Iranian congeners by the presence of shiny keellike longitudinal median elevation on the apical piece of the aedeagus ( Fig. 9K ); all other species have the apical piece smooth or with the median impression. Euboeus grimmi sp. nov. has the pronotum with beaded lateral margins ( Figs 9D, E ) and bent metatibiae ( Figs 9A, B ) as E. hudepohli and E. kasatkini sp. nov. and differs from both species by the absence of longitudinal rugosity in apical part of the basal piece of the aedeagus ( Fig. 9K ) and the pronotum widest at the apical third (at middle in E. huedepohli and E. kasatkini ). In addition, the new species is distinguished from:

– E. huedepohli by prothoracic hypomera not flattened along margin, covered with small confused microwrinkles with hardly distinguished sparse smoothed puncturation against their background (widely flattened and coarsely longitudinally wrinkled in E. huedepohli ) ( Fig. 9F ); male dorsally is less shiny (lacquered shiny in E. huedepohli );

– E. kasatkini by prothoracic hypomera not flattened along the margin, covered with small confused microwrinkles with hardly distinguished sparse smoothed puncturation against their background (narrowly fattened and coarsely and densely punctured in E. kasatkini ) ( Fig. 9F ); more bent male metatibiae and less shiny male body.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Euboeus grimmi sp. nov., habitus, details of structure. A = male, dorsally; B = male, ventrally; C = female, dorsally; D = male, head and pronotum, dorsally; E = ditto, dorso-laterally; F = prothoracic hypomeron; G = male inner sternite VIII, ventrally; H = spiculum gastrale; I = tegmen, ventrally; J = median lobe of aedeagus with inverted connective membrane, ventrally; K = apical piece of aedeagus, dorsally.