Chalcionellus orcinus Reichardt, 1932

Lackner, Tomáš, 2011, On the identity of Chalcionellus orcinus and Chalcionellus libanicola (Coleoptera: Histeridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 505-515 : 507-511

Chalcionellus orcinus Reichardt, 1932 stat. restit.

( Figs. 1–9 , 10–16 )

Chalcionellus orcinus Reichardt, 1932: 24 , 91.

Chalcionellus orcinus: REICHARDT (1941: 264, 273); KRYZHANOVSKIJ & REICHARDT (1976: 189, 195, Fig. 391); MAZUR (1984: 82).

Type locality. Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ( ZIN): unsexed specimen (genitalia missing; most likely a male, since it possesses a longitudinal median line on the metaventrite and leaf-like scales on each protarsomere: known male characters of the Saprininae) with right mesotibia broken off, bearing the following labels (In Russian): ‘Pishpek [= Bishkek], Semir. / 7.ix.[1]912 / Shestoperov’ [hand-written], ‘Pishpek [= Bishkek] / 7.ix[19]12’ [pencil, handwritten], ‘ Saprinus (Chalc.?) / orcinus sp. n. / Monotypus / A. Reichardt. det.’ [printed], ‘Holotypus’ [red label, hand-written], ‘Zoological / Institute Ras / St. Petersburg’ [yellow label, pencil handwritten], ‘09-064’ [pencil hand-written label added by myself].

Additional material examined. KAZAKHSTAN: 1 J, Karatau, Uroch. Aulie, 15.v.[1]974 Yanushev ( ZIN) ; 1 J, Karatau, Kuyuk Pass, potoky [= streams], 2.vi.[19]80, K Hůrka ( CTLA) ; 1 J, S. Aktjubinsk [= Aqtöbe] reg., Emba vill., 15.v.2000, coll. H. Hebauer ( MNHG) . UZBEKISTAN: 1 J, Novyj [= New] Iskander [= Iskandar], r. Chirchik, L. Arnoldi , 8.v.1942 ( ZIN) . TURKEY: 1 J, Camlidere Isik d. [= Çamlıdere-Işık Dağı], Anat. 23.vi.[19]47, Exp. N. Mus. ČSR ( NMPC) ; 1 J, vill. Gümüshane, Telme , 20.v.1987, leg. Rozner I., Coll. Rozner István ( RMNH) .

Redescription (based on the holotype). Body length: PEL: 2.10 mm; APW: 0.75 mm; PPW: 1.50 mm; EL: 1.25 mm; EW: 1.70 mm. Body ( Figs. 1–2 ) oblong oval, moderately convex; cuticle shining, dark brown to black, without metallic luster; elytral humeri not prominent, legs, antennae and mouthparts reddish-brown.

Antennal scape ( Fig. 4 ) moderately dilated, apical part with strigulate impression, with two short setae; club without visible articulation, entire surface with short dense sensilla, intermingled with sparse longer sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club not examined.

Head: Mandibles coarsely punctate, sub-apical tooth on left mandible rather small, almost perpendicular, mandibular apex acutely pointed; labrum punctuated; disc convex, with two well impressed labral pits fringed with one single long seta each; mentum ( Fig. 5 ) sub-rectangular, apical angles somewhat produced; anterior margin medially with a tiny notch ( Fig. 5 ), medially with four long setae; disc of mentum covered with sparse, much shorter setae; lateral margins fringed with one row of short ramose setae; other parts of the mouth not examined.

Clypeus ( Fig. 4 ) slightly depressed on apical third, rounded laterally, coarsely punctate; frontal stria ( Fig. 4 ) widely interrupted anteriorly, continued along lateral margins of clypeus, almost reaching its anterior angles; supraorbital stria well-impressed, fine; frontal disc with coarse punctuation, punctures separated by their own to twice their diameter; interspaces without microsculpture; eyes convex, well visible from above.

Pronotal sides ( Fig. 1 ) moderately convergent anteriorly; apical angles blunt; pronotal foveae absent; disc entirely covered with fine punctuation, punctures separated by several times their diameter, laterally with a band of coarse punctuation running parallel to lateral margin; pronotal base with a row of coarse round punctures; marginal pronotal stria well impressed, fine, carinate, complete; pronotal hypomeron glabrous.

Elytral epipleuron almost smooth, with microscopic punctuation; marginal epipleural stria well impressed, complete; marginal elytral stria well impressed, in tiny punctures; apically shortly prolonged onto elytron, apical elytral stria absent. Humeral elytral stria present on basal third, fine; inner subhumeral stria present as a median fragment; elytra with four dorsal striae 1–4, in small punctures; first and second shorter than third and fourth, approximately reaching elytral half apically; third and fourth somewhat longer, reaching about two-thirds of elytral length apically; fourth basally well connected with the sutural elytral stria; sutural stria complete but weakened, on apical two-thirds intermittent. Punctuation of elytral disc covering approximately posterior two-thirds, punctures separated by about their own to twice their own diameter; basal third of elytron with much finer and scattered punctuation.

Propygidium ( Fig. 8 ) transverse, partly covered by elytra, with fine scattered punctuation progressively becoming coarser basally, interspaces substrigulate; pygidium ( Fig. 8 ) with much coarser and denser round punctures, separated by about their own diameter, interspaces substrigulate; punctuation almost disappears apically.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum ( Fig. 6 ) almost straight; marginal prosternal stria shortly present anteriorly; pre-apical foveae well impressed, rather deep; prosternal process flattened; laterally with sparse, moderately-sized punctures, interspaces substrigulate; carinal prosternal striae well impressed, bisinuate, connected anteriorly, space between them almost smooth, only with few sparse punctures; lateral prosternal striae carinate, convergent anteriorly, terminating near apices of united carinal striae, but not connected. Anterior margin of mesoventrite ( Fig. 3 ) emarginate medially, discal marginal mesoventral stria well impressed, slightly carinate; disc of mesoventrite with fine scattered punctuation; meso-metaventral sutural stria well impressed, undulate, slightly distanced from meso-metaventral suture; intercoxal disc of metaventrite with fine scattered punctures; along basal margin band of coarse punctures present; lateral metaventral stria well impressed, in deep punctures, straight, ending near hind coxa. Lateral disc of metaventrite ( Fig. 7 ) with shallow sparse punctures becoming finer apically; metepisternum ( Fig. 7 ) with much coarser and denser punctuation, punctures becoming sparser on fused metepimeron, metepisternal stria absent.

Intercoxal disc of first abdominal sternite completely striate laterally; disc laterally with fine sparse punctures; medially smooth.

Protibia ( Fig. 9 ) slightly dilated, outer margin with three moderately large triangular teeth topped with tiny denticle, followed by three minuscule denticles, becoming progressively smaller in proximal direction; protarsal groove deep; outer row of setae regular, setae short; median row of setae regular, setae even shorter than those of outer row; anterior protibial stria shortened apically; near tarsal insertion two tiny tarsal denticles present; protibial spur very short, growing out from apical margin of protibia; outer part of posterior surface of protibia ( Fig. 9 ) obscurely variolate, a row of regular short denticles separating it from finely strigulate median part of posterior surface; posterior protibial stria complete, terminating in three tiny inner posterior denticles; inner margin of setae double, setae short and dense.

Mesotibia slightly thickened, outer margin with two rows of moderately sized denticles; outer row of setae sparse, setae about as long as denticles, growing in size apically; median row of setae inconspicuous; posterior mesotibial stria shortened, present only basally; anterior surface of mesotibia substrigulate-punctate; anterior mesotibial stria almost complete, terminating in two tiny denticles; mesotibial spur moderately large; apical margin of mesotibia with several inner anterior denticles; claws of apical tarsomere slightly bent, about half its length. Metatibia slenderer than mesotibia, outer margin with much sparser and shorter denticles, growing in size apically, otherwise in all aspects similar to mesotibia.

Male genitalia (based on the specimen from Turkey: Çamlıdere-Işık Dağı): Eighth sternite ( Figs. 10–11 ) in basal half longitudinally fused medially, in apical half slightly separated, apically with tiny inflatable membrane (velum); apex of eighth sternite laterally with single row of short sparse setae; eighth tergite and eighth sternite fused laterally ( Fig. 12 ). Morphology of 9 th tergite ( Figs. 13–14 ) typical for the subfamily; spiculum gastrale expanded on both ends. Basal piece of aedeagus ( Figs. 15–16 ) rather short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1:5; parameres fused along their basal three-fourths, slightly constricted before apex; aedeagus curved ventrad ( Fig. 16 ).

Variation. The female specimen from Uzbekistan: Iskander is slightly larger in size and fourth dorsal elytral stria somewhat shortened, reaching approximately elytral half apically.

Biology. Unknown. In Kazakhstan, the species was found near mountain streams.

Distribution. Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), Uzbekistan (Iskandar, Chirchik river near Toshkent), Turkey (Çamlıdere-Işık Dağı, near Ankara or Çankırı and Telme village near Gümüshane). New to Kazakhstan (south-western Kazakhstan: Karatau, Uroch Aulie and Kujuk).

Figures

Figs. 1–9: Chalcionellus orcinus Reichardt, 1932. 1 – habitus, dorsal view; 2 – same, ventral view; 3 – mesoventrite; 4 – head, dorsal view; 5 – mentum; 6 – prosternum; 7 – lateral disc of metaventrite, metepisternum + fused metepimeron; 8 – propygidium and pygidium; 9 – protibia, ventral view.

Figs. 10–16: Chalcionellus orcinus Reichardt, 1932. 10 – eighth sternite and tergite, ventral view; 11 – same, dorsal view; 12 – same, lateral view; 13 – Ninth and tenth tergites, dorsal view + spiculum gastrale, ventral view; 14 – ninth and tenth tergites + spiculum gastrale, lateral view; 15 – aedeagus, dorsal view; 16 – same, lateral view.