Clitobius omanicus, Purchart & Kamiński, 2017

Purchart, Luboš & Kamiński, Marcin Jan, 2017, A taxonomic review of the genus Clitobius with description of a new species from Oman (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57, pp. 139-163 : 149-150

Clitobius omanicus sp. nov.

( Figs 1B , 2D, E, G , 4 )

Type locality. Oman, Dhofar Province, Wadi Ain.

Type material. HOLOTYPE, J ( NMPC), labelled: OMAN, Dhofar Prov. / WADI AIN, 59 m a.s.l. / 13 km E of Mirbat / 17°01′N; 54°47′E [GPS] / 29. iii. 2012, A. REITER lgt . PARATYPES (1 J 2 ♀♀ NMPC, 1 J LPCB, 1 J MIIZ): same data as holotype.

Description. Body length = 5.8–6.5 mm (n = 6). Habitus as in Fig. 1B .

Dorsal side of head dull, with fine, but often merging punctures. Frontoclypeal suture extremely fine. Canthus rounded in basal part. Clypeal emargination relatively shallow (clypeal emargination width / depth ratio ca. 10.0). Labrum wide (width / length ratio ca. 1.8); delicately emarginated in middle. Sides of mentum subparallel. Mentum with median keel; lateral wings directed towards body front; not covering cardines or basistipites. Submentum pentagonal. Apical maxillary palpomere trapezoidal; with relatively large sensory field (occupying the whole proximal edge). Maxillary palpomere II elongated (length to width ratio ca. 3.0). Palpifer with bunch of setae located near base. Anterior tentorial pits circular. Dorsally eye not shielded by longitudinal keel. Eye partly divided by canthus (three rows of ocelli visible between canthus and gena); ventral portion contains slightly more ocelli than dorsal one. Antenna relatively long (length of antenna / maximal length of pronotum ca. 1.3); antennomere III slender (ratio of its length to length of antennomere II ca. 1.5); antennomeres VII–XI forming a loosely joined club.

Pronotum narrower than elytra (width ratio elytra / pronotum ca. 1.2). Length to width ratio of pronotal disc ca. 0.6. Pronotal disc dull; with conspicuous microsculpture (magnification 40×); covered with fine and shallow punctures (1–2 diameters apart); covered with short and extremely fine setae. Lateral sides of pronotal disc rounded; widest in basal third; without apophyseal depressions. Lateral emargination of pronotum narrow and complete; basal emargination complete (clearly visible, relatively broad); anterior slightly interrupted in middle. Middle of prosternum and basal part of hypomeron covered with coarse setae. The latter structure flattened near lateral edges. Intercoxal process of prosternum not depressed apically, with sharp tip slightly projecting outwards (lateral view). Procoxae situated closely (width ratio of procoxa and intercoxal process ca. 1.3).

Elytra dull; glabrous. Elytral striae impressed on whole length, visible as nine rows of conspicuous punctures on each elytron (2 diameters apart). Intervals flat, with fine punctures (3–4 diameters apart). Elytral base sinusoidal; not emarginate. Epipleuron straight in most of its length, terminating at level of abdominal ventrite V; situated ventrally, only basal part visible in dorsal aspect near elytral slope. Elytral humerus obtuse. Scutellum relatively large; triangular. Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Mesoventrite without processes. Metaventrite relatively elongated (length ratio cavity of metacoxa / metaventrite between insertions of meso- and metacoxae ca. 0.9); without processes, however in apical part slightly elevated; with median carina reaching base of elevated part. Process of abdominal ventrite I narrow and sharp (ratio of distances between mexo- and metacoxae ca. 0.5). Abdominal ventrite V not bordered.

Protrochanters of opatrinoid type (with elongated base). Meso- and metatrochanters only slightly covered by respective femora. Metacoxa elongated. Male and female tarsi, tibiae and femora simple.

Aedeagal tegmen as in Figs 1B , 2G . Parameres evenly narrowing towards apex; tip sinusoidal (lateral view). Clavae absent. Penis basally covered by fused parameres. Ovipositor with paraprocts equal in length to coxites. Paraproct does not shield valvifer and other lobes (directed basally). Valvifer wide and short; third and fourth lobes of coxities elongated. Gonostylus situated laterally. Vagina and bursa copulatrix without sclerites. Spiculum ventrale short. Differential diagnosis. This species is similar to Clitobius oblongiusculus in sharing the following features: dorsal side of the body glabrous or covered with fine setae ( Fig. 1B ), metathoracic wings fully developed, pronotum widest in the middle or near the base ( Fig. 1B ), elytral humeri not protruding outwards ( Fig. 1B ), protibiae slender, without a prominent apical tooth ( Fig. 1B ), and male protarsi not widened. Both species can be distinguished by different body shape ( C. oblongiusculus – elongate; C. omanicus sp. nov. – oval), shape of antennomere III ( C. oblongiusculus – short; C. omanicus sp. nov. – elongate), and shape of the posterior pronotal angles ( C. oblongiusculus – sharp; C. omanicus sp. nov. – rounded). For details and additional characters, see the identification key attached below.

Etymology. The name refers to country name Oman, where the new species was collected.

Distribution. Oman – so far known from the type locality only ( Fig. 5 ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Clitobius obesus (Waterhouse, 1881) (A) and C. omanicus sp. nov. (B). Habitus (dorsal view) and aedeagal tegmen (lateral view).

Fig. 2. Detailed morphology of Clitobius obesus (Waterhouse, 1881) (A–C, F) and C. omanicus sp. nov. (D, E, G). Abbreviations: a – trochanter base; b – femur base; c – rounded posterior angle of pronotal disc; d – not depressed sides of pronotal disc; e – convex intervals; f – ventral; g – dorsal; h – lateral view.

Fig. 4. Analysed localities and potential distribution of Clitobius ovatus (Erichson, 1843) (A) and C. oblongiusculus (Fairmaire, 1875) (B). Average AUC and habitat suitability threshold values for each analysis are presented.

Fig. 5. Distribution of chosen species representing Clitobius: taxa restricted to the Horn of Africa and its surroundings (A), and Southern Africa (B).