Corresponding author: Borislav Guéorguiev (
Academic editor: A. Taglianti
The East Mediterranean species of
Nine genera of the “African Series” of subtribe Euchroina Chaudoir, 1874 are keyed for the first time. Checklists of the species of
Guéorguiev B, Wrase DW, Farkač J (2014) Revision of the East Mediterranean
A recent work on mitochondrial DNA variations among species of
All the afore-enumerated taxa together with the Afrotropical genera
The genus
The East Mediterranean species of
More than 260 specimens of twenty-four species (and one new to science from Yemen) of
The lectotypes are designated and validated in order to stabilize the nomenclature in the genus according to Article 74.7.3 of the Code (
Male specimens were boiled in water and their genitalia were extracted, put in 10%
Measurements: body length from the apex of the longer mandible to the apex of the longer elytron maximum linear distance across the head, including the eyes maximum width of pronotum length of pronotum, measured from the apical margin to the basal margin along the midline width of the pronotal base, between the tips of the hind angles length of elytra, from a line connecting the apices of the humeral angles to the apex of the longer elytron maximum width of elytra
The material examined is housed in the collections listed below:
The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom (Max Barkley)
Christoph Reuter collection, Hamburg, Germany
David W. Wrase collection, Berlin, Germany
Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany (Sabine Wamser)
Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium (Alain Drumont)
Jan Farkač collection, Prague, Czech Republic
Joachim Schmidt collection, Admannshagen, Germany
Museo del Dipartimento di Biologia Animale dell’Università, Pavia, Italy (Edoardo Razzetti, Stefano Maretti)
Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Genève, Switzerland (Julio Cuccodoro)
Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa, Poland (Dominika Mierzwa)
Entomologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France (Thierry Deuve, Azadeh Taghavian)
Manfred Persohn collection, Herxheimweyer, Germany
Musee Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium (Marc De Meyer)
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, Bulgaria (Borislav Guéorguiev)
Národní museum v Prague, Prague, Czech Republic (Jiří Hájek)
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria (Harald Schillhammer)
Peer H. Schnitter collection, Halle, Germany
Ron Felix collection, Berkel-Enschot, the Netherlands
National Collection of Insects, Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Israel (Laibale Friedman)
Thomas Forcke collection, Pforzheim, Germany
Vladimir Skoupý collection, Kamenné Žehrovice, Czech Republic
Zoölogisch Museum Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Ben Brugge)
1 | Tarsomeres of all legs glabrous dorsally. Elytra with parascutellar striae well-engraved (long in |
2 |
– | Tarsomeres of all legs pubescent dorsally. Elytra with parascutellar striae vestigial or lacking | 6 |
2 | Elytra with discal setiferous punctures in interval 3 / stria 3. Mentum tooth bifid | 3 |
– | Elytra without discal setiferous punctures. Mentum tooth hardly excavate ( |
|
3 | Elytra with two setiferous punctures in interval 3 / stria 3, with last puncture in medial third of elytron | 4 |
– | Elytra with three to four setiferous punctures in interval 3 / stria 3, with last puncture in posterior third of elytron | |
4 | Pronotum subquadrate (sides straight or slightly narrowed towards hind angles), with anterior angles slightly to moderately prominent forward. Abdominal sternites V-VII with transverse sulci complete and well-impressed | 5 |
– | Pronotum subtrapezoid (sides broadened towards hind angles), with fore angles fairly prominent forward. Abdominal sternites V-VII with transverse sulci distinct only laterally ( |
|
5 | Species with intercoxal process of prothorax bordered and distribution in the Mediterranean biogeographical region | |
– | Species with intercoxal process of prothorax slightly bordered ( |
|
6 | Smaller species (less than 6 mm), with continental distribution in northwest Africa | |
– | Larger species (more than 6 mm), with insular distribution in the Macaronesian biogeographical region | 7 |
7 | Head with distinct eyes and paraorbital sulci not extended behind posterior margin of eye. Elytra truncate apically | |
– | Head with very small or no eyes and paraorbital sulci grooved, extended behind posterior margin of eye toward neck. Elytra rounded apically | 8 |
8 | Sides of pronotum straight towards hind angles. Elytra not narrowed basally | |
– | Sides of pronotum distinctly concave towards hind angles. Elytra narrowed basally |
The taxon
We got the information that the part of the Reiche collection housed in MHNG was integrated into the general collection (which was build up essentially from the collection of André Melly) with all specimens with: “Coll. Reiche” but usually there are neither locality, nor identification labels attached to individual specimens, and that identification and locality data figure only on the 'taxa labels' (handwritten by Melly) pinned to the bottom of the drawer, which have thus to be considered as pertaining collectively to the specimens pinned above (Cuccodoro in litt.). The species was described from “Beyruth”, taking into consideration the above mentioned facts concerning labelling of the types we suppose the above mentioned typical specimens as coming from the type locality.
The study of the type material of
Reported from Greece: Greek mainland (“Attika” [Attica], Ionian Island (“Zante [Zakynthos]),
1 ♀, Amasya: Amasya [“Amasia coll. Kraatz”] (DWBG).
(15 specimens examined).
Turkey (only Antalya and Hatay Province), Syria (only Latakia Governorate), Lebanon (several coastal districts), North Israel (Northern District; Haifa District). First species records to Turkey and Syria.
1 ♂, “42 St.” / “
(9 specimens examined).
North Israel (Northern District; Haifa District), Lebanon (Beyrouth, type material).
1 | Abdominal sternites densely and deeply punctured and rugose laterally | 2 |
– | Abdominal sternites superficially punctured or smooth laterally | 3 |
2 | Pronotum with hind angles obtuse at tip, often with small denticles protruding laterally ( |
|
– | Pronotum with hind angles almost right-angled, rounded at tip ( |
|
3 | Elytral striae smooth, sometimes with a weak punctuation laterally and apically, situation of elytral discal punctures as in |
Habitus.
Median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view.
Median lobe of aedeagus, dorsal view.
Right paramere, internal face.
Pronotum posterior right angle.
The study of the structure of the median lobe of aedeagus and the parameres, as well as selected external features in the holotype of
The name
The application of Art. 72.4.4 specifies the type locality of
A
None required because the genus is monobasic, and its characters are the same as those of its type species.
A prefix in apposition (masculine), formed from the Greek
Holotype ♂, “Yemen, Socotra Isl., Fimihin, GPS
A brachypterous, black coloured species of
Values for sizes and ratios among specimens from the type series are shown in
Data on variation in some values among type specimens of
type | sex | n | BL/mm | PW/HW | Ø | PW/PL | Ø | PW/PBW | Ø | PL/EL | Ø | EL/EW | Ø |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
♂ | 1 | 9.2 | 1.72 | – | 1.41 | – | 1.13 | – | 0.43 | – | 1.45 | – |
|
♂♂ | 10 | 8.2–9.6 | 1.69–1.86 | 1.77 | 1.42–1.49 | 1.46 | 1.05–1.13 | 1.10 | 0.41–0.45 | 0.43 | 1.40–1.49 | 1.44 |
|
♀♀ | 12 | 8.4–10.0 | 1.68–1.86 | 1.76 | 1.43–1.51 | 1.47 | 1.05–1.14 | 1.10 | 0.41–0.44 | 0.42 | 1.37–1.45 | 1.40 |
Body length 8.2–10.0 mm (9.2 mm in holotype); width 3.2–3.9 mm (3.6 mm in holotype), maximum width behind the middle of elytra. Head, pronotum, elytra, segments III–IV (in the most cases) of antennae, and ventral surface (without mouthparts) black in mature specimens, light to dark brown in immature specimens; labrum, mandibles, mentum, segments I–II and V–XI of antennae, and sometimes sides of pronotum testaceus; maxillary palpomeres, labial palpomeres, and labium rufous; coxae, femora, and tibiae of legs dark brown or testaceus, trochanters and tarsomeres mostly rufous.
Microsculpture distinct on the whole dorsal and ventral surfaces (including coxae, trochanters and femora), consisting of isodiametric and slight transversal meshes, more apparent in females (female specimens almost matt on dorsal surface, males somewhat shiny), reduced on the most part of the clypeus and gula.
Head noticeably longer and narrower with respect to the pronotum, frons smooth, frontal furrows well-marked, divergent posteriorly, reaching the level of anterior supraorbital punctures; neck without constriction posteriorly; eyes fairly large, convex, moderately prominent, with diameter as long as the combined length of segment I-II of the antennae, temporae short, as long as or shorter than half of eye diameter; paraorbital sulci moderately deep, encircling eyes behind; clypeus trapezoidal, separated from frons by fine suture, with anterior margin slightly concave; labrum rectangular; antennae moderately long, pubescent from second fourth of segment IV, the apex of terminal segment not reaching basal margin of pronotum; mentum transverse, deeply emarginate, with large labial pits, median tooth slightly bifid at tip, epilobes narrow, slightly projecting beyond lobes; submentum with medial setae, without lateral ones (
Pronotum wide, transverse, sub-trapezoid, widest about middle, with margins distinctly, narrowly bordered (the bordering reduced in the middle quarter of apical margin, and sometimes in the middle of basal margin, just between the internal basal impressions); sides somewhat more constricted apically than basally, with two pairs of setiferous punctures, lateral punctures situated at about end of apical third, posterolateral ones situated near hind angles, near to lateral margin and close to basal margin; apical margin moderately emarginate, narrower than basal margin, fore angles rounded, moderately projecting; basal margin nearly straight, slightly concave in the middle, hind angles almost rectangular, rounded at tip; basal impressions somewhat variable in extension and size, internal ones always present, linear, narrow and falcate, diverging toward base, impunctate, deeper and longer than the outer ones, outer impression present or reduced becoming evanescent, when present then mostly faint, foveolate, somewhat punctate; disc slightly convex, midline well-impressed, long, not reaching both anterior and posterior margins.
Elytra sub-elongate, moderately convex, widest at about the second third, fused at suture; shoulders well-marked, obtusely angulate; basal margin complete, reaching stria 1 inwards, forming a very minute denticle at humerus; discal striae moderately impressed, impunctate, parascutellar striae distinct, striae 1-8 joining basal margin; intervals slightly flat, smooth, interval 3 with three to four (rarely two or five) setiferous punctures adjoining stria 3, with last puncture in posterior third of elytron, rarely in about middle of interval 3 (see also Variability); scutellar setiferous puncture present; hind wings reduced to small scales.
Prosternum, mesosternum, middle of metasternum, proepipleura, epipleura of elytra, and abdominal sternites (excl. sides of sternites 1-3) smooth, impunctate, proepisterna and sides of sternites 1-3 slightly punctured, mesepisterna, metepisterna, and sides of metasternum more or less roughly punctured; intercoxal process of prothorax subquadrate, distinctly bordered at sides and backwards; metaepisterna short, sub-quadrate, moderately narrowed toward behind, its anterior border longer than internal and posterior ones, as long as external border.
Abdominal sternites IV-VI with transverse basal sulci complete (continuous) and well-impressed, abdominal sternum VI with posterior margin rimmed throughout, with one pair of foveate setigerous punctures medially in males and two pairs in females.
Legs slender, relatively long; protibia apically moderately but abruptly enlarged at internal margin in males; mesotibia and metatibia straight in both sexes, mesotibia with slight inner callus distally in males; tarsomeres 1-5 glabrous dorsally, segment 5 setose ventrally; segments 1-3 of male protarsi moderately expanded.
Male genitalia (5 specimens dissected). Median lobe of aedeagus slender (
Female genitalia (3 specimens dissected). Ovipositor (
Interval 3 with three to four (rarely two or five) setiferous punctures adjoining stria 3, with last puncture in posterior third of elytron, rarely in about middle of interval 3. The number of punctures can increase to five or decrease to two, often the number of punctures of the left and the right elytron is unequal. Also the position of the punctures can somewhat vary. While the first two discal punctures always adjoin stria 3 (and so also the majority of the following punctures), sometimes the third puncture is located on the middle of interval or adjoins stria 2, rarely, the fourth discal pore is located on the middle of interval 3 or adjoins stria 2.
For variability of body size and indices see ‘Description’ and
The specific epithet is an adjective, referring to Socotra, the island where the new species was collected.
Up to present only known from Socotra.
Habitats of
A mesotopic to eurytopic epigeic beetle, collected from the end of September to the first ten days of February, and on higher ground (Hagher Mts., Scand Mt. env., 1450 m) some specimens were also found in June. From the list of localities, the species seems to be quite widespread across Socotra from the mouths of wadis (near or far off the water) till the highest mountains. Referring on
The Socotra Archipelago is a Gondwanan continental fragment, which has experienced a long period of geological isolation. This landmass was separated from the Arabian plate during the rifting which began to open the Gulf of Aden in the Oligocene to Miocene epochs (
At present, it is difficult to ascertain whether
Combinations of distinguishing features (see ‘Diagnosis’, Key to the genera of the “African Series” of
Mentum and submentum, ventral aspect (gray arrow indicating labial pits):
The median lobe with sides nearly equally broadened along the distal half and apical lamella wide, rounded or semi-rounded at tip in the new species looks alike the median lobe in the Afrotropical
Besides, we infer that the presence of three to four discal setiferous punctures (by exception, two or five punctures on one elytron only) in the elytral interval 3 or stria 3, with the last puncture in posterior third of elytron, is another clear apotypic feature in the new taxon. This state occurs in no other species among the Old World
In spite of all, special character states and main ecologic preference in
The presence of large labial pits on the mentum is a trait in the new taxon that is worth noting. Each pit has a distinct, deep aperture, its diameter wider than the diameter of the labial pore, and both are situated more medially (
So far, 53 species of ground beetles have been recorded from the Socotra Archipelago (
Holotype ♀, “Holotypus” [printed on salmon colored label], “Little berg summits Themeda Grassland 5500–6000 ft.” [printed], “cathedral peak forestry reserve. natal drakensberg. March 1959 B. R. & P. J. Stuckenberg” [printed], “Col. Mus. Congo don. B. Stuckenberg Coll. P. Basilewsky” [printed & handwritten], “
Holotype ♂, “Holotypus” [printed on salmon colored label], “Lichenya Plateau 2000m 5/24.XI.1981” [printed], “Coll. Mus. Tervuren Malawi South. Reg. Mount Mulanje XI. 1981 - R. Jocqué” [printed], “Holotypus
Holotype ♀, “Holotypus” [printed on salmon colored label], “Lichenya Plateau 2000m 15/17.XI.1981” [printed], “Coll. Mus. Tervuren Malawi South. Reg. Mount Mulanje XI. 1981 - R. Jocqué” [printed], “Holotypus
We are grateful to all curators and collectors listed in the section ‘Material and methods’ for sending us material for study upon their responsibility or helping us with useful information. Ron Felix (Berkel-Enschot, the Netherlands) and Manfred Persohn (Herxheimweyher, Germany) who made a significant part of the type series of the new species available and Paulo Borges (Universidade dos Açores, Azores, Portugal) gifted us a series of
Open access to this paper was supported by the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) Open Access Support Project (EOASP).