Dicronychus brancuccii Platia and Schimmel, 1997

Al Dhafer, Hathal M. & Platia, Giuseppe, 2013, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Dicronychus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 3734 (1), pp. 15-22 : 16

Dicronychus brancuccii Platia and Schimmel, 1997

Figs. 1–5

Material examined: Sultanate of Oman: Dhofar Region, Salalah, 16° 59’N, 54° 64’E, 10 m, 19–20.VII-1995, B. Skule (1♀ paratype NHMB); Saudi Arabia: Wadi Marwani, 7-II-1985, W. Buttiker, (1 paratype, NHMB); Makkah, Wadi Shuque, 20° 44’N, 41° 09’E, 1380 m. 12-IX-1984 W. Buttiker, (1 paratype, NHMB); Muzahimiyah, AlKhararah 24° 24’ 24”N, 46° 14’ 40” E, 26-IV-2012 light trap, Y. Drayhim, H. Al Dhafer, A. Al Gharbawy & M. Al Harbi, 1 ♀ (KSMA); Wadi Qounonah, 19° 24’ 673”N, 41° 36’ 388” E, 348m, 11 III 2012, light trap, H. Al Dhafer & H. Fadl, 2♂, 2♀ (KSMA); AlMajardah, Wadi AlTalalie, 19° 05’ 192”N, 41° 47’ 784”E, 286m, 1 VI 2012, 1♂, 2♀ (KSMA), sweeping, H. Al Dhafer & B. Kondratieff; 1♀ (KSMA); same locality, A. AlAnsi, 1♀ (KSMA); Rawdhat Khorim, 25° 25’ 943”N, 47° 13’ 863” E, 572m, 26-IV-2011 light trap, 1♀ (KSMA); Jizan, Aiban, Sabia Road, Wadi Shahdan, 17° 28’ 266”N, 42° 51’ 191”E, altitude 433m, 13-XI-2012, light trap, H. Al Dhafer, 1♂ (KSMA).

Description. Head: Black with dense small punctures mixed with larger punctures ( Fig. 1 ), covered with dense erect pale setae; frons convex becoming flat toward anterior margin with well-developed apical carina; antennae not reaching the hind angles by about one antennomere, antennomere 2 subconical, slightly shorter than antennomere 3; antennomeres 3–10 feebly dilated at apex, longer than wide; antennomere 11 subellipsoidal, narrowed at apex.

Pronotum: as long as wide, convex, widest at middle, black, dense and fine round punctures alternating with larger round punctures, lateral margins arcuate; hind angles sharply truncate, carinate dorsally. Prosternum with impressed V-shaped lines ( Fig. 2 ).

Scutellum: Black, slightly wider than long, heart shaped, emarginated at base.

Elytra: Bicolored, yellowish brown, medially black ( Fig. 3 ); striae finely punctuate, interstriae deeply punctuate.

Male genitalia: Parameres of aedeagus with a distinct produced subapical rounded lateral lobe, apical expansion triangular, two setae below expansion, distal setae long; median lobe simple, clublike, subparallel margins beyond middle, apically rounded, not bulbous ( Fig. 4 ).

Female genitalia: Proximal sclerite of bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 5 ) with 11–13 large marginal teeth and 14–16 smaller teeth including one below large marginal terminal tooth.

Remarks. The proximal sclerite of the bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 5 ) in D. brancuccii easily distinguishes it from the two new species described below. The male can be distinguished by the parameres possessing a distinctly produced subapical rounded lateral lobe with the apical expansion triangular in shape ( Fig. 4 ). Additionally, the median lobe of the aedeagus has a clublike apex ( Fig. 4 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Dicronychus brancuccii 1. Frons. 2. Prosternum with V-shaped suture. 3. Habitus. 4. Male genitalia, dorsal. 5. Bursa copulatrix sclerite.