Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki Černý & Vrabec, 2019

Černý, Ladislav & Vrabec, Vladimír, 2019, Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki sp. nov. from Jordan, with a key to the Jordanian species of the nominotypical subgenus (Coleoptera: Meloidae), Zootaxa 4555 (1), pp. 146-150 : 147-149

Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki Černý & Vrabec , sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 A–G)

Type locality. Jordan SW, Al Karak, Safra env., 30°54'N, 35°41'E, alt. 737 m.

Type material. Jordan: Holotype ♂ ( JMBC). “ JORDAN SW / Al Karak, Safra env. / 11. 5. 2010 / M. Snížek lgt.” [printed label] . Paratypes: 1 ♀ ( JMBC): same data as holotype , 1 ♂ ( LCCC): “ JORDANIEN CW / Al Karak env. / 16. 4. 2002 / M. Snížek lgt.” [printed label] , 1 ♂ ( CB): “ JORDAN NW, Jarash / Burma env., Al Huna / 15.5.2010 / M. Snížek lgt.” [printed label] , 1 ♂ ( VVCK) , 4 ♀♀ (3 ♀♀ LCCC, 1 ♀ VVCK): “ JORDAN CW, 26.5.2007 / ca 20 km SW MADABA / 31°38.063’N, 35°41.883’E /, Z. KEJVAL lgt., 400 m. ” [printed labels] , 1 ♂ ( LCCC) and 3 ♀♀ (1 ♀ LCCC, 2 ♀♀ VVCK): “ Jordan c. occ. 26.5.2007 / 31°38.063’N, 35°41.883’E / Cca [= approx.] 20 km SW Madaba / F. & L. Kantner lgt. 400 m. ” [printed labels]. All specimens are glued on standard specimen cards .

Description of holotype (Ƌ). Length: 13.8 mm. Body uniformly black with black macrosetation, except golden setae on ventral side of protibiae ( Fig. 1A,D ).

Head. Black, longer than wide, narrower at temples than at eyes. Frons marked with a red, posteriorly bilobed spot. Punctures large and sparse, surface surrounding each puncture smooth and shiny ( Fig. 1C ). Temples parallel and rounded posteriorly, slightly longer than eyes in lateral view. Macrosetation of head long and erect. Clypeus transverse, wider than long, slightly convex, and with lateral margins rounded and anterior margin straight, fore third smooth, the rest strongly punctured, fronto-clypeal suture clearly visible. Labrum only slightly longer and wider than clypeus, anterior margin deeply emarginate, longitudinally depressed in the middle. Mandibles robust, almost straight at the basal half, visibly turned beside labrum, longer than clypeus and labrum together. Maxillary palpomere with long setae, last maxillary palpomere are cylindrical and slightly widened. The eyes are rather oval, long slightly less than half the head capsule.

Antennae black, composed of eleven well-separated antennomeres that do not form a terminal club. Antenomeres III–VI with vague reddish tinge; antenomere III 1.8 times as long as IV; antenomere X half as long as XI; antenomere XI twice as long as wide.

Pronotum longer than wide, tapered in front, with a pronounced fore margin depression; macrosetation long, erect, black ( Fig. 1D ). Punctures large, rather shallow, sparsely spaced, partially fused at anterior third of the pronotal surface. Intersticies among punctures smooth and shiny. Mesosternum with a distinctive posterior macrosetose area on scutum ( Fig. 1E ).

Elytra yellowish brown, with three transverse black fasciae. First fascia incomplete, middle fascia sinuous, apical fascia complete and only slightly sinuous on the fore margin. Subhumeral spots irregular. Sutural spots fused together across suture, forming an “inverted heart“. Middle transverse fascia formed by two irregular spots, merged and extended laterally to the elytral margin. Elytra covered by black setation with long, erect bristles on humeri.

Wings completely developed.

Legs black with black setation, except golden setation on ventral side of protibiae. Pro- and mesotibial spurs all similar in shape and pointed. Metatibial spurs are stick-like, the inner one slightly narrowed at apex, the outer one is obtusely ended.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus ( Fig. 1 F–G) with two hooks widely distanced, the distal one at apex of the structure. Tegmen: parameres much more slender and more than twice as long as phallobase, progressively narrowed from base to apex, where are conical.

Sexual dimorphism. The last ventrite of female ( Fig. 1B ) with rounded posterior margin. Antennomeres shorter than in male, VIII–X more or less as long as wide; XI less than twice as long as wide.

Variability. Total lenght of paratypes: 10.5 to 15.2 mm (n = 12); elytra colour varies from yellowish brown to reddish orange. In some specimens the subhumeral and sutural spots are fused and the sutural spots could be extended along the suture to the scutellum. The shape of the middle transverse fascia may vary; sutural and lateral spots in some specimens fragmented and in others merged. The fore edge of the apical fascia is more or less sinuous.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is similar to M. (M.) variabilis due to the elytral pattern; however, which differs in the shape of the pronotum, which is wider and lacks any sign of a fore margin transverse depression in M. (M.) variabilis . Moreover, the aedeagus and tegmen are markedly more slender in M. (M.) snizeki sp. nov. and the position of hooks is different (the hooks of M. (M.) variabilis are closer). Therefore, Mader’s (1927) and Bologna’s (2008) records of M. (M.) variabilis from Jordan most likely concerned M. (M.) snizeki sp. nov. Pan & Bologna (2014) referred to older Jordanian records of M. (M.) variabilis as M. (M.) mediorientalis . All records of M. (M.) variabilis from Jordan need to be re-examined.

In our opinion, M. (M.) snizeki sp. nov. is more closely related to M. (M.) apicenigra Sumakov, 1915 due to the shape of the aedeagus and tegmen. Mylabris (M.) apicenigra was described by Sumakov (1915) in his key. It ranges from Anatolia to Iran and Turkestan. Mylabris (M.) apicenigra differs considerably from M. (M.) snizeki sp. nov. in having unicolored brown elytra with an apical black fascia. The apical fascia of M. (M.) apicenigra can be reduced or absent (NE Iran, specimen in LCCC). Mylabris (M.) apicenigra has not yet been recorded from Jordan.

Furthermore, the new species is easily distinguishable from M. (M.) quadripunctata and M. (M.) cernyi by the shape of its aedeagus and tegmen, which are wide and robust. The aedeagal hooks are closely positioned. Some specimens of both M. (M.) quadripunctata and M. (M.) cernyi can exhibit elytral patterns similar to those of M. (M.) snizeki .

There are phenetic similarities with M. (M.) kodymi , a species endemic to the island of Crete, but the first black fascia of. M. (M.) kodymi is divided into two rounded spots and the central fascia is “zig-zag“ shaped.

Characters distinguishing the remaining species of the nominotypical subgenus (e.g. aedeagus, pronotum, coloration) are pointed out by Pan & Bologna (2014).

Etymology. Named after Miroslav Snížek (Nové Homole, Czech Republic), an enthusiastic field entomologist and collector of the first specimens known to us.

Collecting circumstances. No ecological data were recorded for any of the known specimens. In the material provided by M. Snížek, specimens of the new species were collected together with numerous individuals of M. (Eumylabris) calida (Pallas, 1782) , M. (M.) cernyi Pan & Bologna, 2014 , M. (Mauritabris) damascena Reiche, 1866 , M. (M.) mediorientalis Pan & Bologna, 2014 and Hycleus fuscus (A. G. Olivier, 1811) . The adults were active from mid-April to the end of May.

Geographic distribution. Specimens have been recorded from the western part of Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River. Most specimens have been collected in the regions near the Dead Sea: Al Karak in Kerak Governorate, SW Madaba, Madaba Governorate and Safra env., At-Tafilah Governorate . One specimen was collected in the northern Jordan: Al Huna near Borma , Jerash Governorate .

Figures

FIGURES 1A–G. Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki Černý & Vrabec, sp. nov., holotype, 1A, 1C–G and paratype female 1B. A–B habitus; C head, frontal view; D head and pronotum, dorsal view; E ventral view of mesosternum; F–G genital apparatus. Scale bar = 1.7 mm.