Prosodes (Meropersina) vigi, Medvedev & Merkl, 2005

Medvedev, G. & Merkl, O., 2005, Two New Species Of Prosodes Eschscholtz, 1829 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae: Blaptini) From Iran, Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 51 (3), pp. 171-180 : 176-179

Prosodes (Meropersina) vigi sp. n.

( Figs 19–25 , 28 )

Description – Female ( Fig. 28 ). Body, antennae and legs black, upper side of body weakly lustrous. Body length 23.5, width 10.5 mm.

Outer margins of temples weakly arcuately converging to neck constriction, smoothly roundly continuing outer eye margin. Outer margins of genae parallel at base, separated from anterior margin of eye by narrow excision. Outer margin of head ( Fig. 19 ) with wide obtuse-angled emargination above antennal base. Anterior margin of clypeus moderately deeply and arcuately concave. Head surface with depressions of irregular outline in anterior angles of clypeus and in occipital part, very finely punctate. Antennae as in Fig. 20 . Length (width) ratio of 2nd to 11th antennomeres 12(8): 41(15): 20(16): 15(16): 16(15): 18(21): 14(18): 14(18): 14(18): 23(16). Summarized length-to-width ratio of antennomeres 1.16.

Pronotum ( Fig. 21 ) strongly transverse (1.5 times as wide as long). 1.86 times as wide as head. Ratio of pronotal width at anterior margin to width in the middle and to that at base 0.56: 1.00: 0.71. Sides strongly rounded, bordered in anterior half and raised in posterior half; anterior and basal margin straight, not bordered laterally; anterior and posterior angles widely obtuse-angled, rather widely rounded at apices. Pronotal surface along sides depressed, almost gutter-like, and finely transversely wrinkled. Punctation very fine, with punctures in posterior angles larger but superficial. Propleura narrowly but sharply flattened along outer margin, with short coarse wrinkles covering their inner part and longer longitudinal wrinkles along outer margins of coxae. Prosternum sharply transversely depressed before fore coxae, prosternal process with a fine median depression at base, gently sloping to posterior margin of prothorax behind coxae, without setose cover.

Elytra narrowly oval (1.68 times as long as wide), 1.19 times as wide as pronotum, noticeably arcuately convex at sides. Outer margin of epipleura visible dorsally only at base. Apex of elytra not attenuate in lateral view. Humeral carina formed by rather well-defined bend, smooth. Upper surface of elytra with somewhat obliterated vermiculose rugosity, more prominent on apical declivity, and with sparse punctures. Epipleura moderately wide. Mesepisternum and mesepimeron, and also metepisternum with well-developed punctation. First to 3rd visible ventrites of abdomen finely striate and punctate, 5th visible ventrite densely, moderately coarsely punctate. Bordering of apical margin of 5th visible ventrite obliterated.

Legs strong. Length (width) ratio of fore, middle, and hind femora 108(31): 135(31): 179: (31), that of corresponding tibiae 85(17): 100(20): 139(22). Posterior surface of middle and hind tibiae not flattened.

Lobes of ovipositor in the examined specimen ( Fig. 23 ) strongly abraded so that it is not clear how long they are in this species. Apical margin of proctiger arcuate. Spiculum ventrale ( Fig. 24 ) with long median shaft noticeably narrowed in apical part.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 25 ) with long (20 mm) duct between vagina and base of 1st reservoir, long (16.5 mm) gland, sharply bent at base of basal duct of gland, narrow base of spermathecal sphincter suddenly dilated at apex. Reservoirs of spermatheca moderately elongate, subequal in length.

Type material – Holotype, female: “ IRAN, Prov. Fars Saadat-Shah , 1900 m 53°12’38’’ E; 30°05’21’’ N, 02. V. 2001 leg: Gy. Fábián & K. Vig ”. It is deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.

Etymology – The species is dedicated to Dr. KÁROLY VIG (Savaria Museum, Szombathely, Hungary), one of the collectors of the holotype, an expert of Chrysomelidae and the history of Hungarian (especially Western Hungarian) zoology.

Remarks – Although the only available specimen of Prosodes vigi sp. n. is a female, it is assigned to the subgenus Meropersina based on the general facies of the body and the rugulose elytra. It sharply differs from the other representatives of the subgenus Meropersina REITTER, 1909 , i.e. P. laevigata (BAUDI DI SELVE, 1874) from Iran and P. amica G. MEDVEDEV, 2001 described from the northernmost part of the area between the rivers Tigris and Eufrates in Turkey ( MEDVEDEV 2001) by the wider body and strongly transverse pronotum. The closest relative of the new species is P. vermiculosa REITTER, 1909 , which has a weakly cordate pronotum and a sharp angle between outer margins of eyes and temples, which does not hold true for P. vigi sp. n.

Figures

Figs 19–24. Prosodes vigi sp. n., female, 19 = outer margin of female head, 20 = antenna, 21 = pronotum, 22 = fore tibia, 23 = ovipositor, 24 = spiculum ventrale

Fig. 25. Prosodes vigi sp. n., spermatheca. Abbreviations see Fig. 18.

Figs 26–28. 26–27 = Prosodes fabiani sp. n.: 26 = male, 27 = female, 28 = P. vigi sp. n., female (photos L. PEREGOVITS)