Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) skalei, Casale & D.W & P, 2012

Casale, A., D. W & P, Antalya, 2012, New or little known Laemostenus species from the Near and Middle East (Coleoptera, Carabidae: Sphodrini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 44 (2), pp. 1111-1127 : 1117-1118

Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) skalei nov.sp.

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype, labelled: "N-Iran: Prov. Mazandaran, vic. Now Shahr, Kheiroud Kenar forest 36°31’38"N, 51°38’46"E, 880 m, 2.V.2010 leg. A. Skale (43)" (cWR).

D i a g n o s i s: Amedium-sized Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) species sharing the main features of L. (A.) esfandiarii (MORVAN) (see above). Habitus Fig. 20.

E t y m o l o g y: Cordially dedicated to our friend and colleague André Skale (Hof/Saale, Germany), well known specialist in water beetles.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body size 12.5 mm (TL) and 14.0 mm (L), respectively.

Colour: Dorsal surface black, very shiny, polished; labrum, palpomeres, antennae and legs brown reddish.

Microsculpure: Head and pronotum with hardly distinguishable transversal microlines, elytra with almost vanished isodiametric meshes.

Head wide, robust; tempora swollen, moderately oblique, convergent backwards; neck constriction evident; eyes relatively large, as long as 2/3 of tempora, not prominent outside; frontal impressions rather deep but short, wide, deep, reaching the level of the anterior supra-orbital setiferous punctures; antennae relatively short, exceeding by three

antennomeres the base of pronotum; antennomere 3 without accessory setae in addition to the apical fixed setae.

Pronotum cordate, slightly transverse (PL/PW: 0.90), its maximum width at the anterior third; lateral sides narrowly beaded, deeply sinuate and constricted to the basolateral angles, which are acute, evident; anterolateral angles rounded, slightly prominent; basal margin beaded at sides only. Disc moderately convex; median furrow superficial; basal impressions narrow, elongate, each with a few, deep punctures extended to the lateral furrows; anterolateral and basolateral setiferous pores present.

Mesosternum not denticulate in front of mesocoxae.

Elytra elongate-ovate, relatively narrow (EL/EW: 1.60), convex, but with a wide depression on disc extended on intervals 1-4. Base narrow, oblique at sides; basal ridge weakly concave; humeri rounded, humeral tooth vanished. Striae very deep and deeply punctuate; intervals flat. Chaetotaxy: Basal pore present; umbilicate series with 16 setiferous punctures; 1-2 setae at apex of stria 7.

Legs moderately long and slender; profemora with ventral side flat, its external and internal sides smooth, without marginal setae; mesotibiae straight; metatibiae each with some apical short, yellow reddish setae; metatarsomeres elongate and narrow, with dorsal pubescence long, scarce, not strigose; protarsomeres 1-3 dilated and with ventral, biseriate adhesive vestiture (male holotype). Tarsal claws with a series of small teeth, reduced in number (3-4), along the basal half of the internal margin.

Male genitalia (Figs. 6-9): Median lobe of aedeagus small, slightly curved; apex thickened, prominent on the dorsal side, obtusely angular in the middle in dorsal aspect; right paramere long and slender, rounded apically; left paramere with developed apical membranous lobe.

Female genitalia: Unknown.

C o m p a r i s o n s: Very close to L. (Antisphodrus) esfandiarii (MORVAN) but markedly distinct by the wide, inflated head, with markedly swollen tempora and larger eyes; the wider, cordiform pronotum (PL/PW: 1.0 in L. esfandiarii , 0.90 in L. skalei nov.sp.), markedly widened in the anterior third, with lateral sides curved in front and deeply sinuate in the posterior forth; the narrower, elongate, parallel-sided elytra (compare Figs 19, 20 ); and by the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus (Fig. 6, 7), which is more thickened, less elongate, and wider at apex in dorsal aspect in the new species.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d h a b i t a t: An epigean, forest dwelling species, known so far only from the type locality in the province Māzandarān in northern Iran south of the town Now Shahr. This locality is situated in the Kheiroud Kenar forest, an old deciduous forest, partly of primary character (Fig. 21). The specimen was collected along a brook called "Kheiroud Kenar stream" on its bank or near to it under stones or wood (A. Skale, pers. comm.). Interestingly, in the same locality one specimen of L. esfandiarii (MORVAN) was also collected. This syntopic condition is an additional proof of the specific separation of the two species of the L. esfandiarii species group.

R e m a r k s: The discovery of this new, highly characterized species in a rather well investigated area, confirms the high diversity of Sphodrina species in the Iranian territory, highly interesting from the biogeographical point of view (see, for instance, LOHAJ & CASALE 2011).

Figures

Figs 19-20: Laemostenus, habitus. (19) L. esfandiarii (MORVAN) (Kheiroud Kenar forest). (20) L. skalei nov.sp., holotype. Fig. 21: biotope of the type locality of L. skalei nov.sp., (Kheiroud Kenar forest) (photograph: André Skale).