Anthrenus (Anthrenus) querneri Holloway, 2024

Holloway, Graham J., 2024, Anthrenus (Anthrenus) querneri (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae), a new species from Austria, Insecta Mundi 2024 (60), pp. 1-6 : 2-5

Anthrenus (Anthrenus) querneri Holloway , new species

Figures 1–3

Type specimens. Holotype male. Schönbrunn Palace , Vienna, Austria (48.183, 16.307), 3 rd May 2022 to 2 nd June 2022, Pascal Querner leg. NHML.

Paratypes. None.

Description, external characteristics. Holotype Anthrenus (Anthrenus) querneri ( Fig 1A ) (BL = 3.07 mm, BW = 2.26 mm) with a single pale brown ocellus on face well below the level of the top of the eyes. A large notch in the lower inner margin of each eye. Integument very dark brown to black. Head covered in black scales apart from small patch of white scales on vertex in center, and patches of brown scales scattered along the inner eye margins, especially in the notch. Pronotum covered in white and orange scales, especially on outer thirds, with patches of black scales mostly on inner third. Only the right elytron remains on the specimen. Prominent white fascia crosses the elytron extending down the elytral suture from the scutellum for about 2/5 of the length of the elytron, extending across the elytron as an expanding band to cover ½ of the length of the elytron at the margin. White fascia almost entirely an unbroken block of white scales apart from small patches of black scales sub-sutural and sub marginal, 1/3 down elytron in both cases, and a few black scales at the lower marginal edge of the white fascia.

Ventrites ( Fig. 1B ) covered in white tinted brown scales. Large patches of black scales at margins of each ventrite, largest on ventrite I which merges with the black marginal patch on ventrite II. Ventrite V mostly covered in black scales, pale scales only reaching the posterior margin at two points with just a few scales at the anterior edge of the marginal black spots on ventrite V. A small number of pale brown scales mixed in with the pale scales on ventrite V.

Eleven segmented antenna ( Fig. 1C ) (AL = 194 µm, AW = 152 µm) has a broad, symmetrical rectangular club consisting of the terminal three antennomeres. The antenna and legs are dark red. Anterior faces of femora covered in white, with pale brown scales proximally and distally, and mostly black scales medially.

Description, internal characteristics. Aedeagus ( Fig. 2A ) has broad parameres (PL = 373 µm). Parameres have rounded lateral margins, curving into relatively sharp apices that angle in towards each other. The apical 2/5 of the inner margins are almost parallel where they narrow sharply and continue to the anterior end as relatively narrow curved rods. The surface of the broad, paddle shaped terminal 2/5 of each paramere is covered in long, narrow setae that point inwards towards the median lobe. Posterior tips of parameres pale. Median lobe very broad at base that narrows gradually to blunt, rounded, slightly expanded tip, and is slightly shorter than the parameres.

Sternite IX ( Fig. 2B , SL = 473 µm) with broad posterior lobe. The apex is clear laterally, the rest of the sternite is pale brown. The medial apex of the posterior lobe is a smooth, shallow curve. The clear lateral components of the apex are covered in setae, longest towards the lateral corners and absent along the apical margin. The setae extend down the lateral margins becoming progressively shorter to the mid-point where the margins narrow to form a neck. From the neck, the margins diverge and continue as smooth curves to the anterior, ending in two narrow, curved horns.

Distribution. Only known from the holotype collected in the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria. ( Fig. 3 ).

Etymology. Anthrenus (Anthrenus) querneri is named after the collector, Pascal Querner, who is the IPM manager for the Museum of Natural History, Vienna.

Differential diagnosis. Initially, A. querneri was misidentified as A. pimpinellae ( Fig. 4A ). Anthrenus pimpinellae white fascia is much narrower than A. querneri and overall A. pimpinellae has a narrower profile than A. querneri . Holloway and Bakaloudis (2020) provide a BW/BL value of 0.688 ± 0.029 for A. pimpinellae , and BW/BL for A. querneri holotype is 0.736, indicating that A. querneri is broader than an average A. pimpinellae . It is not obvious that the ventrites ( Fig. 4B ) and the antennal structure ( Fig. 4C ) differ between A. querneri and A. pimpinellae , although perhaps A. querneri ventrites are covered in cleaner white scales than A. pimpinellae .

Anthrenus pimpinellae parameres ( Fig. 5A ) have more strongly curved lateral margins than A. querneri . On the inner margin, the paramere paddles are longer than A. querneri , extending more than half the length of the paramere, whereas the paddles of A. querneri are considerably less than half the paramere length. Anthrenus pimpinellae median lobe is broad at the base but narrows more sharply than A. querneri terminating in a long, slim apex, much slimmer than A. querneri .

Anthrenus pimpinellae sternite IX ( Fig. 5B ) is almost entirely pale brown with only the very outer apical edges of the posterior lobe being clear. All setae are longer than A. querneri and clustered along the margins rather than spreading into the posterior lobe disc as in A. querneri .

Figures

Figure 1. Anthrenus querneri. A) Habitus (left elytron missing, scale bar = 1 mm).B) Abdominal ventrites (scale bar = 1mm). C) Detached antenna (scale bar = 100 µm).

Figure 2. Anthrenus querneri. A) Aedeagus dorsal aspect. B) Sternite IX. Scale bar = 100 µm in both cases.

Figure 3. Location of collection of Anthrenus querneri holotype.

Figure 4. Anthrenus pimpinellae. A) Habitus (scale bar = 1 mm). B) Abdominal ventrites (scale bar = 1mm). C) Antenna (scale bar = 100 µm).

Figure 5. Anthrenus pimpinellae. A) Aedeagus dorsal aspect. B) Sternite IX. Scale bar = 100 µm in both cases.