Anthrenus muehlei Holloway and Herrmann

Holloway, Graham J. & Herrmann, Andreas, 2024, Anthrenus (Anthrenus) muehlei, a new species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae) from Iran, Insecta Mundi 2024 (35), pp. 1-6 : 2-4

Anthrenus muehlei Holloway and Herrmann , new species

( Fig. 1–3 )

Type specimens. Holotype female. Iran, Bushehr (28.932496°N, 50.847889°E), 2011, H. Mühle coll. The holotype is deposited in AHEC.

Paratype. One female, Iran, Lorestan, (33.4905°N, 48.3958°E), 2011, H. Mühle coll. The paratype is deposited in NHML.

Description. Holotype Anthrenus (Anthrenus) muehlei (BL = 3.1 mm, BW = 2.1 mm [paratype BL = 2.85 mm, BW = 2.0 mm]) ( Fig. 1A ) with single, amber coloured ocellus on the vertex and an emarginated eye. Elytral pattern. Dominated by a sub-basal fascia composed of oval, white scales. Fascia deep, anterior edge two-tiered but flat on both tiers. White scales reach forward to scutellum and lie close to elytral suture until beyond elytral mid-point. Fascia deep along lateral margins. A narrow sub-apical white mark shaped like a forward pointing chevron on each elytron. A small apical white spot on each elytron. Scales at elytral bases mainly pale brown. Pale brown scales lie along elytral suture from about midway down to elytral apices. Brown scales curve around the apices and reach a spot of scales at elytral margins at level of the chevron shaped white marks on each elytron. A few pale brown scales between white fascia and elytral apices forming three small longitudinal streaks. Pronotum. Numerous loose patches of pale brown scales on pronotum interspersed with some white scales. All white and pale brown scales set in background of black scales. Ventrites ( Fig. 1B ). Covered in white scales apart from spots of black scales at lateral margins of each sternite. These black spots get progressively smaller from sternite I to sternite V. Lateral black spot on sternite I large and triangular, and separated from black spot on sternite II by a very thin broken line of white scales. Virtually no white scales along anterior edge of black spot on sternite I. Black spot on sternite I covers entire lateral margin, as does black spot on sternite II apart from a line of white at posterior end about three scales thick. Antenna ( Fig. 1C ). Eleven-segmented with well-defined 3-segmented club. Antennomere 9 asymmetrical with anterior margin shorter than posterior margin. Anterior edge of club relatively straight, posterior margin convex. Tip of terminal antennomere evenly rounded. AL = 165 µm and AW = 119 µm. Just over 50% of AL consists of terminal antennomere. Antennal club not quite cubic but expansion from 9 th to 11 th antennomere slight. Club consists of brown antennomeres, antennomeres 1–8 yellowish with brown tips to anterior edges of antennomeres 3–8.

Bursal sclerites. Figures 2A and 2B show bursal sclerites. Hemispherical laterally flattened sclerites ( Fig. 2A ) attached to ventral surface and converging towards anterior end of bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 2B ). Sclerites are 190 µm long. Heavily sclerotinized edges of sclerites crenulate.

Distribution. Locations of collection of holotype and paratype are shown in Fig. 3 .

Etymology. Anthrenus muehlei is named after the German Coleopterist Hans Mühle, a specialist of Palaearctic Buprestidae , who collected the specimens.

Differential diagnosis. Both specimens of A. muehlei were initially identified as A. latefasciatus , the most likely confusion species, especially given that A. latefasciatus is also believed to occur in Iran ( Háva 2023).

Anthrenus latefasciatus . The overall coloration of the scales of A. latefasciatus ( Fig. 4A ) is similar to A. muehlei ( Fig. 1A ). The major difference on the dorsal surface is that the white fascia is narrower in A. latefasciatus , especially from about 1/3 away from the elytral suture up to the scutellum. The sub-apical white marks are chevron shaped but much broader than A. muehlei . The small apical spots are reduced to a single scale or two. The sternites ( Fig. 4B ) are covered in white scales, apart from the usual patches of black scales at the sternite lateral margins. The main difference between Fig. 4B and Fig. 1B is that the lateral black patches on sternite I are relatively small in A. latefasciatus ( Fig. 4B ), isolated at the anterior edge and along the lateral margin by strips of white scales. The black patches on sternites I and II are separated by a wide band of white scales. Anthrenus latefasciatus’ antenna ( Fig. 4C ) has a very broad antennal club (AL = 177 µm, AW = 150 µm), much broader than A. muehlei , with a flatter, less convex end to the terminal antennomere than A. muehlei . No sclerites within the bursa copulatrix of A. latefasciatus could be found.

Other species. Kadej et al. (2007) described three new species from Iran: Anthrenus hoberlandti Kadej, Háva and Kalík, 2007 ; A. similaris Kadej, Háva and Kalík, 2007 ; and A. warchalowskii Kadej, Háva and Kalík, 2007 . All three species are illustrated by Kadej et al. (2007) and none of them can be confused with A. muehlei as all of them have differently patterned sternites, the antennal structures differ from A. muehlei , and they are all smaller than A. muehlei .

Figures

Figure 1. Anthrenus muehlei holotype. A) habitus dorsal aspect (scale bar = 1 mm). B) Sternites (scale bar = 1 mm). C) Antenna (Scale bar = 100 µm).

Figure 2. Anthrenus muehlei holotype, sclerites in bursa copulatrix. A) Lateral aspect. B) Dorsal aspect. Scale bar for both = 100 µm.

Figure 3. Locations of collection of Anthrenus muehlei from Iran.

Figure 4. Anthrenus latefasciatus. A) Habitus dorsal aspect (scale bar = 1 mm). B) Sternites (scale bar = 1 mm). C) Antenna (Scale bar = 100 µm).