Thymogethes ahriman ( Jelínek, 1981 ), Jelinek, 1981

Audisio, Paolo, Cline, Andrew R., Lasoń, Andrzej, Jelínek, Josef, Sabatelli, Simone & Serri, Sayeh, 2017, New species and records of pollen and sap beetles for Iran (Coleoptera: Kateretidae, Nitidulidae), Zootaxa 4216 (4), pp. 369-383 : 371

Thymogethes ahriman ( Jelínek, 1981) , species resurrected

Examined material. IRAN: Kerman Province, Dehbakri , 29°03'N 57°56'E, 1700–1750 m, 30.IV / – 3.V.1973, river bed and irrigation channel, on Mentha aquatica , (loc. no. 186), Exp. Nat. Mus . Prague, 3 males, 2 females (holotype and paratypes; NMPC, CAR) ; Fars Province, Tang-e Chogan , 29°47´N 51°38´E, 1050–1200 m, 10/ 11.VI.1973, (loc. no. 234), Exp. Nat . Mus . Prague, 4 males ( NMPC) ; Mazandaran Province, E Alborz Mts, Veresk , 35°57´N 52°56´E, 800 m, 2.VIII.1970, (loc. no. 81), Exp. Nat . Mus . Prague, 1 male ( NMPC) ; Fars Province, Mian Jangal , 29°09´N 53 42´E, 30.V. –5.VI.1973, on Mentha aquatica and/or M. longifolia , (loc. no. 223), Exp. Nat . Mus . Prague, 3 males, 1 female ( NMPC) ; Esfahan Province, Eskandari, near Singerd , 32°49´N 50°26´E, 2000 m, 1.VII.1970, (loc. no. 36) 6 males, 24 females ( NMPC, CAR) ; Lorestan Province, Zagros Mts, SE of Dorud, Oshtoran Kuh, small village near Chamnar , 33°25'05''N 49°09'44''E, 1695 m, 14.VI.2014, leg. P. Audisio, on Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. ( Lamiaceae ), 4 males, 5 females ( CAR, HMIM, NMPC) ; Yazd Province, Shir-Kuh , 5 km S Taft, 1600–1700 m, 23.V.2008, leg. Mühle, 1 ex. ( NKME). Refer to Jelínek (1981), Audisio (1993b), Audisio et al. (2000) and Lasoń & Ghahari (2013) for references where part of the above listed material was previously published.

This taxon, described as Meligethes ahriman by Jelínek (1981) from Iran, was tentatively and doubtfully considered a possible synonym of Thymogethes klapperichi ( Easton, 1957) from Afghanistan and Middle Asia by Audisio (1993b), and later reported as T. klapperichi by Audisio et al. (2000, 2009c), Jelínek & Audisio (2007), and Lasoń & Ghahari (2013).

Comparing the recently collected specimens from W Iran, with available material in NMPC allowed the authors to conclude that Iranian populations of T. ahriman do not exhibit any significant N/S or E/W variation in the shape of male genitalia, linking them with the Afghan populations of T. klapperichi . Iranian populations, in fact, with the possible exception of a single specimen from southern Zagros Mts drawn in Audisio (1993b; Figs 129 q-r therein), probably erroneously attributed to T. klapperichi (an immature specimen showing apparently more elongate but poorly sclerotized tegmen), appear on the contrary to be rather uniform, and also the specimens recently collected along the central-southern portion of the Zagros seem to differ distinctly from central and NE Afghan populations ( Easton 1957) of the true T. klapperichi . Therefore, we are now convinced that the above cited Iranian specimen previously tentatively attributed to T. klapperichi belongs to T. ahriman , and this latter taxon should be resurrected to a specific rank. This species appears to exhibit a rather wide geographic range from the Zagros Chain and the surrounding mountain systems to the E Elborz Mts (Fig. 25). We summarized in Figs 3–5 and in the key to identification the diagnostic differences between these two taxa, as well as those between T. egenus Erichson, 1845 (s.l.: see comments below), T. otini Easton, 1954 , and T. khorasanicus sp. nov. See Figs 3–24 also for a summary of the diagnostic characters separating T. ahriman from T. rebmanni Easton, 1957 (from Afghanistan and NW Pakistan: Easton 1957) and T. kassites sp. nov. (the latter taxon being syntopic with T. ahriman on the Zagros Mts).

Note. According to the thus far known distributions ( Easton 1954; Audisio 1993b) of the Euro-Siberian Thymogethes lugubris ( Sturm, 1845) and T. gagathinus ( Erichson, 1845) , both known to occur in N Turkey and Caucasus (see key to identification of the Near East Thymogethes below), the presence of these two taxa in some mountain localities of the NW Iran cannot be excluded.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 10. Male genitalia (median lobe of aedeagus and tegmen) of: 3 – 4. Thymogethes ahriman (Jelínek, 1981) (male from Iran, Zagros Mts., Mt. Oshtoran); 5 – 6. T. klapperichi (Easton, 1957) (male from Pakistan, Madaglasht); 7 – 8. T. kassites sp. nov. (male holotype from Iran, Zagros Mts., Mt. Oshtoran); 9 – 10. T. rebmanni (Easton, 1957) (male from Afghanistan, Kabul). Scale bar = 0.17 mm (Figs 3 – 6); = 0.20 mm (Figs 7 – 10).

FIGURES 11 – 18. Male genitalia (median lobe of aedeagus and tegmen) of: 11 – 12, 15 – 16, Thymogethes egenus (Erichson, 1845) s. l. (11 – 12: male from Italy, Lazio, Tivoli; 1 5 – 16: male from N Iran, Kadkan); 13 – 14. T. khorasanicus sp. nov. (male paratype from N Iran, Zoshk Valley above Shandiz); 17 – 18. T. otini (Easton, 1954) (male from Morocco, near Taza). Scale bar = 0.24 mm.

FIGURES 19 – 22. SEM images of tubercles on last abdominal ventrite in males of: 19. Thymogethes khorasanicus sp. nov. (male paratype from N Iran, Zoshk Valley above Shandiz); 20. T. ahriman (Jelínek, 1981) (male from Iran, Zagros Mts., Mt. Oshtoran); 21. T. kassites sp. nov. (male holotype from Iran, Zagros Mts, Mt. Oshtoran); 22. T. rebmanni (Easton, 1957) (male from Afghanistan, Kabul). Scale bar = 0.20 mm.

FIGURES 23 – 24. SEM images of prosternal process of: 23. Thymogethes kassites sp. nov. (male holotype from Iran, Zagros Mts., Mt. Oshtoran); 24. T. otini (Easton, 1954) (male from Morocco, near Taza). Scale bar = 0.24 mm.