Lacon ladae Mertlik & Dušánek, 2006

Kundrata, Robin, Mertlik, Josef & Németh, Tamás, 2019, Unexpected diversity of Lacon Laporte, 1838 (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae) in the Levant: revised species concepts, new species, and an identification key, Zootaxa 4679 (3), pp. 401-449 : 407-408

Lacon ladae Mertlik & Dušánek, 2006

( Figs 7, 8 , 12, 15, 19–21 , 194 )

Lacon ladae Mertlik & Dušánek, 2006: 153 .

Type material. Holotype, male, „ Turcia [ Turkey] — prov. Kah. Maraş [Kahramanmaraş], 54 km N Kahran Maraş [Kahramanmaraş], 28.V.1995, J. Kritzbach lgt.“ ( PCJM). Syria, 3 paratypes, females, „ Syria — Coast. Reg., Latakia env., 1.– 15.8.1999, Lízler — Dušánková lgt.“ ( PCVD); Turkey, allotype, female, „ Turkey, 1000m, Kovada Gölu N.P., 25.V.1996, at night on Platanus sp., I. Smatana lgt.“ ( PCJM); paratype, female, „TR vil. Içel, Erdemli env., 8 km NW of Arslanli, 24.5.1998, Josef Mertlik lgt.“ ( PCJM); paratype, female, „ Turkey, vil. Isparta, Yukarigökdere env., Davraz Dagi, VII. 1999, Karl Werner lgt.“ ( PCJM); paratype, male, „ Turkey SC, Manavgat env., 27.5.2002, lgt. J. Hlásek “ ( PCFH); paratype, male, „TR — prov. Mersin, Güzeloluk, 1200–1400 m, 11.– 12.6.1996, J. Rolčík lgt.“ ( PCIJ); paratype, female, „TR vil. Içel, Erdemli env., 8 km NW of Arslanli, 20.6.1998, Lízler & Werner leg.“ ( PCGP). We examined all type specimens except the last three paratypes mentioned above.

Type locality. Turkey: prov. Kahramanmaraş, 54 km N Kahramanmaraş .

Other material examined. Greece, 1 ex., „Greece, Alexandropouli, 30.V.2013, at light, leg. S. Ilniczky “ ( PCSI) .

Comparative remarks. This species is similar to L. delagrangei in having the robust body covered with distinct golden thick setae ( Figs 3–8 , 14, 15 ). Lacon ladae is usually smaller (13.0–16.0 mm vs 15.5–18.0 mm in L. delagrangei ), has elytra ferrugineous (reddish brown to black in L. delagrangei ), pronotal median furrow wider and deeper (less distinct in L. delagrangei ), frons, posterior portion of pronotum and scutellar shield without golden setae (with thin silver setae instead; whole dorsum covered by golden thick setae in L. delagrangei ). More material is needed to exclude the possibility that L. delagrangei and L. ladae represent a single species.

Diagnostic characters. Male ( Fig. 8 in Mertlik & Dušánek (2006)). Body 13.0– 13.5 mm long and 3.6–3.7 mm wide (holotype: 13.0 mm long, 3.6 mm wide). Body moderately shiny, black, with mouthparts, apices of serrate antennomeres, knees, and last tarsomeres reddish brown, elytra ferruginous, with only anterior margin black; dorsally densely covered with golden setae; frons, posterior part of pronotum, scutellar shield and anterior part of elytra covered with thin silver setae; epipleura with golden and silver setae, ventral parts mostly with silver setae, all moderately long and thick. Antenna ( Fig. 20 in Mertlik & Dušánek (2006)) long, slightly surpassing posterior angles of pronotum. Antennomere III 0.9 times as long as antennomere IV, median antennomeres serrate, about 1.05 times as long as wide. Pronotum about 1.25 times as long as wide, sides widely rounded, with posterior angles slightly divergent, disk with uneven surface, densely covered with rough, deep punctures, intervals between punctures much smaller than a diameter of puncture. Scutellar shield about 1.5 times as long as wide, with anterior margin very slightly concave. Elytra about 2.5 as long as wide, and 2.5 times as long as pronotum, with punctures of equal size. Aedeagus ( Fig. 15 in Mertlik & Dušánek (2006)) with median lobe barely reaching apices of parameres, graqdually narrowing toward apex; paramere wider than median lobe, subparallel-sided, apically narrowly rounded, with short and sharp subapical hook.

Female ( Figs 7, 8 , 12, 15, 19–21 ). Body 13.0–16.0 mm long and 3.4–4.4 mm wide. Body quite similar in body shape in male. Antenna shorter, reaching about 2/3 of pronotal length. Antennomere III 1.05 times as long as antennomere IV, median antennomeres less serrate, about 1.15–1.25 times as wide as long, serrations more rounded ( Fig. 21 in Mertlik & Dušánek (2006)). Pronotum with slightly more rounded sides, about 1.10–1.15 times as long as wide, posterior angles slightly divergent. Scutellar shield relatively wider, about 1.4 times as long as wide. Elytra combined 2.4–2.5 times as long as wide, about 2.4–2.5 times as long as pronotum. Abdominal sternite VIII, ovipositor and sclerites of bursa copulatrix as in Figs 19–21 , respectively.

Immature stages unknown.

Distribution. Greece, Syria, Turkey ( Fig. 194 ).

Biology. The female allotype of L. ladae from Turkey was collected at night on Platanus sp. ( Mertlik & Dušánek 2006). Another specimen from Turkey was collected from the hollow oak from the larval tunnels of Dorcus peyronis Reiche & Saulcy, 1856 (J. Mertlik, personal observation). Specimens from Greece were attracted at light in front of a hollow trunk of Platanus sp. in a grove along a small creek ( Jarzabek-Müller 2013).

Literature. Mertlik & Dušánek (2006: 153): original description; Mertlik & Platia (2008: 3): catalogue; Gülperçin & Tezcan (2010: 4): catalogue; Jarzabek-Müller (2013: 79): distributional note; Tarnawski et al. (2018: 16): catalogue.

Figures

FIGURE 194. Distribution of Lacon spp. in the mainland Levant. Dots representing L. candezei in Lebanon and Syria are only approximate since there are no exact data for these countries.

FIGURES 1–8. Habitus of Lacon spp. 1–2, L. punctatus, female from Lebanon, dorsal and lateral view, respectively; 3–4, L. delagrangei, female from Turkey, dorsal and lateral view, respectively; 5–6, L. delagrangei, female from Lebanon, dorsal and lateral view, respectively; 7–8, L. ladae, female paratype from Turkey, dorsal and lateral view, respectively. Scale bars = 5.0 mm.

FIGURES 9–21. Morphology of Lacon spp. Pronotum, dorsal view: 9, L. punctatus, female from Lebanon; 10, L. delagrangei, female from Turkey; 11, L. delagrangei, female from Lebanon; 12, L. ladae, female paratype from Turkey. Detail of elytral surface: 13, L. punctatus, female from Lebanon; 14, L. delagrangei, female from Turkey; 15, L. ladae, female paratype from Turkey. 16, L. punctatus from Lebanon, male genitalia. 17, L. punctatus, female from Lebanon, large sclerite of bursa copulatrix. 18, L. delagrangei, female from Lebanon, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Female pregenital segments and genitalia of L. ladae, paratype from Turkey: 19, tergite VIII and sternite VIII; 20, ovipositor; 21, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 9–12), 0.5 mm (Figs 16–21); Figs 13–15 not to scale.