Lacon delagrangei ( Buysson, 1891 )

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 : 406-407

Lacon delagrangei ( Buysson, 1891)

( Figs 3–6 , 10, 11, 14, 18 , 194 )

Adelocera delagrangei Buysson, 1891: 134 .

Lacon delagrangei : attributed to Fleutiaux (1926: 93) by Hayek (1973: 14, 62) [although not explicitly mentioned in Fleutiaux (1926)].

Type material. Lectotype, female, „ Syrie , Amanus [ Turkey, prov. Akbes, Nur Mountains], C.D. 1891, Adelocera delagrangei nov. sp. (Buyss.)“ ( MNHN) ( Hayek 1973: 62). Not found despite thorough search in the MNHN collection.

Type locality. Turkey: prov. Akbes , Nur Mountains .

Material examined. Lebanon, 1 female, „n. Libano [Lebanon], caza Aakkar, Ain Yaaqoub, 750 c. (alla luce), 20–24/6/2009, L. Saltini leg.” ( PCGP) ; Turkey, 1 female, „ Turkey mer., prov. Mersin, 10 km N of Mersin, 30. 6. 1999, leg. Pavel Vítek “ ( PCJM) .

Other material reported from Levant. Israel, 1 ex., „Israel, Panyas, 15.VI.2002, V. Kravchenko, light trap “ ( PCGP) ; 1 ex., „Israel, Panyas, 16.V.2003, V. Kravchenko & V. Chikatunov, light trap “ ( PCGP). Reported by Platia (2010); not examined in this study .

Comparative remarks. This species is similar to L. ladae Mertlik & Dušánek, 2006 . Both species are easily recognizable from their Levantine congeners by the large body covered with distinct golden thick setae ( Figs 3–8 , 14, 15 ). Lacon delagrangei is usually larger (15.5–18.0 mm vs 13.0–16.0 mm in L. ladae ), has darker elytra (reddish brown to black vs ferrugineous in L. ladae ), pronotal median furrow inconspicuous (wide and deep in L. ladae ), and whole dorsum covered by golden thick setae (frons, posterior portion of pronotum and scutellar shield with thin silver setae in L. ladae ).

Diagnostic characters. Female ( Figs 3–6 , 10, 11, 14, 18 ). Body 15.5–18.0 mm long and 4.3–5.0 mm wide (type: 17.5 mm long, 5.0 mm wide; Buysson (1891: 134)). Body moderately shiny, black, with mouthparts, apices of serrated antennomeres, knees, and last tarsomeres reddish brown, elytra reddish brown to brown or black; dorsally densely covered with golden setae (including scutellar shield); epipleura with golden and silver setae, ventral parts with mostly silver and some golden setae, all moderately long and thick. Antenna moderately long, reaching about 2/3 of pronotal length. Antennomere III 1.1 times as long as antennomere IV, median antennomeres serrate, about 1.2–1.3 times as long as wide. Pronotum 1.1–1.2 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 1.45–1.55 times as long as wide, widest anteriorly, with anterior margin almost straight. Elytra 2.4 as long as wide, and 2.45–2.55 times as long as pronotum, with punctures of equal size. Sclerites of bursa copulatrix as in Fig. 18 .

Male unknown. Immature stages unknown.

Distribution. Israel, Lebanon, Turkey ( Fig. 194 ).

Literature. Buysson (1891: 134): original description [as Adelocera ]; Schwarz (1906: 11): catalogue [as Adelocera ]; Schenkling (1925: 9): catalogue [as Adelocera ]; Hayek (1973: 62): revision; Mertlik & Dušánek (2006: 155): comparison with other species; Cate (2007: 100): catalogue; Mertlik & Platia (2008: 3): catalogue; Gülperçin & Tezcan (2010: 3): catalogue; Platia (2010: 25): distributional note; Tarnawski et al. (2018: 15): catalogue; Németh (2019: 129): 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.