Lacon zenobiae, Kundrata & Mertlik & Németh, 2019

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 : 438-441

Lacon zenobiae sp. nov.

( Figs 170–180 , 194 )

Type material. Holotype, male, „ Syria, 105 km W of Palmyra, Jabal al Rashid, 9.4.2010, Štěpánek leg.“ ( PCJM). 24 paratypes (16 males, 8 females): 2 females, same data as for holotype ( PCJM); 2 males, 3 females, „ Syria, 105 km W of Palmyra, Jabal al Rashid, 9.4.2010, Skoupý leg.“ ( PCJM); 1 male, „N Syria, Baba Al Hawa, 24.4.2008, Skoupý leg.“ ( PCJM); 1 male, „ Syria, muh. Haleb, 30 km E Aleppo, N 36°02.324, E 37°52.421, 280m, 21.IV.2005, leg. N. Rahmé, A. Márkus, A. Kotán & A. Podlussány, Lacon drusa (Mars. det. Platia 2010)“ ( HNHM); 8 males, 1 female, „ Alep [Aleppo], Muséum Paris” ( MNHN); 1 female, “ Damaskus, Syr., 14.4.[19]35, W. Wittmer [leg.], Lacon graecus (Cd.) , det. Platia 000“ ( PCGP); 1 male, „ Syria, Idlib, Alepo env., 1.5.1982, A. Olexa leg.“ ( PCJM); 1 male, „ Adelocera drusa Mars., Kafer. Zabet, Antilibanon, Abeille “ ( SDEI); 1 female, „ Syria, sept. Idlib (70 km SW Alep), 1.5.1982, Mir. Dvořák lgt.“ ( PCBZ). Lebanon, 1 male, „ Jounich, Liban, O. Leonhard; Adelocera bruleriei Dsb. “ ( SDEI); 1 male, „ Jounich — Liban — A. Bruleriei Desbr., Museum Paris, Coll L. Bedel 1922“ ( MNHN).

Type locality. Syria: 105 km W of Palmyra, Jabal al Rashid.

Etymology. The species name is a matronym in honor of Septimia Zenobia, which was the third century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria.

Comparative remarks. Lacon zenobiae sp. nov. is morphologically close to L. platiai sp. nov., L. qatanensis sp. nov. and L. tafilensis sp. nov. This species differs from L. platiai sp. nov. in the relatively shorter and more convex pronotum in males (usually 1.15 times as long as wide, maximum up to 1.20 times; 1.20–1.25 times as long as wide in L. platiai sp. nov.; Figs 140, 145 , 171, 175 ), denser pronotal punctation (punctures usually separated by up to their diameter; by 1.0–1.5 times their diameter in L. platiai sp. nov.), relatively shorter elytra (up to 2.35 times as long as wide; 2.40–2.45 times in L. platiai sp. nov.), distinctly elongate parameral apical lobe (apical lobe short in L. platiai sp. nov.; Figs 148 , 179 ), and the relatively smaller and narrower large sclerite of bursa copulatrix ( Figs 151 , 180 ). Lacon qatanensis sp. nov. differs in having a longer pronotum in males (1.30 times as long as wide; only up to 1.20 times as long as wide in L. zenobiae sp. nov.; Figs 155 , 175 ) and a paramere more bisinuate, with apical lobe more robust; Figs 158 , 179 ). Lacon tafilensis sp. nov. differs from L. zenobiae sp. nov. in typically dense body pubescence ( Fig. 167 ), usually more strongly serrate male antenna ( Figs 163 , 174 ), relatively wider scutellar shield (only up to 1.40 times as long as wide; about 1.45–1.55 times in L. zenobiae sp. nov.) ( Figs 166 , 177 ), parameres with less divergent apices, and more robust and rounded apical lobe ( Figs 168 , 179 ), and a smaller and wider large sclerite of bursa copulatrix ( Figs 169 , 180 ).

Description. Male ( Figs 170, 171, 174, 175, 177–179 ). Body 8.2–10.8 mm long and 2.4–2.8 mm wide (holotype: 10.8 mm long, 2.8 mm wide), dorsally moderately shiny to matt, dark brown to black, scape and pronotal posterior angles lighter, antennomeres II–XI and legs ferruginous (some older specimens additionally with lighter scutellar shield and anterior part of elytra); densely covered with combination of greyish to black setae (some of them bicolorous) and white setae, all moderately long and thick.

Head including eyes 0.65 times as wide as pronotum, frons with very shallow median depression; punctures rounded, large, separated by about 0.5–1.0 times their diameter. Labrum transverse, slightly convex, surface rugose, moderately densely punctate, covered with shorter white and long yellow, semi-erect to erect setae. Maxillary palpi with apical palpomere elongate, twice as long as wide, hatchet-like, apex obliquely cut and flattened. Antenna serrate from antennomere III, moderately long, reaching about 3/4 of pronotal length; length ratio of antennomeres II–V = 1.0: 2.3: 2.0: 1.9; antennomere II short, about as long as wide; antennomere III about 1.15–1.25 times as long as wide, antennomeres IV–X transverse, subtriangular; median antennomeres usually about 1.25 times as wide as long, with serrations very narrowly rounded; apical antennomere oblong-ovate, more than twice as long as wide, apically narrowly rounded; surface of antennomeres moderately densely covered with short setae.

Pronotum elongate, 1.15–1.20 times as long as wide, widest medially, moderately convex dorsally; sides widely rounded (almost subparallel in some specimens); anterior angles short, slightly produced forward; posterior angles slightly divergent; disk rather densely covered with moderately large, deep, setiferous punctures, usually separated by about 0.5–1.0 times their diameter (rarely slightly sparser). Pubescence on pronotal disc rather dense, moderately long, curved, almost decumbent. Prosternum moderately densely covered with large punctures, with dense semierect setae; prosternal lobe with frontal margin widely rounded; prosternal process more than three times as long as diameter of procoxal cavity. Scutellar shield elongate, about 1.45–1.55 times as long as wide, slightly convex, widest basally; anterior margin slightly emarginate, sides roundly emarginate, apex narrowly rounded; punctures moderately large and dense; pubescence sparse, moderately long, decumbent. Elytra elongate, about 2.25–2.35 times as long as wide, and 2.25–2.35 times as long as pronotum, only very slightly convex, widest at about half, sides subparallel, in apical third narrowed toward apex; striae and interstriae formed by lines of rather deep, setiferous punctures, punctures on interstriae of about half to 2/3 of size of punctures on striae; surface between punctures more or less rugose; pubescence rather dense, moderately long, curved, almost decumbent. Tarsomeres elongate; tarsomere I about twice as long as tarsomere II; tarsomeres II–IV gradually shorter, tarsomeres II elongate, about twice as long as wide; tarsomere III elongate, about 1.5 times as long as wide; apical tarsomere long, narrow, slightly shorter than tarsomere I. holotype, male, aedeagus. 180, paratype, female, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm ( Figs 170–173 ), 1.0 mm ( Figs 174–176 ), 0.5 mm ( Figs 179, 180 ), 0.2 mm ( Fig. 177 ); Fig. 178 not to scale.

Abdomen with ventrites finely punctate, moderately densely covered with short, more or less decumbent pubescence. Aedeagus with median lobe slightly shorter than paramere; parameres almost subparallel-sided, apically with inner sides distinctly diverging; apical parameral lobe elongate, with moderately rounded apex, outer margin more or less concave; subapical hook relatively small and sharp.

Female ( Figs 172, 173, 176, 180 ). Body 8.5–12.2 mm long and 2.4–3.5 mm wide. Body more robust and dorsally convex than in male. Antenna shorter, reaching about 2/3 of pronotal length; median antennomeres shorter, triangular, about 1.05–1.15 times as wide as long, serrations shorter, more rounded. Pronotum relatively shorter and wider, more convex, about 1.10 times as long as wide, sides more rounded, posterior angles slightly convergent (type locality), subparallel (Damascus) to slightly divergent (Aleppo). Elytra together about 2.05–2.15 times as long as wide, about 2.15–2.20 times as long as pronotum. Sclerites of bursa copulatrix as in Fig. 180 .

Immature stages unknown.

Intraspecific variability. This species is considerably variable in the shape of posterior angles of pronotum. Most males have posterior angles slightly divergent, but one specimen from Jabal al Rashid, which superficially resembles a female (e.g., in a more robust body and shorter antennomeres), has posterior angles convergent, similarly to all females from that area. A single female from Damascus area has posterior angles subparallel, and both females from the Aleppo area slightly divergent (like most males). The variability is also present in the pronotal punctation (punctures separated by about 0.5–1.5 times their diameter) and elytral surface (more or less rugose). A female from Idlib has a large body and slightly more serrate and less rounded median antennomeres than other females. A male from Jounich has slightly more rounded apical lobe of parameres than the remaining males.

Distribution. Lebanon, Syria ( Fig. 194 ).

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 170–180. Morphology of Lacon zenobiae sp. nov. Holotype, male: 170, habitus, dorsal view; 171, habitus, lateral view. Paratype, female: 172, habitus, dorsal view; 173, habitus, lateral view. 174, holotype, male, antenna. Pronotum: 175, holotype, male; 176, paratype, female. 177, holotype, male, scutellar shield. 178, holotype, male, detail of elytral surface. 179,

FIGURES 139–151. Morphology of Lacon platiai sp. nov. Holotype, male: 139, habitus, dorsal view; 140, habitus, lateral view. Paratype, female: 141, dorsal view; 142, lateral view. Antenna: 143, holotype, male; 144, paratype, female. Pronotum: 145, holotype, male; 146, paratype, female. 147, holotype, male, scutellar shield. 148, holotype, aedeagus. Paratype, female: 149, sternite VIII; 150, ovipositor; 151, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 139–142), 1.0 mm (145, 146, 149, 150), 0.5 mm (143, 144, 148), 0.2 mm (147, 151).

FIGURES 152–158. Morphology of Lacon qatanensis sp. nov., holotype, male. 152, habitus, dorsal view; 153, habitus, lateral view; 154, antenna; 155, pronotum, dorsal view; 156, scutellar shield; 157, detail of elytral surface; 158, aedeagus. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 152, 153), 1.0 mm (Fig. 155), 0.5 mm (Figs 154, 158), 0.2 mm (Fig. 156); Fig. 157 not to scale.

FIGURES 159–169. Morphology of Lacon tafilensis sp. nov. Holotype, male: 159, habitus, dorsal view; 160, habitus, lateral view. Paratype, female: 161, habitus, dorsal view; 162, habitus, lateral view. 163, holotype, male, antenna. Pronotum: 164, holotype, male; 165, paratype, female. 166, holotype, male, scutellar shield. 167, holotype, male, detail of elytral surface. 168, holotype, male, aedeagus. 169, paratype, female, sclerites of bursa copulatrix. Scale bars = 2.0 mm (Figs 159–162), 1.0 mm (Figs 163–165), 0.5 mm (Figs 168, 169), 0.2 mm (Fig. 166); Fig. 167 not to scale.