Lacon tafilensis, 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 : 436-438

Lacon tafilensis sp. nov.

( Figs 159–169 , 194 )

Type material. Holotype, male, „ Jordan — 11 km S Tafila ( Dana ), 1500m, 30°42N, 35°37E, 12.IV.2008, leg. G. Sama, Lacon drusa (Mars.) det. Platia 2009“ ( PCGP) . Paratype, female, the same data as holotype except the label „ Lacon drusum (Mars.) det. Platia 2008 “ ( PCGP) .

Type locality. Jordan: 11 km S Tafila (Dana), 30°42N, 35°37E .

Etymology. The species name is derived from the type locality, i.e., Tafila ( Jordan).

Comparative remarks. Lacon tafilensis sp. nov. resembles by the external morphology L. platiai sp. nov., L. qatanensis sp. nov. and L. zenobiae sp. nov. but it is easily recognizable based on the following combination of characters: large, black body (11.2–12.2 mm) ( Figs 159–162 ), typically dense body pubescence ( Fig. 167 ), strongly serrate male antenna ( Fig. 163 ), relatively wider scutellar shield (only up to 1.40 as long as wide) ( Fig. 166 ), and the almost subparallel-sided paramere with robust and apically rounded apical lobe ( Fig. 168 ).

Description. Holotype, male ( Figs 159, 160, 163, 164, 166–168 ). Body 12.2 mm long and 3.3 mm wide, dorsally moderately shiny to matt, black, pronotal posterior angles lighter, with antennomeres II–XI and legs ferruginous; densely covered with combination of white and black setae (some of them bicolorous), all moderately long and thick.

Head including eyes 0.65 times as wide as pronotum, frons with large shallow median depression; punctures rounded, large, densely distributed, separated by less than half to half of their diameter. Labrum transverse, slightly convex, moderately densely punctate, covered with shorter white and long yellow, semi-erect to erect setae. Maxillary palpi with apical palpomere elongate, almost twice as long as wide, hatchet-like, apex obliquely cut and flattened. Antenna serrate from antennomere III, moderately long, reaching about 2/3 of pronotal length; length ratio of antennomeres II–V = 1.0: 2.5: 2.1: 2.0; antennomere II short, transverse; antennomere III about 1.2 times as long as wide, antennomeres IV–X transverse, subtriangular; median antennomeres about 1.3 times as wide as long, with serrations very narrowly rounded; apical antennomere oblong-ovate, about twice as long as wide, apically rounded; surface of antennomeres moderately densely covered with relatively short setae.

Pronotum elongate, 1.2 times as long as wide, widest medially, moderately convex dorsally; sides almost subparallel; anterior angles short, slightly produced forward; posterior angles slightly divergent; disk densely covered with large, deep, setiferous punctures, separated by about their diameter. Pubescence on pronotal disc rather dense, long, thick, curved, almost decumbent. Prosternum moderately densely covered with large punctures, with dense semi-erect setae; prosternal lobe with frontal margin widely rounded; prosternal process about 3.5 times as long as diameter of procoxal cavity. Scutellar shield elongate, about 1.40 times as long as wide, slightly convex, widest basally; anterior margin roundly emarginate, sides shallowly emarginate, apex narrowly rounded; punctures rather small, sparse; pubescence sparse, moderately long, decumbent. Elytra elongate, 2.3 times as long as wide, and 2.3 times as long as pronotum, slightly convex, widest at about half, sides widely rounded, in apical third narrowed toward apex; striae and interstriae formed by lines of rather small, setiferous punctures, punctures on interstriae of about 2/3 of size of punctures on striae; surface between punctures more rugose basally; pubescence rather dense, long, thick, curved, almost decumbent. Tarsomeres elongate; tarsomere I about twice as long as tarsomere II; tarsomeres II–IV gradually shorter, tarsomeres II elongate, less than twice as long as wide; tarsomere III elongate, about 1.5 times as long as wide; apical tarsomere long, narrow, almost as long as tarsomere I.

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

Female ( Figs 161, 162, 165, 169 ). Body 11.2 mm long and 3.2 mm wide. Body more robust than in male. Antenna shorter, surpassing half of pronotal length; median antennomeres shorter, serrations shorter, more rounded. Pronotum relatively shorter and wider, widest after half, 1.1 times as long as wide, sides equally rounded, posterior angles slightly convergent. Scutellar shield relatively slightly wider, about 1.25 times as long as wide. Elytra widest after half, combined 2.1 times as long as wide, about 2.1 times as long as pronotum. Pregential segments and ovipositor missing [specimen was already dissected]. Large sclerite of bursa copulatrix as in Fig. 169 .

Immature stages unknown.

Distribution. Jordan ( 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 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.