Platyderus (Eremoderus) afghanistanicus, Guéorguiev & Wrase & Assmann & Muilwijk & Machard, 2022

Gueorguiev, Borislav, Wrase, David W., Assmann, Thorsten, Muilwijk, Jan & Machard, Patrice, 2022, Taxonomic revision of the African and Southwest Asian species of Platyderus Stephens, subg. Eremoderus Jeanne (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Sphodrini), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 69 (1), pp. 71-122 : 71

12. Platyderus (Eremoderus) afghanistanicus sp. nov.

Figs 3A , 5G , 7H , 9B , 11A , 12I , 17

Type locality.

"Afghanistan, Habatah, 1.300 m".

Notes on type locality.

The precise location remains unestablished as far as several possibilities for the name “Habatah” exist: Haybatay Ghar; Haība ṯaī Ghun ḏêy [= Haibatai Ghundey]; and Haybati. Given the altitude of 1300 m a.s. l. pointed on the label, a quite possible location may be the upper course of Gomal River, Afghan Province of Paktika (see Fig. 17 ).

Type material.

Holotype ♂, ‘Afghanistan’ [w, p] // Habatah / 1.300m 17.6.1964 / leg. Kullman [w, h] // genus /? / det. Ing. Jedlička [w, h&p] // Collectio / Moravské museum, / Brno [w, p]' (MMBC).

TME: 1 specimen. TGE: 1♂.

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished from all other members of the subgenus by: (1) yellow-brown color of body; (2) ventral surface largely impunctate; (3) pronotum with posterior angles not projecting laterally and basal bead complete; (4) metepisternum as long as wide; and (5) ventral sclerite of median lobe in lateral view not appreciably broadened distally (Fig. 9B ).

Description.

Habitus. Specimens of small size for Platyderus (BL: 6.80 mm; BW: 2.25 mm), with oblong, moderately convex body (Fig. 3A ). Measurements and ratios. See Table 2 . Color and lustre. Body dorsally and ventrally, including appendages yellow-brown. Head, pronotum and ventral surface moderately shiny, elytra less shiny than dorsal surface of head and pronotum. Microsculpture and punctation. Pronotum with isodiametric sculpticells on posterolateral parts and slightly transverse ones on anterior third, with disc having scarcely visible microsculpture. Ventral surface with scarcely-visible regular isodiametric (proepisternum, ventrites laterally) or slightly transverse sculpticells (metacoxae, ventrites medially), or microsculpture not apparent (remaining part). Pronotum almost impunctate, with a few large punctures near posterior angles and several longitudinal wrinkles on anterior transverse impression. Ventral surface, including mesepisternum, metepisternum and abdominal ventrites impunctate; prosternum medially, proepisternum and metasternum laterally with shallow punctures; abdominal ventrites 1-2 wrinkled submedially. Head. More than one-third narrower than pronotum wide (PW/HW= 1.40). Antennae long, with last three antennomeres exceeding base of pronotum. Eyes slightly convex. Labrum subrectangular, with anterior margin straight. Frontal furrows short, shallow. Paraorbital sulci shallow, narrow, ending before level of posterior supraorbital pore. Thorax. Pronotum about a quarter wider than long (PW/PL= 1.24), widest at second quarter. Anterior transverse impressions distinct, posterior one well-impressed laterally reaching basal foveae. Sides not sinuate, convex anteriorly, nearly straight posteriorly; anterior bead present laterally, absent in medial 1/10; lateral and basal beads present throughout. Metepisternum nearly as long as wide, MA/MI= 0.95-0.97. Elytra. Elongate, about one and two thirds as long as elytra width (EL/EW= 1.63), two and three quarters as long as pronotum (EL/PL= 2.78), and one third as wide as pronotum (EW/PW= 1.36), with widest point at medial third. Striae moderately punctate and impressed; parascutellar striole nearly connected with stria 1; base of stria 1 very short, joining stria 2 and reaching parascutellar pore; striole and basal portion of stria 1 slightly impressed, remaining part of stria 1 and other striae well-impressed. Interval 3 with three discal setiferous punctures each side. Umbilicate setiferous punctures 16 each side. Legs. Posterior side of profemur with one seta in basal third and one in medial third. Anterior side of right mesofemur ventrally with five (Fig. 5G ), left one with four setiferous punctures. Anterior side of metafemur ventrally with two long setae, one in basal third and one in medial third. Male genitalia. Urite IX small, oval, with proximal margin nearly symmetrical (Fig. 7H ). Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view slender, with narrow basal bulb, broad shaft with proximal part slightly constricted, and short, straight apex (Fig. 9B ); median lobe in ventral view straight, about 4 times as long as wide; apical lamella (dorsal view) short, symmetrical, rounded at tip, with sides straight to very slightly convex. Internal sac in lateral view (Fig. 9B ) with ventral sclerite broad and nearly equally wide in its length; same in ventral view (Fig. 11A ), with dorsal sclerite seemingly separated from ventral sclerite, and ventral sclerite narrow, widened distally. Right paramere fine, moderately concave ventrally (Fig. 12I ). Female genitalia. Unknown.

Distribution.

Afghanistan (? “Habatah”); Fig. 17 .

" Platyderus Eremoderus languidus " species group

Diagnosis. Species are distinct from those of the other Eremoderus species groups by: (1) dorsal surface of body with complete or nearly complete microreticulation of isodiametric sculpticells, with transverse sculpticells lacking or highly restricted; (2) basal foveae of pronotum shallowly impressed, foveae and adjacent lateral areas impunctate or scarcely punctate; (3) basal bead of pronotum reduced to absent in basal 1/3 to 1/2; (4) elytral striae scarcely impressed, impunctate or slightly punctate, and elytral intervals rather flat; (5) mesocoxa with two to four long lateral setae, rarely one seta (polysetose state of character shared only by taxa of " Platyderus weiratheri " group).

In addition, the species have anterior side of the mesofemur ventrally with five to seven (rarely four) setiferous punctures. In addition, all taxa save P. brunki sp. nov. share apical gonocoxite with one dorsomedial ensiform seta.

Notes. This group includes seven species, P. languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), P. brunneus Karsch, 1881, P. insignitus Bedel, 1902, P. arabicus sp. nov., P. brunki sp. nov., P. irakensis sp. nov. and P. jordanensis sp. nov. (Figs 18 , 19 ). Most probably, the Macaronesian species P. alticola Wollaston, 1864 and P. lancerottensis Israelson, 1990 also belong to this group (see Israelson 1990: 166, fig. 4).

Figures

Figure 3. Dorsal habitus. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) afghanistanicus, sp. nov., holotype; B. P. (E.) arabicus, sp. nov., holotype; C. P. (E.) brunki, sp. nov., holotype; D. P. (E.) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, lectotype and its labels; E. P. (E.) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, male specimen, 50 km W of Ben Gardane, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia; F. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, lectotype and its labels. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 5. Mesofemora, anterior side (A-D: left mesofemur, E-I: right mesofemur; white arrows and dots indicate position of setiferous punctures). A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) weiratheri Maran, 1940, female specimen, Boz dag koey env., Izmir District, Turkey; B. P. (E.) felixi, sp. nov., topotype female paratype; C. P. (E.) iranicus, sp. nov., topotype female paratype; D. P. (E.) lassallei, sp. nov., female paratype, Iran, Mazandaran Province, E Qolqol; E. P. (E.) klapperichi, sp. nov., holotype; F. P. (E.) taghizadehi Morvan, 1974, male specimen, Tochal, Tehran Province, Iran; G. P. (E.) afghanistanicus, sp. nov., holotype; H. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, lectotype; I. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), female specimen, Netanya 1.3.97, Central District, Israel. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 7. Urite, ventral view. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) chatzakiae, sp. nov., holotype; B. P. (E.) weiratheri Maran, 1940, E: topotype male specimen; C. P. (E.) felixi, sp. nov., holotype; D. P. (E.) vrabeci, sp. nov., holotype; E. P. (E.) lassallei, sp. nov., holotype; F. P. (E.) ledouxi Morvan, 1974, male specimen, 10 km S Hasan Keif, Mazandaran Province, Iran; G. P. (E.) taghizadehi Morvan, 1974, male specimen, Tochal, Tehran Province, Iran; H. P. (E.) afghanistanicus, sp. nov., holotype; I. P. (E.) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, male specimen, 50 km W of Ben Gardane, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia; J. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, male specimen, Holot Haluza, Southern District, Israel; K. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., holotype; L. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), lectotype; M. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), male specimen, Na ẖal Prat, Judea and Samaria Area, Israel; N. P. (Platyderus) sp., male specimen, Boz Daglar Mtn., Turkey; O. P. (P.) reticulatus (Chaudoir), male specimen, Tashehzeh, Nowshahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 9. Median lobe of aedeagus, left lateral view (black arrows on D, F-H indicate convexity of ventral margin of apex of median lobe). A. Platyderus (Platyderus) sp., male specimen, Boz Daglar Mtn., Turkey; B. P. (Eremoderus) afghanistanicus, sp. nov., holotype; C. P. (E.) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, male specimen, 50 km W of Ben Gardane, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia; D. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, male specimen, Holot Haluza, Southern District, Israel; E. P. (E.) insignitus insignitus Bedel, 1902, male specimen, SW Tiznit, Sous-Massa Region, Morocco; F. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., holotype; G. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), lectotype; H. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), male specimen, Na ẖal Prat, Judea and Samaria Area, Israel. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 11. Median lobe of aedeagus, ventral view. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) afghanistanicus, sp. nov., holotype; B. P. (E.) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, male specimen, 50 km W of Ben Gardane, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia; C. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, male specimen, Holot Haluza, Southern District, Israel; D. P. (E.) insignitus insignitus Bedel, 1902, male specimen, SW Tiznit, Sous-Massa Region, Morocco; E. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., holotype; F. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), lectotype; G. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), male specimen, Na ẖal Prat, Judea and Samaria Area, Israel. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 12. Right paramere, external face. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) chatzakiae, sp. nov., holotype; B. P. (E.) weiratheri Maran, 1940, lectotype; C. P. (E.) felixi, sp. nov., holotype; D. P. (E.) iranicus, sp. nov., holotype; E. P. (E.) vrabeci, sp. nov., holotype; F. P. (E.) lassallei, sp. nov., holotype; G. P. (E.) ledouxi Morvan, 1974, male specimen, 10 km S Hasan Keif, Mazandaran Province, Iran; H. P. (E.) taghizadehi Morvan, 1974, male specimen, Tochal, Tehran Province, Iran; I. P. (E.) afghanistanicus, sp. nov., holotype; J. P. (E.) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, male specimen, 50 km W of Ben Gardane, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia; K. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, male specimen, Holot Haluza, Southern District, Israel; L. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., holotype; M. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), lectotype; N. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), male paralectotype, " Syria ". Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 17. Distribution of species from subgenus Platyderus Eremoderus in Iran and Afghanistan: Platyderus felixi sp. nov. (red circle), P. iranicus sp. nov. (blue circles), P. lassallei sp. nov. (yellow circles), P. davatchii (green triangle), P. ledouxi (red triangle), P. taghizadehi (blue triangle), P. klapperichi sp. nov. (black triangle), and P. afghanistanicus sp. nov. (red question mark).

Figure 18. Distribution of species from subgenus Platyderus Eremoderus in continental North Africa and the southern Levant: Platyderus brunneus brunneus (blue circles), P. brunneus ferrantei (yellow circles), P. insignitus insignitus (red circles), and P. insignitus presaharensis (brown circle).

Figure 19. Distribution of species from subgenus Platyderus Eremoderus in the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula: Platyderus arabicus sp. nov. (yellow question marks), P. brunki sp. nov. (blue circle), P. irakensis sp. nov. (green circles), P. jordanensis sp. nov. (brown circles), and P. languidus (red circles).