Microhoria machairodus Telnov et Degiovanni, 2022

Telnov, Dmitry, 2022, Revisional notes on the genus Microhoria Chevrolat, 1877 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Anthicidae) from the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey, with new descriptions, an annotated catalogue, and a key, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 22 (2), pp. 195-312 : 261-263

Microhoria machairodus Telnov et Degiovanni sp. nov. ( Fig. 35 , 55B–C ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:82BF1EFA­DDFB­442D­B93B­EC44CB15998B

Type material designated. Holotype male NME: TURKEY S, Mersin Prov., Gülnar distr. , 36°27’3’’ N 33°09’40’’ E 1400­ 1450 m, vi– viii.2017, hollow Quercus sp. , leg. M. Avci & S. Göktepe [printed].

Paratypes 38 specimens. 1 male BMNH , 1 male & 1 female IUIT , 1 male DTC : same label as holotype; 1 male & 1 femaleADC: Turkey, 1.VII.83, Uzuncaburc 30 km NE Silifke J. Jelinek lgt. [printed]; 1 maleADC:TR [ Turkey] – Iel Aydinlar m 1000 G. Sama 4/ 5.VII.1993 [printed] ; 2 males ADC : Turkey, prov., Hatay, 7 km NW Aktepe , 1080 m 36°44’41’’ N, 36°25’46’’ E 24.V.2010 leg. M. Uliana [printed]; 1 maleADC: Turkey, prov ., Mersin, env., Arslankoy , 37°01’ N, 34°15’E, 1625 m, 25.V.2010 leg. M. Uliana [printed] ; 1 male ADC : Turkey: Mersin prov., Mut, Km 10­ 15 N, 02.VI.2011 F. Angelini leg. [printed] ; 10 males BMNH , 10 males NME & 8 males DTC : TURKEY, 10 km N Erdemli , 36°42’16’’ N, 34°17’28’’E, 490 m, 07.VI.2011, leg. A. Napolov & I. Roma [printed] ; 1 male DTC : TURKEY – S, ( IEL) 6–7 km NW Erdemli , h= 400­ 450 m, 3.VI.2011, Lg. A. Napolov & I. Roma .

Etymology. Named after Machairodus Kaup, 1833, the extinct genus of enigmatic sabretoothed felids of the late Miocene. The genus name derived from the combination of Greek “ macai´ra ” (knife) + “ o´dou´ j ” (tooth). Noun in the nominative case, standing in apposition.

Description. Holotype male, total body length 2.35 mm. Head 0.5 mm long, across compound eyes 0.5 mm wide, pronotum 0.4 mm long, maximum width 0.4 mm, elytra 1.3 mm long, maximum combined width 0.8 mm. Selected male paratypes 2.2–2.4 mm, female paratype 2.3 mm long. Dorsum and venter uniformly black­brown. Antennae (except darkened antennomeres 8– 11), palps and legs yellowish brown (femora only slightly darker than tibiae). Head slightly ovoid, about 1.1–1.2× as long as wide, head base rounded in one broad arc with tempora, posterior temporal angles rounded. Compound eye moderate, about as long as tempus, moderately protruding from lateral outline of head. Head dorsum moderately glossy, punctures distinct, moderately deep. Intervening spaces generally smooth and glossy, as wide as to twice as wide as punctures. Dorsal cranial setae greyish to yellowish, sparse, inconspicuous.Antennae slightly enlarged in apical third. Penultimate antennomere widened distally, nearly as long as wide. Terminal antennomere elongate, bluntly pointed, about 2.5× as long as penultimate antennomere, about 1.1–1.2× as long combined length of antennomeres 9–10. Pronotum about as long as wide, distinctly narrower than head across eyes, subtruncate at anterior margin. Pronotal disc moderately glossy, flattened in dorsal aspect. Lateral margins moderately converging in posterior half. Latero­basal pronotal fovea broad, laterally supplemented with moderately long, curved, whitish setae. Punctures and dorsal setae similar as those on head, punctures somewhat denser on median part of pronotal disc. Intervening spaces about as wide as punctures. Elytra elongate, about 1.7–1.8× as long as wide, laterally parallel­sided or broadly rounded, broadly rounded at apex, dorsally flattened, with a feeble postbasal transverse impression. Humerus broadly rounded.Apex of elytron modified, with elongate, acutely pointed, narrow denticle at opening of gland channel. Surface glossy and smooth, punctures somewhat larger than those on forebody, shallow. Intervening spaces generally as wide as to 3× as wide as punctures. Elytral setae greyish to yellowish, moderately long and dense, generally slightly subdecumbent to appressed, directed posteriad.Metathoracic wings fully developed. Legs without modifications, tibial terminal spurs paired. Tergite VII truncate at posterior margin. Morphological sternite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin.Aedeagus

( Fig. 35C–H ) short and broad, tegmen apex short, hooked; fused baculi inconspicuous, extending apicad to third length of tegmen; endophallic armature of two strong, sabre­like curved spines and a double row of acute angulate, small denticles. Two additional, long, weakly chitinous spines are comparatively short in some specimens, including the holotype.

Sexual dimorphism. Female is externally similar to male, elytron apex without modifications, rounded. Female tergite VII broadly rounded at posterior margin.

Interspecific variability. The number of the pale antennomeres varies, in some specimens antennomeres one or one and two are dark, antennomeres 3–5 or 3–7 darkened. Intensity of dorsal punctures on forebody varies, punctures stronger and denser in some paratypic specimens.

Differential diagnosis. Microhoria machairodus Telnov & Degiovanni sp. nov. belongs to the M. terminata species group and is externally very similar to a number of uniformly dark congeners and can only be differentiated due to the peculiar endophallic armature of the male aedeagus.

Ecology. Collected using flight interception traps installed on trunks of hollow veteran Quercus sp. trees at elevations of 1400–1500 m ( Fig. 55 B–C ). Additionally, numerous specimens collected from lower vegetation and tree foliage at 400– 490 m.

Distribution. Southern Turkey (Mersin Province).

Figures

Fig. 35. Microhoria machairodus Telnov et Degiovanni sp. nov. male paratypes. A – Habitus, dorsal view; B – Spiculum gastrale; C – Aedeagus, lateral view; D – ditto, lateral view with endophallic armature inverted; E – Apex of endophallic armature, inverted; F–G – Apical portion of aedeagus; H – Apical portion of endophallic armature, not inverted [not to scale; image C courtesy Augusto Degiovanni, Bubano, Italy].

Fig. 55. Veteran tree­connected habitats of Microhoria in Turkey.A – Sampling plot near Antakya, Turkey; B–C – Sampling plots near Erdemli, Turkey [images courtesy Nicklas Jansson, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden].