Deronectes propedoriae, Aykut & Yildirim & Tusun & Fery, 2019

Aykut, Medený, Yildirim, Ýbrahým Halýl, Tusun, Sadreddýn & Fery, Hans, 2019, Deronectes kabilcevz sp. n. and D. propedoriae sp. n. from south-eastern Anatolia (Turkey) (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae), Zootaxa 4691 (5), pp. 589-600 : 592-596

Deronectes propedoriae sp. n.

Type locality: Turkey, Batman province, Sason district, Dereiçi village , ca. 38.303N 41.315E .

Type material: Holotype: ♀, “ 23.5.2017 (TR) Batman prov. / Sason distr., Dereiçi village , ca. / 10 km SW Sason, slowly / running brooklet, ca. 38.3032N / 41.3153E, 735 m, Aykut leg.” [printed], “ Holotype / Deronectes propedoriae sp. n. / Aykut & Fery det.” [red, printed] ( NHMW).

Description: Habitus broadly elongate, little oval, sides of elytra behind rounded shoulders almost parallel until short behind mid-length ( Fig. 3 ). Maximum width short before mid-length; pronotum broad, almost as broad as body (MW/PMW: 1.14), distinctly cordiform, thus body outline with distinct discontinuity at shoulders. Dorsal surface with silky shine, except head densely covered with short transparent setae.

Colouration of dorsal surface to large extent dark brownish; head slightly lighter at anterior margin, on centre of clypeus, along inner margin of eyes and on vertex. Pronotum somewhat lighter near margins and right and left of centre. Elytra almost completely dark brownish, only near base and at apex indistinctly shining through lighter brownish. Ventral surface more or less evenly yellowish brown, only sutures and margins more brownish. Legs lighter brownish, metafemora very indistinctly darker. Antennae and palpi yellowish brownish, antennomeres IV to X progressively darkened distally, last antennomere with distal half darkened. Labial and maxillary palpomeres not darkened distally. Notes: The holotype is somewhat immature. We suspect that mature specimens are considerably darker, possibly blackish to large extent.

Head: Entire surface distinctly reticulate, meshes small, polygonal, mostly somewhat elongate; orientation of meshes varying over surface of head. Punctation largely rather dense, more or less uniform; punctures ca. as large as two meshes, distance between punctures equalling more or less their diameter; near anterior margin of head punctures slightly smaller and denser; in clypeal grooves reticulation very strong, punctures denser, thus grooves appearing matt; on rather broad matt stripe alongside inner margin of eyes reticulation stronger, meshes smaller, punctures also smaller and less impressed; without distinctly impressed line parallel to inner margin of eyes. Anterior margin of head straight, not emarginated. With some setae in clypeal grooves and parallel to inner margin of eyes; elsewhere setae absent. Antennomere II thinner and somewhat shorter than I; longer than III, but shorter than III and IV together. Antennomeres III–V of equal length; from VIth to Xth becoming progressively shorter; antennomer X half as long as II; XIth again longer, almost as long as II.

Pronotum: Shape distinctly cordiform, broadest near mid-length (PMW/PBW: 1.25); sides in anterior third straight and converging anteriad, rounded in central third and again straight in posterior third; here strongly converging posteriad; short before posterior angles very weakly concavely sinuate. In posterior two thirds parallel to lateral margin with broad longitudinal sublateral impression, progressively becoming more impressed posteriad. Before base with three shallow impressions, one short before postero-medial extension, other right and left of extension. Lateral margins in posterior half without rim, in anterior half rim perceptible, but very thin, shiny. Entire surface reticulate, polygonal meshes much smaller and less impressed than on head. Punctation double; disk predominantly with small punctures (diameter only little larger than that of meshes, distance between punctures about twice that of diameter); around central longitudinal scratch, behind anterior margin and near lateral margins interspersed with larger punctures (diameter more than twice that of smaller punctures); before base also with larger punctures, but many of them distinctly longitudinally prolonged to small shallow grooves; no distinct punctures line present behind anterior and before posterior margins. Setae present on entire surface, sparser on disc, very dense laterally.

Elytra: Rounded shoulders very prominent; sides behind shoulders almost straight and parallel; behind rounded and then converging until short before apex; directly before apex appearing obliquely truncate; pre-apically elytra somewhat impressed and apex slightly curved upwards. Margin of elytra over entire length with shiny rim, thicker than rim of pronotum, only short before apex becoming thinner. In perpendicular view on upper surface elytral margin not perceptible except directly at shoulders and near apex because sides of elytra projecting over margin and obscuring it. In lateral view side margin largely straight, near shoulders more ascending to shoulders; epipleuron visible until shoulders. Next to first puncture line (see below) with a shallow longitudinal swelling in anterior two thirds. Near second puncture line another swelling, but this one only very short and almost imperceptible.

Entire surface reticulate, meshes slightly smaller than on pronotum, weakly impressed and often incomplete. Surface also more or less evenly covered with small punctures; punctures slightly smaller than on centre of pronotum, diameter not much larger than meshes, distance between punctures twice their diameter or even somewhat more. Sutural puncture lines absent. One line of irregularly arranged larger punctures on disk (along a line in middle between suture and lateral side); two further puncture lines more laterally. Stripe right and left suture without larger punctures. In space between this stripe and second puncture line smaller punctures interspersed with larger punctures. These lager punctures smaller and shallower than larger punctures on pronotum. Entire surface covered with setae, on disk rather short and sparse, more to sides and apex longer and denser.

Ventral surface generally matt because metaventrite (also centrally), metacoxae and abdomen almost totally densely punctate; large punctures absent ( Fig. 7 ). Head with genae largely distinctly reticulate; gula reticulate only in anterior part; behind an almost semicircular line of large punctures almost smooth, but very weakly impressed reticulation perceptible when adequately illuminated. Anterior angles of hypomeron (next to eyes) flat, posteriorly with protuberance, behind strongly impressed.

Prosternum before procoxae roughly sculptured, medially somewhat elevated, left and right slightly depressed. Profile of prosternum, prosternal column and prosternal process until apex forming a joint more or less straight line, because prosternal process only weakly inclined. Prosternal column narrow; prosternal process narrowly lanceolate; along midline with quite flat carina; left and right of carina strongly punctate and with many long setae; side margin of process not rimmed. Process reaching anteromedial process of metaventrite.

Antero-medial process of metaventrite narrow, not reaching mesosternal fork; anteriorly (where prosternal process contacting) with small shiny area. Mesocoxae contiguous (most probably; not checked by removing a mid-leg). Posterior margin of metaventrite from mid-line until short before metepisternum almost straight, then relatively shortly curved backwards; metaventral wing reaching almost until epipleuron ( Fig. 7 ). Metacoxal lines slightly diverging anteriad, becoming obsolete far before reaching hind margin of metaventrite ( Fig. 7 ). Metacoxal processes incised, obliquely cut; centrally prolonged backwards (continuation of interlaminary bridge) and gradually descending to second abdominal ventrite; here transformed into a more or less triangular (or wing-likely shaped) elevation ( Fig. 7 ). Epipleuron becoming narrower near level of first abdominal ventrite, but not abruptly so. Carina on inner surface of elytra short (less than length of fifth and sixth abdominal ventrite together); short before apex weakly elevated, without ligula. Apex of last abdominal ventrite very unusually structured, lobed backwards in two different planes and in both with distinct notch ( Fig. 11 ).

Legs without any remarkable particularity, but first four protarsomeres relatively broad.

♀: Gonocoxa and gonocoxosternum as in Figs 19 and 20 .

♂: Unknown.

Measurements: TL: 4.15 mm, TL-h: 3.7 mm, MW: 2.0 mm, PMW: 1.75 mm, PBW: 1.4 mm, TL/MW: 2.08, TL-h/MW: 1.85, PMW/PBW: 1.25, MW/PMW: 1.14.

Genetic data: The holotype was used for DNA extraction, voucher No. IBE-AV155. The genetic distance for the COI gene with the closest species among those with molecular data, as shown in a phylogenetic tree, D. doriae (specimen from Düzce, Turkey, voucher No. MNCN-AI775; see Fery & Ribera 2018 for more details), were 7% (uncorrected p distance) for the 5’ end and 6% for the 3’ end. According to these data D. propedoriae sp. n. may be sister to D. doriae , but at a considerable genetic distance, strongly suggesting species-level status for these taxa.

Distribution: So far the new species is only known from the type locality.

Ecology: Same as for D. kabilcevz sp. n.

Etymology: The name of the new species is formed from “prope” (= near, similar) and “doriae” to point on the similarity with D. doriae . It is a noun in the genitive case.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of: (1) Deronectes kabilcevz sp. n. (holotype); (2) Deronectes schuberti Wewalka, 1971 (paratype); (3) Deronectes propedoriae sp. n. (holotype); (4) Deronectes doriae Sharp, 1882 (holotype).

FIGURES 5–8. Ventral surface in part of: (5) Deronectes kabilcevz sp. n. (holotype); (6) Deronectes schuberti Wewalka, 1971 (paratype); (7) Deronectes propedoriae sp. n. (holotype); (8) Deronectes doriae Sharp, 1882 (female from Çam pass, Artvin province, Turkey).

FIGURES 9–12. Last abdominal ventrite of: (9) Deronectes kabilcevz sp. n. (holotype); (10) Deronectes schuberti Wewalka, 1971 (paratype); (11) Deronectes propedoriae sp. n. (holotype); (12) Deronectes doriae Sharp, 1882 (oblique view; female from Çam pass, Artvin province, Turkey);

FIGURES 15–22. Median lobe of aedeagus in ventral and lateral view and left paramere of: (15–16) Deronectes kabilcevz sp. n. (holotype); (17–18) Deronectes schuberti Wewalka, 1971 (paratype). Gonocoxa and gonocoxosternum of: (19–20) Deronectes propedoriae sp. n. (holotype); (21–22) Deronectes doriae Sharp, 1882 (female from Çam pass, Artvin province, Turkey).