Graphipterus minutus minutus Dejean, 1822: 96

Renan, Ittai, Assmann, Thorsten & Freidberg, Amnon, 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Graphipterusserrator (Forskal) group (Coleoptera, Carabidae): an increase from five to 15 valid species, ZooKeys 753, pp. 23-82 : 40-42

Graphipterus minutus minutus Dejean, 1822: 96 Figs 3c, 9f, 11, 19, 23a

Types.

Lectotype: ♀ (blue label, black handwritten): <minutus. m/ h. in Egypt>. (blue label, black handwritten): <Olivier>. (White label with brown margin, brown typewritten): <EX Musaeo/Chaudoir>. (Red label, black typewritten): <TYPE>. Deposited in BMNH, Chaudoir collection [examined].

Paralectotypes: ♀ (blue label, black handwritten): <Graphipterus {minutus. Ol./minutus. Dej./Egypt. C. Olivier>. (Green circular label with black margin, black typewritten): <COLLECTION/OLIVIER/TYPE>. Deposited in BMNH, Chaudoir collection [examined]. ♀ (Green circular label with black margin, black typewritten): <COLLECTION/OLIVIER/TYPE>. Deposited in BMNH, Olivier collection [examined].

Additionally, two syntypes are deposited in Chaudoir’s collection, NHMB [examined].

Diagnosis.

The two subspecies of G. minutus are distinguished from all other species of the G. serrator group by smaller size, lack of the stridulatory structure, unique pronotum shape ( G. serrator group excluding G. minutus : BPW/PW: 0.6-0.7, G. minutus : BPW/PW: 0.46) and flat tip of median lobe.

Comparisons.

Graphipterus minutus minutus differs from G. minutus goryi mainly by the following characters: G. minutus minutus : frontal ridge not developed; 36-40 spots on elytra; two elytra marginal extensions; rounded and separated spots along median suture. G. minutus goryi : 28-30 spots on elytra; six elytra marginal extensions; elongated and fused spots along median suture.

Description.

BL male: 10.3-13.5 mm, average 12 ± 1.2 mm; BL female: 10.5-15.2 mm, average 13.1 ± 1.9 mm;

Head wide; HW/PW: 0.77; EYL: 1-1.8 mm; EYL/EL: 0.15. Frontal ridge slightly developed. Male with two short parallel frontal stripes of white scales usually diverging apically, became wispy, not reach the level of supraorbital setiferous pores. Mentum usually with two pronounced teeth (Fig. 3e). Pronotum strongly cordiform PL/PW: 0.54; BPW/PW: 0.46; posteromedially flat and without white margin; white lateral margin as twice as antennomere II long.

Elytra almost rounded, humeri stringly rounded, lateral margin continuously rounded; EL: 5.3-7.5 mm, average 6.6; EW mm: 4.8-7.6 mm, average 6.1 mm; EL/EW: 1.16. Suture inconspicuous. Scales black, disc not visible between them (cf. Fig. 6a). Lateral cross section convex. Apical sinuation almost lacking, apex almost absent, not rounded (Fig. 7d). White lateral margin usually nearly as wide as antennomere I long and usually with two extensions; extension I elongated from humeri posteriorly; extension II usually absent, sometimes indistinct wider section of lateral margin at its middle. White posterior margin becomes narrower toward the tip, usually disappearing in front of it; gap at suture wider than lateral margin. Disc with 36-40 mostly rounded spots; usually 12, sometimes ten or 14 rounded to elongated, not fused spots located parallel to suture; anterior spot as wide as extension I. Stridulatory structure absent.

Legs short; MTIL: 2.54-4.0 mm, average 3.3 mm; El/MTIL: 1.9 mm. Metatibial secondary spur brown, MTAL length: 2.5-3.3 mm, average 2.9 mm; MTAL/MTIL: 0.85. Claws of hind legs brown at base.

Median lobe of aedeagus with wide and flat tip (Fig. 9f).

Habitat.

Sparse populations in arid habitats with hallow sand dunes, and scant shrubs landscape (Fig. 11).

Co-occurring species.

No co-occurring species.

Distribution.

Syria, east and south Jordan, north Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran (Fig. 19).

Conservation.

The species does not seem to be endangered as it has a wide distribution range that is not strongly affected by human activities.

Comments.

The type location of G. m. minutus , Egypt, is probably a labeling mistake. Only four specimens of this species were found with labels from Egypt; the three syntypes from Olivier’s collection and one specimen deposited in BMNH, collected by Bowring. Even though Olivier had a large amount of material from Egypt and Bowring collected in Egypt, we are convinced that G. minutus does not occur in Egypt: all the known populations from collections and field observations are from Asia and not from Africa. Furthermore, no specimen has been ever collected in Israel, despite intensive collecting in the potential habitats. Basilewsky (1977) noted that although several researchers had contended that G. minutus does exist in Egypt, they were wrong, but he does not refer to the problem of types.

By applying other species concepts (e.g., Evolutionary or Phylogenetic Species Concept, Claridge et al. 1997) or by using another approach to delineate species, the two taxa minutus and goryi might be ranked as two species. However, our numerical approach to delineate species results in a value for both minutus and goryi that is clearly below the threshold of the least differentiated sympatrically occurring species of the Graphipterus serrator group. Therefore these two taxa must be ranked as one species. Nonetheless both taxa differ clearly from each other and are well established in the literature as subspecies ( Basilewsky 1977; Lorenz 2005; Huber and Marggi 2017). Therefore we prefer a conservative taxonomic approach which avoids taxonomic inflation (cf. Zachos et al. 2013, Assmann et al. 2008) and preserve the rank of subspecies for both taxa.