Platyderus (Eremoderus) arabicus, 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

13. Platyderus (Eremoderus) arabicus sp. nov.

Figs 3B , 14E , 19

Type locality.

Saudi Arabia, “Hedjaz”.

Notes on type locality.

Nothing is known about the exact places and circumstances of its collecting. The Hedjaz Range is a mountain range located in the Hejazi region, the western part of the country. It is very likely, as in the case of two Saudi Arabian species of Acinopus , A. brittoni Wrase & Kataev, 2016 and A. arabicus Wrase & Kataev, 2016 ( Wrase and Kataev 2016), that P. arabicus lives in higher altitudes where habitats with enough moisture are present.

Type material.

Holotype ♀, 'Hedjaz [w, h] // Ex-Musaeo / H.W. Bates / 1892 [w, p]' (MNHN). Paratype: 1♀, 'El Hahaz / Millinger [sic] [w, p] // El Hedjaz. / Millingen. / 1915-38.' [w, p] // Platyderus / Platyderus Eremoderus languidus / Reiche / E.B. Britton det. / 1946 [w, h&p]' (NHMUK).

Other material examined.

Imprecise locality: 1♀, 'Bagdad [w, h] // Ex-Musaeo / H.W. Bates / 1892' [w, p] (MNHN).

TME: 3 specimens. TGE: 1♀.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a Latinized adjective, based on the name of the region in which this species can be found.

Diagnosis.

Among members of " Platyderus Eremoderus languidus " group, P. arabicus sp. nov. and P. jordanensis sp. nov. are taxa with pronotum most constricted toward apex (PW/PA: 1.44-1.48 and 1.39-1.52, respectively; Table 3 ). However, pronotal forms differ. Whereas the former has a subelliptic pronotum with sides to base straight or slightly convex and less constricted, the latter has a subquadrate pronotum with sides to base slightly concave and more constricted (PW/PB: 1.09-1.15 and 1.15-1.22, respectively). In addition, P. arabicus has a darker, brown or chestnut color of integument and 5-6 setiferous punctures of anterior side of mesofemur ventrally, whereas P. jordanensis sp. nov. has a lighter, reddish-brown to rufous color and 4 setiferous punctures of anterior side of mesofemur ventrally.

It is also closely related to P. brunki sp. nov. but two species differ by a set of morphometric ratios (see “Diagnosis”, under P. brunki sp. nov.).

Description.

Habitus. Specimens of large size for Platyderus species (BL: 8.20-9.40 mm; BW: 2.85-3.25 mm), with elongate, moderately to rather convex body (Fig. 3B ). Measurements and ratios. See Table 3 . Color and lustre. Body and appendages uniformly dark reddish-brown, only terminal palpomeres slightly lighter. Integument slightly to moderately shiny, head and pronotum shinier than elytra. Microsculpture and punctation. Pronotum with evident microreticulation throughout, sculpticells regular isodiametric to slightly stretched. Elytra (intervals, scutellum, basal margin and lateral gutter) with distinct isodiametric sculpticells. Ventral surface with well-impressed isodiametric or slight transverse sculpticells, only epipleura, mesosternum and middle coxa with sculpticells scarcely-visible. Head impunctate, smooth or nearly smooth, with a few, very shallow wrinkles on clypeus posterior half and frontal furrows laterally. Pronotum surface mostly smooth, only basal area between foveae longitudinally wrinkled and along lateral margin with few punctures that do not reach anterior half (paratype also with several wrinkles in front of anterior transverse impression). Elytral intervals impunctate or with scattered and very shallow punctures. Abdominal ventrite 1 wrinkled medially, 2-6 smooth, neither wrinkled nor punctate. Head. More than one-third narrower than pronotum wide (PW/HW= 1.41-1.43). Eyes moderately convex. Labrum subrectangular, slightly shorter than clypeus, with anterior margin concave. Frontoclypeal suture slightly distinct in middle, indistinct at sides. Frontal furrows very shallow, subfoveolate. Paraorbital sulci straight, backward barely reaching posterior margin of eye, not reaching level of posterior supraorbital pore. Thorax. Pronotum about one time and one tenth as wide as long (PW/PL= 1.07-1.11), with widest point at medial third. Anterior transverse impression indistinct to slightly distinct, posterior transverse impression barely distinct. Sides not sinuate, smoothly convex medially and anteriorly, nearly straight posteriorly; anterior bead present laterally, lack in medial 1/8-1/10; basal bead present laterally, reduced to varying degrees or non-existent in medial half. Metepisternum as long as wide, MA/MI= 1.00. Elytra. Elongate, about one -and-a-half times as long as elytra wide (EL/EW= 1.54-1.62), two and a half times as long as pronotum (EL/PL= 2.47-2.56), and one and a half as wide as pronotum (EW/PW= 1.44-1.49), with widest point at beginning of third quarter. Parascutellar striole punctiform to sublinear, very shallow; striae 1-6 more impressed than striole and striae 7 and 8, moderately to indistinctly punctate; parascutellar striole short, not joining stria 1; base of stria 1 ending in parascutellar pore, striae 2-5 reaching basal bead, 6 and 7 ending little before. Interval 3 with three discal setiferous punctures on right elytron (medial one of left elytron lacking in two specimens). Umbilicate setiferous series with 15 punctures on left elytron and 16 on right elytron in holotype, with 16 punctures on each side in paratype. Legs. Posterior side of profemur with one seta in basal third and one in medial third. Mesofemur with 4 setiferous punctures on anterior side ventrally. Anterior side of metafemur ventrally with two to three long setae, one in basal third and one to two in apical half. Male genitalia. Unknown. Female genitalia (Fig. 14E ). Apical gonocoxite with pointed apex and one dorsolateral ensiform seta. Spermathecal canal connected in basal third of receptaculum.

Comparisons.

From P. irakensis sp. nov., that inhabits areas northeast of the Al-Hedjaz region, P. arabicus differs in: (1) dark brown color of body (vs. orange-brown color of body); (2) head narrower, compared to pronotum (PW/HW: 1.41-1.43, vs. PW/HW: 1.30-1.32); (3) pronotum with anterior angles more pointed and sides to apex more constricted (PW/PA: 1.44-1.48), vs. pronotum with anterior angles less pointed and sides to apex less constricted (PW/PA: 1.34-1.38); (4) elytra less long, compared to pronotum (EL/PL: 2.47-2.56, vs. EL/PL: 2.65-2.72); (5) meso- and metatarsomeres dorsally neither flattened nor grooved (vs. meso- and metatarsomeres dorsally partly flattened and slightly grooved).

Habitat.

Like other representatives of the " Platyderus Eremoderus languidus " group with known habitat preferences ( P. languidus , P. brunneus , P. brunki sp. nov.), P. arabicus sp. nov. could inhabit the wetter parts of desert and semi-desert habitats.

Distribution.

The new species is known from the region of Hedjaz in Saudi Arabia, which includes the western part of the country (Fig. 19 ). Likely to be endemic to the Hedjaz Mountains. As far as the specimen with the locality “Bagdat” is concerned, we believe that this inscription is either due to a mislabeling or a genuine observation. If it is the latter case, then the species probably occurs in the Iraqi areas on the border with Saudi Arabia, southwest of the city of Baghdad.

Notes.

The specimen from “Bagdad” differs from the two type specimens in the larger, more quadratic and slightly wider pronotum (vs. smaller and somewhat narrow pronotum) and having less prominent anterior angles (vs. somewhat more prominent anterior angles). That is why, we have some doubt if this specimen really belongs to P. arabicus .

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 14. Spermathecal complex and gonocoxites, ventral view. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) lassallei, sp. nov., female paratype, Iran, Mazandaran Province, E Qolqol; B. P. (E.) ledouxi Morvan, 1974, female specimen, 10 km SW Rudbarak, Mazandaran Province, Iran; C. P. (E.) taghizadehi Morvan, 1974, female specimen, Alburz Dizin, Tehran Province, Iran; D. P. (Platyderus) umbratus (Menetries), female specimen, Iran, Kohgiluyeh va Boyer-Ahmad Province, Sisakht; E. P. (E.) arabicus, sp. nov., holotype; F. P. (E.) brunki, sp. nov., holotype. Scale bars: 0.5 mm. For abbreviations see captions on Fig. 13.

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).