Anemadus lucarellii, Giachino & Latella & Vailati, 2013

Giachino, Pier Mauro, Latella, Leonardo & Vailati, Dante, 2013, Two new species of the genus Anemadus Reitter, 1885, from the Near East (Coleoptera: Cholevidae), Zootaxa 3718 (4), pp. 378-386 : 379-381

Anemadus lucarellii sp. nov.

( figs. 1–4)

Type locality. Turkey, Konya Vilayet, Seydişehir, Ferzene Mağarasi .

Type series. HT ♂, Turkey, Konya Vilayet, Seydişehir, Ferzene Mağarasi , 37° 23' 20.82" N – 31° 49' 22.24" E, 1470 m asl, 27.IX.1998, L. Latella leg. (CLa). PTT: 2 ♀ ♀, Turkey, Konya Vilayet, Seydişehir, Ferzene Mağarasi, 37° 23' 20.82" N – 31° 49' 22.24" E, 1470 m asl, 27.IX.1998, L. Latella leg. (CGi, CVa) .

Diagnosis. An Anemadus species wich, based on the characters of the aedeagus (apex of the median lobe regularly rounded, not abruptly expanded before the apex and internal sac with a median patch of spines) belongs to the pellitus species group (sensu Giachino & Vailati, 1993), which strongly resembles A. cribratostriatus Ganglbauer, 1900 in body shape, elytral microsculpture of the type “C” (with transverse regular rows and longitudinal striae deep and clearly visible) (sensu Giachino & Vailati, 1993) and structure of the aedeagus. The new species differs from A. cribratostriatus in the longer elytra, with apex more strongly pointed and lateral margins less rounded; the pronotum with margins more rounded posteriorly (instead than sub-parallel sided as in A. cribratostriatus ); the longer antennae; the stronger tibiae of all legs; the shape of the median lobe of the aedagus, which is apically more elongated; the shorter and thinner parameres, with the group of inner apical setae more apically inserted.

Description. Total length: ♂, 3.31 mm, ♀♀ 3.24–3.53 mm. Body brown, with testaceous legs, antennae and palpi, antennomeres VII and IX brownish. Integument uniformly covered with yellow pubescence, short and semierect.

Head retractile, eyes well-developed, pubescence short and recumbent on the frons, erect on the clypeus. Antennae short, thin, reaching the basal fifth of elytrae in males and females, VIII antennomere not transverse. Antennomeres length (mm):

HT ♂♂ 0.150 - 0.136 - 0.157 - 0.102 - 0.109 - 0.095 - 0.123 - 0.068 - 0.109 - 0.095 - 0.191

PT ♀ 0.164 - 0.157 - 0.164 - 0.116 - 0.123 - 0.116 - 0.130 - 0.061 - 0.102 -0.089 - 0.205

Pronotum transverse (ratio maximum width/maximum length: 1.50 ♂, 1.58–1.64 ♀♀) widest at mid-length, without basal impression, with almost flat disk near the basal angles; lateral margin regularly curving anteriorly and near the basal corners; basal angles obtuse and slightly rounded. Base of pronotum slightly narrower than elytra, laterally subsinuate. Pubescence on disk yellow, short and recumbent. Pronotum disk roughly granulose with emphasized microsculpture.

Elytra elliptical, very elongate (ratio maximum width/maximum length: 0.58 ♂, 0.58 ♀♀), each elytron rounded and clearly narrowed apically in both sexes. Elytra strongly separated apically, with disk convex, flattened along the suture in the central area. Sculpture of type “C” (sensu Giachino & Vailati, 1993). Sutural stria present, well-developed, sub-parallel with elytral suture for the basal 2/3, strongly convergent in the distal 1/3.

Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Legs relatively long, all tibiae strong, protibiae slightly dilated distally, with inner latero-ventral expansion in male. Mesotibiae curved, metatibiae slightly curved. Three basal segments of anterior tarsi dilated in male, as large as the apex of the tibia.

Aedeagus ( figs. 2–3 ) quite large, length 0.79 mm (0.86 if measured with parameres included). Median lobe, in dorsal view, elongate, with lateral edges convergent and subapically slightly concave. Apex acute but not sharp. Median lobe, in lateral view, straight, with slight double-sinuation in the distal half; with sinuation pointing first ventrally and after dorsally; apex slightly bent downwards.

Parameres ( figs. 2–4 ) relatively weak, longer than the median lobe of about 1/7 of their length, slightly curved inwards and with small asymmetrical lateral expansions, larger in the proximal part and gradually tapering distally. Apex curved outwards and upwards, sickle-shaped, with pointed tip; chaetotaxy represented by a group of 4 long ventral setae and one more ventro-apically inserted.

Internal sac of the aedeagus with an elongated patch of spines pointing apically, flanked on each side by a group of setae of different length, the most proximal setae forming towards the base two pairs of phanerae flattened in margins and crenellated, the first of which is not very evident.

Female genitalia as typical for the genus (see Giachino & Vailati, 1993 for the description).

Etymology. The new species is named after Marco Lucarelli, entomologist at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, who organized and took part to the biospeleological expedition in Anatolia with the second author of this paper (Leonardo Latella).

Distribution and ecology. The species is so far known only from one locality, the Ferzene Cave near Seydişehir, in Konya Vilayet, South-Western Anatolia. The cave is horizontal, around 400 m long, and opens at 1470 m a.s.l. It was formed within the contact zone between the Jura Cretaceous aged limestones and Triassic aged argillaceous thin-layered dolomite limestones ( Tanindi et al., 2003). The internal temperature at the collecting time (h 12.00) measured 8.4°C. Specimens were found in the entrance gallery. The area outside the cave is a typical oak shrub land.

The Ferzene cave, or “Ferzene Mağarasi”, or “Grotte de Fersine” is a cave well known to biospeleology scholars and of particular importance in the history of Turkish biospeleology ( Latella et al., 1998). Known for more than a century, and subject of a monographic contribution by Jeannel (1934a, 1934b), it was visited by the most famous biospeleologists of the last century including, in 1933, Leo Weirather ( Pretner, 2011). This cave is known to house an interesting subterranean fauna, including the following beetles: the carabids Duvalius huetheri Jeannel, 1934 and Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) agnolettii Vigna Taglianti, 1999 ( Casale & Vigna Taglianti, 1999), the colevid Huetheriella maximiliani Jeannel, 1934 , and the histerid Spelaeacritus anophthalmus Jeannel, 1934 . The discovery of a new species of colevid, even if not a troglobite, in a cave considered faunistically well known is therefore of particular interest and underlines the importance of continuing to carry out research in areas considered to be well known.

Figures

FIGURES 2–4. Anemadus lucarellii n. sp., holotypus ♂. 2: aedeagus in dorsal view; 3: aedeagus in lateral view; 4: apex of left paramere in dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.