Platyderus (Eremoderus) irakensis, 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

17. Platyderus (Eremoderus) irakensis sp. nov.

Figs 4B , 6C , 15D , 19

Type locality.

Iraq, Al Anbar Governorate, Ar Rutba District, ca. 115 km east of Ar-Rutbah Town.

Type material.

Holotype ♀, 'IRAQ, Al-Anbar / Rutba, singled / 115 km. E of town / 8.I.1978 [w, h] // No. 350 / Topál & Zilahy [w, h]' (HNHM); paratype ♀, 'IRAQ, Al-Anbar / Rutba, singled / at 30 km W of / town, 9.I.1978 [w, h] // No. 351 / Topál & Zilahy [w, h]' (NMNHS).

TME: 2 specimens. TGE: 1♀.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a Latinized adjective, referring to the name of the country in which this new species was found.

Diagnosis.

Platyderus irakensis is distinct from all other species of " Platyderus Eremoderus languidus " group by the orange-brown color of integument (Fig. 4B ), mesotarsomeres and metatarsomeres dorsally flattened and slightly grooved (Fig. 6C ), pronotum with sides to base slightly convex and posterior angles laterally not prominent, and distal enlargement of bursa copulatrix (Fig. 15D ); the last character may be an autapomorphy. Among Asian representatives of species group, it is the form with the highest mean values for EL/PL (= 2.69) and EL/EW (= 1.63), and, together with P. arabicus sp. nov., the one possessing lowest index for PW/PB (= 1.10).

Description.

Habitus. Specimens of moderate size for Platyderus species (BL: 8.30-9.00 mm; BW: 2.90-3.20 mm), with elongate and fairly convex body (Fig. 4B ). Measurements and ratios. See Table 3 . Color and lustre. Body and appendages orange-brown, with head somewhat darker than the rest of the body and ventral surface lighter than dorsal surface. Integument slightly to moderately shiny, head and pronotum as shiny as elytra, ventral surface somewhat shinier than dorsal surface. Microsculpture and punctation. Pronotum with evident microreticulation, sculpticells regular isodiametric. Elytral intervals, scutellum and lateral gutter with distinct isodiametric sculpticells, sculpticells of basal margin more or less reduced. Ventral surface with isodiametric or slight transverse sculpticells, less apparent on epipleura and middle coxa. Head impunctate and smooth, only frontal furrows and lateral ends of clypeus, with very fine and short wrinkles. Pronotum surface mostly smooth, only apical part medially in front of anterior transverse impression and basal area medially behind posterior transverse impression longitudinally wrinkled; basal foveae and adjacent lateral areas shallowly punctate. Elytral intervals without evident punctures. Abdominal ventrites 1-3 finely wrinkled at sides, smooth medially. Head. About one time and a third as wide as pronotum (PW/HW= 1.30-1.32). Eyes long, moderately convex. Labrum subrectangular, barely shorter than clypeus, with anterior margin concave medially. Frontoclypeal suture distinct in middle, reduced at sides. Frontal furrows punctiform, shallow. Paraorbital sulci straight, fine, backward surpassing posterior margin of eye, not reaching level of posterior supraorbital pore. Thorax. Pronotum about a tenth wider than long (PW/PL= 1.13), with widest point at medial third. Anterior transverse impression indistinct; posterior transverse impression indistinct to barely distinct. Sides not sinuate, shallowly convex anteriorly, barely convex posteriorly; anterior bead present laterally, lacking or present in medial ninth to tenth; basal bead present laterally, reduced to absent in medial third. Metepisternum slightly longer than wide, MA/MI= 0.91-0.95. Elytra. Elongate, about one and two thirds as long as wide (EL/EW= 1.62-1.63), two and two thirds as long as pronotum (EL/PL= 2.65-2.72), and almost one and a half times as wide as pronotum (EW/PW= 1.45-1.47), with widest point at first half of third quarter. Parascutellar striole and striae 1-8 shallowly impressed, superficially to indistinctly punctate; striole short, not joining stria 1; bases of striae not reaching basal bead (except for stria 2 in paratype). Interval 3 with three discal setiferous punctures (posterior puncture lacking on left elytron of holotype), all adjoining stria 2; one additional discal puncture adjoining stria 4 at anterior quarter of right elytron of paratype. Umbilicate setiferous series with 16 punctures on left elytron and 17 on right elytron in holotype, respectively, with 16 and 15 punctures in paratype. Legs. Posterior side of profemur with one or two setae in basal third and one in medial third. Mesofemur mostly with 4 or 5 setiferous punctures on anterior side ventrally. Anterior side of metafemur ventrally with a few long setae, one in basal third and one-two in apical half. Male genitalia. Unknown. Female genitalia (Fig. 15D ). Apical gonocoxite with rounded apex and one dorsolateral ensiform seta. Bursa copulatrix two-chambered, with a shorter, but wider basal part and a longer, but narrower apical enlargement. Spermathecal canal connected in basal third of receptaculum.

Comparisons.

In addition to characters mentioned in “Diagnosis”, the new species differs from P. jordanensis sp. nov., by: (1) head wider, compared to pronotum (PW/HW: 1.30-1.32, vs. PW/HW: 1.35-1.42); (2) pronotum with sides less constricted anteriorly and posteriorly (PW/PA: 1.34-1.38 and PW/PB: 1.09-1.11, vs. PW/PA: 1.39-1.52 and PW/PB: 1.15-1.22); (3) elytra longer compared to their width and the length of the pronotum (EL/EW: 1.62-1.63 and EL/PL: 2.65-2.72, vs. EL/EW: 1.56-1.60 and EL/PL: 2.41-2.60).

For differences between P. irakensis sp. nov. and P. arabicus sp. nov. and such between P. irakensis sp. nov. and P. languidus , see “Comparisons” under the latter species.

Habitat.

Nothing is known about the bionomics of this species.

Distribution.

It is currently known from two localities situated in the Ar Rutba District, which is the largest district of Al Anbar Governorate, Western Iraq (Fig. 19 ). The holotype was collected about 115 km east of Ar-Rutbah Town whilst the paratype was found about 30 km west of the same town. Most of the area of the Ar Rutba District is a high plateau.

Figures

Figure 4. Dorsal habitus. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) insignitus insignitus Bedel, 1902, male specimen, SW Tiznit, Sous-Massa Region, Morocco; B. P. (E.) irakensis, sp. nov., holotype; C. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., holotype; D. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), lectotype and its labels; E. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), male specimen, " Jerusalem Syria ", Jerusalem District, Israel. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 6. Metatarsus, dorsal view. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, left metatarsus, female specimen, Aziziyah, Jafara District, Libya; B. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, left metatarsus, female specimen, Holot Haluza, Southern District, Israel; C. P. (E.) irakensis, sp. nov., left metatarsus (black arrows indicate longitudinal grooves on metatarsomeres 2, 3 and 4), holotype; D. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., right metatarsus, holotype; E. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), right metatarsus, male specimen, Na ẖal Prat, Judea and Samaria Area, Israel. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 15. Spermathecal complex and gonocoxites, ventral view. A. Platyderus (Eremoderus) brunneus brunneus Karsch, 1881, female specimen, Bukamash, Nuqat al Khams District, Libya; B. P. (E.) brunneus ferrantei Reitter, 1909, female specimen, Holot Haluza, Southern District, Israel; C. P. (E.) insignitus insignitus Bedel, 1902, female specimen, Plage Aglou, Sous-Massa Region, Morocco; D. P. (E.) irakensis, sp. nov., holotype; E. P. (E.) jordanensis, sp. nov., female paratype, N Wadi Musa, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan; F. P. (E.) languidus (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855), female specimens, Israel, Netanya 22. xii. 1996, Central District, Israel. 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).