Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) devia, Assing, 2010

Assing, V., 2010, A revision of Geostiba of the Western Palaearctic region. XX. Four new species from Turkey and Albania, and additional, Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (2), pp. 1125-1138 : 1127-1130

Geostiba (Tropogastrosipalia) devia nov.sp. ( Figs 1 -6)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "TR [16a] - Bolu, 26 km S Bolu , N Seben, 1410 m, 40°29'30''N, 31°35'45''E, grassy slope, sifted, 27.III.2020, V. Assing / Holotypus Geostiba devia sp. n. det. V. Assing 2010" (cAss) . Paratypes: 35 exs.: same data as holotype (cAss, OÖLL) ; 14 exs.: "TR [16] - Bolu, 26 km S Bolu , N Seben, 1410 m, 40°29'30''N, 31°35'45''E, grassy slope, u. stones, 27.III.2020, V. Assing" (cAss, OÖLL) ; 8 exs.: "TR [19] - Bolu, 31 km SSE Bolu , 40°27'58''N, 31°48'49''E, 1340 m, calcareous pasture, 28.III.2020, V. Assing" (cAss) ; 1 ex.: "TR [19a] - Bolu, 31 km SSE Bolu , 40°27'58''N, 31°48'49''E, 1340 m, calcareous pasture, 31.III.2020, V. Assing" (cAss) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.3-2.9 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration variable: body reddish to reddish-brown, with the head usually slightly darker than head and pronotum and the abdomen more or less extensively infuscate (ranging from only segments VI-VII blackish in pale-coloured specimens to practically all of abdomen blackish in dark-coloured specimens); legs yellowish; antennae pale-brown, with the bases more or less extensively yellowish.

Head weakly oblong; punctation extremely fine, barely noticeable; microsculpture somewhat variable, usually shallow, occasionally almost obsolete. Eyes small, less than half as long as postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ).

Pronotum approximately as wide as long and usually 1.15-1.20 times as wide as head ( Fig. 2 ), with very weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism; punctation extremely fine, barely noticeable; microreticulation similar to that of head or slightly more pronounced.

Elytra with moderately pronounced sexual dimorphism, approximately half as long as pronotum ( Fig. 2 ); microsculpture very shallow, less distinct than that of head and pronotum. Hind wings absent.

Abdomen slightly wider than elytra; punctation very fine and sparse; microreticulation distinct, but shallow; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; anterior tergites without, tergite VII with sexual dimorphism; posterior margin of tergite VIII convex in both sexes.

(with fully developed secondary sexual characters): pronotum very weakly produced posteriorly, posterior margin almost truncate in the middle and laterally straight to indistinctly sinuate ( Fig. 2 ); elytra with distinctly granulose punctation and with very shallow transverse impression, but without other modifications ( Fig. 2 ); anterior abdominal tergites unmodified; tergite VII at posterior margin with pair of short and not very sharp carinae ( Fig. 3 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII convex; median lobe of aedeagus approximately 0.24 mm long, shaped as in Fig. 4 .

: pronotum with almost regularly and broadly convex posterior margin; elytra with fine, non-granulose punctation and without impression; tergite VII unmodified; posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex; spermatheca distinctive ( Fig. 5 ).

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I n t r a s p e c i f i c v a r i a t i o n: As in other species of the subgenus Tropogastropisalia, the male secondary sexual characters are subject to considerable variation. They are pronounced only in large males and may be nearly or completely absent in small males.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective: deviant) alludes to the modifications of the male abdominal tergite VII, which differ considerably from the usual condition in the subgenus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: As can be inferred from the morphology of the primary sexual characters, the modifications of the male pronotum and elytra, as well as from the general appearance, G. devia undoubtedly belongs to the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia . It is readily distinguished from all other consubgeners known from Turkey by the peculiar modifications of the male abdominal tergite VII alone. The only other Tropogastrosipalia species with a pair of carinae near the posterior margin of the male tergite VII are G. chyzeri (EPPELSHEIM) from Slovakia and Hungary and G. rhodopensis PACE from the northern Rodope mountains in Bulgaria. In order to account for G. devia , the key in ASSING (2009) is modified as follows:

114 Pronotum with weak or with pronounced sexual dimorphism.: pronotum (except for one species from NW-Turkey) large and oblong, in large at least 1.10 times as long as wide; median lobe of aedeagus with cristal process (e. g., Figs 36-38 in ASSING 2009).: posterior margin of sternite VIII with very weakly modified marginal setae; spermatheca similar to that illustrated in ASSING (2009: Figs 7, 14 , 22 ). Subgenus Tropogastrosipalia (partim). ..............................................................114a

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-: pronotum never oblong; median lobe of aedeagus without cristal process.: posterior margin of sternite VIII usually with distinctly modified marginal setae; spermatheca of different morphology. Subgenus Sibiota (partim)..............................116

114a Pronotum with very weak sexual dimorphism.: pronotum even in large approximately as long as wide, not distinctly projecting posteriad, posterior margin in the middle weakly convex to almost truncate; elytra without sutural carinae ( Fig. 2 ); carinae of tergite VII shaped as in Fig. 3 ; median lobe of aedeagus as in Fig. 4 .: spermatheca as in Fig. 5 . Turkey: Bolu. .................................................. G. devia nov.sp.

- Pronotum with pronounced sexual dimorphism.: pronotum large and oblong, in large at least 1.10 times as long as wide, distinctly projecting posteriad; elytra with sutural carinae. Absent from Turkey...........................................................................115

115. Eyes usually approximately half the length of postocular region in dorsal view, but occasionally distinctly smaller, always with clearly more than 20 ommatidia ( ASSING 2005: Figs 2-3 ).: pronotum (in large) up to 1.20-1.25 times as wide as head and distinctly elongated, up to 1.20 times as long as wide and projecting over scutellum, posterior margin weakly convex to almost truncate ( ASSING 2005: Fig. 2 ); elytra often with more or less pronounced transverse impression, and in anterior two thirds of suture with distinctly elevated sutural carina of characteristic shape (lateral view) ( ASSING 2005: Figs 2, 4 ); tergite VII in posterior half with pair of posteriorly converging carinae ( ASSING 2005: Fig. 5 ); tergite VIII near hind margin generally with rudiments of such carinae ( ASSING 2005: Fig. 6), in large usually projecting beyond posterior margin in the form of minute dents; median lobe of aedeagus with relatively large spear-shaped cristal process ( ASSING 2005: Fig. 7 ). Slovakia, Hungary ( ASSING 2005: Map 2). ................................................. G. chyzeri (EPPELSHEIM)

- Eyes strongly reduced, composed of about 15 ommatidia.: pronotum approximately 1.10-1.15 times as long as wide, posterior margin broadly convex ( ASSING 2005: Fig. 9 ); elytra near apex of scutellum with weakly pronounced narrow sutural carina; tergite VII in posterior half with pair of oblique (posteriorly converging!), weakly pronounced carinae; aedeagus as in PACE (1990: Fig. 29 ). Bulgaria: northern Rodope mountains. ............................................................................. G. rodopensis PACE

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D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: As can be inferred from the restricted distributions of other Turkish representatives of the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia , the species is probably endemic to the region to the south of Bolu, northwestern Anatolia. The type specimens were found under stones and sifted from grass roots in two stony calcareous pastures at altitudes of 1410 and 1340 m. The type locality is illustrated in Fig. 6.

Figures

Figs 1-5: Geostiba devia nov.sp. (1-4: holotype): (1) male habitus; (2) male forebody; (3) male abdominal segments VI-VIII in dorsal view; (4) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (5) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-3: 0.5 mm; 4-5: 0.1 mm.

Figs 7-14: Geostiba kazica nov.sp. (7-8, 10-11: holotype): (7) male habitus; (8-9) male forebody; (10) head in lateral view; (11) male abdominal segments VI-X in lateral view; (12-13) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (14) spermatheca. Scale bars: 7: 1.0 mm; 8-11: 0.5 mm; 12-14: 0.1 mm.

Figs 22-33: Geostiba polisitica nov.sp. (22-24: holotype): (22) male habitus; (23) male forebody; (24) head in lateral view; (25) male abdominal segments VI-VII in dorsal view; (26) male tergite VIII; (27) male sternite VIII; (28-29) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (30) female tergite VIII; (31) female sternite VIII; (32) spermatheca; (33) distal portion of spermathecal capsule. Scale bars: 22: 1.0 mm; 23-25: 0.5 mm; 26-27, 30-31: 0.2 mm; 28-29, 32-33: 0.1 mm.