Liothorax isikdagensis ( Balthasar, 1952 ) Balthasar, 1952

Dellacasa, Marco, Gordon, Robert D. & Dellacasa, Giovanni, 2007, Systematic review to the genus Liothorax (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Zootaxa 1407, pp. 23-42 : 30-31

Liothorax isikdagensis ( Balthasar, 1952) , new combination

( Figs. 18–25 )

Aphodius plagiatus var. rutilipennis: Baudi 1870: 67 , Baudi 1891: 178 (color variation thus unavailable name)

Aphodius (Nialus) plagiatus var. discus: Reitter 1892: 204 , Schmidt 1916: 96 (color variation thus unavailable name)

Aphodius (Nialus) plagiatus var. discoides Schmidt 1916: 96 (new name for A. discus Reitter, 1892 not A. discus Wiedemann, 1823 , unavailable name)

Aphodius (Ataeniomorphus) isikdagensis: Balthasar 1952: 22

Aphodius (Ataeniomorphus) ressli: Petrovitz 1962: 126 , Stebnicka 1990: 897 (as a synonym of Aphodius (Liothorax) plagiatus Linné ), Dellacasa et al. 2001a: 6 (as a synonym of A. isikdagensis )

Aphodius (Ataeniomorphus) cypricola: Balthasar 1971a: 57 , Dellacasa et al. 2001a: 6 (as a synonym of A. isikdagensis )

Aphodius (Nialus) bytinskisalzi: Petrovitz 1971: 219 (new synonymy)

Aphodius (Liothorax) ressli: Ziani 1997: 25

Aphodius (Liothorax) isikdagensis: Dellacasa et al. 2001a: 6

Type locality: “Anatolien: Çamlidere in Isik Daġ” [ Turkey] (for Liothorax isikdagensis ).

Type depository: Národni Muzeum Přírodovĕdecké Muzeum. Praha (for Liothorax isikdagensis ).

Redescription: Length 3.5–5.0 mm; body elongate, subcylindrical, head and pronotum moderately shiny; scutellum and elytra strongly microreticulate thus rather dull; glabrous. Color black, elytra distally vaguely red; legs reddish brown; antennal club piceous ( Fig. 25 ); some individuals have elytra entirely reddish brown ( Fig. 23 ); some individuals have clypeal margin vaguely reddish brown and elytra with dirty yellow discal spot vaguely margined ( Fig. 24 ); some individuals have clypeal margin pale yellow and elytra dirty yellow with first interstriae and lateral margins vaguely brown ( Fig. 22 ). Head rather large; at middle strongly gibbose, superficially microreticulate, with fine punctures on disc, punctures dual and coarser distally. Clypeus weakly sinuate medially, widely rounded laterally, thinly bordered, border glabrous; genae rounded, with short setae, weakly auriculate, weakly protruding beyond eyes; frontal suture obsolete, indicate only by an impunctate line somewhat gibbose laterally; front with distinct, evenly spaced punctures. Pronotum transverse, convex, nearly parallel-sided; with dual punctures; smaller punctures scattered throughout; large punctures, three to four times larger than small, slightly denser and coarser laterally; hind angles obtusely rounded; base with rather thick border to level of fifth elytral stria only, border thin medially. Scutellum small, with sides straight, parallel basally, distinctly microreticulate, with dense and coarse punctures on basal half. Elytra elongate, subcylindrical; epipleural carina distinctly subdentiform at humeral angle; striae fine, with superficial punctures, weakly crenulate; interstriae flat on disc, weakly convex apically, strongly microreticulate thus rather dull, with near imperceptible and sparse punctures. Hind tibiae with superior apical spur somewhat shorter than first tarsomere; first tarsomere as long as following two combined. Male head more strongly gibbose than in female; pronotum not narrowed anteriorly, with less dense and less coarse punctures than in female; elytral interstriae superficially microreticulate thus relatively more shiny than in female; metasternal plate concave. Female pronotum narrowed anteriorly.

Distribution: Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel.

Bionomy: The few specimens examined were collected in April and May.

Nomenclatural remarks: The examination of the allotype of Aphodius (Nialus) bytinskisalzi Petrovitz, 1971 , from Qneitra (Golan, Israel), preserved in the MHNG, revealed the synonymy of this species with Liothorax isikdagensis Balthasar, 1952 . Dellacasa et al. (2001b) further discussed the systematics and nomenclatural problems regarding the Aphodius subgenus Ataeniomorphus Balthasar, 1952 as well as its type species Aphodius isikdagensis Balthasar, 1952 and the synonyms ( Aphodius cypricola Balthasar, 1971 and Aphodius ressli Petrovitz, 1962 ).

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 25. Liothorax isikdagensis (Balthasar, 1952) (Çamlidere, Isik Daġ, Vil. Ankara, Turkey): 18. habitus of male; 19 – 20. aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view; 21. epipharynx; 22 – 25. color variations.