Tarphius hyrcanicus, Müller & Schuh, 2021

Müller, Jörg & Schuh, Rudolf, 2021, A new species of Tarphius Erichson, 1845 (Coleoptera: Zopheridae) from Iran, Zootaxa 5005 (3), pp. 375-380 : 376-378

Tarphius hyrcanicus n. sp.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Type material: HOLOTYPE, male, deposited at CMR, labeled: “ IS5_ Iran Shafarud, Gilan Prov.Orientbuchenurwald beweidet, 1083 m, 37.67170, 48.75261, Gesiebe, 10.5.2017, leg. Jörg Müller ” . PARATYPES, 1 female ( CPE): “ Iran, Prov. Mazanderan IR08-06 Sari County Mohammadabad, Elburz Mt. , N-Slope, 2 km SW Majid, 36° 09’ 28.4’’53° 12’ 88.9’’ 872 small stream, 30.5.2008, leg. A. Pütz. “ ; 2 females ( CPE, CSW): “ Iran, Prov. Mazanderan IR08-06 Babol County Mohammadabad, Elburz Mt ., N-Slope, 2 km SW Firuz Jah, 36° 66’ 10.0’’ 52° 38’ 90.1’’ 839 small stream, 31.5.2008, leg. A. Pütz. ”

Etymology. The species is named after its type locality, the Hyrcanian Forest, which means “wolf mountains.”

Description (1 male, 3 females). TL: 3.3–4.0 mm (male: 3.6, females: 3.3, 3.9, 4.0). Medium size, dark brown, parts of head, legs, and antenna more red brown, body convex and ovate, setose; dorsal surface bearing large granules ( Fig. 1 ).

Head: frons densely granulose, granules large, separated by less than their diameters; some granules bearing a yellow, erect seta; clypeus triangular, glabrous with erect yellow setae; eyes small, round, glabrous; antenna with antennomere 2 large, globular, antennomeres 3,4 and 5 longer than wide, antennomeres 6 and 7 as long as wide, antennomeres 8 and 9 wider than long, antennomeres 10 and 11 forming a compact club.

Pronotum: transverse (PW/PL: 1.55), maximum width in the middle; sculpture on pronotal disc consisting of large and obtuse granules larger than those on the head and on the lateral parts of the pronotum; each granule bearing a semi-erect yellow seta; median sulcus is free of granules and chagrinated; anterior margin strongly sinuate laterally, anterior angles prominent, acute; lateral margins arcuate, finely serrate with 17–18 small black denticles and fringed with three irregular rows of elongate, erect setae, directed backwards in the apical half, forwards in the posterior half; posterior angles rectangular, basal margin convex, sinuate laterally; sub-basal sulcus slightly depressed.

Elytra together: EL/EW: 1.07, as wide as the pronotum; surface very rugose, with deep pits; anterior angles pointedly raised; each elytron with 5 gibbosities arranged as shown in Fig. 2 ; sculpture consisting of granules, each bearing an erect yellow seta; gibbosities bearing 4–9 seta; apical elytral margin semicircular.

Legs: femora and tibiae with distinct protruding yellow setae; tarsal segment 4 slightly longer than segments 1–3 combined.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 3a ): tegmen elongate, parameres parallel-sided, slightly shorter than the basal part.

Female genitalia ( Fig. 3b,c ): gonostylus single-segmented, elongate, coxites without clear articulations between them ( Fig. 3b ); abdominal sternite VIII long-haired, apical margin indented ( Fig. 3c ).

Differential diagnosis. The relationships of the species within the genus Tarphius have never been investigated and thus remain unclear. Tarphius hyrcanicus n. sp. shows no close relationship to any other species of that genus. In this diagnosis it is compared to species with similar habitus and the following set of external characters: pronotum ~1.5 times wider than long, lateral margin straight in the basal half, posterior angles sharp, rectangular; elytra together ~1.1 times longer than wide and with gibbosities, humeral angle sharp, rectangular, and laterally protruding.

Tarphius hyrcanicus n.sp. differs from all continental species based on its larger size, the presence of elytral gibbosities, and its rectangular posterior pronotal angles. It has greater similarities to all the following species which are known. Tarphius depressus Gillerfors, 1985 and T. tornvalli Gillerfors, 1985 , both of which are local endemics on particular islands in the Macaronesian Archipelago (S. Maria and S. Miguel, respectively, in the Azores) differs by the presence of 9 gibbosities on each elytron and an elytral apex distinctly produced backwards in the sutural region. Tarphius postcostatus Uyttenboogaart, 1937 and T. simplex Wollaston, 1862 (from Tenerife, Canary Islands) differ by the presence of 4 gibbosities on each elytron, of which the gibbosities in interval 3 near the base and apex are elongate, and the elytral apex is distinctly produced backwards in the sutural region. Tarphius tacorontinus Franz, 1967 (from Tenerife, Canary Islands) differs by the thick, almost swollen edge of its pronotal margin, the presence of 7 gibbosities on each elytron, and an elytral apex slightly produced backwards. Tarphius fernandezlopezi Franz, 1967 (from Tenerife, Canary Islands) differs in the arrangement and number of gibbosities on each elytron, an elytral apex that is strongly produced backwards, and a TL> 4 mm. Tarphius huggerti Gillerfors, 1991 (from Gran Canaria, Canary Islands) differs in the arrangement and number of gibbosities on each elytron and the elytral apex is strongly produced backwards.

Tarphius quadratus Wollaston, 1862 (from La Palma, Canary Islands) and T. gomerae Franz, 1967 (from La Gomera, Canary Islands) have 5 or 6 gibbosities of different arrangement on each elytron, a shorter elytra (EL/EW ~1.0), a depressed elytral disc, and an elytral apex produced slightly backwards.

Tarphius ericae Gillerfors, 1986 (from La Gomera, Canary Islands) differs by a lateral pronotal margin slightly sinuate before the posterior angles, the presence of 4 gibbosities on each elytron, and an elytral apex slightly produced backwards. Tarphius compactus Wollaston, 1854 , T. nodosus Wollaston, 1854 , T. lauri Wollaston, 1854 , T. parallelus Wollaston, 1854 , T. inornatus Wollaston, 1854 , T. rotundatus Wollaston, 1854 , and T. lutulentus Wollaston, 1871 (all from Madeira) differ by 2 or 3 faint (sometimes absent) gibbosities on the apical half of each elytron, an elytral apex distinctly produced backwards in the sutural region, and anterior pronotal angles more distinctly pointed forwards. Tarphius testudinalis Wollaston, 1854 and T. sculptipennis Wollaston, 1857 (from Madeira) have 5 gibbosities (with an arrangement similar to that in T. hyrcanicus ) on each elytron but their humeral angles protrude forwards and the elytral apex is distinctly produced backwards in the sutural region.

Ecological notes. The holotype was extracted from leaf litter and fine woody debris in an old-growth Fagus orientalis forest using a Berlese funnel. The paratypes were collected near small streams at an altitude of ~ 800 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal aspect of Tarphius hyrcanicus n. sp., male holotype.

FIGURE 2. Shape of T. hyrcanicus n. sp., dark gray patches mark the positions of gibbosities on the elytra.

FIGURE 3. Genitalia of T. hyrcanicus n. sp. (a) male and (b, c) female.