A new species, Athous (Orthathous) cagatayae, from Turkey.

A new Elateridae species, Athous (Orthathous) cagatayae n. sp., is presented from Ankara, Turkey. The morphology of the new species is described. Photographs of imago and aedeagus, aedeagi drawings of the new species, and identification key are given. The new species is discussed with species of acutangulus group, with a differential diagnosis.

There have been many studies on the subgenus Reitter 1905, which is well represented in Turkey with 46 species, and it has been recorded by various researchers (Mertlik and Platia 2008; Kabalak and Sert 2010; Platia 2010; Platia and Nemeth 2011). belongs to the group of the subgenus . -group ( Fairmaire 1866, Platia 1989, Platia and Schimmel 1991, Platia 1989, Platia 2010, and Platia and Gudenzi 2007) is separated from other species by a regularly decreasing length of the second, third, and fourth tarsal segments. The new species was given erroneously as by Kabalak (2004) and Kabalak and Sert (2005). After receiving a paratype, specimens were reexamined and detected as a new species.

Materials and Methods

The body lengths of the specimens were measured along the midline, from the anterior margin of the frons to the apex of elytra. The widths of the specimens were measured across the broadest part of the elytra. Photographs of imago and aedeagus were taken.

The aedeagus of the new species was drawn in detail, and the aedeagi of other species in the group were re-drawn from literature, except for , which lacks an aedeagus, and , which had an asymmetrical photograph. An identification key of species in the group was prepared as an addition to the identification key of Turkish species, which was given by Platia and Gudenzi (1996). The new species was compared with , which is close to the new species in the identification key. All species of -group are compared by using aedeagi morphologies, collecting months, collecting localities of Turkey, and zoogeographical distributions in Table 1, except for .

Table 1.

Aedeagi morphologies, collecting months, collecting localities and Zoogeographical distribution comparisons of species of group.

Type locality: Holotype: One male from the Ankara province, Çubuk county, between Özlüce and Ovacık villages, 40° 18′ 54″ N, 32° 55′ 46″ E, 1072 m.a.s.l., 25 June 2003, leg. M. Kabalak.

Paratype: One male from the Ankara province, Çubuk County, Ömürdede, 30 June 1980, leg. Y. Özdemir. Holotype and paratype are deposited in Hacettepe University Zoology Museum (HUZOM) at Hacettepe University Biology Department, Ankara.

Holotype: Male, length 9.56 mm; width 2.57 mm; body dark-brown colored, except for reddish brown antennae, elytral suture, and legs; body covered with slightly long and dense yellowish hairs.

Head, including eyes, as wide as anterior margin of pronotum, and covered with dense umbilicate punctures, with an impression beginning at the vertex and extending to the fronto-clypeal suture; fronto-clypeal suture distinctly convex, without touching the clypeus.

Antenna exceed the apices of the posterior angles of pronotum by about four segments; second segment sub-conical, almost as long as it was wide; third segment triangular, 1.9 times longer than the second, and 1.24 times shorter than fourth; second and third taken together clearly longer than fourth; segments four through seven triangular.

Pronotum 1.13 times longer than wide, slightly convex on the disk, with weakly distinct median carina, sides feebly arcuate, posterior angles slightly divergent, not carinate, apex slightly pointed, and lateral margin fully visible in dorsal view; punctuation generally deep, dense, and umbilicate.

Scutellum narrower than the inter-elytral space, longer than wide, convex, deep, and scattered punctuated.

Elytra 2.9 times longer than pronotum, 2.5 times longer than wide, sides sub-parallel from proximal to medio-distal and then gradually narrowing towards apex; striae regularly and indistinctly punctured, interstriae feebly convex, coarsely and simple punctured, with rough surface.

Legs with second, third, and fourth tarsal segments nearly regularly decreasing in length; fourth tarsal segment small, in dorsal view as long as half of the third, and as long as one-third of fifth segment. Aedeagus length 1.15mm, typical morphology for the genus (Figures 1b and 2a), parameres acutely dentate, and apex slightly angled.

Figure 1.

(A) habitus (scale = 2 mm). (B) Aedeagus habitus (scale = 0.2 mm). High quality figures are available online.

Figure 2.

(A) (B) (redrawn from Platia 1989). (C) (redrawn from Platia and Schimmel 1991). (D) (redrawn from Platia 1989). (E) (taken from Platia 2010). (F) (redrawn from Platia and Schimmel 2007). High quality figures are available online.

Female: Unknown.

Paratype: Length 9.41 mm, width 2.74 mm

Etymology: The new species is dedicated to emeritus entomologist Prof. Dr. Neçe Çağatay, who made invaluable contributions for development of Entomology Science in Hacettepe University and Turkey.

Habitat: The holotype was collected, using an insect net, from herbaceous plants under sp. along a stream in June 2003.

Discussion

is close to graecus, however it could be separated by the following characters: is larger than elytral suture of the new species is reddish-brown, while it is not reddish-brown in (O.) graecus.

Aedeagi morphologies of all species were compared (Table 1). First of all, species can be examined in two groups based on length of median lobe. In the first group, the median lobe is longer than the parameres (4. (O.) and graecus), while the median lobe is shorter than the parameres in the second group ( (, , and . In the first group, and can be separated based on the distal tooth of the paramere, which is short and slightly pointed in , while it is long and strongly pointed in . In the second group, is separated from , , and with a short and slightly pointed distal tooth of the paramere. The pointed apex of the median lobe and the rounded apex of the paramere distinguishes from and According to the direction of the distal tooth of the paramere, and the apex of the median lobe, could be differentiated from . has a slightly backward-directed paramere tooth, and a feebly angled apex of the median lobe, while has a laterally-directed paramere tooth, and an angled apex of the median lobe.

According to literature (Platia 1989; Platia and Schimmel 1991; Platia and Gudenzi 2000, 2007; Platia 2010; Platia and Nemeth 2011), collecting months, collecting localities of Turkey, and zoogeographical distributions of species of -group are given (Table 1). Species are present in nature from May to July. Only was collected in two provinces (Çanakkale and Istanbul). , which is the most common species of -group, is distributed throughout Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, and Turkey.

1′. Second, third, fourth tarsal segments decreasing regularly in length 17 (

12