Content uploaded by Jiri Háva
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Jiri Háva on Sep 19, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
Thorictus arabicus sp. nov., a New Species from Saudi Arabia
(Coleoptera: Dermestidae)
32
Thorictus arabicus sp. nov., a New Species from Saudi Arabia
(Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Thorictinae: Thoricnini)
J
IŘÍ
H
ÁVA
HÁVA J. 2010. THORICTUS ARABICUS SP. NOV., A NEW SPECIES FROM SAUDI ARABIA (COLEOPTERA:
DERMESTIDAE: THORICTINAE: THORICNINI). – Latvijas Entomologs, 49: 32-34.
Abstract: Thorictus arabicus sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia belonging to the Thorictus castaneus species group is
described, illustrated and compared with the related species Thorictus castaneus castaneus G
ERMAR
, 1834 and with T.
peyerimhoffi C
HOBAUT
, 1904 both known from Arabian Peninsula.
Key words: Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Thorictini, Thorictus, taxonomy, new species, Saudi Arabia.
Introduction
The subfamily Thorictinae is divided into
two tribes: Thorictini and Thaumaphrastini. The
tribe Thorictini contains three genera
Afrothorictus A
NDREAE
, 1967, Macrothorictus
A
NDREAE
, 1967 and Thorictus G
ERMAR
, 1834.
The genus Thorictus G
ERMAR
, 1834 contains
161 species and subspecies distributed in
Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions (Háva
2003, 2010). The first catalogue of the
Thorictinae(dae) published by Hetschko,
Wasmann (1925) and the catalogue by Hetschko
(1926, 1930) report on a single species from
Arabian Peninsula. A new species recently
collected from Saudi Arabia is described below.
Material and Methods
The following measurements have been
taken:
BL - body length (measured from the head’s
anterior margin to the elytral apex).
BW- body width (measured between the two
anterolateral humeral calli).
PL - pronotum length (measured from the top of
the anterior margin to scutellum).
PW - pronotum width (measured between the
two posterior angles of pronotum).
All measurements are given in
millimeters.
Male genitalia not studied. Differential
diagnoses of aedeagi is often problematical and
interspecific variation is currently very poorly
defined (John, 1963). The two species groups
stated by John (1963).
The following abbreviations refer to the
collection where the examined material is
deposited:
MMUM - The Manchester Museum, University of
Manchester, United Kingdom.
Description of New Species
Genus Thorictus G
ERMAR
, 1834
Thorictus castaneus species group
Thorictus arabicus sp. nov. (Figures 1-2)
Type material: Holotype ♀ MMUM:
Saudi Arabia, Eastern Prov., D. A. Pitcher /
Udhailiyah Camp [37 km SW of Al Hufüf],
2.03.1983 No. 228 / Thorictus sp. V. Kalík det.
1985. Paratype 1 specimen, sex unknown,
MMUM: the same data as in holotype. Type
specimens provided with additional printed, red
labels: HOLOTYPE (or PARATYPE,
respectively) Thorictus arabicus sp. n. Jiří Háva
det. 2010.
Description: Body small, brown, dorsally
covered with long, yellow setae and ventrally
with short, yellow setae. Measurements (mm):
BL 2.52 BW 1.57 PL 0.90 PW 1.62. Head is
finely punctuated, with very short, yellow setae.
Labial palpi entirely brown. Antennae brown,
with 11 antennomeres, antennal club compact,
with 3 antennomeres. Lateral eyes on head (Fig.
1). Pronotum as finely punctate as head, covered
with short yellow setae. Pronotum in its
posterior part, near the scutellum, with small
Latvijas Entomologs 2010, 49: 32-34. 33
depressions. Posterior pronotal angles with long
yellow setation. Scutellum very small and not
visible from above. Elytra very finely punctated,
bump with foveate-reticulate punctures. Each
elytron in its anterior part, near the scutellum,
with a large bump. Epipleuron finely punctate,
anterior angles without setation. Metepisternum
with yellow setation on its anterior part (setae
long, forming a large tuft), setation on its
posterior and lateral parts short and decumbent.
Prosternum finely punctate. Mesosternum with
foveolate punctures. Metasternum finely
punctate. Visible abdominal sternites very finely
punctate, covered with very short, yellow setae.
Legs brown, covered with short, yellow setae.
Variability: Paratype body measurements
(mm) BL 2.72 BW 1.65 PL 0.95 PW 1.72.
Differential diagnosis: The new species
Thorictus arabicus sp. nov. belongs to the T.
castaneus species group defined by John (1963),
and by general appearance is very similar to
Thorictus castaneus castaneus G
ERMAR
, 1834
(Figures 3-5) hitherto known from Algeria,
Egypt, Morocco and Syria, but differs from it in
the form of lateral eyes on head (Figure 1) and
pronotal ventral pubescence and metepisternal
pubescence (Figure 2). From another species, T.
peyerimhoffi C
HOBAUT
, 1904: 243 of the T.
orientalis species group described and known
from Saudi Arabia (Kasr-er-Rabbat), the new
species differs in having the broad body.
Derivatio nominis: The species is named
after the country of origin.
Acknowledgements
I wish to express my thanks to Dmitry
Logunov (MMUM) for the loan of interesting
dermestid material and for the linguistic help.
References
Chobaut A. 1904. Description de deux espèces
nouvelles de Coléoptères de l’Arabie. -
Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de
France 1904: 243-245.
Háva J. 2003. World Catalogue of the
Dermestidae (Coleoptera). - Studie a
Zprávy Oblastního Muzea Praha-východ
v Brandýse nad Labem a Staré Boleslavi,
Supplementum 1: 1-196.
Háva J. 2010. Dermestidae World (Coleoptera).
Permanent World Wide Web electronic
publication (since 2004):
http://www.dermestidae.wz.cz
Hetschko A. 1926. Coleopterorum Catalogus.
Pars 83. Thorictidae, Catopochrotidae,
Monoedidae, Synteliidae, Cossyphodidae.
In: Junk W., Schenkling S. (eds.)
Coleopterorum Catalogus. Berlin, W.
Junk: 1-15.
Hetschko A. 1930. Coleopterorum Catalogus.
Pars 109. Cucujidae, Thorictidae (Suppl.),
Cossyphodidae (Suppl.). In: Junk W.,
Schenkling S. (eds.) Coleopterorum
Catalogus. Berlin. W. Junk: 1-122 + 2 [not
numbered].
Hetschko A., Wasmann E. 1925. Üebersicht der
Thorictidae mit Angabe der Wirte. -
Wiener Entomologische Zeitung 42: 183-
189.
John H. 1963. Revision der Gattung Thorictus
Germar (Thorictidae, Clavicornia Col.).
Eine Bestandaufnahme, Kritik und
Neubeschreibungen. - Entomologische
Abhandlungen und Berichte aus dem
Staatlichen Museum für Tierkunde in
Dresden 28: 177-255.
Received: December 12, 2010.
Thorictus arabicus sp. nov., a New Species from Saudi Arabia
(Coleoptera: Dermestidae)
34
Figures 1-2. Thorictus arabicus sp. nov.: 1- head, dorsal; 2- ventral aspect of pronotum, epipleuron,
and metepisternum (le - lateral eyes, e - epipleuron, p - pronotum, me - metepisternum).
Figures 3-5. Thorictus castaneus castaneus G
ERMAR
, 1834: 3- habitus, dorsal; 4- head, dorsal;
5- pronotal posterial setation, dorsal (according to John 1963).
