Thymogethes khorasanicus Audisio, Cline, Lasoń, Jelínek, Sabatelli & Serri, 2017, sp. nov.

Thymogethes khorasanicus sp. nov.

(Figs 13–14, 19)

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (length 2.53), body shiny black, legs blackish, and antennae chestnut brown with blackish antennal club and first antennomere. Maximum pronotal width near posterior angles (similar to Fig. 2). Similar to the widespread European species T. egenus (Erichson, 1845), re-described by Audisio (1993b), but with interspaces between dorsal punctures on pronotum and most of elytra rather smooth and shining, and distinctly narrower male protarsal plates (Ratio WFTA/LFTA = 0.31–0.33). Differentiated from T. egenus as well as from the closely related T. otini (Easton, 1954) from North Africa by the wider male genitalia, and the paramera being more arcuately extruded laterad in dorsal view (Fig. 13).

Type material. 1 ♂, male holotype, IRAN: North Khorasan Province, Zoshk Valley above Shandiz, Binalud Mts, 36°17'N 59°07'E, 1800–2400 m, 5.VI.2014, leg. P. Audisio, on Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. (CAR). Paratypes: IRAN: same data as holotype, on Mentha spicata (L.) and M. × piperita, 4 males, 4 females (NMPC, HMIM, CAR, CLA); South Khorasan Province, 25 km N Birjand, 33°05´N 59°18´E, 2000 m, 6–7.VI.1977, (loc. no. 360), Exp. Nat. Mus. Prague, leg. J. Jelínek, on Mentha sp. (Lamiaceae), 6 males, 4 females (NMPC, HMIM, CAR, CLA); Razavi Khorasan Province, Bonarg village, Esger Mts, 33°53'29''N 58°47'0.1''E, 1850 m, 4.VI.2014, leg. P. Audisio, 3 males, 4 females (NMPC, HMIM, CAR). Other examined material: Mazandaran Province, E Alborz Mts, Veresk, 35°57´N 52°56´E, 800 m, 2.VIII.1970, Exp. Nat. Mus. Prague, 7 males, 24 females (NMPC, CAR, CLA); North Khorasan Province, Kalat 37°09´N 59°20´E, (loc. no. 373), Exp. Nat. Mus. Prague, 17.VI.1977, 1 male (NMPC).

Description. Male [holotype]. Length 2.53 mm; width (at elytral widest point) 1.25 mm. Body elongate, narrow, transversely convex and moderately parallel-sided (similar to Fig. 2), black and shining, with short and fine silvery to golden-olivaceous pubescence. Legs blackish, antennae chestnut brown with blackish antennal club and first antennomere.

Head with dorsal punctures as large as or slightly smaller than eye facet, markedly impressed, separated by less than one diameter, surface smooth and shining; front margin of clypeus widely arcuately emarginate, completely bordered, with moderately acute angles. Fronto-genal grooves narrow and shallow, but distinct. Antennae small, normal size for group (Fig. 1), with third antennomere slender, slightly longer than second; antennal club small, about 1.3× as long as wide, as wide as male protarsi (excluding tarsal pubescence).

Pronotum markedly narrowed anteriorly, about 1.57× times as wide as long, broadest close to posterior angles (similar to Fig. 2); sides narrowly bordered; posterior angles slightly obtuse but distinct. Posterior base faintly sinuate on either side of scutellar shield, pronotal punctures and surface smooth and shining (near posterior base are few traces of microsculpture), each puncture nearly as large as eye facet and separated by less than one diameter.

Scutellar shield medium-sized, densely and uniformly punctate; surface exhibiting faint trace of reticulate microsculpture.

Elytra about 1.14× as long as combined width (length measured from posterior edge of pronotum; 1.02× from posterior apex of scutellar shield), broadest in basal fifth, distinctly wider (1.07×), and approximately 2× longer (1.92×) than pronotum; humeral angle rounded, humeral striae absent. Elytral punctures in basal half as those on head and pronotum, but slightly coarser and more elongate, exhibiting a faint transverse rugosity with a shiny surface between punctures. Elytral punctures becoming finer and shallower toward posterior end.

Ventral surface black, with sparse fine silvery pubescence. Prosternal antennal furrows (at notosternal sutures) strongly raised, approximating middle point of hypomeron. Prosternal process moderately long, subtruncate at apex, ventral surface (excluding predistal lateral expansions) distinctly arcuately wider before apex (as in Fig. 24), widest subdistal ventral portion about 1.58× wider than narrowest basal portion.

Metaventrite moderately convex (punctures as on head and pronotum, surface shiny), with a faintly distinct and posteriorly widened longitudinal impression on posterior two-thirds, and a slightly raised elongate medial tubercle. Posterior-outer angles strongly raised (partly turned-up).

Caudal marginal line of posterior coxal cavity closely following posterior edge, turning back just before outer end. Last visible abdominal ventrite with a blunt, distinctly raised and simple (not concave and bicuspid) obtuse projection (Fig. 19), similar to males of T. egenus and T. otini.

Protibiae (similar to Fig. 2) with outer edges finely crenulate from basal third, with subapical group of 4–5 sharp teeth, the first and penultimate tooth markedly bigger than the rest; protarsi nearly as wide as antennal club, ratio WFTA/LFTA = 0.32; metatibiae narrow, inner edges not sinuate (similar to Fig. 2); tarsal claws simple.

Genitalia. Tegmen as in Fig. 13, rather strongly sclerotized, brownish, with a moderately deep, U-shaped median excision, paramera at sides arcuately projected outward; median lobe of aedeagus elongate, narrow, about 2.3× as long as wide (Fig. 14), nearly as sclerotized and colored as tegmen, widest at base, narrowed in distal third, apex subtruncate and minutely incised.

Female. Protarsi narrower, ratio WFTA/LFTA = 0.25. Metaventrite with posterior-outer angles less markedly raised, and last abdominal ventrite without tubercles. Ovipositor not significantly differing from that known to occur in T. lugubris, T. egenus, and most other species of T. lugubris species-group (see Fig. 160 l in Audisio 1993b).

Comparative notes. Thymogethes khorasanicus sp. nov. exhibits a dorsal habitus similar to T. egenus (Fig. 2; widespread in Europe and Anatolia), but with a shinier dorsal surface, chiefly on pronotum and elytra. Easily distinguishable from the closely related T. otini from N Africa and the widespread T. egenus by the proportionally wider tegmen, the parameres being more arcuately protruded laterad (dorsal view) in distal half of tegmen (Figs 11–17), and narrower protarsi in both sexes (ratio WFTA/LFTA in males = 0.31–0.33 in T. khorasanicus sp. nov., 0.38–0.44 in T. egenus and T. otini).

Geographic distribution. This species (Fig. 25) appears to be moderately common in E Iran, and could be more widely distributed, in suitable habitats, throughout most of the North, Central, and South Khorasan, as well as in Kerman and Sistan Provinces. The species is apparently absent along the northern and central portions of the Zagros Chain.

Biological notes. The type specimens were collected from apical stems of the common Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. (Lamiaceae), a widespread species known in most West Palaearctic areas, in wet places near lakes and ponds, and at edges of river banks, streams and small springs, from sea level up to or higher than 2000 m. Also collected on M. × piperita (a widespread cultivated or semi-cultivated hybrid form of M. spicata and M. aquatica L.). Adults are probably active on host-plants from May to October, but reproduction likely occurs mainly between early June and September.

Etymology. This species is named after the Khorasan (alternatively transliterated as Chorasan), an ancient geographic name given to the eastern Province of Persia during the Sassanid Empire, which now corresponds with the three NE Provinces, North, central (Razavi), and South Khorasan Provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

FIGURE 25. Distribution of Thymogethes species in Iran: • T. ahriman, ▲ T. khorasanicus sp. nov., ̍ T. egenus, • T. kassites sp. nov.