Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus Sánchez-Vialas, Calatayud-Mascarell, Ruiz, Recuero, and García-París ssp. nov. (B 2 lineage)

Type material.

Holotype: Male, labeled: España, Escúllar, Almería, 37°10'51.4"N 2°44'31.6"W, 18 - IV- 2024, Sánchez Vialas, A. leg. [white label, printed]; MNCN_Ent 429880 [white label, printed]; Holotypus, Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus Sánchez-Vialas, Calatayud-Mascarell, Ruiz, Recuero & García-París des. 2025 [white label, printed]. Preserved in absolute ethanol at the Entomological collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. — Paratypes (29 exx, all held at the Entomological collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid): 7 males and 14 females labeled: España, Almería, Tabernas, alrededores, 389 m, 37°05'43.04"N 02°05'15.07"W, 29 - III- 2008, E. Recuero and C. Settanni leg. [white label, printed]; BI 264, 267, 270, 272, 277, 283, 284, 226, 263, 265, 268, 269, 273–276, 278–282 [white label, handwritten; 7 males and 14 females, respectively]; MNCN_Ent 429901, MNCN_Ent 429900, MNCN_Ent 429897, MNCN_Ent 429899, MNCN_Ent 429896, MNCN_Ent 429895, MNCN_Ent 429898, MNCN_Ent 429890, MNCN_Ent 429882, MNCN_Ent 429881, MNCN_Ent 429883, MNCN_Ent 429892, MNCN_Ent 429891, MNCN_Ent 429894, MNCN_Ent 429887, MNCN_Ent 429889, MNCN_Ent 429886, MNCN_Ent 429884, MNCN_Ent 429888, MNCN_Ent 429885, MNCN_Ent 429893 (preserved in ethanol). – 1 male, labeled: España, Almería, 10 km E Tabernas, 489 m, 37°04'50.1"N 02°19'21.4"W, 28 - III- 2008, E. Recuero and C. Settanni leg. [white label, printed]; MNCN_Ent 429902 [white label, printed] (preserved in ethanol). – 6 females, labeled: España, Almería, Las Casillas de Atochares, 36°52'53.0"N 02°10'13.2"W, 30 - III- 2008, E. Recuero and C. Settanni leg. [white label, printed]; BI 315–318, BI 334–335 [white label, handwritten]; MNCN_Ent 429903 –429908 [white label, printed] (females, preserved in ethanol). – 1 male, labeled: España, Almería, Escúllar, 37°10'51.4"N 2°44'31.6"W, 18 - IV- 2024, Sánchez Vialas, A. leg. [white label, printed]; ASV 2402 [white label, handwritten]; MNCN_Ent 429909 [white label, printed] (preserved in ethanol). All paratypes labeled: Paratypus, Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus Sánchez-Vialas, Calatayud-Mascarell, Ruiz, Recuero & García-París des. 2025 [white label, printed].

Etymology.

The specific epithet “ trisanguinatus ” is a Latin adjective meaning “ three-blooded ”, referring to the species’ distinctive cephalic phenotype. This taxon is unique within the genus Berberomeloe for its three conspicuous red blotches on the head: a V- or Y-shaped blotch at the center of the frons and two symmetrical blotches on the temples.

Description of holotype.

Head-to-elytron length (frons anterior margin to elytra posterior extreme): 16.3 mm. Total length (including abdomen): 42.5 mm. Maximum width (distance between elytra outer extremes): 9.2 mm. Body robust. Voluminous and elongated abdomen. Reduced and convex elytra, hindwings absent. Coloration black all over body and appendages except for head, which features two symmetrical red to orange blotches over temples, and a single, isolated smaller Y-shaped blotch at center of frons (Fig. 11). Tibial spines and pretarsal claws brownish. Black setae dispersed over body, very scattered on dorsal areas of head, thorax and abdomen. Tegument finely microreticulated, semimatt. ― Head: voluminous, broadly rounded and slightly wider than pronotum (head maximum width: 4.9 mm). Temples very wide and regularly rounded. Surface sparsely covered by very small to medium-sized punctures, homogeneously distributed, rounded, finely impressed, isolated from each other. A longitudinal midline finely impressed from apical half of frons to vertex. Frontal side of cephalic capsule slightly curved, with surface above antennal insertions slightly elevated and disc region almost flat, subconvex. Frons and temples almost glabrous, with a very short seta (almost inappreciable) on some punctures, especially on upper margin of antennal insertion. Occiput with moderately long and decumbent setae. Postocciput (sclerotized region between occiput and pronotum) laminar, semilunar, conspicuous, dense, and deeply punctate, also with moderately long and decumbent setae. Eyes small, kidney-shaped and weakly swollen, with dorsal and ventral lobes of similar size; barely notched at level of antennal insertions; minimum interorbital distance: 2.8 mm. Frontoclypeal suture deeply marked, arcuate. Clypeus flat, subtriangular, transverse (2.7 mm wide by 1.3 mm long); punctures small and separated; long setae homogeneously distributed following puncture pattern, directed forward, longer in sides. Labrum-clypeus suture almost straight. Labrum transverse (2.4 mm wide by 1.2 mm long), slightly emarginated in middle; punctures similar to those of clypeus; setae longer in lobes, following puncture pattern, oriented forward and curved towards center. Mandibles robust, longitudinally concave on outer side and notched in its distal region, glabrous in apex, and basally pilose. Maxillary palpi with palpomere I longer than others, subtroncoconical; II short, subcylindrical; III subtrapezoidal and dorso-ventrally flattened; distal palpomere widest with a narrow excavation along distal margin; pilosity moderately long in palpomeres I and II, shorter on distal palpomere. Labial palpi with palpomere I subcylindrical; II troncoconical; III subtrapezoidal, with pilosity as on maxillary palpi. Antennae 11 - segmented, subcompressed, not reaching pronotum base when extended backward. Antennomeres dilated apically, with short black vestiture, mostly decumbent and with a few sparse setae erect, longer and semi-erect on scape and pedicel; scape (length: 0.7 mm) slightly dilated apically, subcylindrical; pedicel (length: 0.2 mm) very short, subglobose; antennomere III (length: 0.9 mm) subcylindrical, slightly dilated apically, rectangular; IV (length: 0.9 mm) similar to III, subrectangular; V (length: 0.8 mm) trapezoidal, wider than VI, with a wide and smooth apical tooth on inner edge; VI (length: 0.7 mm) trapezoidal, with smooth apical tooth on inner edge, not as prominent as those in V and VII; VII (length: 0.7 mm) trapezoidal, wider than VI, with an acute and prominent apical tooth on inner edge; VIII (length: 0.6 mm) trapezoidal, weakly dentate on apex of inner edge; IX (length: 0.7 mm) trapezoidal, dentate on inner edge; X (length: 0.6 mm) trapezoidal, apical tooth slightly acute; XI (length: 0.8 mm) subconical, slender, slightly notched on apex, ending in an elongated tooth. ― Thorax: Pronotum subquadrate with subparallel sides, narrower posteriorly (anterior side of pronotum: 4.2 mm; posterior margin of pronotum: 3.6 mm; pronotum length on sagittal plane: 3.4 mm); anterior margin concavely curved, posterior margin slightly convexly arcuate; fore angles acute, hind angles rounded; surface weakly convex at its central area, with a fine impressed longitudinal midline, and with shallow and diffuse lateral depressions. Pronotal base entire and finely bordered. Pronotal surface irregularly punctate; punctures of various sizes, from small to large sizes, circular and relatively deep; disc area only with small punctures; large punctures close but mostly isolated from each other, distributed on anterior and lateral sides and bordering anterior midline portion. Punctures do not form a corrugated or reticulated pattern. Dorsal surface of pronotum almost glabrous, with an isolated short seta in each puncture; anterior margin, adjacent to post-occiput, with numerous setae, moderately long. Mesonotum covered mostly by pronotum, showing only its posterior margin, straight and strongly punctate, with longitudinal wrinkles. Metanotum completely covered by elytra. Prosternum narrow, slightly extended posteriorly, pointed at tip. Mesosternum with a triangular prolongation, extended posteriorly, ending in a rounded tip that extends to level of apical half of mesocoxae; lateral extensions narrow; surface covered by disperse short setae. Metasternum subtrapezoidal, wide, with a prolongation extended posteriorly, ending in an emarginated tip. ― Elytra: reduced and convex, imbricated basally, longer than pronotum (length: 9 mm), divergent posteriorly and reaching posterior portion of abdominal tergite II; tegument glabrous, slightly corrugated longitudinally with no marked punctures. ― Legs: moderately robust, covered by decumbent and relatively long setae. Mesotrochanters and - coxae overlap partially with metacoxae. Metafemur shorter than metatibia (metafemur length: 5 mm; metatibia length: 5.3 mm). Pro- and mesotibiae with two similar spurs, slender and straight; metatibial spurs dissimilar and divergent; inner spur spatulated, outer spur similar to those of pro- and mesotibiae. Tarsi long, with tarsomeres subcylindrical, slightly expanded distally and emarginated. Protarsi shorter than meso- and metatarsi. Metatarsomere I large, followed in size by II and IV (length of metatarsomeres: from basal to apical tarsomere: 2.6, 1.3, 1.0, 1.4 mm). Tarsal ventral pads consisting of a dense, short and thick tuft of semi-erected setae. Metatarsomeres with relatively thick setae, distributed longitudinally through dorsal side of each tarsomere. Claws smooth, curved, with lower lobe narrower and smaller. ― Abdomen: voluminous, entirely black. Tergite I mostly covered by elytra. Dorsal surface of abdomen smooth, almost glabrous, with scarce, small, and shallow punctures with a very short seta on each puncture. Posterior margin of last visible tergite VIII with dense short setae. Ventrites with sparse and slightly marked punctures mostly on posterior half, with very short and decumbent black setae, scattered but homogeneously distributed. Last ventrite VIII notched at its posterior margin. ― Male genitalia: (Fig. 11 D – F) with gonoforceps brownish, 3 mm long, 1 mm wide; moderately elongated, relatively slender both in dorsal and lateral views. Gonocoxal plate longer than wide, a little less long than gonostyli, wider on dorsal view; maximum width in middle part. Gonostyli longer than wide, basally cylindrical; basal 1 / 3 fused; scarce setae, applied against tegument present on middle dorsal region of gonostyli. Gonostyli lobes separated by a longitudinal notch that extends to middle of dorsal surface of gonostyli; apices rounded, digitiform. Aedeagus long, robust, flattened, truncated at apex, with two acute dorsal hooks, subequal, close to each other and separated from apex. Endophallic hook visible.

Variability.

Body length (frons to posterior margin of elytra) ranges from 9 to 24 mm. Red-orange mark on frons varies in shape, ranging from a V- to Y-like.

Females last abdominal ventrite VIII rounded, not emarginated at its posterior margin, with antennomeres V, VII, and IX less widened apically, and last antennomere XI less slender in its inner apical portion than in males.

Diagnosis and comparisons.

Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus ssp. nov. can be readily differentiated from other taxa of the B. insignis species group by the presence of (1) two symmetric red- to orange-colored blotches over the temples that do not extend anteromedially as a lobate projection above the ocular margin, and (2) a single, isolated, V- or Y-shaped mark on the frons (Fig. 11 A, B).

Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus can also be differentiated from B. nazari sp. nov. by the different shape of male antennomeres VII, IX and XI, which are more elongated in B. insignis trisanguinatus. From B. insignis insignis it can be distinguished by the shape of female and male antenomeres VII – XI, which are shorter in B. insignis trisanguinatus compared to B. insignis insignis. Beyond the presence of a frontal red blotch on the head, the only morphological difference between B. insignis trisanguinatus and the specimens of the C 2 lineage is found in the male antennomere VII (Table S 5).

Distribution and notes on natural history.

Endemic to the province of Almería. Populations of B. insignis trisanguinatus are distributed across eastern and central Almería, with coastal and inland populations, particularly in the Tabernas Desert and Pasillo de Fiñana region, situated between Sierra Nevada and Sierra de los Filabres. It is an element of low to mid altitudes, with an altitudinal range from sea level to 1800 m a. s. l. It mainly occupies the thermo-Mediterranean bioclimatic level and, occasionally, extends into the meso-Mediterranean zone, and more rarely into the supra-Mediterranean zone, in the latter cases in areas of high temperature and low rainfall. The dominant ombroclimate in its distribution area is semi-arid (250–400 mm of average annual rainfall) (e. g., Alcaraz and Peinado 1987; Rivas-Martínez 1987, 2007; Valle 2003). Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus primarily inhabits steppic or submontane environments with sparse shrubby or xeric scrub vegetation and little to no tree cover. Typical habitats include steppes dominated by Macrochloa tenacissima (L.) Kunth or uncultivated areas with Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss., and Anthyllis cytisoides L., often near cultivated fields with almond trees (Fig. 12). It has been found in Sierra de los Filabres, at an altitude of 1800 m a. s. l. around Haza de Riego, situated between Escúllar and Puerto de Escúllar. The vegetation in this area is dominated by dispersed trees of Quercus rotundifolia Lam. and Cytisus Desf. (Fig. 12). Adults have been reported feeding on flowers of Convolvulus (García-París et al. 1999) and leaves of Asteraceae (Sánchez-Vialas pers. obs.).

Berberomeloe insignis trisanguinatus has been found in sympatry with B. indalo in the following localities of Almería: El Puntal (García-París et al. 1999), Peñas Negras (García-París et al. 1999), Rambla Seca de Tabernas (García-París et al. 1999), and between Tabernas and Turrillas (Sánchez-Vialas pers. obs.).