Hycleus dunalis Bologna & Turco 2007, n. sp.

Type specimen. Holotype female: U.A.E., Abu Dhabi Emirate, EA4, Al Bateen dunes, 4 Km W Al Aïn on the road to Abu Dhabi, 24,20491° N 55,61263° E, 195 m a.s.l., 15.iii.2005 M. Bologna & F. Turco coll., on Tribulus omanense (CB).

Diagnosis. One Hycleus with Mesogorbatus - type mesosternum, characterized by elytral pattern composed by three series of three black spots angulate in position, and subpentagonal pronotum.

Description. Body shiny and unicolor black, elytra shiny brown-orange with three series of black spots, angulate in position, one anterior, one on the middle and one on the posterior third (Fig. 16); setation denser and black on head and pronotum, sparser and obliquely recumbent on elytra, slightly denser at base. Pubescence sparse, black; genae and protibiae with external longer setae. Maximal body length: 9.1 mm.

Head transverse, with the maximum width at the level of eye; punctures deep, wide and relatively dense, slightly scattered on frons, the intermediate surface unpucturate; frons convex; eye globose, laterally extended on almost the entire gena, with the antero-dorsal margin not sinuate; temples short and parallel, shorter than the longitudinal diameter of eye. Clypeus evidently narrower than the interocular width, rounded on sides, convex and with the same puncturation of head; fronto-clypeal suture well visible; labrum as long as clypeus, the fore margin almost slightly sinuate, shagreened. Maxillary palpomeres subcylindrical and stout, IV slightly enlarged anteriorly, with black setae on the external side of the apex of each palpomere (except IV), particularly on III; maxillae and labial palpi not modified; mandibles robust, curved in the fore half. Antennae with 11 antennomeres, I–II shiny, the following opaque, III–VI vaguely reddish at base; I longer than II–III together, II subglobose, III–VI slender and subcylindrical, III slightly longer than IV and evidently more than V–VI, VII–X subtrapezoidal, apically enlarged on external side, evidently increasing in width and length from VII to X, XI at base as wide as X but two times longer, the apical half evidently and conically narrowed, apex obtuse.

Pronotum subpentagonal, slightly wider than long, almost as wide as head on eye, sides subparallel before the middle and then evidently narrowing anteriad; fore portion transversally depressed; middle furrow extended only in the middle, base shorly depressed just in front of mesonotum; puncturation similar to that on head, but slightly deeper. Elytra parallel, dorsally convex, shiny with dense but superficial, middle sized punctures, with black pattern as in Fig. 16. Mesosternum of the Mesogorbatus - type (Fig. 17); fore margins of mesepisterna well defined, not greatly wide, concave and evidently depressed, at the same level of the sclerite, laterally well defined; fore area of mesosternum smooth and shiny. Legs slender, both tibial spurs on all legs slender, the external on metatibiae only slightly rounded at apex; ventral blade of claw regularly developed.

Abdominal sternites shiny with very scattered puncturation.

Etymology. The name refers to the red sand dunes where the species lives.

Relationships. The position of H. dunalis is not completely clarified because males, and the features they exhibit, remain unknown. It has a mesosternum as in the Mesogorbatus - type lineage, but we can not refer it with certainty to the group of H. quatuordecimsignatus, or relate it to H. gratiosus (see above). It phenetically differs from the group of H. brunnipes at least because of the unicolour black legs. It has an elytral pattern similar to that of H. gratiosus, but also to that of H. pseudobrunnipes and H. saharicus, both belonging to the group of H. quatuordecimsignatus. It differs evidently from H. gratiosus and H. pseudobrunnipes because of the regular shape of claws, with the ventral blade well developed, the pronotum subpentagonal, shorter and with denser puncturation. The pronotum shape is similar to that of H. saharicus, with marked middle angles, but the punctures are deeper and the intermediate surface shiner; moreover the mesosternum is wider and slightly curved on sides.