(Figs 21, 27, 28)

Type material. Holotype. Ethiopia: ♂, “Abyssinia Kovács”, “Tschertscher [Chercher] 1911.X” (TMB).

Description (male). Body length 5.9 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 21. Morphological character states as described for H. pseudoasemus sp. n., but differing or limited as follows.

Dorsum black, shiny, without greenish or copper luster; antennomeres 3–11 and tarsi distinctly infuscate, blackish brown. Labrum with almost straight anterior margin. Each paraglossa with one setae on outer margin. Meshes on head somewhat obliterate. Pronotum arcuately emarginate anteriorly, with sides rectilinearly converging in basal half and with basal angles obtuse, blunted at apices. Parascutellar (abbreviate) striole present only on right elytron, strongly reduced, and interval 3 with one discal setigerous pore also only on right elytron (asymmetry of both these features seems to be individual characteristic of the holotype). Last visible abdominal sternite (VII) (in male) widely rounded at apex.

Median lobe of aedeagus (Figs 27, 28) bent ventrally before the middle and less strongly curved to the right; ventral margin in lateral view almost straight in apical half. Apex of terminal lamella more strongly protruding ventrally. Spines of internal sac similar in size and situated in medial portion of median lobe.

Proportions: HWmax/PWmax 0.65; HWmin/PWmax 0.53; HWmax/HWmin 1.22; PWmax/PL 1.43; PWmax/ PWmin 1.16; EL/EW 1.44; EL/PL 2.40; EW/PWmax 1.16.

FIGURES 22–28. Harpalus spp. 22–26, H. pseudoasemus sp. n. (22, 25, 26, paratype; 23, 24, holotype); 27, 28, H. merkli sp. n. (holotype). 22, left metacoxa (p.m.p, posteromedial pore); 23, 24, 27, 28, median lobe of aedeagus; 25, gonocoxite; 26, laterotergite, gonosubcoxite, and gonocoxite. Ventral (22, 26), lateral (23, 25, 27) and dorsal (24, 28) views. Scale bars: A = 0.5 mm (23–28), B = 1.0 mm (22).

Etymology. The species is named after Ottó Merkl (1957–2021), the famous coleopterologist, an excellent specialist on Tenebrionidae, the former curator of Coleoptera in Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest).

Distribution. Found in Chercher region (also known as Ahmar and West Hararghe) in Ethiopia. Since this species has fully developed hind wings, its range seems to include also the adjacent territories.

Comparison. In combination of the characters, including moderately transverse elytral microsculpture and additional posteromedial setigerous pore on metacoxa, this new species is very similar and apparently most closely related to H. pseudoasemus sp. n., but can be distinguished from it by rounded, not subtruncate, apex of last visible abdominal sternite (VII) of male and differing structure of male genitalia. In having transverse elytral microsculpture and additional posteromedial setigerous pore on metacoxa, H. merkli sp. n., like the latter species, distinctly differs from H. impressus and H. asemus. Median lobe of aedeagus of H. merkli sp. n. is similar to that of H. parvulus, but the apical portion of the latter species is less markedly curved to the right, and the apex is less strongly prominent ventrally.