ROPALOPUS HANAE SAMA & REJZEK, 2002

(FIGS 15F 1, 18C, D)

Distribution: Turkey (Fig. 20). The species was described from the Buğlan Geçidi Pass located ~ 40 km north-west of Muş (eastern Turkey), but later it was also recorded several times from Mount Yaraligoz in the environs of Kastamonu (northern Turkey) (N. and C. Auvray, 2019, personal communication). Given that the second locality is located> 700 km to the northwest, the species is probably more widely distributed in most of north-eastern Turkey.

Diagnosis: Ropalopus hanae is mainly characterized by its elongate body and parallel-sided elytra with only a slight green metallic lustre, a nearly flat head, lacking a longitudinal furrow between the eyes, entirely and densely microgranulate punctured, strongly transverse pronotum and slender antennae of the same length as the body (Sama & Rejzek, 2002). According to the original description, R. hanae differs from the closest related taxa, R. lederi and R. u. siculus, by its head lacking a longitudinal furrow between the antennal elevations and by the extremely fine punctures in the apical half of the elytra. Additionally, it can be distinguished easily from R. u. siculus by evidently more slender antennae and the entirely punctured pronotum. Body length of the male holotype (Fig. 15F 1): 24.0 mm.

Remarks: The area of the type locality of R. hanae is situated at an elevation of 1640 m a.s.l. The specimen was collected between 22 and 23 June and captured on a branch of a living shrubby Quercus species. However, it is considered by the authors to develop in Acer spp., like the rest of the species in this group. Some maple trees were observed in the type locality (Sama & Rejzek, 2002). There are also records of a further 15 specimens (Fig. 18C, D) belonging to this species that were collected over several years in an Acer – Quercus forest on the slopes of Mount Yaraligozin (Kastamonu environs) in the second half of July (N. and C. Auvray, 2019, personal communication). This plot is located at an elevation of ~ 1400 m a.s.l. According to the collectors, all specimens were attracted to traps that were hung solely on oaks, and this tree species was dominant in the habitat. Although this might suggest a possible association with Quercus, larval development of R. hanae in Acer cannot be excluded on this basis.

ROPALOPUS NATALIYAE DANILEVSKY & SKRYLNIK, 2014

(FIGS 1H, O, 3B, C, O, 5A, B, O, 6M, X, 7L, X, 8K, L, U, 9G, 10I, 11U, V, 12U, V, 13R, S, 15D, 16L, O, 17J; SUPPORTING INFORMATION, FIGS S1M, X, S 2M, X, S 3G, O, S 4G, S 5M, X, S 6M, N)

Distribution: Northern Iran (Fig. 20). The species was described from the environs of Khoshyeylāq in Golestan Province (north-east Iran), but it is now also known from the environs of Marzanabad in Mazandaran Province (northern Iran).

The original description of R. nataliyae was based on a single female. Additional abundant material has since been collected, including several males hitherto unknown to science; therefore, the species can be redescribed herein in more detail.

Material examined: Sixteen ♂♂ and eleven ♀♀, north-east Iran, Golestan Province, 3 km south-west of Khoshyeylāq, 24 May 2018, Lech Kruszelnicki leg.; one male: N Iran, Mazandaran Province, 28 km east of Marzanabad, 18 May 2018, Lech Kruszelnicki leg.

Redescription: Body length: 9.6–21.0 mm. Body width at elytral base: 3.1–6.0 mm. Body width behind middle: 3.3–7.5 mm. Body black; legs and antennae usually brown–black, sometimes slightly reddish. Pubescence of whole body yellowish, most pronounced on basal part of elytra and sides of pronotum but completely lacking in its central part, rather sparse on elytra, denser and erected on head, especially in the front part. Ventral side of body (Fig. 16L, O) with clearly visible, sparse, thin and long pubescence, denser on prosternum and mesosternum. Head between antennal tubercles with visible furrow, sometimes nearly flat; apical palpal joints elongated, triangular. Antennae relatively slender (slightly thinner in females) and short; in males usually slightly exceeding elytra, in females reaching to about apical elytral quarter. Antennomere 1 about equal in length to antennomere 4; antennomere 2 clearly longer than wide (ratio> 1:1.3; Supporting Information, Fig. S3G); antennomere 5 a little longer than antennomere 4; antennomeres 5–11 in males almost equal in length; antennomeres 3–9 in males with distinct apical internal spines (antennomeres 3–10 in females); outer angles of joints distinct but not protruding in spines; apical antennal joint about five times longer than wide in males and about two times in females. Prothorax variable in shape, in males usually more rounded (Fig. 3B, C) sometimes a little transverse, ~1.3 times wider than long; in females usually more transverse (Fig. 3O) ~1.5 times wider. Pronotum almost flat, usually entirely punctate but sometimes with glabrous smooth area near base; punctation variable, usually uniformly dense, sometimes sparser, rarely changing into transverse wrinkles, always dense and small at sides. Elytra black, with only slight brown–green metallic lustre, long, ~2.3 times longer than basal width in males and ~2.6 times in females; shape of elytra rather variable, generally almost parallel sided in males and parallel sided in anterior third, then clearly expanding towards end in females; elytral punctation regular and dense, in anterior part with sculpture more pronounced, much finer in posterior part; scutellum transverse, glabrous and semicircular, usually irregularly dotted. Mid and hind legs clearly longer in males; femora relatively wide in males, much narrower in females; posterior tibiae nearly straight, with distinct erect setae at inner margin. Prosternal process (Figs 9G, 10I) sharp at apex, relatively short, variable in width.

Male genitalia: Median lobe (Fig. 13R, S) rather variable in shape, relatively slender, lanceolate, slightly narrowed before apex. Lateral lobes of tegmen of variable length, ~2–3 times shorter than length measured from tegmental ring to base of lateral lobes (Fig. 11U, V), slender, almost parallel sided; apex rounded, with long hairs concentrated on top and shorter ones on sides; margin of phallobase roof clearly concave at middle (Fig. 12U, V). The male habitus is shown in Fig. 15D 1–4.

Differential diagnosis: Ropalopus nataliyae differs from all other species in this group by its second antennal joint, which is clearly longer than wide. Antennae are distinctly more slender in comparison to R. ungaricus subspp. and R. hanae. Imagines are relatively small, with only slight metallic lustre of elytra.

Remarks: The area of the type locality of R. nataliyae is situated at an elevation of ~ 2000 m a.s.l. Imagines were collected there along a canyon with scattered maples in the second half of May and at the beginning of June. There is no doubt that this species develops in the wood of maples, because numerous larval galleries and larvae themselves have been found on trunks and branches under the bark, and several imagines were later reared from this material. A few different Acer species are distributed in this region of Iran, and R. nataliyae is ecologically associated, at least, with Acer monspessulanum L.

PHYLOGENY

Morphological phylogenetic analysis: The genera of Callidiini exhibit a wide range of intraspecific morphological variation, thus it is difficult to distinguish good and constant characters for particular taxa. For the morphology-based phylogenetic analysis, we are able to score a total of 34 ordered or unordered characters (Table 2; Supporting Information, Table S1). The maximum parsimony analysis based on morphological characters results in five equally long most parsimonious trees of a length of 105 steps. The strict consensus tree (Fig. 21) reveals the monophyly of the Ropalopus ungaricus / insubricus group, with R. nataliyae, R. lederi and R. hanae in an earlybranching position. It also indicates R. clavipes in the position of a sister group to the clade of all remaining Ropalopus taxa considered. Strong monophyly of the clade comprising subspecies of R. ungaricus is underlined. In this group, the earlybranching position of R. u. siculus and R. u. ossae is emphasized. However, these clades, in addition to clades comprising R. u. boreki and R. u. insubricus, receive only weak support. Ropalopus u. insubricus is sister to R. u. ungaricus and R. u. gallicus. The resemblance of the two last-mentioned taxa is strongly supported morphologically, which might indicate close sister relationships between them.

The majority consensus tree (Fig. 22) confirms the above-mentioned results, but R. nataliyae is revealed as a sister taxon to the clade consisting of the remaining species of the Ropalopus ungaricus / insubricus group.