Ubychia assingi sp. nov.

(FigS. 1–12)

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, ♂: (p) GREECE: SAmOS [34A], OROS AmbElOS, N-SlOpE, 37o47’32’’N, 26o48’28’’E, 550m, SOil wAShiNg, 17.IV.2017 V. ASSiNg. (NMPC). PARATYPES (4♂, 6♀): ThE SAmE dATA AS holotype (1♂, 1♀, in BMNH; 2♂, 4♀, in CPH [one male and one female disarticulated and in Euparal on slides on pins]; 1♂, 1♀ in CMNC.

Description. BOdy ShiNy, lighT REddiSh-bROwN; ANTENNAE SlighTly pAlER; SETATiON ShORT ON hEAd, lONgER ON pronotum and elytra; apex of rostrum with dense setae. Length of ♂: 1.95–2.05 mm, of ♀: 2.25–2.30 mm; maximum elytral width of ♂: 0.58–0.60 mm, ♀: 0.66–0.68 mm. Head capsule globular, embedded in pronotum; EyES cOmplETEly AbSENT; ROSTRUm lONg, pARAllEl SidEd, dOwNcURvEd, SEpARATEd fROm hEAd cApSUlE by wEAk dORSAl cONSTRicTiON; ANTENNAl SOckET NOT viSiblE iN dORSAl viEw; ROSTRUm ENlARgEd AbOvE ANTENNAl iNSERTiON; ScRObE lONg, pARAllEl TO bOTTOm EdgE Of ROSTRUm, REAchiNg hEAd cApSUlE, wiTh dORSAl SURfAcE ShAgREENEd. ANTENNAE (Fig. 1) wiTh 5-SEgmENTEd fUNiclE; ScApE pEdUNcUlATE, lONg, AbOUT 1.4 TimES AS lONg AS fUNiclE. FUNiclE ANTENNOmERE I AbOUT 1.5 TimES AS lONg AS II; II–IV SUbEqUAl, AS lONg AS widE; V clEARly TRANSvERSE. ANTENNAl clUb clEARly lONgER ThAN fUNiclE ANTENNOmERES II–V cOmbiNEd. PRONOTUm 1.16–1.22 mm lONgER ThAN widE ANd SlighTly lONgER ThAN hEAd; ANTERiOR mARgiN STRAighT, SidES EvENly ROUNdEd, mAXimUm widTh SlighTly bEfORE middlE Of ANTERiOR hAlf. ElyTRA ElONgATE, pARAllEl-SidEd, AbOUT 1.75–1.80 TimES AS lONg AS widE, 2.05–2.20 TimES AS lONg AS pRONOTUm ANd 1.40–1.45 TimES AS widE AS pRONOTUm; wiTh 5 liNES Of UNEvENly lOcATEd ShAllOw pUNcTURES. All lEgS flAT; fEmORA EdENTATE; fORE- (Fig. 2) ANd mid- (Fig. 3) TibiA wiTh lARgE mEdiAN TOOTh; hiNd TibiA (Fig. 4) wiTh lARgE pREApicAl TOOTh. MAlE TERmiNAliA: STERNiTE IX (Fig. 5) SymmETRicAl iN bASAl ThREE fOURThS, SlighTly cURvEd iN ApicAl fOURTh; bASAl ARmS SlENdER, SEpARATEd, STRONgly divERgENT. TEgmEN (Fig. 6) mOdERATEly lONg; wiTh ONE lARgE, mOdERATEly lONg pARAmERES; mANUbRiUm SlighTly mORE ThAN TwicE AS lONg AS RiNg. PENiS (FigS. 6, 7) mOdERATEly ShORT, AbOUT hAlf ThE lENgTh Of TEmONES; wiTh TRUNcATE ApEX. FEmAlE TERmiNAliA: STERNiTE VIII (Fig. 8) SymmETRicAl; wiTh ApOdEmE lONg ANd SlENdER; bASAl ARmS SlENdER, SEpARATEd, STRONgly divERgENT, AbOUT ONE qUARTER ThE lENgTh Of STERNiTE VIII lENgTh. SpERmAThEcA (FigS. 9 A, b, c) vARiAblE iN ShApE; wiTh REgUlARly cURvEd, qUESTiON mARk-likE-ShApEd cORpUS; cORNU TApEREd; RAmUS AbSENT OR iNdiSTiNcT; NOdUlUS iNdiSTicT.

Differential diagnosis. Ubychia assingi cAN bE SEpARATEd fROm iTS cONgENERS by ThE cOmbiNATiON Of ThE fOllOwiNg chARAcTER STATES: 1) fUNiclE 5-SEgmENTEd; 2) fUNiclE ANTENNOmERE I AbOUT 1.5 TimES AS lONg AS II; 3) ANTENNAl clUb clEARly lONgER ThAN cOmbiNEd lENgThS Of fUNiclE ANTENNOmERES II–IV cOmbiNEd; 4) ANTERiOR pRONOTAl mARgiN STRAighT; 5) SETATiON ON pRONOTUm ANd ElyTRA lONg; 6) ElyTRA wiTh fivE liNES Of pUNcTURES.

Remarks. Ubychia assingi hAS A 5-SEgmENTEd fUNiclE; ThiS chARAcTER iS ShAREd wiTh U. stygia ROST, 1893, U. ganglbaueri (REiTTER, 1912), U. icari OSEllA, 1980 ANd U. solochaul STRUyvE, 2010. All OThER SpEciES Of Ubychia hAvE A 6-SEgmENTEd fUNiclE. FROm U. ganglbaueri, ThE NEw SpEciES diffERS by hAviNg A STRAighT ANTERiOR pRONOTAl mARgiN; iN U. ganglbaueri iT iS EvENly ROUNdEd. FROm ThE clOSEly AllOpATRic U. icari, ThE NEw SpEciES diffERS by ThE lONgER SETATiON ON ThE pRONOTUm ANd ElyTRA, ThE fivE liNES Of pUNcTURES ON ThE ElyTRA vERSUS SiX, ThE fUNiclE ANTENNOmERE I AbOUT 1.5 TimES lONgER ThAN II vERSUS SUbEqUAl iN lENgTh, ANd ThE ANTENNAl clUb ThAT iS clEARly lONgER ThAN cOmbiNEd lENgThS Of fUNiclE ANTENNOmERES II–IV vERSUS SlighTly lONgER. TwO CAUcASiAN SpEciES, U. rothi ANd U. solochaul, ARE difficUlT TO diAgNOSE pREciSEly. ThE dEpOSiTiON Of ThE TypE Of U. rothi iS UNkNOwN ANd ThiS SpEciES wAS NOT AvAilAblE fOR ThE REviSiON Of OSEllA (1977). ThE dEScRipTiON Of ThE SpEciES REflEcTS ThE USUAl STANdARd Of TAXONOmy AT ThE ENd Of ThE 19th cENTURy, E.g., iN lAckiNg iNfORmATiON ON TERmiNAliA. ThE REcENT dEScRipTiON Of ONE fEmAlE Of U. solochaul (STRUyvE 2010) iS AlSO iNSUfficiENT ANd ThE ANTENNAE ANd fEmAlE TERmiNAliA wERE NOT dEScRibEd. BOTh SpEciES OccUR iN ThE wESTERN CAUcASUS. AlThOUgh ThE EXAcT lOcAliTy Of U. rothi iS UNkNOwN, ThiS SpEciES diffERS SigNificANTly iN SizE: 2.0 mm (U. rothi) AgAiNST 2.5 mm (U. solochaul). ThE SizE Of U. rothi iS wiThiN ThE RANgE Of ThE SizE Of U. assingi, bUT ThiS SpEciES diffERS fROm U. assingi iN hAviNg ElyTRA 1.5 TimES AS lONg AS widE (vERSUS 1.75–1.80 TimES AS lONg AS widE iN U. assingi), ANd iN ThE vERy ShORT SETATiON ON ThE pRONOTUm ANd ElyTRA. BOTh CAUcASiAN SpEciES ARE AlSO wEll-SEpARATEd gEOgRAphicAlly.

Biology. ThE SpEcimENS wERE wAShEd fROm SOil iN A dRy STREAm bEd (Fig. 10) wiTh bUShES ANd AN Old Platanus TRUNk (Fig. 11) AT AN AlTiTUdE Of 550 m.

Etymology. PATRONymic; NAmEd AfTER VOlkER ASSiNg (HANNOvER, GERmANy), AN EXcEllENT SpEciAliST ON STAphyliNidAE ANd cOllEcTOR Of ThE TypE SpEcimENS.

Distribution. GREEcE, SAmOS ISlANd