Deretus bezdeki Purchart, 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Purchart, Luboš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Tenebrionidae
Deretus
Deretus bezdeki

description: Deretus bezdeki sp. nov.
(Fig. 1, 2, 13, 19, 24)
Type locality. Yemen, Socotra Island, Al Haghier Mts., wadi Madar.
Type material. Holotype —(13 NMPC): YEMEN, SOCOTRA Island, Al Haghier Mts., wadi Madar, 1180– 1230 m, 12°33.2’N, 54°00.4’E, 13–14.xi.2010, J. Bezdĕk lgt. The paratypes —(1Ƥ NMPC, 13+3Ƥ LPCB): same data as holotype; (23+1Ƥ LPCB): same data as holotype, L. Purchart lgt.; (13 JFCP): Yemen, Soqotra Is.: 28.– 29.xi.2003, HOMHIL protected area, N 12°34’27” E 54°18’32”, 364 m [GPS]; Jan Farkač lgt. // YEMEN— SOQOTRA 2003, Expedition; Jan Farkač, Petr Kabátek & David Král.
Note. The altitudes of the type locality and the locality of the last mentioned paratype differ markedly. Therefore some doubts exist regarding the paratype´s locality data.
Differential diagnosis. Beside the characters stated in the key, Deretus bezdeki sp. nov. can easily be distinguished from the remaining species of the genus by the presence of large tubercles in the elytral interstriae. D. hulai sp. nov. also possesses tubercles but very small ones and furthermore differs from D. bezdeki sp. nov. in the shape of pronotum. In the latter species the pronotum is distinctly transverse with extremely produced anterior corners and with five large acute teeth situated on each side of pronotum (Fig. 13). In D. hulai sp. nov. the pronotum is not transverse but more or less square-formed, anterior angles not extended and lateral margin of pronotum with only several small spine-like teeth (Fig. 15).
Description. Holotype, body length 5.8 mm, width 2.5 mm. Variability of size in paratypes—females: 5.3–7.5 x 2.3–3.3 mm; males: 5.0–5.4 x 2.2–2.3 mm. Body dark brown, shiny (Fig. 1).
Head densely punctate with punctures as large as eye facet. The space between punctures narrower or equal to their diameter. Eyes reniform, not divided by genae. Clypeus with almost straight anterior margin, covered with yellowish setae anteriorly. Labrum transverse, covered with long yellowish setae. Ventral side of head shiny and punctate. Mentum transverse with midlongitudinal and smooth gibbosity. Apical labial palpomere broadened, triangular in both sexes. Antennae filiform, relatively long, covered by whitish setae. Third antennomere prolonged, distinctly longer than the following two joints taken together. Apical antennomere pale brown, longer in males.
Pronotum (Fig. 13) transverse, punctate with same punctation as head. Anterior corners extremely extended (elongated), spine-like. Each lateral margin with five very large and acute teeth. Base of pronotum distinctly bordered, lateral and anterior margins bordered slightly. Anterior margin medially obliterated.
Elytra ovoid, sparsely covered with short yellowish setae, slightly convex (lateral view) with gentle apical declivity (lateral view). Base of elytra bordered only around humeri. Scutellum subtriangular. Elytral striae conspicuous, composed of punctures which are slightly smaller than eye facet. All elytral interstriae shagreened, covered irregularly, especially in lateral and apical parts of elytra, with two kinds of tubercles—very small and large ones. Elytral epipleuron relatively broad and very finely punctate.
Prosternum, hypomeron, mesoventrite, mesepisternum, mesepimeron and metaventrite glabrous, smooth, densely and coarsely punctate. Prosternal process widened behind coxae (ventral view). Abdominal ventrites finely and shallowly punctate, pubescent, similarly to surface of elytra. In males without patches of sensillae.
Legs covered with yellowish setae. Tibiae densely and roughly punctate. In males first three protarsomeres wider than penultimate and apical protarsomeres. Further modifications not present in either sex.
Aedeagus see Fig. 19, 24.
Etymology. Dedicated to my dear colleague and friend Dr. Jan Bezdĕk (Czech Republic), expert in Chrysomelidae and collector of type specimens.
description: Published as part of Purchart, Luboš, 2012, Biodiversity research of darkling beetles on Socotra Island. Part I. The genus Deretus Gahan, 1900 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), pp. 57-68 in Zootaxa 3153 on pages 58-60, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.211332