Aulonothroscus koreanus Seung & Han & Lee & Lee & Lee 2024, sp.nov.
Creators: name: Seung, Jinbae
name: Han, Taeman
name: Lee, Seunghyun
name: Lee, Minhyeuk
name: Lee, Seunghwan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Throscidae
Aulonothroscus
Aulonothroscus koreanus

description: Aulonothroscus koreanus sp.nov.
Diagnosis. Frons a paired frontal keel; frontoclypeus broadly bilobed at apical margin; pronotum about 1.6 times as wide as long; length from anterior margin of pronotum to elytral apex about 2.1–2.2 times in male and 2.2–2.3 times in female as long as maximum width; elytral interstriae subflattened, mostly with two rows of punctures at anterior half, and single row posteriorly; prosternal process with marginal carinae laterally, almost reaching anterior margin of prosternum; mesotarsi similar in both sexes; aedeagus about five times longer than wide; phallobase with sinuate lateral margin, deeply emarginate at middle on basal third, about 3.2 times longer than wide; parameres slender, widest at base, slightly narrowed apically, with medial lateral patch of long pubescence; median lobe elongate, weakly biconcaved laterally, about 0.7 times as long as length of parameres.
Description (Figs. 3–4). Male. Body (Figs. 3A, C–D, 4C) 2.4–2.7 mm long and 1.1–1.2mm wide; elongate-oval, convex; widest at base of pronotum and elytra, length from anterior margin of pronotum to elytral apex about 2.1–2.2 times as long as maximum width; surface coloured red-brown, densely covered with recumbent white-golden setae. Head (Figs. 3E, 4A) deeply inserted into prothorax, coarsely punctate, becoming denser posteriorly; frons with a pair of frontal keels between compound eyes, slightly divergent posteriorly; anterior margin of frontoclypeus broadly bilobed; compound eyes large, complete, without emargination; antennae (Fig. 3F) 11-segmented, with 3-segmented antennal club; scape stout; pedicel almost square, as long as wide; flagellomeres 3–8 subequal, closely attached to each other; flagellomeres 9 and 10 about 1.1 and 1.6 times wider than long, respectively; apical flagellomere securiform, about 2.1 times longer than wide. Pronotum subtrapezoidal, subparallel-sided at basal two-fifths, then abruptly narrowed anterad; about 1.6 times as wide as long; anterior margin weakly arcuate; disc sparsely covered with deep punctures, similar sized as head anteriorly, becoming coarser, larger, and denser laterobasally; sparsely scattered with microscopic punctures between large punctures. Scutellar shield subtriangular, gradually narrowed posterad; as long as wide; covered with fine punctures and setae. Elytra subparallel-sided, gradually narrowed posterad from basal third; about 1.7 times as long as wide; surface punctate as pronotum, larger and coarser apically, wholly intermingled with sparse microscopic punctures between large punctures; elytral stria complete; interstriae subflattened, mostly with two rows of punctures at anterior half, and single row posteriorly. Prosternum subparallel-sided, arcuate at lateral margin, weakly sinuate; anterior margin weakly trilobate; prosternal process (Fig. 4B) with marginal carinae laterally, almost reaching anterior margin of prosternum; hypomeron with transverse impression connected with lateral margin of prosternum, forming deep cavity anteriorly and posteriorly; anterior cavity connected with anteriorly open notosternal groove to receive antennae; posterior cavity housing prothoracic leg. Metasternum covered with deep punctures, barely with large punctures medially, becoming coarser, larger, and denser laterally; sparsely scattered with microscopic punctures on whole surface; oblique mesotarsal groove (Figs. 3C–D) deep, well-developed, extending from underneath mesocoxa to posterior angle of metasternum. Abdomen with five abdominal ventrites, strongly connated; abdominal ventrite 1 covered with distinctly large punctures, especially at lateral area; ventrites 2–4 punctate more largely and shallowly, becoming coarser, larger, and denser laterally; densely setose; ventrite 5 rounded at apex, laterally smooth. Aedeagus (Figs. 3J–O) trilobed, about five times longer than wide; phallobase with sinuate lateral margin, deeply emarginate at middle on basal third, about 3.2 times longer than wide; parameres slender, widest at base, slightly narrowed apically, with medial lateral patch of long pubescence; median lobe elongate, weakly biconcaved laterally, about 0.7 times as long as length of parameres. Legs moderately long, slender; mesotarsi (Fig. 3H) about 0.6 times as long as midtibia; tarsomere 1 about 1.8 times as long as 2–3 combined. Female (Fig. 3B) mostly similar to male, but can be differentiated by the following characters: body more elongate, length from anterior margin of pronotum to elytral apex about 2.2–2.3 times as long as maximum width; antennal club (Fig. 3G) less developed, smaller; flagellomeres 9 and 10 about 1.1 and 1.5 times wider than long, respectively; apical flagellomere about 1.3 times longer than wide; mesotarsi (Fig. 3I) similar to those of male; genitalia shown as Figs. 3P–R.
Material examined. (13) HOLOTYPE. Male. Republic of Korea, Deoksu-ri, Danwol-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, 06–27.V.2015, Seung et al. leg., by flight intercept trap (SNU). PARATYPE. Republic of Korea, 2 males and 2 females, Deoksu-ri, Danwol-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, 06–27. V.2015, Seung et al. leg., by flight intercept trap (SNU); 3 males, Republic of Korea, Deokgu-ri, Sangdongeup, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do, 04–18. VI.2015, Seung et al. leg., by flight intercept trap (SNU); 1 male and 1 female, Republic of Korea, Osaek-ri, Seomyeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do, 23. V –05. VI.2018, Seung et al. leg., by flight intercept trap (SNU); 2 males and 1 female, Republic of Korea, Sanga-dong, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 27. V –10. VI.2022, Seung et al. leg., by flight intercept trap (SNU).
Distribution. Korea.
Remarks. Aulonothroscus koreanus is very similar to A. brevicollis (Bonvouloir), but can be distinguished by its elytral striation and structures of the aedeagus. Punctures on elytral interval 1 (between elytral stria 1 and sutural stria) of the new species are similarly sized to those of the other intervals (Figs. 3A–B), but punctures are distinctly smaller and sparser, separated by 2–5 times their diameter, in A. brevicollis. Additionally, two rows of punctures are present on elytral interval 2 at the anterior half in A. koreanus, while a row of punctures is present in A. brevicollis. Structure of aedeagus are also very similar, but long setae on parameres are present only at middle in A. koreanus (Figs. 3J–L), while setae mostly covered nearly the entire lateral surface except the base and apex in A. brevicollis. Aedeagal structure of A. koreanus is also similar to A. longulus, but the latter species has a longer median lobe compared to A. koreanus and its parameres are evenly covered with short setae along the lateral surface, except the base and apex (Figs. 2J–L). In most Aulonothroscus species, sexual dimorphism in structure of the mesotarsi are evident (e.g., characteristic structure in A. laticollis, different length ratio of tarsal segments in many species), but the new species has no differences between males and females (Figs. 3H–I).
Etymology. The species is named, referring to its occurrence locality, Korea.
description: Published as part of Seung, Jinbae, Han, Taeman, Lee, Seunghyun, Lee, Minhyeuk & Lee, Seunghwan, 2024, Taxonomic review of the family Throscidae Laporte, 1840 (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in Korea, the description of a new species with new generic and species records, pp. 267-278 in Zootaxa 5432 (2) on pages 272-275, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5432.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/10898681