Elodes sericea Kiesenwetter 1859
Creators: name: Klausnitzer, Bernhard
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scirtidae
Elodes
Elodes sericea

description: Key to identification of species of Elodes sericea species-group   
The following identification key supplemented with Tables 2 and 3 is proposed for the group. As the colour variation is insufficiently known, the traits on penis and tegmen as well as tergite 8 and sternite 8 must be employed for reliable identification.  
1 Parameroids markedly prolonged behind lateral tooth, 0.08–0.15 mm long (Fig. 29, 34), not very distinctly detached from rest of penis. Fore tibiae in JJ arcuately dilated inwards somewhat before their midlength.................................................................................. 2  
 1* Distal prolongation behind lateral tooth of parameroid markedly shorter, 0.03–0.06 mm long (Figs. 10, 22) with the exception of E. persica (0.10 mm long; Fig. 44); parameroids slightly detached from rest of penis, only in E. persica distinctly detached from rest of penis (Fig. 43). – Parameres more or less straight (Figs. 8, 19, 46) except in E. persica (parameres somewhat arcuate; Fig. 42). Sternite 8 (J) without tooth-shaped structure at anterior corners of pterygia (Figs. 5, 17, 39, 47). Posterior margin of tergite 8 (J) either very slightly to distinctly emarginate (depth of emargination 0.02–0.03 mm; Fig. 6) or nearly straight to somewhat arcuate (Figs. 18, 41). Base of bursal sclerite little dilated, not dentate, less narrowed posteriorly or subparallel (Figs. 16, 48). Sternite 8 (♀) emarginate or splitted posteriorly (♀♀ of E. persica and E. gerdmuelleri sp. nov. unknown)........ 3   
 2 Tegmen with short, distinctly curved parameres (Figs. 30, 31). Sternite 8 (J) with more or less distinct tooth-shaped structure at anterior corners of pterygia (Figs. 32, 33). Posterior margin of tergite 8 (J) straight to feebly arcuate. Head blackish-brown, clypeus and labrum brown. Antennomeres 1–3 and base of 4 yellowish-brown, rest of antennae blackish-brown, or antennae unicolorous, brown (maybe teneral specimens?). Pronotum and scutellum yellowish-brown. Elytra brown, apex dark brown (Fig. 35). Body slender, 2.14–2.27 (2.17) times as long as wide. Body length 4.30–5.00 mm. Bursal sclerite with broader dentate base, distinctly narrowed posteriorly (Fig. 36). Sternite 8 (♀) neither emarginate nor splitted posteriorly (conspecificity of ♀♀ not quite certain). Ukraine (Carpathians), Caucasus, Iran............................................... E. eberti Klausnitzer, 1970   
 2* Parameres more or less straight (Fig. 27). Sternite 8 (J) without tooth-shaped structure at anterior corners of pterygia (Fig. 25). Posterior margin of tergite 8 (J) more or less straight (Fig. 26). Head brown to reddish-brown, labrum light brown. Antennomeres 1–3 brown, rest of antennae blackish-brown. Pronotum brown to reddish-brown, scutellum reddish-brown. Elytra brown, suture, lateral margin and apex with a more or less extended blackish-brown coloration. (Fig. 23). Body slender, 2.14–2.33 (2.26) times as long as wide. Body length 4.40–5.20 mm. Tadzhikistan................................................................................................................. E. orientalis Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1973 (♀ unknown)   
 3 Parameroids of penis very distinctly detached (Fig. 43), 0.23 mm long, behind lateral tooth 0.10 mm long. Fore tibiae in JJ bulged inwards somewhat before their midlength, the bulge with weak edge. Sternite 7 with distinct semicircular, 0.07 mm deep emargination (Fig. 37). Plate of tergite 8 hardly emarginate (Fig. 41). Stalk of sternite 8 (Fig. 39) up to bifurcation ca. 0.50 mm long; sternite 8 with triangular sclerotization in middle (Fig. 40). Lateral thorns of parameroids sharply detached, knife-shaped and narrowed outwards (Fig. 44). Head blackish-brown. Antennomeres 1–3 and base of antennomere 4 yellowish-brown. Pronotum and scutellum yellowish-brown. Elytra brown, narrowly infuscate besides scutellum, apex blackish-brown (Fig. 45). Variation unknown. Body slender, 2.53 times as long as wide. Body length 4.75 mm. Iran........................................................................................................... E. persica Klausnitzer, 1975 (♀ unknown)   
3* Parameroids of penis not very distinctly detached (Figs. 10, 21), behind lateral thorn 0.03–0.07 mm long. Fore tibiae in JJ not bulged. Sternite 7 with parabolic, 0.06–0.12 mm deep emargination (Fig. 3). Body somewhat stouter, 1.98–2.38 times as long as wide (JJ)............................................................................................................................... 4  
 4 Parameres slender, more parallel, base not abruptly widened, tip not distinctly detached, transverse structure absent (Fig. 46). Sternite 8 in the middle between pterygia with clearly delimited triangular sclerite (Fig. 47). Bursal sclerite distinctly narrowed posteriorly (Fig. 48). Head dark brown to blackish-brown. Antennomeres 1–3 light brown, dorsal side of antennomere 1 somewhat darker, base of antennomere 4 narrowly yellowish-brown, rest of antennae dark brown to blackish-brown, or antennae plain brown (antennomeres 1–3 somewhat lighter). Pronotum light brown, scutellum brown. Elytra brown, at suture dark brown (many specimens with broad dark sutural stripe beginning around scutellum), lateral margin behind humerus up to apex more or less broadly dark brown, apex mostly blackish-brown, or entire body unicolorous, light brown. Body slender, 1.98–2.38 (2.14) times as long as wide. Body length 3.90–5.50 mm. Greece (western continental Greece and western Greek islands).............................................. E. sericea Kiesenwetter, 1859   
 4* Parameres (Figs. 8, 19) straight, broad at base, gradually tapering distad, posteriorly projecting into distinctly detached tip (Figs. 9, 20). Sternite 8 in the middle between pterygia without distinctly delimited triangular sclerite (Figs. 5, 17). Bursal sclerite subparallel (Fig. 16) (♀ of E. gerdmuelleri sp. nov. unknown)...................................................... 5   
 5 Parameroids before lateral tooth narrowed but not constricted (Fig. 10), without transverse edge. Tips of parameres knife-shaped (Fig. 9), 0.05–0.07 mm long, with transverse structure near the tip. Parameres wider and shorter. Tergite 8 feebly emarginate posteriorly, emargination 0.02–0.03 mm deep. Penis, tegmen, sternite 8 and tergite 8 smaller (for measurements see Table 2). Head brown and anteriorly lighter (J) or completely light brown (♀). Antennomeres 1–3 yellowish-brown, rest of antennae blackish-brown (J), in ♀ also the base of antennomere 4 slightly lighter. Pronotum plain yellowish-brown (Figs. 1, 2). Scutellum light brown. Elytra brown, area around scutellum, lateral margins behind humeri and apex dark brown, humeri light (Fig. 1), dark colour less developed in ♀ (Fig. 2). Legs light brown. Body elongate, subparallel (Figs. 1, 2), 2.05–2.16 (2.11) times as long as wide in JJ and 2.13 times as long as wide in ♀. Body length 3.45–3.79 (3.74) mm in JJ and 4.26 mm in ♀. Uzbekistan.............................  E. jelineki sp. nov.    
 5* Parameroids before lateral tooth strongly narrowed, almost constricted (Fig. 21, arrow), base of lateral tooth with raised transverse edge (Fig. 22, arrow). Tips of parameres not knife-shaped (Fig. 20), 0.15 mm long, without any transverse structure near the tip. Parameres more slender and longer (Fig. 19). Tergite 8 feebly rounded posteriorly (Fig. 18). Penis, tegmen, sternite 8 and tergite 8 larger (for measurements see Table 2). Head brown. Antennomeres 1–3 brown, rest of antennae blackish-brown. Pronotum plain light brown. Scutellum brown. Elytra brown, becoming gradually blackish-brown posteriorly, light broad stripe running obliquely up to the middle of elytra. Legs light brown. Body elongate, subparallel, 2.11–2.26 times as long as wide. Body length 4.79–4.89 mm. Kazakhstan.............................................................  E. gerdmuelleri sp. nov.  (♀ unknown)
description: Published as part of Klausnitzer, Bernhard, 2009, Contribution to the knowledge of Elodes sericea species-group with description of two new species from Middle Asia (Coleoptera, Scirtidae) *, pp. 711-728 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2) on pages 713-715, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5324808