Megathous tannourinensis Németh 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Németh, Tamás
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Elateridae
Megathous
Megathous tannourinensis

description: Megathous tannourinensis sp. nov.
(Figs 31, 34, 37, 40, 43)
Type material. Holotype, male. “ LEBANON, Northern gov., Tannourine env., 2 km N Harissa, Tannourine Cedars Nat. Reserve, reared from hollow Quercus, 34°12’34”N, 35°55’45”E, 1750 m, 1.V.-19.VI.2017, leg. A. Kotán, P. Nemes & T. Németh (No. 30)” (1, HNHM). Paratype, male, the same data as for the holotype (1, HNHM).
Diagnosis. Megathous tannourinensis sp. nov. differs from the related species of the region by its pronotum shape, body colorisation, shape of prosternal process and male genitalia.
Comparison with other species. Megathous tannourinensis sp. nov. shares body size and coloration with Megathous lizlerwerneri Mertlik, 2005 (Figs 32, 35, 38, 41, 44) from Syria, but the new species differs in pronotal shape, antennal length, prosternal process and shape of parameres. M. lizlerwerneri has flattened pronotum with elongated and strongly divergent posterior angles, its antennae not reaching the posterior angles (Figs 32, 35). M. tannourinensis has pronotum more convex, with shorter and only slightly divergent posterior angles, antennae overreaching posterior angles by about two antennomeres (Figs 31, 34). Lower part of prosternal process of M. lizlerwerneri almost straight in lateral view, emerges from its two-third (Fig. 41), while the new species has prosternal process emerging from its half in lateral view (Fig. 40). Apex of parameres of aedeagus are narrow and sharp in M. lizlerwerneri (Fig. 44), and widely rounded in M. tannourinensis (Fig. 43). Megathous menetriesi (Reitter, 1890) (Figs 33, 36, 39, 42, 45), occurs in Azerbaijan and Iran (Cate 2007), has elytra 3 times longer than pronotum (Fig. 33) and slender antennomeres (Fig. 39). Megathous tannourinensis sp. nov. has elytra only up to 2.7 times longer than pronotum (Fig. 31), and antennomeres relatively wider (Fig. 37).
Description. Holotype, male. Body length 14.3 mm, width 3.9 mm, convex, elongate, shiny black, legs and antennae ferruginous, pubescence dark-brown to black, long, dense (Figs 31, 34). Head including eyes narrower than pronotum, frons with distinct V-shaped depression medially; punctation umbilicated, dense and coarse, intervals between punctures 0.2–0.6 times as puncture diameter. Antenna (Figs 31, 37) long, surpassing posterior angles of pronotum of about 2 antennomeres when directed backwards, obtusely serrate from antennomere III. Antennomere I robust, shiny, 3 times longer than II; II short, cylindrical, slightly longer than wide, III triangular, 2 times longer than II, slightly serrate, IV the widest, 1.3 times longer than wide, more serrated than III, V triangular, VI to X gradually widened apically, about 2 times longer than wide; apical antennomere longest, subacute apically. Surface of antennomeres rugosed, covered with moderately long, semierect setae.
Pronotum 1.1 times longer than wide, widest at middle, flattened dorsally, with shiny, shallow, partly visible longitudinal keel, without punctures (Figs 31, 34). Posterior angles slightly divergent, with short, indistinct sublateral carina; sides almost parallel, slightly narrowed from anterior third. Lateral carina distinct, complete anteriorly, visible from dorsal view. Punctation dense and coarse, uniformly distributed, punctures rather umbilicated, on disk with intervals on average equal to their diameters, slightly denser toward sides and base. Pubescence moderately long, semierect. Ventral side of prosternal process gradually sloping towards body from its base (Fig. 40).
Scutellar shield tongue-shaped, elongate, 1.8 times longer than wide, flattened, shiny, punctation dense and shallow, covered with greyish pubescence.
Elytra 2.7 times longer than pronotum and 3.4 times longer than wide, moderately convex; sides
subparallel from base to beyond middle, then gradually narrowing to apices; striae regularly punctate; interstriae flat, densely and finely punctate. Pubescence decumbent to semierect.
Aedeagus (Fig. 43) elongated, about three times as long as wide, with median lobe surpassing tip of paramere, paramere with widened apical lobe, rounded anteriorly.
Female. Unknown.
Distribution. Lebanon.
Biology. The two known males were reared from an old hollow Quercus pinnatifida, Tannourine Nature Reserve in Northern Lebanon. Larvae were found in red-rotten wood of the cavity, together with adults of Ampedus praeustus (Fabricius, 1792) and larvae of Ampedus sp. and Elathous agilis sp. nov. Larval specimens were taken home alive in plastic boxes with parts of the rotten wood, adults emerged in the Coleoptera collection of HNHM in June 2017.
Etymology. This species is named after the town of Tannourine in northern Lebanon.
description: Published as part of Németh, Tamás, 2019, Elateridae (Coleoptera) of Lebanon, pp. 127-159 in Zootaxa 4614 (1) on page 140, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4614.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/3241194