Astenus (Eurysunius) honazicus Anlaş, 2015, sp. n.

Astenus (Eurysunius) honazicus sp. n.

(Figs. 25–32, 36; Map 1)

Type material. Holotype: TURKEY: ♂, “TR—Denizli province, Honaz, Honaz Mountain, 2485 m, 37°40'36"N, 29°17'10"E, 24.IV.2014, leg. Anlaş & Örgel / Holotypus ♂ Astenus honazicus sp. n. det. S. Anlaş 2014 ” (AZMM). Paratypes: TURKEY: 1♂, 2♀, same data as holotype; 3♂, 3♀, 24.IV.2014, Denizli province, Honaz, 5 km SW of top of Honaz Mountain, 37°39'50"N, 29°17'36"E, 2075 m, leg. Anlaş & Örgel (all AZMM).

Etymology. The name is derived from the Honaz Mountain, where the type locality is situated.

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios (range, n=10): AL 0.91–0.97; HL 0.55–0.60; HW 0.68–0.72; PW 0.64–0.68; PL 0.52–0.57; EL 0.38–0.44; EW 0.67–0.74; AW 0.75–0.81; TiL 0.48–0.50; TaL 0.29–0.30; ML 0.56–0.60 (n=5); TL 4.1–4.4; HL/HW 0.81–0.83; PW/HW 0.94; PW/PL 1.19–1.23; EL/PL 0.73–0.77; EW/PW 1.05–1.09; AW/EW 1.09–1.20; TiL/TaL 1.65–1.67.

Habitus as in Fig. 25. Coloration: head, pronotum and abdomen reddish brown, more than anterior half of elytra dark brown, with posterior area reddish yellow; antennae rufous, legs reddish.

Head transverse, on average 1.20 times as wide as long (see Figs. 25–26); dorsal surface convex, with very dense, large, coarse, but rather shallow punctures, and only with subdued shine; interstices reduced to narrow ridges; pubescence short and reddish. Eyes relatively small, in dorsal view distinctly shorter than postocular region. Antennae moderately slender, antennomere III approximately 2 times as long as wide; antennomeres V–X oblong (Fig. 29).

Pronotum transverse (see Figs. 25–26), widest at anterior angles, distinctly narrowed posteriorly; anterior and posterior angles each with a long seta of little more than half length of lateral margin of pronotum; posterior margin convex; dorsal surface with pronounced impressions; microsculpture almost absent; punctation similar to that of head, but slightly sparser, surface somewhat more shiny than that of head; pubescence of similar length as that of head, but less fine and more conspicuous.

Elytra transverse and short (see Figs. 25–26); microsculpture absent; punctation very dense and distinctly granulose, interstices slightly narrower than punctures; pubescence reddish brown, more distinct than that of head and pronotum; posterior margin of each elytron with 5–8 long black setae. Hind wings totally reduced.

Abdomen wider than elytra (see Fig. 25), widest at segments V–VI, segments III–VI moderately transverse, tergites III–V approximately twice as wide as long; punctation very dense and very fine; interstices with distinct fine microsculpture; pubescence yellowish brown; posterior margin of tergite VII with barely noticeable rudiments of a palisade fringe.

Male: sternite VII in posterior median area slightly depressed and with some modified dark stout setae, posterior margin weakly concave (Fig. 28); sternite VIII deeply and acutely incised posteriorly, pubescence unmodified (Fig. 27); aedeagus as in Figs. 30–32 and 36.

Comparative notes. The species is distinguished from all its congeners by the morphology of the aedeagus and different coloration (see above). In addition, A. honazicus is readily separated from A. orgeli, A. gusarovi, and A. kumlutasi especially by the much denser punctation of the head and pronotum, the wider abdomen, and by the ventral process of the aedeagus which is of different shape, particularly in lateral view (Figs. 33–36).

Distribution and bionomics. The new species was collected in only two localities in the Honaz Mountain, Denizli province, in grassland at altitudes of 2075–2485 m. They were found in nests of Tetramorium sp. This species is most probably endemic to the Honaz Mountain.

MAP 1. Distribution of Astenus (Eurysunius) species in Western Turkey: A. gusarovi sp. n. (filled circles); A. orgeli sp. n. (up pointing filled triangles); A. kumlutasi sp. n. (filled squares); A. honazicus sp. n. (filled star); A. sultanicus Assing (filled hexagons); A. occiduus Assing (down pointing open triangle: previous record by Assing, 2007; down pointing filled triangles: present records); A. sandiklicus Anlaş (filled rhombus).