Habrobates Semenov 1903

Genus Habrobates Semenov, 1903

Figs 1E–F, 2, 8E –F, 9A–B, 16, 23B, 24A, 26B, 27C–D

Habrobates Semenov, 1903a: 12 (type species Habrobates vernalis Semenov, 1903, by monotypy).

Habrobates – Semenov-Tjan-Shansky 1907: 177. — Schuster 1938: 86. — Medvedev 1965b: 805, 807, 812–815, 818, 825, figs 12–13. — Medvedev & Nepesova 1985: 85–86, fig. 44.

Kawiria Schuster, 1935: 28 (original description, type species Kawiria gabrieli Schuster, 1935, by monotypy). Syn. nov.

Kawiria – Kühnelt, 1957: 86.

Species included

Habrobates agnesae Schuster, 1938, H. gabrieli (Schuster, 1935) comb. nov., H. vejisovi Kelejnikova, 1977, H. vernalis Semenov, 1903.

Diagnosis

Body slender, elongate-oval, brown (Fig. 1E–F) or dark brown to black (Fig. 2A, E), completely densely covered with creamy to reddish (Fig. 1E–F) or brown (Fig. 2D–E) to black (Fig. 2A–C), flat, longitudinally striated scales (Figs 8F, 9B); body length from 6.5–8 mm (H. vejisovi) to 9–13 mm (H. vernalis, H. gabrieli comb. nov., H. agnesae). Body also covered with sparse small granules with yellowish or black setae. Eyes small, circular, convex in dorsal view; surface behind eyes not concealed by anterior margin of pronotum.

Pronotum transverse (Figs 1E, 2A, D, 8E). Anterolateral angles not expressed. Disc of pronotum moderately convex (Fig. 2C, E), with wide, transverse depression in basal third (Fig. 1E) or two longitudinal lateral depressions (Fig. 2A, D). Prosternum short (longitudinal length 2.8 × as short as longitudinal length of one procoxa), without transverse triangular depression along anterior margin. Prosternal process (1.5× as long as wide), not raised and not protruding (Fig. 1F) or raised and protruding beyond procoxae as in H. gabrieli comb. nov. (Fig. 2B–C, E).

Elytra egg-shaped, convex, with 10 longitudinal rows of sparse granules, each granule with short seta (Figs 1E, 2A, D, 9A). Scutellar shield completely or partly hidden by base of pronotum; surface around

scutellar shield without distinct triangular depression. Transverse length of metacoxae 1.6 × as long as intercoxal process of abdominal ventrite 1 (Figs 1F, 2B).

Trochanters with brush of dense long setae. Meso- and metafemora curved outward along lateral vertical side of elytra. All tibiae weakly curved outward. Protibiae weakly widened at apex, outer margin of protibiae with small, spinose granules and long, erected setae along all length and projecting apical process (Figs 26B, 27C–D). Protibial terminal spurs more or less widened and flattened, extending to base of protarsomere 4, mesotibial terminal spurs extending to apex of mesotarsomere 1, metatibial terminal spurs extending to midlength of metatarsomere 1. Outer and inner protibial terminal spurs subequal in length, inner meso- and metatibial terminal spurs longer than outer ones. Protarsi not flattened from lateral sides, completely covered with spinose setae ventrally and simple setae dorsally. Meso- and metatarsi flattened from lateral sides, covered with long, fine setae dorsally and shorter, stronger setae ventrally. Tarsal claws long, thin, curved outward.

Male genitalia

Inner sternite VIII (Fig. 16I) weakly sclerotized along lateral margins and in middle, densely setose, especially at outer margin; anterior margin with short median emargination; pair gland present.

Rods of spiculum gastrale (Fig. 16G–H) widely spaced, arcuately connected at apex; derivatives of inner sternite IX ladle-shaped, evenly weakly sclerotized; apical margin of these derivatives covered with dense short setae.

Aedeagus thickened, robust (Fig. 16A–C). Basal piece of tegmen slightly longer than apical one, rounded apically, widest in basal half. Apical piece strongly curved, glabrous, narrowly rounded at apex; ventral apophyses not expressed, dorsal apophyses thin and short, like furca. Median lobe (Fig. 16D–F) fusiform, curved, bifurcated basally, basal third of membrane weakly sclerotized, apex narrowly rounded.

Female genitalia

Spiculum ventrale (Fig. 16G) very short and widened, without common stem; sternite VIII strongly transverse, evenly weakly sclerotized, with long, acutely angulate lateral apophyses, anterior margin rounded, covered with very long dense setae.

Ovipositor (Fig. 16K–M) very short and weakly sclerotized. Paraproct very short, with reduced baculi (with only weakly sclerotized inner apices); lobe I of coxite with very short baculi (in form of short sclerotization of inner apices); lobe II weakly sclerotized, transverse; lobe III conical, slightly stronger sclerotized; lobe IV not paired and not sclerotized, membranous, rounded at apex, densely pubescent by long setae. Proctiger very wide, widely emarginate at apex, sparsely pubescent on lateral margins and with very wide trianglular baculi.

Female genital ducts (Fig. 23B) Vagina strongly widened, sacciform, narrower before oviduct and after spermatheca, apical part of vagina elastically, sharply curved. Spermatheca short, single-tube. Accessory gland widened at apical

⅔, with thick basal canal and one short constriction between gland and vagina.

Distribution

Turkmenistan (Karakum Desert) and Iran (Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir deserts).

Notes

Only one character, the protruding and raised prosternal process, distinguishes Kawiria from Habrobates. This character cannot be used as the main character for diagnostics of genera within Pimeliini, because it is often used for diagnosis of different species within one genus, for instance, in Diesia Fischer von Waldheim, 1820, Sternoplax, Lasiostola. A complex of other characters shows that the type species of both Habrobates and Kawiria are congeneric: body completely covered by flattened scales without central ridge, head with erect sparse setae, pronotum with microgranules for scales and slightly small granules for short setae, elytra with 10 longitudinal rows of small granules (each granule with short seta) and dense granules along apical margin, width of intercoxal process of abdominal ventrite 1 less than width of one metacoxa, outer margin of protibiae with thin short spines, sparse long setae and projecting process at apex. Characters such as body colour and density of setation of meso- and metatibiae are of species level. Consequently, the following synonymy is proposed: Habrobates Semenov, 1903 = Kawiria Schuster, 1935 syn. nov. So, the following new combination is established: Habrobates gabrieli (Schuster, 1935) comb. nov. (from Kawiria).

It is interesting that Schuster did not compare Kawiria with Habrobates in the original description (but he compared it with Mantichorula and Homopsis), although he noted that his new genus is very similar to Habrochiton. In addition, he interpreted scales on the body as microwrinkles, which give a silky shine (Schuster 1935).

In general, early authors gave unjustifiably high importance to the prosternal process and used this species-level character for descriptions of genera. The same situation with the prosternal process is observed in two species of Dietomorpha and discussed below in the case of the synonymy of the genera Platyope and Homopsis.

Bionomics

Detailed bionomics, behaviour and adaptations of Habrobates vernalis were described by Medvedev (1965b) and Kaplin (2019). Brief information about bionomics of H. agnesae and H. gabrieli comb. nov. was given by Schuster (1935, 1938). Species of this genus inhabit non-fixed barchans sand dunes, but often climb bushes and trees (usually Haploxylon) for thermoregulation. Schuster noted that Kawiria was described from a salt desert, and Habrobates is known from sand deserts (Schuster 1938). However, two collectors, Dr Alfons Gabriel and his wife Agnes, informed him via the privy councillor Professor Meinhard v. Pfaundler, that they collected these beetles (Kawiria) on saxaul barchan sand dunes near Halvan village (South Khorasan Province), without getting off their camels. So, Habrobates gabrieli comb. nov. has very similar behaviour and bionomics to other species of Habrobates, and it is not associated with salt marshes.