Microdera convexa ( Tauscher, 1812 )

Microdera convexa ( Tauscher, 1812)

( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 )

Tentyria convexa Tauscher, 1812: 39 ; Pirnazarov, 1973: 15.

Microdera transversicollis v. parvicollis Reitter, 1897: 235 (nom. praeocc. nec. Microdera parvicollis Bates, 1879 ); synonymized by Nabozhenko & Kalashian (2022).

= Microdera reitteri Kaszab, 1966: 280 (nom. n. nec. Microdera parvicollis Bates, 1879 ); synonymized by Nabozhenko & Kalashian (2022).

Material examined. 25 specimens ( ZIN) , Karakalpakstan , Western coast of Aral sea, 12 km E of Komsomolsk-on-Ustyurt (now Qubla-ustyurt), 11.vi.1972 (G.S. Medvedev) ; 5 specimens ( ZIN) , Karakalpakstan , Western coast of Aral sea, 30 km N of Komsomolsk-on-Ustyurt (now Qubla-ustyurt), 30.v.1978 (G.S. Medvedev) ; 4 specimens ( ZIN) , Karakalpakstan , Karateren Lake (43°13ʹN / 60°23ʹE), 24.v.1972 (G.S. Medvedev) ; 3 specimens ( ZIN) , Navoiy Region , Kyzylkum desert, Bukantau Mts., N Kulkuduk, 13.05.1965 (E.L. Gur’eva) ; 5 specimens ( ZIN) , Navoiy Region , Kyzylkum desert, Bukantau Mts., 6.05.1966 (G.S. Medvedev) ; 18 specimens ( PCNB) , 21 specimens ( PCMN) : Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan , Kungrad Distr., near the mausoleum “Daut ata”, 43°01ʹ43ʺN / 58°43ʹ22ʺE, h= 60m, 26.04.2024 (M.V. and S.V. Nabozhenko, N. Kh. and Kh. U. Bekchanov, U.E. Duschanov) GoogleMaps ; 14 specimens ( PCNB) , 10 specimens ( PCMN) : Uzbekistan, Karakalpakstan , Kungrad Distr., 6.3 km NW “Barsakelmes” railway stn., NE coast of Barsakelmes dried salty lake, 43°22ʹ45ʺN / 58°00ʹ52ʺE, h= 40-80m, 27– 28.04.2024 (M.V. and S.V. Nabozhenko, N. Kh. and Kh. U. Bekchanov, Y.R. Tokhirov) GoogleMaps .

Type material examined. Microdera kaszabi Skopin, 1961 Holotype, ♀ ( ZIN): plate with glued abdominal ventrite 5 and inner tergite VII, “Ср. Или, Илийск, полЫнники на песках 3.05.1958 ” (Sr. Ili, Iliysk, polynniki na peskakh 3.05.1958 N. Skopin leg. ( Russian Cyrillic label), now Kazakhstan, middle Ili River , Iliysk [flooded by Kapchagay reservoir in 1970], 43°53ʹN, 77°07ʹE, Artemisia on the sands), “ Holotypus Microdera kaszabi N. Skopin, 1961 ”.

The holotype of Microdera reitteri was examined previously ( Nabozhenko & Kalashian 2022)

Notes. Skopin (1968) noted wide intraspecific variability of M. convexa and identified three subspecies and five varieties of the nomynotypical subspecies: M. convexa convexa ( M. convexa typical variety, M. convexa var. fortesulpta Skopin, 1968 , M. convexa var. mixta Skopin, 1968 , M. covexa var. subglobosa Kraatz, 1865 , M. convexa var. laevipeda Skopin, 1968 ), M. convexa kaszabi Skopin, 1961 and M. convexa globulicollis Ménétriés, 1849 . He also provided a table with the frequency of occurrence of these varieties and subspecies in different regions of Kazakhstan.

The situation with M. globulicollis is clear: Skopin did not study syntypes of this species and his determinations are incorrect. Erroneous interpretations of the taxa M. campestris and M. globulicollis by different authors, as well as the correct synonymy, are explained in detail in the paper of Nabozhenko & Kalashian (2022).

No one accepted the synonymy of M. subglobosa (synonymized by Skopin (1968) after transfer of this taxon to a status of a variety: M. convexa var. subglobosa ). The status of this taxon needs to be revised or confirmed after examination of type specimens.

The species M. kaszabi Skopin, 1961 was later interpreted as a subspecies of M. convexa ( Skopin, 1968) , that is reflected in the catalogue ( Iwan et al. 2020). We examined the holotype of this taxon ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ) and again return this subspecies to the status of a species: Microdera kaszabi Skopin, 1961 , stat. resurr. This species is distinctly different from M. convexa in many characters: the shiny body, the elytra entirely with coarser distinct puncturation (the puncturation is much finer and sparser and disappears on the opaque lateral sides and the elytral apex in M. convexa ); the lateral margins of gena converging to the epistome and the head is shorter in front of the eyes (the genae strongly diverging from eyes to widest portion and then converging to epistome in M. convexa ), the metatibiae shiny and smooth on the extensor side, with fine and sparse puncturation (opaque and appear wrinkled due to the merging of coarse, elongated punctures or at least coarsely and densely punctured in M. convexa ).

Thus, Skopin interpreted the variability very broadly and underestimated some characters, such as the shape of the head and genae, the puncturation and shine of the elytra, and the sculpture of the metatibiae.

The most variable characters in M. convexa are the puncturation of the prohypomera and the thickness (and height) of the border of the pronotal base. The puncturation and roughness of the metatibia are also slightly variable, but punctures are always elongated, coarse and dense, often merging. Here we illustrate only Uzbek populations from Ustyurt. The specimens from the former southern Aral coast and Bukantau in Kyzylkum do not differ from the East Ustyurt specimens, only in the population from Bukantau the punctation of the pronotum is slightly finer and sparser.

Distribution. European part of Russia (Caspian depression), Azerbaijan (Apsheron Peninsula) ( Nabozhenko & Kalashian 2022); Kazakhstan (western regions, Ustyurt, Mangyshlak, Aral sea region, middle reaches of Syrdarya, Muyunkum desert); Uzbekistan (Ustyurt, Amudarya delta and Aral sea coast, Central Kyzylkum—Bukantau).