Eucharis ( Eucharis ) arasbaranensis Lotfalizadeh and Rasplus, 2025

Eucharis ( Eucharis) arasbaranensis Lotfalizadeh and Rasplus , sp. n.

( Figures 1–2 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 )

Type material

HOLOTYPE: male, IRAN: East Azarbaijan , Arasbaran Forest, Oskelu village ( 38.85 ° N, 46.8833 ° E, 1670 m asl), 11 August 2021, SN, M. Taghizadeh leg; deposited in HMIM. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis

Body black with faint green iridescence ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (B)); antenna of male with 12 antennomeres, funiculars generally longer than broad (except Fu 2 –Fu 4 and Fu 6 –Fu 7) ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (C)); lateral lobe of mesoscutum mostly smooth medially, laterally sparsely punctured, mid lobe of mesoscutum smooth with sparse punctures with a median longitudinal arrangement of areolation, mesoscutellum punctured, with an areolate median furrow, frenal line indistinct dorsally ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (B), frl); petiole cylindrical and long, slightly shorter than metacoxa and metafemur combined ( Figures 1 View Figure 1 (B), 2(D)).

The new species shares with Eucharis ( Eucharis) gussakovskii Nikol’skaya, 1952 ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (B)) a shiny and sparsely punctured mesoscutum and a smooth metasoma. However, E. ( E.) asbaranensis can be easily separated from E. ( E.) gussakovskii by its body colouration, which is mostly black with faint metallic green iridescence ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (B)) [vs mostly metallic green in E. ( E.) gussakovskii ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (A))]; the sides of toruli without depression ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (A)) [vs with micropuntured depressions ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (C))]; mesosoma punctuate, interpunctures smooth with a few scattered micropunctations ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (B)) [vs mainly smooth with micropunctations ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (B))]; petiole black ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (D)) [vs rusty petiole ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (E))]; metasomal tergites without rusty band along the posterior margin ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (B)) [vs with rusty band ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (A)); antenna entirely black, with basal flagellomeres wider than the distal in E. ( E.) asbaranensis ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (C)) vs rusty yellow antenna, with flagellomeres of approximately equal width ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (D)); fore wing similar except yellow venation in E. ( E.) asbaranensis ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (E)) vs white venation in E. ( E.) gussakovskii ( Figure 3 View Figure 3 (F)).

Description (male). ( Figure 1B View Figure 1 ). Body length 4.4 mm, antenna length 1.9 mm, fore wing length 3.3 mm.

Colouration. Head, mesosoma, coxae and petiole black with slight green iridescence ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (B)); femora distally, tibiae and tarsi pale yellow; metasoma and petiole concolorous with head and mesosoma ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (B)); wings hyaline, fore wing venation yellow brown ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (E)).

Head ( Figure 1A View Figure 1 ). Head 1.8× broader than high in frontal view; eyes rounded and bare; frons longitudinally irregularly striate, lower face irregularly areolate, with scattered minute piliferous punctures and smooth medially (under antennal toruli); scrobal depression impressed and wide, 1.5× as wide as preorbital area ( Figure 1 View Figure 1 (A)); occiput circularly striate, dorsal margin abrupt, occipital margin carinate, the occipital carina difficult to see among occipital striae; eyes separated by 1.9× their height; malar space 0.7× eye height; ocelli forming an angle of about 150°; OOL about 1.3× as long as AOD, POL about 3 × as long as AOD, OCL about 0.3× as long as AOD, LOL as long as AOD, POL about 2.3× as long as OOL ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (B)); clypeus smooth with scattered piliferous punctures, slightly swollen in supraclypeal area, and demarcated laterally by shallow sulcus, extending between deep antero-tentorial pits and base of mouthparts; mandibles falcate.

Antenna ( Figure 1C View Figure 1 ). Antenna with 12 antennomeres; scape as long as broad, smooth, slightly strigose; flagellum 1.5× as long as head width; funicle with 9 funiculars, Fu 1 about 1.46× as long as broad, Fu 2 –Fu 4 as long as broad, Fu 5 about 1.1× as long as broad, Fu 6 –Fu 7 about as long as broad, clava pointed at apex.

Mesosoma. ( Figure 2A–B View Figure 2 ). Mesosoma punctuate, interstices smooth with a few scattered micropunctations ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (B)); mid lobe of mesoscutum smooth with sparse punctures and a median longitudinal arrangement of areolation; lateral lobe of mesoscutum smooth medially; mesoscutum broadly rounded, convex, postero-laterally only slightly extended over tegula; notauli present, deep, entirely sculptured; transscutal articulation present as deep furrow; mesoscutoscutellar sulcus transverse, deep and wide, not meeting transscutal articulation; frenal line present laterally; mesoscutellum punctured, with an areolated median furrow, posterior margin of mesoscutellum irregularly rugose, with asymmetrical lobes produced apically over propodeum ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (C)); propodeal spiracle narrowly separated from dorsal margin, spiracle elliptical and small; propodeal disc relatively flat with raised alveolate sculpture and an irregular median longitudinal carina ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (D)); large triangular prepectus does not reaching tegula ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (A)); mesepimeron and mesepisternum transversely strigose, transepimeral sulcus absent; spiracle broadly enclosed and surrounded by circular carina. Procoxa slightly reticulate, horizontally strigose; mesocoxa mainly smooth, irregularly strigose; metacoxa globose, smooth, with posterior longitudinal lateral carina; metatibia with two spurs. Fore wing ( Figure 2 View Figure 2 (E)) 2.4× as long as broad, venation distinct, mv about 0.46× as long as costal cell, stv ovoid, pmv indistinct, fore wing with scattered black setae, marginal fringe absent.

Metasoma. ( Figure 1B View Figure 1 ). Petiole cylindrical, 5.2× as long as broad and 2.7× as long as metacoxa, 1.2× as long metafemur ( Figures 1 View Figure 1 (B), 2(D)), rugulose dorsally; gastral terga smooth and glabrous; Gt 1 large, covering most other tergites.

Female

Unknown.

Etymology

The species is named after its sampling locality. The Arasbaran forest in the Arasbaran protected area is the ninth biosphere reserve to be designated in Iran which covers an area of 78,560 ha with a circumference of 134 km. The reserve encompasses elevations from 256 m asl in its northern part to 2896 m asl the highest elevation in its southern part. Due to the high diversity of plants (about 1000 species) and vertebrates, especially the presence of rare species such as Caucasian black grouse ( Lyurus mlokosiewiczi Taczanowskai, 1875 ), the area has been protected since 1971 and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) registered it as a wildlife refuge in 1976 ( UNESCO 2024).

Distribution

West Palaearctic ( Iran).

Distribution in Iran

East Azarbaijan province.

Hosts

Unknown.