Dicronychus aldhaferi, Platia & Pedroni, 2025

Dicronychus aldhaferi n. sp.

( Fig. 3, 9, 14, 19)

ZooBank: https://zoobank.org/ A8283429-6AE5-4460-87FA-29BEAEE95A45

Holotype, ♂, SW Saudi Arabia: 10 km W of Al Bahah (19°56’45”N, 41°23’32”E), 2.XI.2023, K. Orszulik. ( CPG). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. – A species that can be compared with D. talhouki Platia & Schimmel, 1997 for the similar colours of the integuments, it can be separated essentially for the smaller size and the shape of pronotum only long as wide.

Description of the holotype

Coloration. – Shiny; bicoloured; head, pronotum and scutellum darkbrown; elytra bicoloured, nearly entirely blackish except for two humeral, yellow, spots extending to the sides but not reaching the suture; antennae and legs yellow; covered with dense, declined, yellowish pubescence.

Head. – With frons slightly convex on the vertex, flat before the anterior margin, the latter sub-arcuate, just protruding above the clypeus;frontal-clypeal space regularly developed; punctuation dense, with punctures simple, approximately of the same diameters, with shiny, shortest intervals.– Antennae reaching theposteriorangles of pronotum,slightlyserratedfrom the third article on; second article sub-cylindrical, shorter than the third; third-tenth conical, on average twice longer than wide, last long as the penultimate,sub-ellipsoidal.

Pronotum. – Long as wide, widest at the middle, strongly convex, without any depressions, abruptly sloping to sides and particularly at base; sides very arcuate, from the middle regularly narrowed to the anterior margin and backwards, distinctly sinuate before the posterior angles, the latter short, obliquely truncate with a very short carina directed inside; lateral suture-like margin complete and not visible in a dorsal view; punctuation dense with punctures simple, approximately of the same size with shortest, shiny, intervals.

Scutellum . – Heart-shaped long as wide, emarginate at middle of the base, gently pointed at apex, slightly impressed in the middle with very fine punctures.

Elytra. – 2.3x longer than pronotum, 2.03x longer than wide, convex; sides widest at the middle, apices rounded, striae regularly developed and punctured, interstriae flat to sub-convex with very fine punctures.

Wings. – Perfectly developed.

Prosternum . – Without impressed V-shaped lines running sub-parallel to the prosternal sutures.

Claws. – Toothed in the first half.

Aedeagus. – As in the Fig. 3 (length 0.825 mm).

Female. – Unknown.

Size. – Length 5.06 mm; width 1.56 mm.

Etymology. – The species is dedicated to the Saudi colleague H. M. Al Dhafer.

Dicronychus saudianus n. sp.

( Fig. 4, 10, 15, 20)

ZooBank: https://zoobank.org/ 1A3C88BD-7AC0-4895-BF74-F13BECF61811

Holotype, ♂, SW Saudi Arabia: Wadi ̓ Amoud env. (17°34’09”N, 42°59’51”E), 9.XI.2023, J. Stanovský. ( CPG). GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. – A species with impressed v-shaped lines at the posterior half of prosternum that can be compared to D. unimaculatus Platia, 2012 from Yemen, it can be separated for the blackish colour of elytra forming a vague spot, the punctuation of pronotum with punctures small and approximately of the same size, the elytral interstriae clearly convex.

Description of the holotype

Coloration. – Moderately shiny; head and pronotum blackish; elytra bicoloured without big contrast, the great part of the disk blackish, humeral base and last two lateral striae from the base to behind the middle, yellowish; antennae and legs yellowish; covered with dense, yellowish, declined pubescence.

Head. – With frons slightly convex in the vertex, flat before the anterior margin, the latter sub-arcuate, just protruding above the clypeus; frontal-clypeal space regularly developed; punctuation very dense with punctures approximately of the same size and contiguous.

Antennae not reaching for about one article the apices of the posterior angles of pronotum, slightly serrate from the third article on; second article sub-conical, shorter than the third; third-tenth sub-triangular, on average 2.5x longer than wide, last sub-ellipsoidal.

Pronotum. – Long as wide, widest at the middle, strongly convex without any depressions strongly sloping at sides and base; sides very arcuate, from the middle regularly narrowed to the anterior margin and backwards, slightly sinuate before the posterior angles, the latter short, obliquely truncate with a very short carina directed inside; lateral suture-like margin obsolete before the anterior margin and not visible in a dorsal view; punctuation very dense with punctures simple, approximately of the same size with shortest, shiny, intervals to contiguous.

Scutellum . – Heart-shaped long as wide, emarginate at middle of the base, pointed at apex, impressed in the middle with very fine punctures.

Elytra. – 2.3x longer thanpronotum and2.15x longerthan wide, convex; sides widest at the middle, apices rounded, striae regularly developed and deeply punctured, interstriae convex with very fine punctures.

Wings. – Perfectly developed.

Prosternum . – Posterior half with impressed V-shaped lines running sub-parallel to the prosternal sutures.

Claws. – Toothed in the first half.

Fig. 12-16. Pronotum.

12. Aeoloides pallidulus n. sp. 13. Aeoloides saudiarabicus n. sp. 14. Dicronychus aldhaferi n. sp. 15. Dicronychus saudianus n. sp. 16. Craspedostethus grosseri n. sp.

Fig. 17-27. Habitus.

17. Aeoloides pallidulus n. sp. (♂ 6.06 mm). 18. Aeoloides saudiarabicus n. sp. (♂ 10.1 mm). 19. Dicronychus aldhaferi n. sp. (♂ 5.06 mm). 20. Dicronychus saudianus n. sp. (♂ 5.6 mm). 21-22. Craspedostethus grosseri n. sp. (♂, ♀) (4.6-4.7 mm). 23. Cardiophoru arabs Wurst, Schimmel & Platia, 2001 (♂ 5.75 mm). 24. Adelocera yemenita Platia & Schimmel, 1997 (♀ 7.5 mm). 25. Agriotes ustulatus (Schaller, 1783) (♀ 8.9 mm). 26. Madadicus sulcator Wurst, Schimmel & Platia, 2001 (♀ 3.09 mm). 27. Buffeventius somnambulus Wurst, Schimmel & Platia, 2001 (♀ 2.6 mm).

Aedeagus. – As in the Fig. 4 (length 0.86 mm).

Female. – Unknown.

Size. – Length 5.6 mm; width 1.62 mm.

Etymology. – The species is named from Saudi Arabia where was collected.

Updated Catalogue (* New for Saudi Arabia)