Aeoloides saudiarabicus, Platia & Pedroni, 2025

Aeoloides saudiarabicus n. sp.

( Fig. 2, 8, 13, 18)

ZooBank: https://zoobank.org/ 1A9367F1-DAB9-4D6D-8A5C-2D4702B945B7

Holotype, ♂, SW Saudi Arabia: 55 km SW Turabah (20°39’44”N; 41°25’05”E), 14.XI.2023, K. Orszulik. ( CSO). GoogleMaps

Paratype, 1 ♂, same data as HT. ( CPG) .

Diagnosis. – A species allied to A. grisescens (Germar, 1844) for the general shape and size, it can be easily separated for the bicoloured integuments with pronotum totally and elytra partially (sides and apices) dark reddish; the pronotum is less convex and gradually sloping to the base, the punctuation is stronger and at the end in the aedeagus the median lobe has parallel sides while in grisescens are dilated after the middle. Compared to Aeoloides hauseri (Reitter, 1896) , a widespread species from Central Asia to China, it can be separated for the shorter antennae with third article clearly longer than the previous, and punctuation of pronotum with the bigger punctures notably larger than the finer.

Description of the male

Coloration. – Moderately shiny; bicoloured without a big contrast; head and the great surface of elytra blackish; antennae, pronotum entirely, elytra partially along the sides and at the apices, but not well delimited, dark reddish; legs lighter, yellowish; covered with dense, short, declined yellow-golden pubescence.

Head. – Convex on the vertex, flat before the anterior margin, the latter sub-straight, just protruding above the clypeus, punctuation dense, double, larger and simple punctures are more or less regularly mixed with finer, variable punctures with shortest shiny intervals. – Antennae Not reaching the apices of the posterior angles of pronotum for about the length of the last article, slightly serrate from the fourth article on; second and third articles sub-cylindrical withthe thirdjust longer, taken together just shorter than the fourth; fourth-tenth sub-triangular, longitudinally and medially feebly carinate, fourth longer than the following, last longer than the penultimate sub-ellipsoidal, symmetrically slightly constricted after the middle and pointed at apex.

Pronotum. – Long as wide, widest at the apices of the posterior angles, moderately convex on the disk and gradually sloping at base; sides very slightly arcuate, from the middle gradually narrowing to the apices, backwards sub-parallel to the posterior angles, the latter long, acuminate, slightly divergent, bicarinate; inner carina very short and directed inside, outer carina longer and gradually diverging from the lateral border, this complete and in the first half visible in a dorsal view; punctuation dense, double, larger, deep punctures are regularly mixed with smaller, deep, simple punctures with shortest, moderately shiny intervals.

Scutellum . – Sub-rectangular, ridged at base, rounded at apex, slightly convex, finely punctured.

Elytra. – 2.55.x longer than pronotum and wide as it at base, moderately and regularly convex; sides widest at the middle, apices rounded, striae regularly developed and punctured; interstriae flat, finely punctured.

Legs. – Tarsal articles regularly decreasing in lengths, simple; claws simple.

Aedeagus. – As in the Fig. 2 (length 1.36 mm).

Female. – Unknown.

Size. – Length 10.1-10.3 mm; width 2.87 mm.

Etymology. – The name is derived from Saudi Arabia where the species was collected.