Glaphyrus ( Glaphyrus ) calvaster Zaitzev, 1923

History and identity of Glaphyrus ( Glaphyrus) calvaster Zaitzev, 1923 View in CoL

( Figs 4–6 View FIGURES 1–6 , 8, 9, 11 View FIGURES 7–11 , 12, 14, 17, 20 View FIGURES 12–21 , 23, 27, 29 View FIGURES 22–30 , 34–36 View FIGURES 31–36 )

Glaphyrus calvaster Zaitzev, 1923: 114 (primary description); Medvedev 1960: 283; Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1967: 148; Baraud 1992: 406; Nikodým & Keith 2007: 3, 6, Fig. 60 (key, photo of female).

Glaphyrus calvaster Zaitzev, 1923 was originally described from four specimens collected by Witold Eichler, a Polish medical doctor and entomologist, during his work in the former Erivan Governorate from late 1915 to late 1916 ( Eichler 1929). Zaitzev (1923) provided a brief description in Russian and a slightly more detailed Latin description, based on material labeled as: “Hab. Prope Ečmiadzin, prov. Erivan 14.V.16 (4 specimina ♂♂ W. Eichler leg.).”

Medvedev (1960), lacking access to specimens for direct examination, simply translated Zaitzev’s Latin text. Iablokoff-Khnzorian (1967), who studied some type specimens housed in the Museum of Georgia and additional female specimens from IZAY, listed the following material: “Echmiadzin, 19.05.1916, 4 ♂♂, Eichler ( types); same locality, 29.5.1932 (Tamamshian), 5 ♀♀; Parakar, 9.5.1925, 2 ♀♀.” Zaitzev’s original description, along with Iablokoff-Khnzorian’s reference, long led researchers to believe that all type material was housed in the Museum of Georgia (formerly the Caucasian Museum). However, for unknown reasons, the entomological collections of this museum are currently inaccessible for study. Consequently, G. calvaster remained largely unknown to most specialists working on the genus Glaphyrus .

Baraud (1992) mentioned G. calvaster but stated that he had no information about the species and therefore did not provide any substantive details. Nikodým & Keith (2007) offered a very brief description “Pronotum black with blue luster and yellow-brown setae” and included a photograph of a female specimen.

The lack of reliable data led to the erroneous mention of G. calvaster from Iran ( Montreuil 2017), based on two female specimens. However, further study of photographs later confirmed that these specimens actually belong to the subgenus Hemiglaphyrus Champenois, 1903 , which has an unclear taxonomic position and does not include G. calvaster ( Ghrejyan et al. 2023) .

We discovered a little-known paper by Eichler (1929), in which he provided detailed information on his expeditions in the Erivan Governorate. Regarding G. calvaster, Eichler specified the exact collection data, noting that the specimens were collected near Zvartnots village— one male on flowers and three males in flight. He also documented where the “cotypes” were deposited: two males in his personal collection and two in the Museum of Tiflis (now the Museum of Georgia).

The Eichler collection is currently housed at the Zoological Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and these specimens were kindly provided to us by Dr. David Szymroszczyk. Additionally, two G. calvaster specimens were discovered among unidentified material at the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, and one female specimen was found at the Zoological Institute RAS in Saint Petersburg.

Based on the newly examined material, along with female specimens housed in our Center’s collection (IZAY), we have prepared a redescription of G. calvaster . However, the two additional male specimens from the original cotype series were not available for study from the Museum of Georgia, preventing their examination.

Type locality. Armenia, Armavir Province, near Vagharshapat, hills near Zvartnots village—based on the original description with clarification from Eichler (1929).

Type material examined. Lectotype, ♂, present designation (MZPW): Echmiadzin [Vagharshapat], Cauc[casus]. [p] / 14.V. [h] 1916 [p] / Dr. W. Eichler [p] / Glaphyrus calvaster sp.n. Type. / Zaitzev [h] / Cotyp [h] / 5859 [h] / QR-code 64/1963/97 MIZ PAN WARSZAWA 64/1963/97 [p] / Bright-blue octagon; paralectotype, ♂ (MZPW): Echmiadzin [Vagharshapat], Cauc. [p] / 14.V. [h] 1916 [p] / Dr. W. Eichler [p] / 5859 [h] / QR-code 64/1963/97 MIZ PAN WARSZAWA 64/1963/97 [p] / Bright-blue octagon.

Additional material examined ( 9specimens).( 9 specimens). 4 ♀ (IZAY) Armenia:Echmiadzin [Vagharshapat], 29.30.V.32 S. Tamamshian [h, Cyrillic script] / Glaphyrus calvaster Zaitz. ♀ [h], Zaitzev det. [p]; 1 ♀ (IZAY, without pronotum and head) Erivan [h], Malujenco [p] / Glaphyrus calvaster m. ♀ [h], Zaitzev det. [p]; 1 ♀ ( MNCR) Armenia: prope Echmiadzin [Vagharshapat], Parakar, 19.5.2025; 1 ♂ (ZSM) nudipenis J. Dan.[iel] [h] / Glaphyrus kurdistanus Dan.[iel] [h] / Samm[l]ung J. Daniel [p] / Eriwan 1898 Korb [p]/ Glaphyrus calvaster Zaitz. Det. T. Ghrejyan [h]; 1 ♂ (ZSM) Samm[l]ung J. Daniel [p] / Eriwan 1898 Korb [p] Glaphyrus calvaster Zaitz. Det. T. Ghrejyan [h]; 1 ♀ (ZIN) Armenia: Echmiadzin [Vagharshapat], 25.V.[1]934 [M.] Ter-Minasian [h, Cyrillic script].

Redescription. Male. Body moderately flattened and wide. Head, pronotum and scutellum black with more or less distinct violet reflection. Elytra orange or reddish-brown. Ventral surface black, sternum with indistinct violet tint, posterior portions of ventral sternites lighter, brownish. Abdominal callosity brown or reddish-brown. First antennomere blackish-violet, second black, following antennomeres more or less darkish brown. Femora black, sometimes with violet reflection, tibiae somewhat brighter than femora, lateral teeth of protibiae blackish, tarsi dark brown, with blackish distal portion of tarsomere 5. Length 15.7–15.8 mm width 7.0– 7.5 mm ( Figs 4–6 View FIGURES 1–6 ).

Clypeus with subparallel sides, with margins keel-shaped, anterior angles with large, reflexed teeth with rounded apex, anterior margin medially with short reflexed tooth not projecting from head outline in dorsal aspect ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–11 ). Distinct longitudinal carina from base of medial tooth extending to frontoclypeal suture. Clypeus with irregular rather dense and large punctures, bearing short brownish setae; frons with punctures somewhat smoothed, setae long, distinctly longer than on clypeus; vertex nearly glabrous, with single small punctures and short setae. Integument of head with very indistinct shagreen, shiny. First antennomere large, distinctly incurved, swollen distally, with dense and long dark brownish hairs; antennomere 2 about 1/3 length of antennomere 1, swollen, with dense dark setae; antennomeres 3–7 and antennal club with single short delicate setae; antennal club distinctly shorter than antennomeres 3–7 ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 12–21 ). Mandibles with two short wide teeth, dorsal edge (external angle) moderately convex, without tooth ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 7–11 ). Maxillary palps rather long, distinctly narrowed distally ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 12–21 ).

Pronotum moderately convex, widest near posterior 1/3, with sides widely rounded anteriorly and subparallel posteriorly ( Fig. 11 View FIGURES 7–11 ). Pronotal margin keel-shaped. Surface with rather dense and rough irregular punctures and dense and long hairs brownish at base and greyish-yellow distally; anterior angles lacking thick setae ( Fig. 14 View FIGURES 12–21 ); posteriorly pronotum with glabrous and smooth areas (“mirrors”), on each side of midline, anteriorly reaching approximately level of posterior third of pronotum. Integument slightly shagreened, with silky luster. Scutellum large, rounded posteriorly.

Elytra moderately convex, with very indistinct “striped” (costate) appearance; disc with slightly convex rather narrow intervals with indistinct small sparse punctures and costae with finely concave stripes of rather deep and distinct punctures in some areas bearing short recumbent setae not obscuring surface; elytra concave laterally and ventrally of humeral tubercles, with yellowish hairs somewhat longer than on disk, epipleurae separated by weak obtuse declivity nearly reaching elytral apices. ( Fig. 6 View FIGURES 1–6 ). Elytral margins with row of short thick setae. Integument of elytra with very indistinct shagreen, rather shiny.

Ventral surface with long brownish semi standing hairs. Metasternum with irregular rather sparse moderately large punctures, medially smoothed. Incision between teeth 1 and 2 of protibiae arcuate, dorsal surface with distinct row of small punctures bearing somewhat thick dark brown setae ( Fig. 23 View FIGURES 22–30 ). Hind femora rather thin, about 2.6 as wide as long, with dense long brownish hairs, lacking rows of punctures bearing thick setae on ventral surface and along anterior and posterior margins ( Fig. 28 View FIGURES 22–30 ). Hind trochanter rather wide, with sharp tooth laterally ( Fig. 29 View FIGURES 22–30 ). Abdominal sternites with rather superficial punctuation somewhat denser and rougher laterally, smoothed medially. Abdominal sternite 5 with distinct large glabrous hairless callosity, surrounded by irregular thin setae. Pygidium and propygidium with dense bright yellowish setae hiding integument.

Membrane of hind wings distinctly unevenly darkened in approximately distal half ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 12–21 ).

Male genitalia. Parameres symmetrical, slightly incurved with shortly rounded apices ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 31–36 ). Endophallus without lateral bulbs, anterior bulb strongly transversely enlarged ( Figs 34, 35 View FIGURES 31–36 ).

Female. Length 12.5–14.0 mm, width 6.0–8.0 mm ( Figs 8, 9 View FIGURES 7–11 ). Elytra less shiny than in male, in one female blackish-violet with indistinct brownish tint, in other specimens studied reddish-brown. Clypeus with lateral teeth larger than in male, medial tooth distinctly protrudes forward in dorsal aspect. Pubescence of head and pronotum distinctly shorter and somewhat sparser than in male. Punctation of pronotum smaller and sparser than in male; glabrous areas (“mirrors”) larger, anteriorly reaching approximately level of posterior 2/5 of pronotum; pubescence shorter and sparser. Elytral apices with outer margin weakly sinuate, apex obtusely angulate and pulled into irregular tooth. Apex of abdomen more or less retracted under elytra. Legs shorter than in male, hind femora not thickened, 3.1–3.3x longer than wide.

Comparison. Glaphyrus calvaster occupies an intermediate position among Glaphyrus species, sharing characteristics with different groups within the genus. The protibial incision between the first and second teeth is broadly arcuate, whereas in most other species, it is acutely angulate (as in Fig. 25 View FIGURES 22–30 ) or narrowly arcuate, as seen in G. festivus Ménétries, 1836 ( Fig. 24 View FIGURES 22–30 ), G. luristanus Reitter, 1903 , and G. sabatinellii sp. nov. ( Fig. 22 View FIGURES 22–30 ). Additionally, in the latter three species, the dorsal edge (external angle) of the mandible is similarly rounded ( Figs 16, 18 View FIGURES 12–21 ), whereas in all other species, this edge is angulate, sometimes forming an obtuse tooth ( Fig. 19 View FIGURES 12–21 ).

The pronotal setation at the anterior angles is uniformly dense and long, in contrast to the thicker and denser setae found in most other species, except Glaphyrus ( Atticoglaphyrus) modestus Kiesenwetter, 1858 . The metafemur is relatively longer, with a length-to-width ratio of approximately 2.6, compared to 2.2–2.5 in other subgenera, except Eoglaphyrus (2.8). Unlike other Glaphyrus species, the metafemur lacks a distinct row of punctures along the midline, which typically bear short setae (as in Figs 26, 28 View FIGURES 22–30 ). Instead, in these other species, the metafemur features rows of short, stout setae along the anterior and posterior margins ( Figs 26, 28 View FIGURES 22–30 ). Finally, the anterior bulb of the endophallus in G. calvaster is transversely enlarged, whereas in other species, it is either absent or very small and not enlarged.

Remarks. Lectotype of G. calvaster is designated according to the Article 74.7.3. of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 1999) to provide exact definition of this mysterious species.

As previously stated, G. calvaster is extremely rare in collections. According to Iablokoff-Khnzorian (1986), this species, along with another Glaphyridae species, Eulasia eichleri ( Zaitzev, 1923) , once inhabited a strip of light loam soils between Yerevan and Echmiadzin. However, both species disappeared following the complete plowing of this habitat.

Despite numerous entomological surveys conducted in Armenia’s Armavir Province, no specimens of G. calvaster have been recorded since 1932. Furthermore, our research team conducted targeted expeditions to areas with similar landscapes in the Ararat Valley, but these efforts were also unsuccessful. As a result, G. calvaster has been listed as extinct (EX) in the Red Book of Animals of the Republic of Armenia ( Aghasyan & Kalashyan 2010).