Leptaleus chaudoiri (Kolenati, 1846)

Leptaleus chaudoiri

6 specimens [private collection A. Degiovanni; Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ]: ‘ Pakistan: NWFP, S. Waziristan agency near Tanai vill . 28.VII–12.VIII.2005, 1500– 2500m. Leg. Gurko’; 1 specimen [Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany]: ‘ ISRAEL (North distr.) Upper Galilee N. sea shore of Sea of Galilee Klar Nakhum ( Capenaum ) ~ 200 m 32°53.011N/035°34.707’’ E (shore with stones and gravel) 22.IV.2006 D.W. Wrase (4)’ // ‘ LEPTALEUS chaudoiri (Kolen.) det. D. Telnov’, 2014; 1 specimen [Daugavpils University Beetle Collection, Daugavpils, Latvia]: ‘N INDIA, Uttarakhand, left side of Kosi River , 5 km N Ramnagar, N29*432, E79*140, 7– 11.06.2011, A. Anichtchenko & A. Shavrin’ // ‘ LEPTALEUS chaudoiri (Kolen.) det. D. Telnov, 2018 ’; 2 specimens [one each in the private collections A. Gontarenko & S. Blinstein, label text translated from Russian]: [ Russia] ‘ Krasnodar Krai , Lazarevskoye distr., Soloniki env., leg. A.V. Gontarenko, 2.06.017’ // ‘ under stones near river’ // ‘ Leptaleus chaudoiri Kolenati 1846 , S. Blinstein det., 2021’; 5 specimens [3 specimens Naturkundemuseum Erfurt & 2 private collection D.Telnov]: N30°58’25.8” E 035°38’22.5” Jordanien , Afra, N at­Tafila , Bachschlucht (hot springs) 07.05.2010 251m üNN JD 07 leg.: SCHNITTER/SCHELLHORN’// ‘ LEPTALEUS chaudoiri (Kolen.) det. D. Telnov, 2021’; GoogleMaps 1 specimen [privatecollectionA.Degiovanni]:‘ PAKISTAN: Islamabad sect. 7, 33°43’N 73°03’E, 600 m, 1– 15.IX.2012 leg. G. Sabatinelli’ GoogleMaps .

Male aedeagus of Leptaleus chaudoiri ( Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ) appears variable both in general shape (apex of apicale slenderer to wider acute; apex of tegmen narrow and elongate to moderately wide) and shape and dimensions of gonopore armature (narrow to occupying nearly whole inner space of apicale; lateral margins of apicale internally without or with distinct bracket­like emargination ( Fig. 2C View Figure 2 )), maximum width of tegmen at midlength or closer to its apex. This variability does not appear randomly in the studied specimens and can be attributed to specific populations. Specimens from the eastern part of the distribution area (N India, Nepal, Pakistan) have maximum width of tegmen across its midlength ( Fig. 2 View Figure 2 D­E), while the specimens from central and western parts of the distribution area have tegmen with maximum width across apical third of its length ( Fig. 2A– C View Figure 2 ). We tentatively attribute all studied specimens to L. chaudoiri considering that the specimens from the eastern part of the range may represent a separate taxon. Leptaleus chaudoiri varies in external morphology in a somewhat lesser extent: size and density of dorsal punctures on head and elytra, intensity of dorsal colouration, size of pale elytral markings.

Leptaleus uralensis (Pic, 1905) was hitherto considered the only Leptaleus species yet known from Russia ( Chandler et al. 2008, Telnov 2020). However, as pointed out by Medvedev (1975), this taxon was described from banks of Ural River in “Gurjew”, the Russian Empire, which now is Atyrau in W Kazakhstan. Since Atyrau is located on both the European and Asian banks of River Ural, occurrence of L. uralensis in both European and Asian parts of Kazakhstan is expected. There are no published records from Russia exists for L. uralensis and it should be deleted from the list of the Russian fauna. Though, considering a relatively short distance from Atyrau to the Russian frontier and presence of similar, suitable habitats both in Kazakhstan and Russia, its occurrence in Russian Federation is not excluded but requires further confirmation.

DISCUSSION

Leptaleus chaudoiri was subsequently reported from the following countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan (politically Karabakh, the type locality, also belongs to Azerbaijan), Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia (= Sakartvelo), Greece, India (Sikkim), Iran, Lebanon, Nepal, Syria, Turkmenistan, Turkey, former Yugoslavia (all as in Telnov 2020), Serbia ( Uhmann et al. 2005). Telnov & Ghahari (2018) mentioned Mauritania in the general distribution of L. chaudoiri followed by Telnov (2020). Though no published record of this species from the African continent exists, but its occurrence in Egypt including Sinai Peninsula is likely. Additional data on the collecting localities of the specimens of L. chaudoiri are provided by LaFerté­Sénectère (1849a, b) based on the material from the collection Chaudoir : Georgia (town ofAkhaltsikhe and Samegrelo­Zemo Svaneti (former Mingrelia ) Region ), “Persian provinces” [of the Russian Empire]. Schneider & Leder (1878) reported L. chaudoiri from Central Georgia ( Surami ) and Богачев ( Bogachev 1934) – from saline marshes and sides of saline lakes in Azerbaijan ( Puta ; Sumquait ). All exactly known localities of this species in Transcaucasia are from up to 100 m elevation but the record from “Karabakh” is likely from higher elevation. Surprisingly, Leptaleus chaudoiri has not yet been reported from Armenia, a country adjacent to Karabakh region . The distribution chorotype of this species appears close to the Saharo­Turano­Sindian 5.10 STS type ( Vigna Taglianti et al. 1999, Telnov & Ghahari 2018) but also includes Caucasus and Central Asia .

Occurrence of L. chaudoiri in Israel, Jordan and Pakistan was expected considering the general distribution of this species. The record from the Black Sea coast north of Sochi in Russian Fore­Caucasus appears, in turn, highly interesting illustrating the presence of a suitable ecological migration corridor for small­sized Coleoptera from arid Transcaucasia towards the precipitation­rich eastern coast of Black Sea along this coast. In Russia, the beetles were sampled at River Tsuskhvandzh [Цусхвандж in Russian transcription] mouth, from under stones at sunexposed, well­heated sandy­pebble bank at about 3 m above sea level.

Five Leptaleus species, namely L. arabs (Marseul, 1879) , L. glabellus (Truqui, 1855) , L. klugii klugii (LaFerté­Sénectère, 1849) , L. maximicollis Pic, 1893 , and L. triguttatus (LaFerté­Sénectère, 1849) , were hitherto known from Israel ( Telnov 2020). Leptaleus chaudoiri readily different from them in the combination of the elytral pattern, the slender body, and the shape and structure of the male aedeagus.

Leptaleus glabellus (Truqui, 1855) was hitherto the only species of its genus reported from Jordan (see Telnov 2020 for the general distribution). Leptaleus chaudoiri is different in the slenderer body, the dorsally flattened, on basal part strongly punctured elytra, the elongate head with a fine notch at its base.

The genus Leptaleus has not yet been recorded for Pakistan and the present record represents both a new genus and species for the country.