Maximus strabus ( Gyllenhal, 1834 )

Maximus strabus ( Gyllenhal, 1834) View in CoL ( figs 1–13 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig )

Bothynoderes strabus Gyllenhal, 1834: 230 View in CoL .

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. Type: Syntypes: “Schoenherr Collection — SMNH ”; the box label: “Strabus Schh., Bothynod. Id. II. P. View in CoL 230.5, 125”. “ Paratypus ”, red printed label, “P dom.?Senobros, Caucas. Steven”, “ Bothynoderes strabus Gyllenhal, 1834 View in CoL , Lectotypus, 2012, Meregalli des.”, 1}. “ TYPUS ” red printed label, “ Persia Falderm.”, handwritten, 1 {. “ Paratypus ”, red printed label, “ Cl : adspersa., Besser. Cy Odessa. Bess.”, handwritten, 1 {( fig. 1 View Fig ). A} with labels “ Paratypus ”, “Cleon: tenebros: e Caucasus: Steven” was examined by B. A. Korotyaev (personal communication) .

Non-type: Turkey: Iğdır Prov., 6 km E of Tuzluca, along Turabi Vill. road, 1017 m, feeding on Bassia hirsuta , 14.05.2019, 20 {, 15}, N. Gültekin; 13 {, 8}, N. Gültekin leg. , feeding on Bassia hirsuta ; 15.04.2021, 40° 3'24.39" N 43°44'34.82" E, 20 {, 15}, N. Gültekin leg., feeding on Bassia hirsuta ; Gaziler Village , 15.05.2020, 9 {, 3}, E. Aykut leg. ; Yıldırım Vura , 15.05.2020, 2 {, E. Aykut leg. ; 5‒6 km W of Aralık, along Ramazankent Vill. road, 854 m, 39°54'52.97" N 44°22'13.84" E, 18.06.2019 4 {, 2}, N. Gültekin, C. Gözüaçık, E. Aykut leg. GoogleMaps , feeding on Suaeda altissima ; 15.07.2020 7 {, 2}, N. Gültekin leg., feeding on Suaeda altissima .

Remark. The lectotype designation has not been published yet (personal communication: Massimo

Meregalli). For this reason, the type specimens cited above are considered to be syntypes.

Redescription

Body size: 10.3–20.2 mm.

C o l o r a n d p a t t e r n. Integument black, scape dark brown in basal half, dorso-apical margin of pronotum dark reddish brown. Scales greyish, on rostrum and antenna piliform. Scales on prothorax and elytra bifid or multifid with 2–3 branches at apex, scales on the ventral surface of thorax multi branched. Scales on metathorax much longer. Scales denser on lateral surface of prothorax forming wide lateral band, arranged in small groups in some areas on lateral surface of elytra, small roundish spot present on preapical prominences. Scales on legs, especially on ventral surfaces, shaped as semi-raised greyish hairs.

H e a d, r o s t r u m, a n d a n t e n n a ( fig. 2 View Fig ). Forehead wider than base of rostrum. Interocular pit small and superficial; eyes medium sized, oval and slightly convex, ventral part slightly narrower than dorsal part. In dorsal view, rostrum conical, medium-long, shorter than pronotum length and thicker than profemur, gradually and significantly narrowing from the base to the place of antennal insertion, lateral surface flattened, subgena slightly widened anteriorly. Median keel wide, convex and pointed like a blade ridge, epifrons with two depressed areas extending longitudinally at middle, two hollow lines superficial on frons. Anterior margin of epistome slightly indented in middle. Antennal inserted about apical 1/3 of rostrum; scrobe narrow; scape thin and curved in basal half, gradually widened apically, clavate; 1st funicular antennomere a little thicker than 2 nd and shorter than half length of latter; 2 nd funicular antennomere elongate, 4 times as long as 3 rd, subconical, gradually widened apically; 3 rd funicular antennomere rather short, 4–7 th antennomeres gradually widened. Antennal club spindle-shaped and elongate. In lateral view, rostrum straight. In ventral view ( fig. 3 View Fig ), scrobes not merged at base of rostrum, occipital sutures cariniform, prementum trapeziform, first labial palpomere and ligula visible, mandible with two teeth ( figs 4 View Fig , C–D), galea+lacina of maxilla with multiple teeth, maxillary palp somewhat longer than galea+lacina ( figs 4 View Fig , A–B).

P r o t h o r a x. Pronotum subrectangular, lateral margins feeble and gradually converging from basal to apical constriction, apical collar distinct. Posterior margin slightly attenuate posteriorly in middle. Anterior margin slightly produced over head; postocular lobe moderately developed. Anterior margin of prosternum emarginate, two tubercles present on prosternum in front of procoxa. Pronotal disc slightly convex, with a thin carina in basal half, extending longitudinally in middle. Lateral surface of prothorax with 15-20 shiny, black, flattened tubercles. Punctures on pronotum small to medium-sized. Scutellum visible in dorsal view ( figs 5 View Fig , A–B). Furcal arms of metendosternite ( figs 5 View Fig , C–D) distinctly longer than lateral arms.

Elytra subparallel-sided in basal half, weakly expanded in middle, then gradually narrowed toward rounded apex ( fig. 5 View Fig , B). Interstriae almost equal in width, interstria III slightly convex in basal part. Striae superficial, narrow and composed of small separated punctures. Humeri poorly developed. Wings fully developed and folded in resting position ( fig. 6 View Fig , A) or reduced without folding ( fig. 6 View Fig , B). Wing venation as follows: C, Sc, RA, MP1+2, Cu, AP3+4 and radial cell developed ( figs 7, A–B).

Legs. Femur stout. Middle part of profemur more distinctly swollen that of other pairs. Metafemur a little longer than other femora. Tibia expand slightly and gradually from base to tip, outer margin of protibia almost straight ( figs 8 View Fig , A–B), both inner and outer edges of metatibia incurved inward at apical 1/3, and widened in an angular manner at tip. Mucro long, premucro of female protibia long and sharp, apical setal comb densely present. Premucro of mesotibia shorter than that on protibia. In males, short and narrow premucro present only on protibia. First tarsomere slightly longer than second, this longer on metatarsi, second tarsomere trapeziform, third tarsomere slightly wider than second and medium-long. Latero-ventral margins of tarsomeres 1–3 armed with series of spines, which are more prominent on 1 st and 2 nd tarsomeres and more densely arranged on metatarsi ( figs 9 View Fig , A–B). Tarsal pads wider under third tarsomere compare to second tarsomere, almost absent under first tarsomere ( figs 10 View Fig , A–B). Tarsomere 5 cylindrical, curved, gradually expanding towards tip, slightly shorter than total length of tarsomeres 1–3. Claws connate basally, and divergent apically.

M a l e t e r m i n a l i a. Penis tubular, in dorsal view ( figs 11 View Fig , A–B), gradually and slightly narrowing from basal to apical half, then weakly swollen, again narrowing more pronouncedly in apical 1/4 and ends in a short, blunt triangular plate at apex. Spiculum gastrale curved ( figs 11 View Fig , C–D), sternite 8 as in figs (11, E–F).

F e m a l e t e r m i n a l i a. Sternite 8 ( figs 12 View Fig , A–B) with short apodeme, internal angle wide, blades inclined inward. Gonocoxites converging posteriorly and bearing a few erect setae, stylus subcylindrical, with 1 or 2 erect setae at apex ( figs 12 View Fig , C–D). Spermatheca Cshaped ( figs 12 View Fig , E–F).

Sexual dimorphism. In females the rostrum is slightly longer than in males, 1 st and 2 nd abdominal ventrites concave in the middle in male, and only 1 st ventrite in female with a superficial sunken area. Protibial premucro in females longer than in male. Male protarsi with tarsal pads distinctly wider than female protarsi ( figs 10 View Fig , A–B).

Variations. Adult body length in “Tuzluca” population ranges from 9.5 to 17.5 mm, that in the “Aralık” population, from 11.2 to 21.1 mm. Median keel on rostral dorsum is sharper in the Aralık population ( fig. 2 View Fig , A) than in the Tuzluca one ( fig. 2 View Fig , B); anterior margin of ligula somewhat prolonged anteriorly in the Aralık population ( fig. 3 View Fig , A), straight in the Tuzluca one ( fig. 3 View Fig ). In the Aralık population, apex of palpiger with dense hairs and a short setaceous hair, lacinal setaceous hairs rather short; four curved lacinial teeth ( fig. 4 View Fig , A); in the Tuzluca population, apex of palpiger with very few hairs, and long seta, lacinial seta short; six curved lacinal teeth ( fig. 4 View Fig , B). Mandibles of both populations look much similar ( figs 4 View Fig , C–D). Mesothorax ( fig. 5 View Fig , A) in the Aralık population is not fused with elytra in majority of the specimens, in contrast to the Tuzluca population where mesothorax and elytral suture are fused in most of specimens. Hemiductus of metendosternite is larger in the Aralık population and anterior tendon is invisible there ( fig. 5 View Fig , C); hemiductus is smaller in the Tuzluca population, in its specimens is visible ( fig. 5 View Fig , D). Wings are fully developed and apically folded in resting position under elytra in majority of specimens of the Aralık population ( figs 6 View Fig , A; 7, A), while in the Tuzluca population wings are reduced in size or intermediate and not folded in resting position under elytra ( figs 6 View Fig , B; 7, B). In male, posterior margin of sternite 8 in specimens of the Aralık population is somewhat emarginate medially ( fig. 11 View Fig , E), and almost straight in the Tuzluca population ( fig. 11 View Fig , F). Apodeme of female sternite 8 with distal widening in the Aralık population ( fig. 12 View Fig , A), and without it in the Tuzluca population ( fig. 12 View Fig , B). Nodulus and ramus of spermatheca are reduced in the Tuzluca population ( fig. 12 View Fig , F) as compared to the Aralık one ( fig. 12 View Fig , E).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China (Xinjiang), Croatia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Portugal (Azores), Romania, Russia (Southern and Central European part, Western Siberia), Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan ( Meregalli and Fremuth 2013; Meregalli 2017; Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2023).

D i s t r i b u t i o n i n T u r k e y. Iğdır ( Gültekin 2018; Gültekin et al., 2021).

B i o l o g i c a l d a t a.Adult and larval hosts of M. strabus are Bassia hirsuta (L.) Asch. and Suaeda altissima (L.) Pall. These plants occur in halophytic habitats in Iğdır Province ( Temel et al., 2017).

Maximus strabus hibernates at adult stage under stones ( fig. 13 View Fig , A), gains activity in early spring, and begins feeding on rosette plants ( fig. 13 View Fig , B). Adults copulate on the ground or on leaves while females are feeding. The eggs are enclosed with a secretion on roots of rosette plants, legless larvae are soil inhabitants and feed on roots including lateral branches ( fig. 13 View Fig , C). Mature larvae make individual soil capsules ( fig. 13 View Fig , D) and pupate inside ( fig. 13 View Fig , E). A new generation adults ( fig. 13 View Fig , F) emerge from soil in late summer. The species produces one generation in a year. The adults have ability to dig themselves in soil and sheltering there at night. In the late morning, adults usually emerge from soil or soil cracks and enter soil before the sunset. In the hottest summer periods adults rest in the soil cracks 10–15 cm deep in as small groups or individually in climbing position.

The observation of mating revealed that male and female individuals accepted each other immediately after releasing to the posts and copulations occurred. Rather small males can successfully copulate with females almost twice as large. This behaviour was observed in natural condition in disturbed habitats and in mating pots.

Observation of flight behaviour did not show any attempt to fly. Daily counts of individuals in open pots confirmed this by showing no decrease in the number of adults.