Parascleroderma astrakhanicum, Fadeev, 2022

Parascleroderma astrakhanicum sp. nov.

( Figs 1, 2)

Holotype. Male, Russia, Astrakhan Prov ., Akhtuba Distr., “BBZ [Bogdo–Baskunchak Nature Reserve], #14–065–01 05, E[asterly] of sandstone rocks SE slope of B.[ol’shoe] Bogdo Mountain [ 48°07′59.3″N 46°49′22.0″E], Merike trap with LED lamp lighting [captured at light in night], 10–11.VII.2014, K.A. Grebennikov leg.” // “? Pseudisobrachium sp. , male, K.A. Grebennikov det., 2016” ( ZISP).

Description. Male. Measurements. TL 3.00 mm; LFW 2.30mm;maximum forewing width 0.88mm; hindwinglength 1.60mm;hindwingwidth 0.50mm; LH 0.58 mm (in dorsal view); WH 0.53 mm; WF 0.30 mm; OOL 0.12 mm; LE 0.28 mm; AOL 0.05– 0.06 mm; WOT 0.18 mm; DAO 0.08 mm; POL 0.12 mm; LM 1.17 mm; LP 0.17 mm; WP 0.58 mm; LMPD 0.45 mm; WMPD 0.37 mm; maximum width of sternum VII 0.21 mm; minimum width of sternum VII 0.13 mm; maximum length of genitalia 0.33 mm; maximum width of genitalia 0.23 mm.

Coloration. Head brown. Clypeus light brown, its anterior margin brown, part around torulus light brown. Mesosoma yellow-brown, metasoma light yellowish brown. Torulus, antenna, palpi, basal parts of mandible and legs pale yellow. Eyes silver. Anteromesoscutum with dark median part. Wings hyaline, veins beige in base and hyaline on plate, pterostigma light brown. Metasoma yellow-brown. Genitalia translucent, yellowish.

Pubescence. Head with sparse and short erect- ed light setae, those being in length up to half of diameter of anterior ocellus. Body in even sparse light setae. Antenna in dense short light setae, those being in length up to half-width of antennomere.

Head. Large, directed anteriorly and ventrally, elongated in frontal projection, flattened in lateral projection. Width of head slightly less than width of mesosoma in dorsal view. Posterior corners of head slanted and rounded. Mandible with five apical teeth (at least four teeth distinct). Palpal formula 4 (or 5? – hard to see): 2. Clypeus small; median clypeal carina low. Median clypeal lobe distinctly angular (or wedge-shaped), with slightly incurved lateral margins and rounded apex, pubescent at margins. Lateral clypeal lobes thin, with weak tubercles on sides, without large ledges. Malar space strongly reduced. Ocelli very large (up to 0.30–0.33 times WF), equal-sized, forming an obtuse triangle; vertex with ocelli elevat- ed. Distance between posterior ocellus and occipital carina slightly less than diameter of ocellus. Grooved area, placed in front of anterior ocellus, equal in length to DAO. Occipital carina complet- ed, low. Eyes large, glabrous, partially embedded in ventral side of head. Head with fine microreticulate sculpture and sparse scattered fine pits located at a distance of length of setae. Left antenna with remaining twelve antennomeres (out of 13), right one with only three antennomeres. Ratio of lengths of first five antennomeres 13:5:7:6:6. Antennomeres II–XII elongated, 2.50–2.80 times as long as wide. WH 0.90 times LH. WF 0.56 times WH. WF 1.06 times LE. OOL 0.63 times WOT. POL 1.90–2.30 times AOL. DAO 0.45 times WOT.

Mesosoma. Slightly flattened dorsoventrally. Pronotal flange with fine folded transverse sculpture dorsally. Pronotum smooth, without modification anteriorly, its lateral surfaces concave. Transverse pronotal carina absent. Dorsal pronotal area subtrapezoidal, with fine microreticulate sculpture, anterior border rounded, without corners, posterior border incurved. LP 0.29 times WP. Posterior pronotal margin incurved, without median notch. Propleuron elongated. Prosternum obtuse triangular, large, with slightly incurved posterior margins, 0.46 times as long as wide. Prepectus large. Anteromesoscutum close to elliptical shape, convex. Notaulus narrow, incomplete in median part, not cellular, distinct posteriorly. Parapsidal signum narrow, located posteriorly. Mesoscutum–mesoscutellar sulcus arcuate, with lateral parts equal in width to central part. Metanotal fovea oval. Mesopleuron elongat- ed. Metapectal–propodeal complex elongated, its posterior border rounded. Metapectal–propodeal disc with thin microreticulate polygonal sculpture, that being condensed in median part, with shiny lateral parts, without median carina and transverse posterior carina, and with low lateral carinae. Disc surface with depression made postmortem.

Wings. Forewing. Vein Rs & M reaching vein Sc+ R at distance equal to pterostigma. Pterostigma large, 0.40 times as wide as long; its posterior side inclined. Poststigmal abscissa of vein R 1 very short, stump-shaped, up to 0.10 length of pterostigma. Vein 2r-rs & Rs long, curved, with two angular inflections: first at distance of pterostigma width, second at posterior end of vein.

Legs. Protrochanter long, up to one-third of length of profemur.

Metasoma. Metasoma noticeably flattened dorsoventrally, subpetiolate, smooth and shining. Segment I weakly stalked at base. Tergites with thin strongly elongated transversely folded sculpture; sternums with pubescence on posterior margins. Sternum VII without medial notch on posterior margin. Hypopygium close to trapezoidal shape, narrowed to its posterior margin, with anterior angles curved upwards; posterior margin not incurved; minimal width of hypopygium 0.55 times its maximal width, maximal width ca 1.60 times its maximal length (without length of median spiculum). Hypopygium with long medi- an spiculum equal to length of plate, and a pair of short anteromedial apodemes laterally on anteri- or corners of anterior margin. Posterior margin of hypopygium with short setae up to 0.15 times plate length without spiculum.

Genitalia 1.45 times as long as wide. Their lateral sides almost straight. Aedeagus shorter than paramere, close to elongated ellipse in shape, its apical quarter clearly with two lobes, but those noticeably not separated, median notch absent. Basivolsella well separated from basiparamere, swollen. Volsella with cuspis and digitus with oblong wedge-shaped processes. Apical part of harpe flattened dorsoventrally, elongated, club-shaped, rounded at apex, with setae at apex and lateral margin.

Female. Unknown.

Comparison. This new species distinctly differs from all the known species of Parascleroderma in the combination of the following characters: (1)the pronotal disc is smoothed, without modification anteriorly; 2) the distinctly enlarged ocelli; (3) the hypopygium is trapezoidal, its posterior margin is not incurved, and the lateral anteromedial apodeme is shortened; (3) the genitalia with almost straight lateral sides (not convex or rounded), aedeagus is elliptical, without a median notch, the harpe is elongated and club-shaped. The species is similar to Parascleroderma fiturcata Argaman, 1988 from Italy in having light brown colour of the body, but differs in the unmodified pronotum anteriorly and poorly developed lateral carinae of the metapectal–propodeal disc. Parascleroderma astrakhanicum sp. nov. is also similar to males of P. cisnora Argaman, 1988 and P. varlinda Argaman, 1988 in the presence of the unmodified pronotal disc anteriorly, but distinguished from them by the light coloration, distinctly enlarged ocelli, straight posterior margin of the hypopygium (not notched), and the shape of the genitalia (in particular, the aedeagus is elliptical and its apical lobe is not noticeably notched medially). This new species differs from P. varlinda in poorly developed lateral carinae on the metapectal–propodeal disc. The differences from another new species from Russia is discussed in the key below.

In addition, this new species is significantly similar to the species of the genus Afgoiogfa Argaman, 1988 from Somalia in the shape of the genitalia (the club-shaped harpe, elongated elliptical aedeagus which is undivided apically, and the swollen basivolsella), but differs in the not tridentate clypeus and the non-notched posterior margin of the hypopygium.

Etymology. The species is named after the region where it was collected, Astrakhan Province.

Distribution. Russia, Astrakhan Province.

Host. Unknown.

Bionomics. This species is nocturnal. According to K. Grebennikov (2016), the specimen was caught from night to morning (22:00–5:00) in a Merike trap by the light of a LED lamp. Habitats of the species are clay steppe and saline land; the dominant plants in the place of collection are Camphorosma sp. , Anabasis salsa (C.A.Mey.) Benth. ex Volkens (1893) , and Artemisia pauciflora Weber ex Stechm., 1775 ( Grebennikov, 2016). The new species was collected in a light trap like P. oriana Argaman, 1988 in Israel ( Argaman, 1988).