Neopachylopus pharkidodes, Zhang & Lackner, 2025

Neopachylopus pharkidodes sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2–7 View Figures 2–7 , 8–12 View Figures 8–12 , 13–19 View Figures 13–19 , 37 View Figure 37

Material examined.

• Holotype, male, side-mounted on triangular mounting card, right protarsus and left metatarsus broken off, latter glued to the same mounting card as specimen, male genitalia extracted, dismembered and glued to a separate mounting card under the specimen, with the following labels: “ QATAR-Madinat Al Shamal / Al Ghariyah 9.III.2003 / 26°04'N, 51°21'E G. Sama ” (printed); followed by: “ MUSEO GENOVA / ex. coll. G. Sama / (acquisto 2008) ” (printed); followed by yellow, pencil-written label “ 10-205 ” added by T. Lackner in 2010; followed by red, printed holotype label: “ Neopachylopus / pharkidodes spec. / nov. Det. T. Lackner / et Y. Zhang 2025 ”. The type is deposited in the Penati collection at MSNG GoogleMaps . • Paratype female, with the following labels: “ S. Arabia: / Kamaran I. / 7-11 - 1903 / Dr. M. Cameron / B. M. 1928-109 ” (printed-written), followed by printed label “ Sea Weed ”, followed by a pencil-written label: “ Neopachylopus / sp. nov. 2009 / Det. T. Lackner ”, followed by yellow, pencil-written label: “ 09-048 ”, added by T. Lackner in 2009; followed by red, printed paratype label: “ Neopachylopus / pharkidodes spec. / nov. Det. T. Lackner / et Y. Zhang 2025 ” ( MNHN) .

Description.

Body (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ): APW: 0.73–0.77 mm; PPW: 1.65–1.69 mm; EW: 1.85–1.91 mm; EL: 1.44–1.48 mm; PEL: 2.35–2.59 mm. Body oval, convex, reddish-brown, dorsal surface of head and pronotum fuscous; body appendages lighter. Head (Fig. 2 View Figures 2–7 ): frons with microsculpture and indistinct microscopic punctures; medial area with several coarse and intersecting grooves. Frontal stria carinate and complete, anterior part feebly arcuate forward, supraorbital stria extending past posterior margin of eye. Epistoma coarse, carinately margined, depressed medially. Labrum transverse, anterior margin straight medially; setae inconspicuous (broken off?). Mandibles stout, curved, tips acute, left mandible with a distinct sub-apical tooth on inner margin, right mandible with an indistinct sub-apical tooth on inner margin. Mentum (Fig. 3 View Figures 2–7 ) rectangular, anterior margin inwardly arcuate; eyes flattened, invisible from above. Antennal club (Fig. 4 View Figures 2–7 ) globose and tomentose, sensory structures not examined. Pronotum (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ): sides nearly straight and slightly convergent forward in posterior two-thirds, strongly arcuate in anterior third; anterior margin emarginate and evenly arcuate; posterior margin nearly straight laterally, forming an indistinct angle medially. Marginal pronotal stria carinate, complete. Surface densely and coarsely impressed with longitudinal striae and rugae; occasionally intersecting and arcuate medially; a smooth, narrow band along margins present; ante-scutellar area with a single coarse and deep round puncture. Pronotal hypomeron glabrous. Scutellum small, triangular. Elytra (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ): relatively straight, humeri slightly projecting. Dorsal elytral stria I almost complete, slightly weakened and briefly interrupted on basal third in holotype; dorsal elytral stria II present in basal 2 / 3; dorsal elytral striae III – IV sub-equal in length, stopping short of elytral half apically; stria IV basally connected with complete sutural elytral stria, which is linked with complete, albeit somewhat weakened apical elytral stria, which, on the other hand is linked to complete and carinate marginal elytral stria. Humeral elytral stria smooth, deeply impressed in basal fourth; inner subhumeral stria present as short median fragment; outer subhumeral stria absent; all striae (except humeral one) feebly crenate. Elytral disk micro-sculptured and irregularly scattered with small punctures. Elytral epipleuron microscopically punctate, almost smooth; marginal epipleural stria deeply and completely impressed. Abdomen: propygidium and pygidium (Fig. 5 View Figures 2–7 ) with scattered tiny shallow punctures. Prosternum (Fig. 6 View Figures 2–7 ): anterior margin feebly protruding and slightly extending ventrally, posterior margin nearly straight. Prosternal process narrow, knife-like, carinal prosternal striae very approximate, running sub-parallel, anterior ends joined. Prosternal process with microsculpture and scattered small punctures near anterior margin and laterad of carinal striae; prosternal foveae small, well visible. Lateral prosternal striae short, carinate, convergent and attaining carinal prosternal striae at their apical two-thirds. Mesoventrite (Fig. 7 View Figures 2–7 ): subtrapezoid; disk glabrous. Marginal mesoventral stria complete and straight laterally, absent anteriorly. Meso-metaventral suture well impressed, medially angulate. Intercoxal disk of metaventrite smooth, like mesoventrite; longitudinal suture deeply impressed, surface around it slightly depressed. Lateral metaventral stria rather short; lateral disk of metaventrite (Fig. 8 View Figures 8–12 ) slightly depressed, with shallow setigerous punctures. Metepisternum (Fig. 8 View Figures 8–12 ) with coarser and denser punctures bearing long amber setae. Intercoxal disk of first visible abdominal sternite slightly longer than metaventrite, smooth, incompletely striate laterally. Legs: profemur slightly slender; protibia (Figs 9 View Figures 8–12 , 10 View Figures 8–12 ) broad and flat, outer margin with four teeth bearing blunt denticle, followed by another four tiny denticles entombed in outer protibial margin; all diminishing in size in proximal direction. Anterior face of protibia (Fig. 10 View Figures 8–12 ) with rib-like structures. Mesofemora stout; mesotibia rather slender, outer margin with two rows of thickly set denticles; mesotarsus relatively thick, slightly longer than protarsus. Metafemora rather stout, sub-semicircular; metatibia (Figs 11 View Figures 8–12 , 12 View Figures 8–12 ) dilated and thickened, outer margin with four rows of densely set short denticles; metatarsus like mesotarsus. Male genitalia: aedeagus (Figs 16 View Figures 13–19 , 17 View Figures 13–19 ) basal piece short, ratio to parameres approximately 1: 4; parameres on their basal half (approximately) parallel-sided, thence slightly divergent and convergent again apically, apex blunt; aedeagus slightly curved from ventral view. Rest of male terminalia (Figs 13–15 View Figures 13–19 , 18 View Figures 13–19 , 19 View Figures 13–19 ) typical for Hypocaccini ; eighth sternite and tergite not fused laterally (Fig. 19 View Figures 13–19 ); apex of eighth sternite with few short setae.

Female genitalia not studied.

Distribution.

Known from Qatar and Yemeni Island of Kamaran; these two localities are geographically widely separated (about 1430 km; Fig. 37 View Figure 37 ); the lack of specimens from between these two points can most likely be attributed to inadequate sampling, thus the species is probably present along the entire coast of the southern Arabian Peninsula.

Etymology.

From the Greek word pharkis, meaning wrinkle, pharkidodes , wrinkled; named after the rugulose pronotal disk.

Etymology.

Collected under seaweed.

Remarks.

A morphologically unique taxon. The rugulose pronotal dorsum of N. pharkidodes sp. nov. is unmatched among all Saprininae taxa known to the senior author (see also Key to species and Discussion).