Graphosoma (Graphosomella subgen. nov.) inexpectatum sp. nov., 2008

Graphosoma (Graphosomella subgen. nov.) inexpectatum sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype: 1 ♂, ‘SW Syria, Bludan , 1,750/ 2,100 m, 27-31.V.2000, leg. G. Sama’, coll. A. Carapezza GoogleMaps . Paratype: 1 ♂, ‘SW Syria, Bludan (33°44 00 N 36°07 59 E), 1,590 m, 25-26.VI.1998, leg. P. Kabátek’, coll. Z. Jindra GoogleMaps .

Bludan is a locality situated in a mountain valley (1590-2100 m a.s.l.) with relatively rich steppe vegetation in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, about 30 km NW of Damascus. One of the two collectors (P. Kabátek) of the new species reported that he had collected it on an unidentified Lamiaceae .

Description. Ovoid, flat, glabrous, moderately shining, orange with black markings. Body ( Fig. 1) 1.80× as long as pronotum wide, punctate on both dorsal and ventral surface.

Head subtriangular, 0.81× longer (from an ideal line passing through the centre of ocelli to the apex of jugae) than wide between eyes. Lateral margins almost straight, tapering anteriorly to apex; jugae enclosing and widely surpassing the tylus, apically slightly diverging. Dorsal surface of head with transverse rugulose lines and deeply punctate. Length of antennal segments I-V: 0.6-1.06-0.53-0.73- 1.06 mm; IV and V with very short semi-erect silvery setae. Rostrum reaching hind coxae, third segment swollen. Head dorsally orange except for two longitudinal black bands which from behind the ocelli converge to the apical extremity of jugae; head ventrally orange except for central part of gula and a small triangular dot near the anterior angle of eye, both black, and an embrowned submarginal stria along jugal margin. I antennal segment centrally embrowned, II and III yellowish, IV and V brown. I and II rostral segments orange, distal half of II embrowned, III brown except for a proximal and a distal pale ring, IV dark brown.

Pronotum transverse, 2.24× wider than long in the middle. Anterior margin of pronotum behind head slightly concave, medially convex; lateral margins evenly rounded, lateral angle not distiguishable. Anterior third of pronotum with four longitudinal black bands. External bands, at their posterolateral angles, joining two curved black bands running parallel to posteri-or half of lateral pronotal margin.

Scutellum subtriangular with apex widely rounded, 1.4× longer than basally wide, slightly surpassing the proximal two thirds of abdomen length. Base of scutellum medially with a raised semicircular area continuing posteriad in an almost impunctate central ridge extending to the apex of the two central black bands. Scutellum orange except for four longitudinal black bands; external ones, vaguely shaped as an elongate comma, extended along the basal half of the lateral margins; inner ones longer, irregularly tapering apically.

Hemelytra orange except for a triangular embrowned spot at apex of r+m vein; exocorium with central part of outer margin black and an embrowned triangular spot. Membrane for the most part exposed, brownish infuscated.

Mesosternum and metasternum deeply depressed medially, forming an U-shaped central groove. Ostiole at the top of a simple raised cone, without an evident canal emanating from it, opening in front of a shallow circular depression; evaporatorium occupying abouth two thirds of metepisternum.

Legs orange; ventral surface of femora with a blackish spot at the beginning of the distal third; tarsi black except the pale proximal half of the first tarsomere.

Abdomen 1.07× wider than pronotum width. Connexivum flat, punctate except of lateral margins. Laterotergites with large black spots at their anterior and posterior borders. Abdomen ventrally orange with small black spots arranged according to the pattern shown in Fig. 1b.

Pygophore ( Figs. 2 a-c) subtrapezoid, posterolateral angles projected posteriorly. Ventral wall wrinkled and punctate except in basal fourth; medi-an excavation of ventral rim broadly obtuse. Dorsal rim with two lateral teeth bent inwards. Pygophore orange except for a basal blackish, medially broken, belt on the ventral surface. Paramere ( Fig. 2d) robust, regularly curved, provided with a bowl-like structure along the stem and three apical points.

Length: 10.66-10.80 mm.

Female unknown.

Comparative notes. Graphosoma ( Graphosomella subgen. nov.) inexpectatum sp. nov. is easily separated from all the other species of Graphosoma s. str. thanks to the set of characters listed in the subgeneric diagnosis, the most prominent one being the short scutellum.

Etymology. The species epithet inexpectatum (= unexpected) is given in reference to the strange appearence of this species within well-known Graphosoma .