A new species of Anisoplia Schönherr, 1817 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from Rostov Region, Russia

Abstract

The nominotypical subgenus of the genus Anisoplia Schönherr, 1817 contains over 50 species, nine of which are known in the European Russia: A. agricola Poda von Neuhaus, 1761, A. brenskei Reitter, 1889, A. deserticola Fischer von Waldheim, 1824, A. faldermanni Reitter, 1883, A. kiritshenkoi Medvedev, 1949, A. parva Kraatz, 1883, A. signata Faldermann, 1835, A. ungulata Baraud, 1991, A. zwickii Fischer von Waldheim, 1824. Three species (A. agricola, A. deserticola, A. zwickii) are typical representatives of the steppe fauna in Rostov Region of Russia. A new species of the genus, Anisoplia (s. str.) khachikovi sp. n., is described from this region. The new species can be placed to the group 7 “monticola Erichson, 1847” sensu Baraud according to the following diagnostic characters: external membranous elytral margin developed to the place of expansion of the elytra, pubescence of the ventral side, the structure of the internal protarsal claw of the male. The new species is habitually similar to A. koenigi Reitter, 1895 and especially to A. remota Reitter, 1889 (both species belong to the group 8 “villosa Goeze, 1777” sensu Baraud), from which it clearly differs in the structure of the aedeagus. However, flatenned parameres allow us to assign the new species to the group of species close to A. zwicki Fischer von Waldheim, 1824 (the group 1 sensu Baraud), within which it is especially close to A. lanuginosa Erichson, 1847. The new species can be distinguished from the latter by the external membranous elytral margin developed to the place of expansion of the elytra. The new species is easily distinguished from the widespread A. zwicki, A. agricola and A. deserticola by the presence of dense hairs on the head and the pronotum, the abdomen, unicolorous elytra.

Keywords

• new species
• anisoplia
• anisopliina
• rutelinae
• scarabaeidae
• rostov region
• russia