The surprising discovery of two new subterranean Leptodirini of the genus Spelaeobates Müller, 1901 (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Cholevinae) from Croatia after more than a century

By

Ćurčić, Srećko
Vesović, Nikola
Vrbica, Maja
Popović, Slađana
Radovanović, Željko
Ćurčić, Nina
Yamashkin, Anatoliy
Radović, Dejan
Yamashkin, Stanislav
Vranić, Sofija
Rađa, Tonći

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

46

Pages

21--46

Subjects

Balkan Peninsula , Dinarides , hypogean , leiodids , new species , new subspecies

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.46.104548

 

Abstract

Two new subterranean leiodid taxa of the genus Spelaeobates Müller, 1901 from three pits in northern Dalmatia (Croatia), S. coriniensissp. nov. and S. coriniensis nonveillerissp. nov., are described. The morphological traits of the new taxa are enumerated and illustrated. These two taxa are placed in the subgenus Spelaeobates Müller, 1901. The relationships of these two taxa and their close relatives are clarified. Data on the sexual dimorphism of the two new taxa and on the intrasubspecific variability of S. coriniensis nonveillerissp. nov. are presented. We also redescribed S. novaki, the type species of both the genus Spelaeobates and the subgenus Spelaeobates and the closest relative of the newly described species. A key for identification of the taxa of the genus Spelaeobates is included. The new taxa are endemic to the Dinaric Alps of Croatia. Spelaeobates (Pretneriella) kraussi Müller, 1903 and S. (P.) pharensis langhofferi Müller, 1931 were found for the first time outside their type locality.