Podistra (Hemipodistra) savitskiorum Kazantsev, 2001

Kazantsev, Sergey V., 2025, A review of Podistra subgen. Hemipodistra Ganglbauer, 1922 (Coleoptera: Cantharidae), with description of a new species from the Caucasus, Zootaxa 5660 (3), pp. 351-370 : 358-363

Podistra (Hemipodistra) savitskiorum Kazantsev, 2001

( Figs 3, 6A, 6D, 7B, 7C, 8B, 8C, 9C, 9D, 10A, 11A, 11D).

Podistra (Hemipodistra) savitskiorum Kazantsev, 2001: 1080 .

Type material. Holotype, ♂, ‘ Russia, W Daghestan, S Akhty, SW slopes of Shalbuzdag Mt. , 3000–3300 m, 9.VII.1994, M. & V. Savitsky leg.’ ( ZMMU); paratypes, 6 ♂♂ and 8 ♀♀, same label ( ZMMU and ICM).

Additional material. ♂, ‘ Rus., E Caucasus, Daghestan, NW slopes of Shalbuzdag Mt. , 3000 m, 14.VII.2007, E. V . Iljina leg.’ ( ICM); 4 ♂♂ and ♀, ‘ E Caucasus, Dagestan, [NW] Shalbuzdag Mt. , 3000 m, 40°21’21”N 47°48’32”E, 9–11. VI .2021, M. Nabozhenko & I. Chigrai leg.’ ( ICM).

Redescription. Male. Dark brown to light brown ( Fig. 3A).

Head transverse, about as wide as pronotum, slightly narrowed posteriorly. Eyes small, flattened, interocular distance ca. 1.9 times greater than eye diameter. Vertex with sparse punctation. Ultimate maxillary and labial palpomeres subequal in size and shape, gradually widening to middle and tapering distally, ca. 1.5 times longer than wide.Antennae filiform, relatively short, reaching over middle coxae; pedicel ca. 1.6 times shorter than antennomere 3; antennomere 4 somewhat narrower and ca. 1.2 times longer than antennomere 3; antennal pubescence on antennomeres 3–11 dense and semi-erect ( Fig. 3A).

Pronotum subquadrate, slightly wider than long, widest at anterior margin, slightly narrowing and almost truncate anteriorly; with nearly straight sides, blunt posterior and anterior angles; lateral bordering incomplete, noticeably less conspicuous near hind angles; punctation fine and scarce; pubescence long and erect. Scutellum about as long as wide, trapezoidal, rounded at apex ( Fig. 3A).

Elytra short, ca. 1.3 times longer than wide at humeri, separate from scutellar area, gradually narrowed towards apex and attaining to tergite 2, roughly rugulose; elytral pubescence uniform, with relatively long erect hairs ( Fig. 3A).

Legs relatively long; femurs robust, tibiae slightly curved and narrow; tarsi long, metatarsomere length ratio 3: 1.5: 1.3: 1: 2; tarsomeres 1–3 narrow, tarsomere 4 deeply cut, widened; all claws simple ( Fig. 3A).

Aedeagus elongate, slightly narrowing distally, with elongate, slightly inwardly inclined parameres, not much surpassing dorsal plate in length; laterophyses not narrowed proximally, distally incised; in dorsal view, ca. 1.5–1.6 times more narrow than dorsal plate at its infuscated transverse line and ca. 2.3 times wider than their incised apex, in apical view; dorsal plate with a single inner tooth at each side, in apical view ( Figs 6A, 6D, 7B, 7C, 8B, 8C).

Female. Similar to male, but eyes smaller, antennae shorter, attaining only to front coxae, elytra conspicuously less rugulose, attaining only to the middle of tergite 1 ( Fig. 3B).

External genitalia with small, narrowed distally styli, relatively short tubular coxites, subequal in length to coxites, and long, narrow, outwardly bent in the middle valvifers, proximally connected to transverse bisinuate proximal apodemes of paraproct ( Figs 10A, 11A).

Ultimate ventrite (sternite 8) distally with approximate paired median distal projections and usually deep emargination between them ( Figs 9C, 9D), rarely (in one of the studied females) this emargination is shallow. Genital tract structure (studied in 3 females) as in P. (H.) lakorum sp. nov., but with duct of spermathecal gland short, tuberculate, hence its connection with the gland almost coincides with its connection with the spermatheca ( Figs 11A, 11D).

Length: 5.4–7.2 mm; width at humeri: 1.2–1.4 mm.

Distribution. Podistra (H.) savitskiorum occurs in the alpine zone of the Northeastern Caucasus (southeastern Dagestan: Shalbuzdag Mountain) at 3,000 –3,300 m.

Biology. All specimens of the type series of P. (H.) savitskiorum collected on the southwestern slopes of Shalbuzdag Mountain were found from under stones in approximately the same conditions as reported for P. (H.) lakorum sp. nov. All of the specimens of P. (H.) savitskiorum from the northern slopes of Shalbuzdag Mountain ( Fig. 12C), on the other hand, were collected at night, actively moving on the surface of stones and rocky outcrops, some of them copulating (pers. comm. of Dr. M.V. Nabozhenko).