Podistra (Hemipodistra) lakorum Kazantsev et Savitsky, 2025

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 : 354-355

Podistra (Hemipodistra) lakorum Kazantsev et Savitsky sp. nov.

( Figs 4, 6E, 6F, 7D–7F, 8D–8F, 9E, 9F, 10B–10D, 11B, 11C).

Material. Holotype: ♂, [NE Caucasus], Dagestan, N slopes of Dyultydag Mt. Range, 9 km S Burshi, right side of Artsalinekh Gorge , 2950 m, 41°56’51”N 47°04’34”E, 10.VI.2023, V. Yu. Savitsky leg. ( ZMMU) . Paratypes: 7 ♂♂ and 10 ♀♀, collected with holotype (5 ♂♂ and 7 ♀♀, ZMMU, and 2 ♂♂ and 3 ♀♀, ICM). [5 ♂♂ (including holotype) and 4 ♀♀ are glued on rectangular transparent plastic or cardboard plates; 3 ♂♂ and 5 ♀♀ are stored in tubes with 70% alcohol (including 3 ♂♂ and 1 ♀ with remainder of pupa exuviae)] .

Description. Male. Dark brown; elytra, except at humeri, femurs proximally and tibiae distally light brown ( Fig. 4A).

Head transverse, about as wide as pronotum, slightly narrowed posteriorly. Eyes small, semi-spherical, interocular distance ca. 2.5 times greater than eye longitudinal diameter. Vertex with dense, moderately coarse punctation. Ultimate maxillary and labial palpomeres subequal in size and shape, gradually widening towards the middle and tapering distally, ca. 1.8 times longer than wide. Antennae filiform, relatively short, not quite attaining to the middle coxae; pedicel ca. 1.3 times shorter than antennomere 3; antennomere 4 somewhat narrower and ca. 1.1 times longer than antennomere 3; antennal pubescence on antennomeres 3–11 dense and decumbent ( Fig. 4A).

Pronotum subquadrate, widest at anterior margin, almost truncate anteriorly; with nearly straight sides, blunt posterior and anterior angles; lateral bordering incomplete, noticeably less conspicuous near hind angles; punctation fine and sparse; pubescence long and erect. Scutellum transverse, trapezoidal, rounded at apex ( Fig. 4A).

Elytra short, only ca. 1.2 times longer than wide at humeri, each pear-shaped, abruptly narrowing from proximal third, with indistinct rugosity; elytral pubescence uniform, with relatively long erect or sub-erect hairs ( Fig. 4A).

Legs relatively long; femurs robust, tibiae narrow and noticeably curved proximally; tarsi long, metatarsomere length ratio 4.5: 2.2: 1.7: 1: 2.7; all tarsomeres 1–3 narrow, tarsomere 4 deeply cut, widened; all claws simple ( Fig. 4A).

Aedeagus elongate, slightly narrowing distally, with elongate, slightly inwardly inclined parameres, not much surpassing dorsal plate in length; laterophyses noticeably narrowed proximally, distally rounded; in dorsal view, only 1.3 times narrower than dorsal plate at its infuscated transverse line and ca. 3.8 times wider than their incised apex, in apical view; dorsal plate with elongate dented inner thickening at each side, in apical view; phallobase with wide semi-circular proximal emargination medially ( Figs 6E, 6F, 7D–7F, 8D–8F).

Female. Similar to male, but eyes smaller, interocular distance ca. 3 times greater than eye diameter, antennae shorter, attaining only to posterior pronotal margin ( Fig. 4B).

Ultimate ventrite (sternite 8) with relatively broadly separated paired median distal projections ( Figs 9E, 9F).

External genitalia with small, narrowed distally styli, relatively short tubular coxites, ca. 2.5 times longer than styli, and long, narrow, outwardly bent in the middle valvifers, proximally connected to transverse bisinuate proximal apodemes of paraproct; paraproct distally trapezoidal, medially incised, laterally distinctly convex before the swollen distal portion; internal genitalia (genital tract, studied in five specimens) with massive elongate vagina, transverse copulatory purse (bursa copulatrix), separated from vagina by distinct constriction and considerably shorter than vagina, long spiral spermatheca, elongate narrow accessary gland with an oval bump at base, and long, semi-spiral diverticulus; spermatheca and diverticulus proximally noticeably wider than distally; duct of spermathecal gland well developed, but much shorter than spermatheca ( Figs 10B–10D, 11B, 11C).

Length: 6.5–9.8 mm (males) and 9.0– 12.5 mm (females); width at humeri: 1.2–1.8 mm.

Diagnosis. Podistra (H.) lakorum sp. nov. may be distinguished from P. (H.) motschulskyi and P. (H.) savitskiorum — both also living in the alpine zone of Dagestan mountains — by the pear-shaped elytra, abruptly narrowed in distal two thirds ( Fig. 4), and by the narrowed proximally and broader (only 1.3 times narrower than dorsal plate at the infuscated transverse line) laterophyses ( Figs 6E, 6F, 7D–7F, 8D–8F), vs not narrowed proximally and 1.5–1.6 times more narrow than dorsal plate at the infuscated transverse laterophyses in P. (H.) motschulskyi and P. (H.) savitskiorum . The female of P. (H.) lakorum sp. nov. may be differentiated from the similar P. (H.) savitskiorum by the relatively small and broadly separated paired median distal projections on the distal margin of sternite 8 ( Figs 9E, 9F) (closer and larger in savitskiorum ). The new species is also readily separable from P. (H.) birnbacheri and P. (H.) rupicola , from the Alps, by the incomplete lateral bordering of the pronotum and the distinctly shorter elytra ( Fig. 4).

Etymology. The name of the new species is derived from the Laks, an ethnic group inhabiting the area around the village Burshi, where the type series was collected.

Variation. Some of the paratypes have yellowish brown spots in the anterior half of pronotum and lighter tibiae (e.g., Fig. 4B). One female paratype has approximate paired median distal projections on the distal margin of ventrite 8, almost as in P. (H.) savitskiorum .

Biology. All specimens were collected in the alpine zone under relatively large stones in the more levelled moderately wet area ( Fig. 12, B). On June, 10 three imagines and about 20 additional specimens at pupal stage were collected. These pupas, together with soil and debris from under the stones were put in tubes with holes for ventilation. Until June, 16 they were kept mostly at about 2,000 m a.s.l., later brought down to the lower altitude. Molting into imago started on June, 14, and by June, 18 most of the survived specimens had molted into imagos. Several pupas that had been damaged during the collecting died of drying out or rotting.