Two new taxa of the genus Nalassus Mulsant, 1854 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Georgia

Abstract

Two new taxa of the genus Nalassus Mulsant, 1854 of the subgenus Caucasonotus Nabozhenko, 2000 are described from Georgia: N. kartvelius sp. n. from Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region (Oni District) and N. colchicus madlenae subsp. n. from Imereti Region (Tkibuli District). First species is very close to N. svaneticus Nabozhenko et Dzhambazishvili, 2001 but differs from it by fine setation of all abdominal ventrites, not dorsally pubescent head and not rimmed 5 th abdominal ventrite on apex. N. colchicus madlenae subsp. n. differs from the nominative subspecies by distinct moderately coarse punctation of elytra, more coarse and dense punctation of pronotum, very thickened border of pronotum, brush of 3-4 setae on first trochanter. Резюме. Описаны два новых таксона рода Nalassus Mulsant, 1854 из Грузии: N. kartvelius sp. n. из района Они (область Рача-Лечхуми и Квемо Сванети) и N. colchicus madlenae subsp. n. из района Ткибули (область Имерети). Первый вид очень близок к N. svaneticus Nabozhenko et Dzhambazishvili, 2001, но отличается от него опушением абдоминальных вентритов тонкими щетинками, не опушенной головой и не окаймленным на вершине 5 абдоминальным вентритом. N. colchicus madlenae subsp. n. отличается от номинативного вида четкой, умеренно грубой пунктировкой надкрылий, значительно более грубой и густой пунктировкой переднеспинки и более утолщенным окаймлением переднеспинки.

A new Nalassus Mulsant, 1854 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from Transcaucasia with a key to species from the Greater Caucasus and notes on the taxonomy, distribution, bionomics and trophic relations

“…The Caucasian species of Nalassus were revised by Nabozhenko and co-author (Nabozhenko 2000, 2001, Abdurakhmanov & Nabozhenko 2011. Some new taxonomic changes and species were added to the Caucasian fauna later (Nabozhenko & Abdurakhmanov 2007, Nabozhenko 2008, 2013. One Caucasian species was transferred from Nalassus to the genus Odocnemis and is now interpreted as O. aurichalcea (Adams, 1817) (Nabozhenko 2020).…”

Karyotype and sex chromosome differentiation in two Nalassus species (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

“…Even though a significant part of the species is found in alpine and subalpine mountainous belts with high level of local endemism, some species that are adapted to lowlands have wider distribution. In the recent reviews of Nalassus species from the European part of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Caucasus, Iran, Georgia, China and Turkey, several new species and combinations were also noted (Nabozhenko 2001, Nabozhenko 2007, Nabozhenko 2008, Keskin and Nabozhenko 2010, Nabozhenko 2011, Nabozhenko 2013, Nabozhenko 2014, Nabozhenko and Ivanov 2015). Therefore, the actual diversity is certainly higher than previously estimated and the monophyly of the genus Nalassus needs to be tested with several new additional characters.…”