Biology:Augustia
Augustia is a monotypic genus of cave-dwelling leiodid beetle found in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is represented by a single known species, Augustia weiratheri. It was described and named by Ricardo Zariquiey in 1927.[1]
The first specimens of Augustia weiratheri were collected by the biospeleologist Leo Weirather, from a cave in Čvrsnica that he nicknamed "Vuk jama".[2] However, he obscured his collection localities using code names to guard them against less scrupulous collectors.[2]
Appearance
The body is 3 mm long with a reddish testaceous color, fine dense punctuation, and short appressed pubescence. The antennae reach the mid-body; the first segment is shorter than the second. Segment III is slightly longer than 4, about 3.5 times longer than wide. Segment 8 is cylindrical, just over twice as long as wide. The final three segments (9–11) are flattened.[1]
The pronotum is bell-shaped, as wide as the elytral base, with slightly rounded sides and a faintly bisinuate base. The elytra are not strongly convex, slightly longer than wide, and attenuated toward both base and apex. Their maximum width is at the posterior two-thirds. The apices are separately rounded and divergent, with a visible marginal rim nearly to the tip. There is no sutural stria.[1]
The fore tibiae lack a true comb and have a well-developed external spur. Intermediate tibiae are slightly spinose. The male fore tarsi are four-segmented, slightly dilated but narrower than the tibial apex.[1]
The mesosternal keel is very high, inserted directly behind the articular collar. Its anterior edge forms a rounded quarter-circle; the ventral edge is faintly sinuate. Their junction forms an obtuse, untoothed angle. The anterior edge is thin, the ventral edge thickens toward the metasternum, which is unkeeled.[1]
Male Genitalia
The genital organ is short and broad. The penis has parallel sides that narrow abruptly and curve at the apex, terminating in a triangular, depressed beak. The basal lamina is broad with a well-developed tongue at its free edge midpoint. The lateral styles are longer than the penis, clubbed apically, and bear three setae: one terminal, one subterminal, and a more distant ventral seta. [1]
The internal sac contains a central chitinous piece: short, broad, strongly incurved, and slightly lanceolate apically. It is flanked by two elongated, slightly bent chitinous pieces that are broad basally and pointed apically. The sac is transparent around this armature; its mid-portion has thicker, opaque, wrinkled walls without chitinous structures.[1]
Taxonomy
Augustia shares several characteristics with Anthrodulus, Bozidaria, Henrotiella, Proleonhardella and Weiratheria, and is probably closely related to them.[1][3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Zariquiey, R. (1927). "Nuevos Bathysciinae de los Balcanes (Col. Silphidae)". Butlletí de la Institució Catalana d'Història Natural: 152–158.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pretner, Egon (2011). "Die Verdienste von Leo Weirather um die Biospeläologie, insbesondere Jugoslawiens, sein Höhlenkataster und seine Sammelplätze". Berichte des Naturwissenschaftlich-medizinischen Vereins in Innsbruck 97: 85–234. https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/BERI_97_0085-0234.pdf.
- ↑ Guéorguiev, Borislav (2007). "Description of Ceuthophyes enormis nov. sp. from Albania, and notes on the morphology of Henrotiella eubeensis (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Leptodirini)". Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona 31: 75–82. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262972072_Description_of_Ceuthophyes_enormis_nov_sp_from_Albania_and_notes_on_the_morphology_of_Henrotiella_eubeensis_Coleoptera_Leiodidae_Leptodirini.
- ↑ Ćurčić, Srećko (2021). "On the diversity of subterranean beetles of the Dinarides: new leiodid taxa (Coleoptera: Leiodidae) from Serbia". European Journal of Taxonomy 782 (1). doi:10.5852/ejt.2021.782.1589. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356690320_On_the_diversity_of_subterranean_beetles_of_the_Dinarides_new_leiodid_taxa_Coleoptera_Leiodidae_from_Serbia.
Wikidata ☰ Q50718186 entry
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