Forum Entomologi Italiani

Pharaonus caucasicus (Reitter, 1893)

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Vahe Martirosyan

Another nice species.
Why don't you write us something about his habitat and behaviour?

Yes, another nice and rare species
This Pharaonus in Armenia habitat in sands near Goravan, host plant is Calligonum polygonoides.

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Vahe Martirosyan

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Vahe Martirosyan

Identification key to the Pharaonus species
Note. Pharaonus lederi turcmenius is not included in the key below because the only known specimen has not been studied by the author.
1 (2) Pronotum and elytron bare, without macrosetae; protibia tridentate externally; body length: 10.4–11.2 mm; Levant, SE Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait. ........................................................... P. varicoloreus (Burmeister)
2 (1) Pronotum and elytron (at least around scutellar plate) bearing macrosetae; protibia bidentate (Fig. 1).
3 (4) Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and scutellar plate with considerably dense, whitish, recumbent macrosetation;
body length: 8.0–9.5 mm; deserts of Middle Asia. ...................................... P. semenowi (Reitter)
4 (3) Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and scutellar plate with more sparse, whitish or pale, erect or semierect macrosetation.
5 (6) Clypeus flat, margins not elevate; body length: 9.0–10.0 mm; Afghanistan, deserts of Middle Asia. .......... ................................................................................................................................ P. lederi lederi (Reitter)
6 (5) Clypeus weakly depressed medially, margins considerably elevate.
7 (8) Pronotal punctation fine, sparse, somewhat irregularly distributed, punctures separated by 2-3 their diameters; body length: 8.8–8.9 mm; Armenia, NE Turkey. ...................................................... P. caucasicus (Reitter)
8 (7) Pronotal punctation coarse, dense, almost regularly distributed, punctures separated approximately by their diameter.
9 (10) Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and lateral parts of abdominal ventrites with more dense, considerably long erect or semierect, almost whitish macrosetae; pygidium covered with long and dense almost recumbent
macrosetae forming two whitish spots near basis; aedeagus stout, broader, especially in lateral view (Fig. 3); lateral outline of parameres shallowly sinuate (Fig. 3); body length: 8.7–10.2 mm; Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia ................................................................................................... P. fasciculatus (Burmeister)
10 (9) Dorsal surface of head, pronotum and lateral parts of abdominal ventrites with less dense, not considerably long erect pale macrosetae; pygidium covered with considerably long, sparse, erect macrosetae concentrated laterobasally (not forming whitish spots) (Fig. 1); aedeagus slender, relatively narrow, especially in lateral view (Fig. 5); lateral outline of parameres broadly rounded (Fig. 4); female unknown; body length: 8.7 mm; Algeria (central Sahara). .............................................................................................. P. saharicus sp. nov.

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Research Fields
Taxonomy, ecology, biomonitoring , faunistic of Staphylinidae

Thanks!

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Vahe Martirosyan