Description of a new soldier-fly species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adoxomyia</Emphasis> Kertész, 1907 (Diptera,Stratiomyidae), based on adults and larva from Azerbaijan

A new species of the soldier-fly genus Adoxomyia Kertesz, 1907, A. variabilis sp. n., is described from Azerbaijan. The larvae were found in the Astragalus roots damaged by larvae of the buprestid genus Sphenoptera. The adults (males and females) are proved to belong to a species closely related to A. transcaucasica Nartshuk, 2004 but differing in the structure and coloration of the antennae, in the pubescence of the eye of the female, in details of the pubescence of the head in the male, and in the structure of the male genitalia. Differences of the adults and the larva from those of the closely related species are listed.     

Poorly known stonefly species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Isoperla pseudornata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kaszabia nigricauda</Emphasis> (Plecoptera,Perlodidae), from the Eastern Palaearctic

The previously unknown male of Isoperla pseudornata Zhiltzova and nymph of Kaszabia nigricauda (Navás) of the family Perlodidae are described. Sternite VIII of the male of I. pseudornata has no vesicle, the posterior margin is covered medially with strong short brownish setae. Sternite IX forms a subgenital plate. The everted aedeagus is upcurved, turned towards the dorsum, with two rounded lobes and one finger-shaped apical lobe terminating with a membranous funnel depressed medially. The aedeagus membrane is covered with small fine pointed sclerotized spinules; spinules absent on the tip of the funnel. The funnel basally and the finger-shaped apical lobe ventrally are covered with fine pointed sclerotized spinules and rounded sclerotized formations. I. pseudornata differs from the other Eastern Palaearctic congeners in the shape of spots on the head, pronotum, and abdominal tergites. The head of K. nigricauda nymph bears a large brown M-shaped spot forming along the anterior margin two fine stripes widened on the frontoclypeus; the interocular area bears a small pale spot merged with the large transverse W-shaped spot on the occiput. The lacinia is narrowed to the apex, bidentate; the tip of the galea reaches the base of the subapical tooth. The pronotum bears a pale cruciform medial spot, the lateral fields are dark, the lateral margins are pale. The meso-and metanotum exhibit a pale complicated pattern widened to the base of the wing pads. The legs are pale. The abdominal tergites are brown, with a pale transverse stripe widened laterally on the last tergites. Tergite X bears a large pale heart-shaped spot medially. The cerci bear a silky hair fringe dorsally; in the apical part, the apical whorl of cerci has short setae; one ventral and one dorsal seta are longer than the others; the dorsal setae are longer than ventral ones.     

A new species of comb-clawed beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae) from the Lower Cretaceous of Yixian (China,Liaoning Province)

A new genus and species of comb-clawed beetles, Calcarocistela kirejtshuki gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous of Yixian (China) is described. The new genus is assigned to the tribe Gonoderini of the subfamily Alleculinae (family Tenebrionidae) based on the following characters: five visible abdominal ventrites, nonwidened tarsomeres without a membranous ventral lobes, and serrate antennae. The new genus differs from other members of the tribe Gonoderini in the long spurs of metatibia reaching a half of the first metatarsomere and the lamellate prosternal process. Calcarocistela kirejtshuki is the first member of Alleculinae from the Lower Cretaceous.     

Two remarkable new species of Prothemus Champion from China and Thailand, with comments on their systematic status (Coleoptera, Cantharidae)

Two remarkable new cantharid species were described, Prothemus laticornissp. n. (CHINA: Yunnan) and Prothemus lycoceroidessp. n. (THAILAND: Chiang Dao), and provided with illustrations of aedeagi, ultimate abdominal sternites and antennae of both sexes. Their systematic status was discussed, because they differed from all other species of Prothemus in the dilated and/or serrate antennae and elytra with distinct longitudinal costae and longer pubescence.     

A review of species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaphorus</Emphasis> (Diptera,Dolichopodidae) in the Palaearctic Region

The history of studying the genus Diaphorus is described. Seventeen species have been studied. A key to species of the genus Diaphorus of the Palaearctic fauna, including 37 species, and a catalogue of the Palaearctic species with synonyms are given. Diaphorus oldenbergi Parent, 1925 is regarded as a synonym of the species D. nigrotibia Strobl, 1893 (syn. n.). The new species Diaphorus sublautus sp. n. from Azerbaijan is described. Lectotypes of D. dolichocercus Stackelberg, D. parenti Stackelberg, D. ussuriensis Stackelberg, and D. varifrons Becker are designated.     

A Survey of the Distribution and Phylogenetic Relationships of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Silvestrichilis</Emphasis> Group of Genera and of the Species of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Silvestrichilis</Emphasis> Wygodz. (Archaeognatha,Machilidae) with Description of a New Species from South Ossetia

Review of the six genera of the Silvestrichilis group (Dilta Strand, Haslundiella Janetschek, Silvestrichilis Wygodzinsky, Silvestrichiloides Mendes, Haslundichilis Wygodzinsky, and Himalayachilis Wygodzinsky) and of the 17 species of the southern Palaearctic genus Silvestrichilis was performed for the first time with a discussion of their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary trends based on comparative analysis of the geographic distribution of the species and of the distribution of plesiomorphic and apomorphic states of their main morphological features. Haslundichilis quadrii Wygodzinsky, 1952 from northwestern India and H. lindbergi Wygodzinsky, 1962 from western Afghanistan are transferred to the genus Haslundiella, and new combinations Haslundiella quadrii (Wygodzinsky, 1952), comb. n. and Haslundiella lindbergi (Wygodzinsky, 1962), comb. n. are established. A new species, Silvestrichilis polinaesp. n., differs from all the congeners in the strongly dilated fore femur of the male and female, in the maxillary palpus chaetotaxy, and in the structure of the sensory field on the fore femur of the male.     

A Review of the Distribution and Phylogenetic Relationships of Bristletails of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haslundichilis</Emphasis> Wygodz. (Archaeognatha,Machilidae) with Description of a New Species from Daghestan

A review of geographic distribution, phylogenetic relationships, and evolutionary trends of six species of the South Palaearctic genus Haslundichilis Wygodzinsky is performed for the first time. Bristletails of the genus Haslundichilis are common in temperate forest and steppe open landscapes in the foothills and mountains of the East Caucasus, Central Asia, Northwest and East China, and South Korea. The genus originated in the forest landscapes of the West Stenopean (mixed) province wherefrom its representatives spread as far eastwards as South Korea and as far westwards as the mountains of Central Asia and the East Caucasus. The new species Haslundichilis daghestanicasp. n. is the closest to H. afghani, from which it differs in a greater body size, narrower eyes, and more developed sensory fields on the fore femur of the male.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arachnothryx</Emphasis> (Rubiaceae) from Oaxaca,Mexico

Two new species of Arachnothryx (Guettardeae, Rubiaceae) from the cloud forest of the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico are described and illustrated. Arachnothryx axillaris together with A. heteranthera are the only two species in the genus with axillary inflorescences, but otherwise they are not similar. The new species is more similar to A. capitellata, but it differs in pubescence and inflorescence morphology. Arachnothryx flores-olverae can be confused with A. buddleioides mainly because they share discolorous leaves with densely tomentose pubescence, but they differ in stipule and inflorescence morphology. With these two new species the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca becomes more evidently the main hotspot of species diversity for the genus.     

Two new palaearctic species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scoliophthalmus</Emphasis> Becker, 1903 (Diptera,Chloropidae) with a key to the species occurring in the Palaearctic Region

Two new species of the genus Scoliophthalmus Becker, 1903 (Diptera, Chloropidae) are described: S. miscanthi sp. n. from southern Primorskii Territory (Russia) and S. gussakovskii sp. n. from southern Tajikistan. The genus is recorded for Russia for the first time. The species of Scoliophthalmus occur only in the southern areas of the Palaearctic Region. A key to eight species occurring in the Palaearctic Region is given.     

A review of the species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adoxomyia</Emphasis> Kertész, 1907 (Diptera,Stratiomyidae) with bicolorous antennae and a description of a new species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adoxomyia subruficornis</Emphasis> sp. n. from Middle Asia

Morphological features of the species of the genus Adoxomyia Kertész, 1907 with bicolorous antennae in females were studied for the first time. Significant diagnostic characters are discussed, e.g., the structure of the head, the type of pubescence on the frons and face, the shape and coloration of the scutellar spines, and the morphology of the genitalia (the synstemum, the basal part of the epandrium, and the aedeagus). A new species, Adoxomyia subruficornis sp. n., is described from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; it differs from A. ruficornis (Loew, 1873) in a dense pale pubescence on the frons, pale scutellar spines, elongate median projection of the synstemum, and rounded epandrial processes.     

To the knowledge of the herbivorous scolytid genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thamnurgus</Emphasis> Eichhoff (Coleoptera,Scolytidae)

Based on the male genitalia structure, 3 subgenera are distinguished in the genus Thamnurgus: Thamnurgus s. str. (type species Thamnurgus euphorbiae Küster; the subgenus includes also Th. characiae and Th. varipes), Parathamnurgus subgen. n. (type species Thamnurgus caucasicus Reitter; includes also Th. armeniacus, Th. kaltenbachii, Th. brylinskyi, and Th. pegani) and Macrothamnurgus subgen. n. (type species Thamnurgus delphinii Rosenhauer; includes also Th. petzi and Th. rossicus). Thamnurgus s. str. comprises species with the aedeagus lacking supporting apical structures and with unbranched apophyses. In the two other subgenera the aedeagal apophyses are branched and the apical supporting structures are differently arranged. Species of Thamnurgus s. str. are associated exclusively with Euphorbiaceae, species of Macrothamnurgus, with Ranunculaceae, and those of Parathamnurgus, with plants of several families. A key to Palaearctic Thamnurgus species based on the external and genital characters is proposed. The host plants and distribution of some species are clarified. In the aedeagus structure, the Palaearctic Thamnurgus species clearly differ from the African Thamnurgus and also from the members of Taphronurgus, Cynanchophagus, Triotemnus, and Xylocleptes. Data on the male genital structure support generic distinctness of Thamnurgus, Taphronurgus and Xylocleptes. Lectotypes of Th. armeniacus Reitter, 1897, Th. brylinskyi Reitter, 1889, Th. characiae Rosenhauer, 1878, Th. declivis Reitter, 1897, Th. delphinii (Rosenhauer, 1856), Th. pegani Eggers, 1933, and Th. petzi Reitter, 1901 are designated. Thamnurgus jemeniae Schedl, 1975 is transferred to Xylocleptes, and Th. orientalis Schedl, 1978, to Pseudothamnurgus. Based on the endophallus characters, Thamnurgus ugandensis Nunberg, 1961 and Th. lobeliae Eggers, 1939 are considered to belong to a genus distinct from the Palaearctic Thamnurgus.     

A new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eusarima</Emphasis> Yang (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Issidae) from Pakistan

Eusarima albifrons sp. n. is described from northern Pakistan (Islamabad). The new species is closely related to Eu. iranica Gnezdilov et Mozaffarian, 2011 and may be distinguished by details of coloration and male genital structure. This is the second species of the genus Eusarima Yang recorded from the Western Palaearctic. Parasarima triphylla Che, Zhang et Wang, 2012 is transferred to the genus Eusarima, which is thus recorded for the first time from continental China. The homologies in the genital structures of males and females are discussed for some genera of Oriental, Palaearctic, and Afrotropical Issidae.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Leptopus marusiki</Emphasis> Vinokurov,a new species of the bug family Leptopodidae (Heteroptera) from Northern India

A new species, Leptopus marusiki Vinokurov, sp. n., of the family Leptopodidae is described from northern India (Himachal Pradesh State). The new species is closely related to the Western Palaearctic L. hispanus Rambur, 1840, which is distinguished by a dark transverse spot on the apical part of the corium and the pale colored femora. The known Indian Leptopus species are distributed in the south and characterized by the following features: L. decus Drake, 1955 has the brown body and long 1st antennal segment; the lower part of the head of L. scutulus Drake, 1954 bears 4 very long spines, the fore femur bears 2 rows of very long spines (5 in each row). L. travancorensis Distant, 1910 differs in the paler coloration; the 1st and 2nd antennal segments, collar and posterior margin of the pronotum, and legs are ochreous.     

Composition of the genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gnaptorina</Emphasis> Reitter and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudognaptorina</Emphasis> Kaszab of the tribe Blaptini (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae)

Based on the structure of the segments of the male fore and middle tarsi, three subgenera are distinguished in the genus Gnaptorina Reitter: Gnaptorina s. str. (brushes or tufts of pale setae are present on the sole surface of the 1st–3rd segments of the fore tarsus and also on the 1st and 2nd segments of the middle tarsus, the type species Gnaptorina felicitana Reitter, 1887), Boreoptorina subgen. n. (a brush is present on the sole surface of the 1st segment of the fore tarsus, but is absent on the sole surface of the segments of middle tarsus, the inner margin of the male fore tibia with a hairy brush, the type species Gnaptorina cordicollis G. Medvedev, 1998), and Hesperoptorina subgen. n. (a flat hairy brush is present only on the sole surface of the 1st segment of the fore tarsus, type species Gnaptorina brucei Blair, 1923). The genus Pseudognaptorina Kaszab, 1977 is considered monotypical. Lectotypes of four species of Gnaptorina are designated.     

Gall midges of the supertribe Stomatosematidi (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) in the Palaearctic Region,with descriptions of new taxa from the Late Eocene Rovno amber: 1. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stomatosema,Vanchidiplosis, Clarumreddera</Emphasis> gen. n.

Three recent genera are included in the supertribe Stomatosematidi: Stomatosema (16 species), Vanchidiplosis (4 species), and Didactylomyia (3 species). Seven species of the genus Stomatosema and two species of the genus Vanchidiplosis occur in the Palaearctic Region. No reliable findings of representatives of the supertribe were known in fossilized condition. One new genus and 3 new species are described from amber of the Late Eocene age (Rovno Region): Stomatosema iljieteugeniae sp. n., Clarumreddera korneyevi gen. n. et sp. n., and C. conceptiva sp. n.     

Gall midges of the supertribe stomatosematidi (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) in the Palaearctic region,with descriptions of new taxa from the late Eocene Rovno Amber. 2. The genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Didactylomyia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rovnodidactylomyia</Emphasis> gen. n.

One new genus (Rovnodidactylomyia Fedotova et Perkovsky, gen. n.) and four new species (Didactylomyia dlusskyi sp. n., Rovnodidactylomyia zosimovichi gen. n. et sp. n., R. sidorenkoi sp. n., and R. iconica sp. n.) are described from an amber sample of the late Eocene Period (Rovno District, Ukraine). Two species from a Baltic amber sample of the late Eocene Period, described earlier in the genus Bryocrypta, are attributed to the genus Rovnodidactylomyia (R. girafa (Meunier, 1904) comb. n. and R. capitosa (Meunier, 1904)). The first fossil species of the genus Didactylomyia is described for the first time; two contemporary Palaearctic species are recorded. Keys to the species of the genus Didactylomyia are given.     

A key to Palaearctic dragonflies of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aeschna</Emphasis> Fabricius, 1775 (Odonata,Aeschnidae)

Keys to 10 Palaearctic species of the dragonfly genus Aeschna are given. For adults of the two morphologically similar species Ae. juncea (Linnaeus, 1758) and Ae. subarctica Walker, 1908, new distinguishing characters are given. These are the shape of the genital plate and position of the anal appendages relative to the horizontal plane of the female body, and the shape of the processes of the anterior hooks of the male genitalia. Additionally, keys to the larvae based on characters of larvae reared in the laboratory are given. These keys allow species-level identification for early and middle larval instars.     

A synopsis of gall midges associated with conifers,with description of a new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kaltenbachiola</Emphasis> Hedicke (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae: Lasiopterinae) from Yakutia,damaging cones of the Siberian spruce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea obovata</Emphasis>)

The world fauna comprises 134 species from 52 genera of gall midges associated with plants of the order Pinales (3 families, 16 genera and 74 species); 14 genera are specific to Pinales. The distribution of genera and species of gall midges over host plant taxa is described. The Holarctic genus Kaltenbachiola comprises four species all developing in the spruce (Picea spp.) cones. Earlier, K. strobi (Winnertz), widely distributed in Europe, was the only species known in the Palaearctic. A new species Kaltenbachiola anastasiae sp. n. is described, which damages cones of Picea obovata in Central Yakutia. The phylogenetic relationships of Kaltenbachiola with close genera specific to Pinales are characterized, and an updated diagnosis of the genus with additional morphometric parameters and keys to the pine-specific genera of the tribe Dasineurini and to species of the genus Kaltenbachiola are given. The host associations and specific traits of biology and distribution of Kaltenbachiola species are considered.     

Relationships between the gall-midge genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trotteria</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verbasciola</Emphasis> (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae), with description of new species from the Middle Volga River Area

Gall midges of the genera Trotteria and Verbasciola of the supertribe Lasiopteridi are inquilines. The widespread genus Trotteria includes 28 species developing in galls of 30 species of gall midges; 24 species develop in galls of Asphondyliidi. Gall midges-hosts and inquilines were found on 57 plant species of 17 families. The Palaearctic genus Verbasciola comprises three species that have been recorded in galls of three gall-midge species damaging three plant species. Seven new species are described, Trotteria coronillacola, T. perkovskii, T. cytisiphila, T. kalininae, T. jigulensis, Schizomyia samaralukensis, and Verbasciola volgensis. The diagnoses of the genera were corrected. Trotteria spinosa Kovalev is restored from the synonyms of T. umbelliferarum Kieffer. Data on the distribution of all the species examined and their associations with host gall midges and taxonomic groups of plants are given.