The Limnichidae (Coleoptera) of the Arabian Peninsula and the island of Socotra Author Hernando, Carles P. O. box 118, E- 08911 Badalona, Catalonia, Spain; e-mail: leptotyphlus @ gmail. com Author Ribera, Ignacio Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37, E- 08003 Barcelona, Spain; e-mail: Ignacio. Ribera @ ibe. upf-csic. es Author Csic text Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 2014 2014-12-30 54 173 189 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.5312492 0374-1036 5312492 456DA4F5-6AB8-4BE5-BBFC-EDCC3A3A692DP Limnichus arabicus sp. nov. ( Figs 3 , 14 ) Type locality. Yemen , Al Mahrah Governorate , Al Ghaydah, Jabal al Fattk. Type material. HOLOTYPE : J ( NMPC ), ‘E YEMEN , Jabal al Fattk , / Hawf NE Al Ghaydah , / N16º40ʹ E53º05ʹ , 729 m / 12.-13.X.05, lgt. P.Kabátek’ [genitalia and abdominal ventrites dissected and mounted in DMHF on a transparent card pinned with the specimen; right antennae missing from antennomere III]. Description. Length 1.7 mm , maximum width 1.1 mm . Body shape oval, strongly convex ( Fig. 3 ). Dark brown, all body covered with dense, short, hydrophobic decumbent pubescence; pubescence with golden or silvery reflects depending on setal orientation. Head. Eyes slightly convex, prominent in dorsal view; with strong border reaching insertion of antennae. Surface of head with supraocular depression, as typical of the Limnichus group of genera. Antennomere I (scape) wider and shorter than II (pedicel), quadrangular in shape; antennomere III narrower than II, shorter; antennomeres V and VI elongate, subparallel, VI slightly shorter than V; antennomere VII very short; antennomeres IX to XI forming a loose club, XI larger and longer, with apex slightly asymmetric. Antenna with two kinds of pubescence, one short and dense, and the other formed by long sparse setae, particularly apparent on club. Pronotum trapezoidal, very finely bordered on lateral and anterior margin, posterior margin not bordered. Anterior margin regularly concave, posterior margin bisinuate on both sides. With very dense and poorly impressed puncturation uniformly distributed, similar to that on head. Maximum width of elytra in middle part, apex rounded. With two types of puncturation, one less impressed, similar to that on pronotum, and other formed by larger punctures, well impressed, uniformly distributed on whole surface, with no recognisable striae. Space between punctures larger than their diameter. Metathoracic wings well developed. Fig. 14.Male genitalia of the holotype of Limnichus arabicus sp. nov. A – aedeagus; B – genital segment; C – ventrite VIII. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Ventral side with strong, dense puncturation; with dense, recumbent pubescence except for metaventrite which is glabrous. Last visible ventrite with semicircular indentation, with glandular pores on whole surface of ventrites III, IV and base of V, except lateral areas. Ventrites I and II connate; with two types of puncturation, one very fine and dense over whole surface, other coarser and less dense in intercoxal area of ventrite I and middle part of II; ventrite I with line of strong punctures bordering depression for reception of legs. Last abdominal ventrite slightly emarginate. Anterior side of apex of protibia with comb of spines, as typical of the Limnichus group of genera. Male genitalia ( Fig. 14 ). Aedeagus symmetrical, except phallobase; median lobe as long as parameres and much longer than phallobase, apex acuminate; struts symmetrical, as long as phallobase; apex of parameres with triangular membranous expansions. Base of genital segment slightly asymmetrical; parameres equal in length, elongate; apex of membranous expansion pubescent. Ventrite 8 V-shaped, with apical membranous semicircular expansions; with pubescence in apical margin. Females unknown. Fig. 15. Representative habitats where specimens of Limnichidae were found. A – Oman, wadi 15 km southwest of Sur, type locality of Pelochares sinbad sp. nov. ; B – Oman, wadi west of Qalhat, also with P. sinbad sp. nov. ; C – Western Yemen, Jabal Bura, type locality of Pelochares sabaeanus sp. nov. and Byrrhinus helicophallus sp. nov. ; D – Socotra, wadi Dirhor (Esgego), type locality of B. socotrensis sp. nov. (photos:A–B –A. Cieslak; C–D – J. Hájek) Etymology. Named after the Arabian Peninsula; adjective. Distribution ( Fig. 16 ). So far only known from the type locality in continental Yemen . Remarks. The peculiar shape of the apex of the parameres of the aedeagus is not found in any of the known Afrotropical species of the genus ( DELÈVE 1968 ). In the description of Limnichus micraspis Champion, 1923 , from northeast India , it is noted that some specimens from Karachi and Fyzabad ( Pakistan ) could belong to this species ( CHAMPION 1923 ). This would be the only known record of Limnichidae from Pakistan . According to the description, L. micraspis seems to be smaller ( 1.25 mm ), with the ventral side rufescens and the appendixes rufo-testaceous ( CHAMPION 1923 ).