Aphanogmus tkheliharpus Salden, Miko & Peters 2026, sp. nov.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Aphanogmus tkheliharpus Salden, Mikó & Peters sp. nov. Figs 19, 20; Suppl. material 13 Material examined. Holotype: Georgia • ♂; Kakheti, Gombori; 41.8678°N, 45.2644°E; ca. 1490 m a. s. l.; 21–28 Jul. 2021; G. Japoshvili leg.; Malaise trap; ECAUG; ZFMK -HYM-00042459. Paratypes: Georgia • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; ZFMK; ZFMK -HYM-00042460 • 1 ♀; Kakheti, Batsara Nature Reserve; 42.2222°N, 45.3029°E; ca. 800 m a. s. l.; 28 May 2022; T. Salden leg.; sweep net; ZFMK; ZFMK -HYM-00042465 • 3 ♀♀; Kakheti, Telavi; 41.9132°N, 45.4556°E; ca. 820 m a. s. l.; 29 May 2022; T. Salden, R. S. Peters leg.; yellow pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK -HYM-00042467, ZFMK -HYM-00042469, ZFMK -HYM-00042471 • 5 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 30 May 2022; T. Salden, R. S. Peters leg.; yellow pan trap; ZFMK; ZFMK -HYM-00042472, ZFMK -HYM-00042473, ZFMK -HYM-00042474, ZFMK -HYM-00042475, ZFMK -HYM-00042476. Diagnostic description. Male. Body length: 0.70 mm. Colour (Fig. 19 A): Body light brown except metasoma and legs lighter. Legs with lighter joints and tarsi. Antenna, head (Fig. 19 A): F 1 with sensillae arranged in three whorled rows, F 1 length half of scape length. Preoccipital lunula absent. Preoccipital furrow slightly visible. Preoccipital furrow ends anteriorly at POL. Ocellar fovea margin absent. Anterior ocellar fovea slightly visible. Ocular impression and orbital carina absent. Mesosoma, fore wing, metasoma (Fig. 19 A): Scutoscutellar sulcus and transscutal articulation not adjacent, interaxillar sulcus absent. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex distinctly short. Dorsal region of anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex setose. Mesometapleural sulcus absent. Epicnemial carina present. Epicnemial pit absent. Stigmal vein curved, tip of vein slightly oriented towards anterior margin of wing. No basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum. Male genitalia (Fig. 19 B – D): Gvc length slightly shorter than half of mesonotum length. Gvc width 0.72 × gvc length; harpe / gvc index 0.51. Harpe finger-shaped, distoventrally oriented; lateral margin of harpe slightly convex in basal half, straight in apical half, and slightly oriented distomedially; median margin of harpe straight and oriented distally. Harpe with basomedian spine; tip of basomedian spine about as proximal as tip of gonossiculus and oriented distally. Proximodorsal notch of harpe U-shaped and 0.25 × as long as harpe length. Harpe width (above basomedian spine) 0.15 × gvc width, and 0.20 × harpe length. Harpe with four median setae oriented proximomedially and distomedially, restricted to apical quarter; harpe with at least three apical setae oriented distally, including one broadened seta (broadening only visible in CLSM image Suppl. material 13); harpe with one lateral seta close to apex, oriented distally. Gonossiculus length 0.35 × harpe length; gonossiculus C-shaped with at least one digital tooth, tip oriented dorsally. Aedeagus broadened and rounded. Female. Body length: 0.70 mm. Colour (Fig. 20): Body light brown except scape, pedicel, metasoma, and legs lighter. Antenna, head (Fig. 20): F 8 length longer than half of scape length. Preoccipital lunula absent. Preoccipital furrow slightly visible. Preoccipital furrow ends anteriorly at POL. Ocellar fovea margin absent. Anterior ocellar fovea slightly visible. Ocular impression and orbital carina absent. Mesosoma, fore wing, metasoma (Fig. 20): Scutoscutellar sulcus and transscutal articulation not adjacent, interaxillar sulcus absent. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex straight, triangular in dorsal view. Dorsal region of anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex setose. Mesometapleural sulcus absent. Epicnemial carina present. Epicnemial pit absent. Stigmal vein curved, tip of vein slightly oriented towards anterior wing margin. Two basal longitudinal carinae on syntergum. CO 1 barcode. Maximum intraspecific barcode distance: 1.8 % (n = 11). Minimum interspecific barcode distance: 13.7 % (A. zefranki). Consensus sequence: 5 ’ - AGCAGGGCTAAGACTTATCATTCGTCTTGAATTAAGATCCCCCCCTAATAATATAATAAATAATGACTTAATTTACAACTCTGTAATTACCAATCACGCTTTCCTAATAATTTTTTTTTTAGTTATACCCATTATACTGGGAGGTTTTGGAAATTGACTCATCCCTATTATGATTGGGGCCCCAGATTTAGCCTTCCCCCGAATAAACAATATAAGATTATGATTCCTCCCCCCTTCTTTGACTCTGCTCCTCACAAGAATAATAACTAACACAGGCGTGGGGGCAGGGTGAACCCTCTACCCCCCCCTGACTCTAATACCCTTTCACGATGGAATATCTATAGATCTAACAATCTACTCCCTTCACATCGCTGGAATCAGTTCAATCATAGGTTCAATCAATTTTATAGTAACAACTTACAAAATGAAGCCCTCCTCCCAAACCCTAGTCTCCCTGCCTCTATTCTGTTGATCTATTATAATCACCTCCCTTCTTCTTCTTCTTTCCCTCCCCGTTTTAGCTGGAGCTGTAACAATAATCTTAACTGACCGAAACTTAAATACTTCTTTTTTTGACCCAGAGGGGGGGGGGGACCCCCTACTTTACCAGCATTTATTT - 3 ’ Variation. Unknown. Biology. Unknown. Distribution. Palaearctic: Georgia. Etymology. The species name is a composition of the Georgian word ‘ თხელი’ (pronounced like ‘ tkheli ’, with a soft ‘ t’ and the ‘ kh’ like the ‘ ch’ in German Bach, [x] after the International Phonetic Alphabet), which means ‘ thin’, and the anatomical term ‘ harpe’, with reference to the thin harpe. Remarks. Superficially, A. tkheliharpus can be confused with A. crispy, as both species have comparatively thin harpes (Figs 5 D, 19 D). However, closer examination reveals diagnostic differences: the basomedian spine of the harpe is oriented distally in A. tkheliharpus (Fig. 19 D) and the median spine is oriented distomedially in A. crispy (Fig. 5 D). Additionally, the proximodorsal notch of the harpe is clearly U-shaped in A. tkheliharpus (Fig. 19 D), in contrast to the V-shaped mediodorsal notch in A. crispy (Fig. 5 D). Further distinguishing characters include the arrangement of the median setae of the harpe, which are restricted to the apical quarter in A. tkheliharpus and extending to the apical third in A. crispy. Moreover, the harpe has a uniform thin profile, while in A. crispy it is narrowed along the apical two-thirds.
Institutions: Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, University of New Hampshire, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Cologne, Ilia State University, Agricultural University of Georgia
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7140178529