G. S. Medvedev

A contribution to the taxonomy and morphology of the tribe Blaptini (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

New species belonging to the tribe Blaptini, genera Agnaptoria Rtt. (A. anomala sp. n. and A. fugonga sp. n. from Yunnan), Asidoblaps Fairm. (A mekonga sp. n. and A. konstantinovi sp. n. from Yunnan; A. fida sp. n., A. justa sp. n., A. reberta sp. n., and A. subnotata sp. n. from Sichuan), and a new genus Belousovia gen. n. (type species B. helenae sp. n.) are described from Southwestern China. The new genus is closely related to Colasia Koch and includes, in addition to the type species, B. kabaki sp. n. with the subspecies B. kabaki intermedia subsp. n. from Yunnan. Descriptions of the spermatheca of Asidoblaps berezowskii G. Medv., A. polita Schuster, and Coelocnemodes aspericollis Fairm. are given. The synonymy of the generic names Coelocnemodes Bates, 1879 and Hoplitoblaps Fairmaire, 1888 is rejected.

To the memory of M. A. Kozlov (1936–2006)

Already in his first year at the University, Michail Alexeevich started active entomological research under supervision of I.M. Oliger. One of his first scientific papers which deals with representatives of the order Coleoptera was published in 1960 jointly with the supervisor. In 1959, after taking several additional examinations and learning German, Michail Alexeevich was transferred to the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science, Leningrad State University. In 1962, he graduated from the University (the Entomology Department) and in the same year was taken on the staff of the Zoological Institute as a Museum guide. In 1967, after defending his candidate thesis on proctotrupoid parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea) of the European part of the USSR, he became a member of the staff of the Laboratory of Insect Systematics. In 16 years, in 1983, Michail Alexeevich defended his remarkable doctoral thesis “Scelionids (Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea, Scelionidae), their systematic position, morphological and biological characteristics, distribution, evolution, phylogeny, classification and economic importance,” and in 1991 he was given the title of Professor. For his scientific achievements, in 1992, Michail Alexeevich was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Chuvash Republic, and, in 1997, the title of the Honored Scientist of Chuvashia was conferred upon him.

The past, present and future of the Russian entomological society

A brief review of the history of the Russian Entomological Society is presented.

Ten new species of the tenebrionid genus Asidoblaps fairmaire (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) from southwestern China

Ten new species of the genus Asidoblaps (tribe Blaptini) are described from China: A. mesa sp. n. (Yunnan), A. physoptera sp. n., A. dentipes sp. n. (Sichuan / Yunnan), A. faceta sp. n., A. edentata sp. n., A. attigua sp. n., A. zhongdiana sp. n. (Yunnan), A. firma sp. n., A. pedinoides sp. n. (Sichuan), A. prasolovi sp. n. (Yunnan). A new combination is established: Asidoblaps elongata (G. Medvedev, 2008), comb. n. = Agnaptoria elongata G. Medvedev, 2008.

Composition of the genera Gnaptorina Reitter and Pseudognaptorina 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.

New data on the systematics of the Darkling-beetle tribe Stenosini (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) of the Southern Palaearctic

The following new species are described: Pseudethas jacobsoni sp. n. (India: Kashmir), P. kabakovi sp. n. (Afghanistan: Laghman Prov.), Dichillus kabakovi sp. n. (Afghanistan: Kandahar), D. kabulensis sp. n. (Afghanistan: Kabul), Microtelus zarudnyi sp. n. (Iran: Horassan; Afghanistan: Herat Prov.), and Microblemma kabakovi sp. n. (Afghanistan: Farah). Specific distinctness of Tagenostola pilosa Motsch. and T. turkestanica Rtt. is substantiated, and a new synonymy is established: Reitterella fusiformis Semenov, 1891 = R. gracillima Semenov, 1903, syn. n.; = R. turkestanica Pic, 1906, syn. n.

A new subgenus and a new species of the tenebrionid genus Leptodes Dejean, 1834 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae)

The genus Leptodes was erected by Dejean (1834) for a single species, Sepidium boisduvalii Zubkoff, 1833, which is, consequently, the type species by monotypy. Kaszab (1959) established in Leptodes the subgenus Leptodinopsis based on the same type species, Sepidium boisduvalii. Thus the names Leptodes and Leptodinopsis are objective synonyms: Leptodes Dejean, 1834 = Leptodinopsis Kaszab, 1959, syn. n. A new subgenus Mesoleptodes G. Medvedev et Iljina subgen, n. (type species Leptodes semenowi Reitter, 1892) is established for species which Kaszab included in Leptodes s. str. A new species, Leptodes daghestanicus G. Medvedev et Iljina, sp. n., is described from Daghestan.

New data on the fauna of the tenebrionid beetle genus Agnaptoria Rtt. (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) of China

Eight new species of the genus Agnaptoria are described from the eastern part of the Tibet Highland: A. minuta sp. n., A. crassa sp. n., A. lauta sp. n. (Sichuan), A. kunda sp. n., A. proba sp. n. (Gansu), A. shangmengi sp. n., A. danbaensis sp. n. (Sichuan), and A. amdoensis sp. n. (Quinghai). A new material on A. shamaevi G. Medv., A. abdita G. Medv., and A. anthracina G. Medv. is reported with data on the variation of the anatomy of male genitalia and spermatheca in the latter species.

New species of the tenebrionid-beetle genera Tagonoides Fairm., Gnaptorina Rtt. and Agnaptoria Rtt. (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) from China

Six new species Tagonoides belousovi sp. n., T. yunnana sp. n., Gnaptorina australis sp. n., Agnaptoria elongata sp. n. (Yunnan), A. lecta sp. n., and A. ruida sp. n. (Sichuan), and a new subspecies Gnaptorina potanini minxiana subsp. n. are described from China. Morphological adaptations of tenebrionids of the tribe Blaptini associated with phytophagous habit are discussed.

New species of the tenebrionid genus Menimus sharp, 1876 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) from southern Palaearctic

Three new species of the genus Menimus are described from Yunnan Province, China. Over 70 species of Menimus are distributed in the tropical and subtropical zones from India to Oceania and New Zealand. A new subgenus, Sinomenimus subgen. n., is erected with the type species M. kabaki sp. n. characterized by the absence of eyes and by the presence of the spermatheca and sharp depression at the posterior margin of the thoracic metasternite. The following new synonymy is established: Menimus Sharp, 1876 = Neomenimus Kaszab, 1939, syn. n., with the following new combinations resulting: Menimus clavatus (Kaszab, 1939) = Neomenimus clavatus Kaszab, 1939, comb, n.; Menimus biroi (Kaszab, 1939) = Neomenimus biroi Kaszab, 1939, comb, n.; Menimus setosus (Kaszab, 1939) = Neomenimus setosus Kaszab, 1939, comb, n.; Menimus brevissimus (Kaszab, 1939) = Neomenimus brevissimus Kaszab, 1939, comb. n.