Amara (Amara) elborzensis sp. n. (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Iran

Abstract: Amara (Amara) elborzensis sp. n. from Iran is described, figured, and compared with closely related species A. (A.) ovata (Fabricius, 1792), A. (A.) saphyrea Dejean, 1828, A. (A.) similata (Gyllenhal, 1810), and with additional related species. It belongs to the Amara (A.) similata species-aggregate which is here re-defined. Males in this species-aggregate are characterized by a row of setae on the inner side of the mesotibiae. Amara (Amara) elborzensis sp. n. is described from Caspian provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan, and from northwestern part of Khorasan province. It lives in the Talesh Mountains and on the northern slopes of the Elborz Mountains (i.e. in Hyrcanian zoogeographical subregion) in moist, deciduous forests at the altitude of ca. 300–2000 m a.s.l. It inhabits also oak forests in the neighboring mountains of the northwestern part of Khorasan province.

Key words: Taxonomy, new species, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Zabrini, Amara, Palaearctic region