Hedyphanes pilosus Eshraghi Mofrad & Nabozhenko 2026, sp. nov.

Hedyphanes (s. str.) pilosus Eshraghi Mofrad & Nabozhenko sp. nov. (Fig. 4) Type material. Holotype, ♀ (HMIM): Iran, Alborz Prov., Eshtehard, Emamzade Soleiman, 17.iii.2024, leg. Kian Seyedabadi. Description. Body slender, black, with bluish tint (Fig. 4A). Measurements: Y = 1.45; PHw = 1.48; PwPl = 1.26; ElEw = 1.68; EHw = 1.72; EPw = 1.16; EPl = 2.47. Body length 14 mm, width 5 mm. Lateral margins of pronotum, elytra basally, laterally and apically distinctly setated by subrecumbent setae. Ventral side of body entirely pubescent by recumbent comparatively long setae. Head (Figs 4A–C). Anterior margin of epistome slightly rounded (Fig. 4C). Head widest at eye level. Eyes strongly convex and angularly rounded dorsally. Lateral margin of head with moderately sharp emargination at joint of gena and epistome. Lateral margins of genae angularly rounded. Puncturation of head coarse and dense in middle of frons and on epistome (interpuncture distance 1–2 times as long as puncture diameter), coarser and denser around middle of frons (diameter of punctures longer than interpuncture distance). Setation of head short, setae longer around eyes and on genae. Head ventrally coarsely and sparsely punctured around mouthpart and then punctures merged into coarse transverse wrinkles in gular area. Antennae short, reaching basal third of pronotum. Prothorax (Figs 4B–D). Pronotum strongly transverse, widest before middle (Fig. 4C). Lateral margins of pronotum strongly rounded in apical half, slightly rounded in basal half; anterior margin and base widely slightly rounded; base shortly emarginated in middle. Anterior angles inconspicuous, widely rounded; posterior angles obtuse, distinct at tip (not rounded). Lateral margins not beaded; anterior margin beaded but interrupted at middle; base entirely beaded. Disc of pronotum slightly convex and depressed near posterior angles. Puncturation of disc coarse and moderately dense (interpuncture distance 2–3 times as long as puncture diameter), punctures circular. Disc glabrous, except for lateral margins, where setae well visible as continuation of prohypomeron pubescence. Prosternum with dense and coarse merged fovea-like punctures (Figs 4B, D). Prothoracic hypomera with coarse and dense fovea-like (simple, not rasp shaped) punctures (Fig. 4D). Surface of hypomera pubescent. Prosternal process with one conical protrusion, not beaded at apex (Fig. 4B). Pterothorax (Figs 4A–B, E). Scutellar shield semicircular, very sparsely and finely punctured. Elytra oblong-oval, widest at middle. Interstriae flat; strial punctures slightly elongate; interstrial punctures two times smaller to those in striae. Base, lateral sides and apical portion of elytra distinctly setated, setae longer apically (Fig. 4E). Disc of elytra with very short setae (Fig. 4A). Epipleura with moderately dense and fine puncturation and covered with both long and short setae (Fig. 4B). Anterior half of mesoventrite with dense and coarse merged foveae-like punctures in form of transverse wrinkles, pubescent with long setae, mesocoxal process coarsely and sparsely round punctured (Fig. 4B). Mesepisterna, mesepimera and metepisterna coarsely and densely punctured by large merged fovea-like punctures; metaventrite with coarse and dense fovea-like punctures laterally, and with sparse and smaller punctures medially, pubescent with long setae. Legs (Figs 4A–B). Pro- and mesotatibia straight; metatibia slightly curved. Abdomen (Fig. 4B). Abdominal ventrites covered with recumbent long setae; ventrites 1–3 with coarse and moderately dense rasp-like puncturation, punctures coarser and denser laterally; ventrite 4 with sparse and round punctures; ventrite 5 with sparse and round punctures, but punctures denser at apex, pubescent with long setae. Etymology. The Latin adjective “pilosus ” translated as “covered with hair” and refers to setated marginally pronotum and elytra. Differential diagnosis. The new species is very similar to Hedyphanes iranicus Medvedev, 1976 (see the original description in Medvedev (1976) and the redescription with figures in Nabozhenko (2018)) by the strongly transverse and slightly convex pronotum and prohypomera with large, simple, merged fovea-like punctures but differs in the following characters: the body with bluish tint (black, without tint in H. iranicus), lateral contour of eyes is angularly rounded (strongly evenly rounded in H. iranicus), the pronotum is widest before middle (at middle in H. iranicus), anterior margin of the pronotum is distinctly margined laterally (not margined in H. iranicus), lateral margins of the pronotum are setated, elytra basally, laterally and apically is distinctly covered with subrecumbent setae (dorsum is glabrous in H. iranicus), ventral side of the body is pubescent, with dense recumbent, comparatively long setae (glabrous in H. iranicus).