Geodromicus crassipalpis Champion, 1920

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2019, The crassipalpis species group of the genus Geodromicus Redtenbacher, 1857 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini), Zootaxa 4686 (4), pp. 571-580 : 573-575

Geodromicus crassipalpis Champion, 1920

( Figs. 1 , 4–5 , 11 )

Geodromicus crassipalpis Champion, 1920: 245 .

Geodromicus crassipalpis: Cameron, 1924: 173, 1930: 164 .

Type material examined: Lectotype (here designated): ♂: ‘SYN- | TYPE’ <round label with blue margin, printed>, ‘Sunderdhunga V. | 8-12,000 ft. | W.Almora. H.G.C.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘H.G. Champion Coll. | B.M. 1953-156’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ LECTOTYPE | Geodromicus | crassipalpis Champion, 1920 | Shavrin A.V. des. 2019’ <red rectangular label, printed> ( BMNH).

Paralectotypes: 8 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀: same data as the lectotype ( BMNH); 10 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀: same data as the lecto- type, with sex labels (‘ ♂ ’ or ‘ ♀ ’), and additional rectangular printed label: ‘ Geodromicus | crassipalpis Champ. | G.C.Champion det.’ ( BMNH); 1 ♀: ‘SYN- | TYPE’ <round label with blue margin, printed>, ‘Sunderdhunga V. | W. Almora Divn. | 5000 12000 feat |Juny`19. H.C.O.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘ Geodromicus | crassipalpis Champ. | G.C.Champion det.’ <rectangular label, printed>, ‘M. Cameron | Bequest. | B.M. 1955-147. ’ <rectangular label, printed> ( BMNH); 1 ♂: ‘ ♂ ’ <small rectangular label, printed>, ‘Sunderhunga V. | 8-12,000 ft. | W. Almora. H.G.C.’ <printed>, ‘ Geodromicus | crassipalpis | Champ.’ <rectangular label, handwritten in black Indian ink> ( BMNH), 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀: ‘Sunderdhunga V. | W. Almora Divn. | 5000 12000 feat |Juny`19. H.C.O.’ <rectangular label, printed>, 3130 <small rectangular label, printed> ( BMNH).

Additional material examined: INDIA: UTTARAKHAND: 1 ♀: ‘ Sangcha, | N.Kumaon, India. | 14500 ft. H. G.C. ’, ‘ Geodromicus | crassipalpis | Champ. ’ ( BMNH) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀: Uttarkashi District, left tributary of Bhagirathi River , 30°57’41.57’’N 78°41’54.75’’E, 2300 m a.s.l. A. Anichtchenko ( CS) ; 2 ♀♀: same data as the previous, except for collector: A. Shavrin ( CS) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: 10 km NE Govind Ghat (Gobindghat) (road to Ghangaria), Bhuinder Ganga River . 11- 12.06.2011. A. Shavrin ( CS) .

Redescription. Measurements (n=20): HW: 1.10–1.40; HL: 0.60–0.80; OL: 0.30–0.34; TL: 0.10–0.12; AL (mean): 3.53; PL: 0.80–1.00; PWmax: 1.30–1.80; PWmin: 1.12–1.65; ESL: 1.90–2.60; EW: 2.40–3.10; MTbL (averaged): 1.25; MTrL (mean): 0.70 (MTrL 1–4: 0.40; MTrL 5: 0.30); AW: 2.30–2.70; AedL: 1.25–1.45; BL: 5.20–7.35 (lectotype: 6.25).

Body reddish-brown to black, sometimes with slightly paler elytra; mouthparts, antennomeres and legs yellow-brown to brown; apical segment of maxillary palpi, apical portion of tibia and tarsi yellow. Body glossy, without microsculpture on elytra; head with distinct transverse meshes between antennal insertions, with rugose or isodiametric microreticulation between punctures on infraorbital ridges, and with indistinct and sparse or distinct and dense meshes between punctures in interocellar depression, basal portion of this depression with denser, rugose sculpture; neck with large cellular sculpture; pronotum with indistinct to distinct transverse microreticulation in medioapical and sometimes in latero-apical portions, and with variable rugose sculpture in lateral and laterobasal portions (some specimens without microsculpture between punctures in lateral portions); median portion of visible part of scutellum with indistinct or distinct fine transverse sculpture; abdominal tergites with very dense and distinct isodiametric microsculpture. Pubescence of body white or yellow, relatively dense, semi-erect, longer in apical portion of head. Habitus as in Fig. 1 .

Head transverse, 1.7–1.8 times as wide as long, slightly convex between anteriomedian depression and in portions between ocelli and eyes; frontal portion with distinctly elevated supra-antennal protuberances, with relatively deep and wide anteriomedian depression, slightly narrowed basad to level of anterior margins of eyes; interocellar depression wide and deep, markedly narrowing basad, separated from infraorbital ridges by moderately deep and long convergent foveae in front of ocelli, reaching level of apical third of eyes; temples about one-third as long as longitudinal length of eyes. Eyes moderately large, convex. Ocelli small, sometimes indistinct and visible only at high magnification, distance between ocelli as long as distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye, or slightly shorter. Punctation moderately coarse and deep, irregular; median portion with several moderately small punctures in basal part of anteriomedian depression; interocellar depression with markedly sparser punctation; punctation of infraorbital ridges denser, rather smooth. Median portion of neck with indistinct, fine and sparse punctation. Maxillary palpomere 3 about as long as preceding segment, significantly widened apicad; apical palpomere 1.4 times as long as preapical segment. Antennae very long, usually exceeding apical third or fourth of elytra when reclined; lengths × widths of antennomeres (averaged): 1: 0.37 × 0.12; 2: 0.26 × 0.08; 3: 0.32 × 0.10; 4–5: 0.32 × 0.12; 6–8: 0.30 × 0.12; 9–10: 0.32 × 0.13; 11: 0.40 × 0.13.

Pronotum slightly convex, distinctly transverse, 1.6–1.8 times as wide as long, 1.1–1.2 times as wide as head, widest approximately in the middle, more narrowed posteriad than anteriad, with anterior angles rounded and slightly protruded anteriad; narrow basal part of pronotum usually with slightly sinuate lateral margins and obtuse posterior angles; anterior and posterior margins widely rounded; median portion without longitudinal impression, except for some specimens with very indistinct oval and small median impressions at anterior third and near posterior margin; lateral margins of pronotum with narrow border, sometimes indistincly reflexed in latero-basal portion. Punctation very dense, moderately large and deep, sometimes denser in anterior and posterior portions and somewhat sparser and finer in the middle, with narrow, indistinct or distinct median impunctate area, usually extending to posterior third.

Scutellum large, with widely rounded apex, impunctate or with several irregular, fine punctures.

Elytra slightly convex, 1.1–1.2 times as wide as long, significantly widened posteriad towards broadly rounded posterior portions; lateral margins rather broadly flattened; hind margins widely rounded, truncated at suture. Punctation markedly denser and deeper than that of pronotum, with interstices between punctures about as broad as diameter of nearest puncture, punctures markedly finer and sparser in basal and prescutellar portions. Wings fully developed.

Legs long and slender; metatarsus less than twice as long as metatibia; apical tarsomere slightly shorter than the combined length of preceding four tarsomeres.

Abdomen distinctly narrower than elytra, convex, with two distinct transverse tomentose spots in the middle of abdominal tergites IV and V (some specimens without visible spots on tergite V); apical margin of tergite VII with narrow palisade fringe. Punctation regular, dense, very fine, and sometimes indistinct.

Male. Protarsomeres 1–4 wide. Pronotum slightly narrower than in female. Posterior margin of tergite VIII straight or slighly sinuate. Posterior margin of sternite VIII deeply sinuate. Aedeagus ( Fig. 4 ) with small basal portion rotated inside abdomen in lateral position (90°, when viewed dorsally), narrow and very long median lobe, in apical portion gradually narrowed toward apex; parameres narrow, very long, indistinctly or slightly extending beyond apex of median lobe, with four moderately short apical setae, medial margins without small setae; internal sac weakly sclerotized, with narrow, long flagellum; flagellum with wide extension in basal part, coiled in basal part of aedeagus. Lateral aspect of aedeagus as in Fig. 5 .

Female. Protarsomeres 1–4 moderately narrow. Pronotum wider. Posterior margin tergite VIII straight. Posterior margin of sternite VIII rounded.

Comparative notes. Regarding body size, coloration, and the general shape of the pronotum and the elytra, G. crassipalpis is similar to the other two species of the crassipalpis group, from which it is distinguished by the markedly narrower aedeagus.

Distribution. The species is known from several localities in Uttarakhand, northern India ( Fig. 11 ).

Natural History. The specimens were collected from under stones very close to water near banks of rivers at elevations from 2300 to 4400 m a.s.l.. One habitat of G. crassipalpis in North India (left tributary of Bhagirathi River) is illustrated in Shavrin & Smetana (2017: Fig. 75).

Remarks. The species was described based on an unspecified number of syntypes from “Sunderhunga in Kumaon, alt. 12.000 ft. ” and was found “in abundance along the banks of rapid streams, in the vicinity of the Pindar glacier in June 1919 ” ( Champion 1920). One of the males from BMNH is designated as the lectotype in order to fix the identity of the name (see above).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Distribution of Geodromicus crassipalpis (black circles) and G. spadiceus (black square) in the Himalayan Region.

FIGURES 1–3. Habitus of species of Geodromicus crassipalpis group: 1–G. crassipalpis (Uttarakhand), 2–G. amplissimus (holotype), 3–G. spadiceus (holotype). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 4–10. Aedeagus of species of Geodromicus crassipalpis group (4–5: G. crassipalpis (Uttarakhand); 6–7: G. spadiceus (paratype); 8–9: G. amplissimus (paratype; Yunnan); 10: G. sp. (Gansu)): 4, 6, 8, 10–parameral view, 5, 7, 9–lateral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.