Qianlongius Tian & Jia, 2021

Tian, Mingyi, Huang, Sunbin, Jia, Xinyang & Zhao, Yi, 2021, Two new genera and three new species of cavernicolous trechines from the western Wuling Mountains, China (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae), ZooKeys 1059, pp. 57-78 : 57

Qianlongius Tian & Jia gen. nov.

Type species.

Qianlongius zhoui Tian & Jia, sp. nov. (Qianlong Dong cave, Songtao, Guizhou).

Generic characteristics.

Large for cavernicolous trechines, semi-aphaenopsian, but more or less pigmented; body stout, appendages moderate long; head and pronotum smooth and glabrous, elytra wholly pubescent; moderately shining. Head subquadrate, distinctly longer than wide excluding mandibles, nearly parallel-sided; frontal furrows sub-parallel-sided, 2 supra-orbital pores present; mandible thin and sharp at apices, right mandible tridentate; labial suture well-marked; mentum bisetose, slightly shallow at base; submentum with a row of 6 setae; palps thin and elongated, the 2nd labial palpomere without additional setae apart from the 2 setae on inner margin; antennae thin and long, extending almost to apices of elytra, scape as long as pedicel. Prothorax slightly tumid at sides and visible from above; prothorax longer than wide, slightly shorter than head excluding mandibles, widest at about basal 1/3; pronotum subquadrate, evidently longer than wide, wider than head, slightly narrower than prothorax; 2 pairs of latero-marginal setae present, both front and hind angles broadly obtuse. Elytra stout, but longer than fore body including mandibles, slightly expanded at sides, widest a little before middle, strongly convex, partly concealed marginal gutter in middle; humeral angles widely rounded, lateral margins smooth, not ciliate, apices almost rounded; elytral striae obliterated though still traceable; 2 dorsal pores present on the 3rd stria, the preapical dorsal pores present; apical striole invisible; humeral group (the 1st-4th pores) of marginal umbilicate series not aggregated, 2nd, 3rd and 8th pores close to the marginal gutter, 1st pore inwardly and backwardly shifted, 4th pore widely isolated; median group (the 5th and 6th pores) backwardly shifted, close from each other. Protarsomeres not modified in male; the 1st tarsomere much shorter than 2nd to 4th tarsomeres combined in fore legs, whereas as long in middle and hind legs. Ventrite VII with 2 pairs of apical setae in male. Male genitalia short and thick, moderately sclerotized.

Remarks.

The position of this new genus within the tribe Trechini remains unclear. However, Qianlongius gen. nov. is, on the first sight, more or less similar in body shape and colouration to Guizhaphaenopsodes Tian & X. Huang, 2020 (from Tangle Dong cave in Jishou, western Hunan), but these genera belong to different lineages on account of the following differences in important charateristics. First of all, Qianlongius is more aphaenopsian than Guizhaphaenopsodes due to its thinner body with a more elongated head, distinctly reduced frontal furrows, propleura tumid and visible from above, and thinner antennae reaching the elytral apices. Second, the right mandibular tooth is tridentate, and mentum and submentum are not fused in Qianlongius , versus bidentate right mandibular tooth, and completely fused mentum and submentum in Guizhaphaenopsodes . Third, the male protarsi of Qianlongius are simple, while the first protarsomere is modified in Guizhaphaenopsodes . Fourth, ventrite VII is 4-setose in the male of Qianlongius , instead of bisetose in Guizhaphaenopsodes . And fifth, the male genitalia are quite large and moderately elongated in Qianlongius , while small and very short in Guizhaphaenopsodes .

Etymology.

Refering to Qianlong Dong cave, locality of the type species Qianlongius zhoui sp. nov. Gender masculine.

Generic range.

China (Guizhou). Known only from cave Qianlong Dong (Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. A distribution map showing the localities of the three surveyed caves (stars) and the known species and subspecies of the genus Qianotrechus Ueno, 2000 (dots) A Shigao Dong B Qiankou Dong C Qianlong Dong.