Leleuporella devagiriensis, Abhitha & Sabu, 2009

Abhitha, P. & Sabu, T. K., 2009, Rare ground-beetle species of Leleuporella Basilewsky (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Scaritinae: Scaritini) from Indian sub-continent, Zootaxa 2310, pp. 59-63 : 61-62

Leleuporella devagiriensis n. sp.

( Figs. 2a, b)

Type material. Holotype (Female): India, Kerala, Calicut District, Kunnamangalam, Light trap, 3. XII. 2006, Deepa. E. Deposited in National Pusa Collection, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India.

Paratype (1 Female): same data as for holotype. Deposited in the Insect collections of Zoological Survey of India, Calicut, India .

Diagnosis. Frons smooth without longitudinal furrows or carina; posterior half of clypeus with a conspicuous circular carina enclosing a depression and feebly opened anteriorly; genae inconspicuous and not enclosing the eyes; outline of pronotum rounded, curved laterally.

Description. Holotype (female) (all measurements in mm): TL = 2.3; TW = 0.6; PL = 0.52; PW = 0.5; EL = 1.2. Paratype (n = 1) (female): TL = 2.4; TW = 0.6; PL = 0.52; PW = 0.5; EL = 1.3.

Colour. Uniformly pale brownish-yellow. Head moderately large, smaller than pronotum. Surface dull due to coarse isodiametric microsculpture. Labrum convex, dorsal surface with seven setae, lateral margins with six pairs of curved setae, reflexed forwards. Clypeus elongated, with antero-lateral margins distinctly margined, separated from wings by indistinct notches, wings slightly projecting, separated from supra- antennal plates by distinct notches; bisetose posteriorly, posterior half of clypeus with a conspicuous circular carina enclosing a depression within it and feebly opened anteriorly; separated from frons by a flat transverse furrow. Supra-antennal plates distinctly margined, separated from clypeus and frons by deep longitudinal furrows. Furrows diverging posteriorly, with 2 supraorbital setae. Sharp carina between furrow and frons at each side starting at mid-eye level ending at neck constriction. Frons convex, smooth, without carinae. Surface with fine microsculpture; neck with distinct transverse carina and constriction. Eyes big, coarsely facetted distinctly convex and protruding. Genae hardly visible. Antennae reaching up to basal constriction of pronotum; pubescent from article two; articles 4 to 11 moniliform. Scape slightly longer than articles two and three combined; pedicellus attached excentrically to scapus, scapus constricted apically with one dorsoapical setae. Mandibles elongate, slender, sharp, hooked at apex, inner margin straight, inner margin of right mandible with small tooth basally. Maxilla with lacinia setose, apex slightly hooked; 4th maxillary palp elongate, swollen at base and bottle-like. Mentum with triangular central tooth. Lobes of mentum with a pair of setae at the base. Mentum and submentum separated by suture. Submentum with a pair of paramedian setae. Labial palpomere 3 bottle-like, palpomere 2 bisetose. Buccal fissure wide and extending upto the base of submentum. Gula narrow, surface smooth and shining, in contrast to the microsculptured genae.

Pronotum. Glabrous, impunctate, moderately and regularly convex, longer than wide, parallel at middle; anterior half explanate; moderately convex in posterior part, more convex in the basal constriction. Anterior margin slightly concave. Reflexed lateral border complete, extending over posterior setigerous puncture, extended to basal constriction as submarginal furrow; bisinuate posteriorly. Two lateral setigerous punctures somewhat removed from marginal channel. Anterior angles acute, steeply bend ventrally and not visible from above, posterior angles inconspicuous. Anterior transverse line deep and incomplete in the middle without joining the median line; entire median line conspicuously sharp surpassing the level of anterior transverse line and not reaching anterior margin; posteriorly joins basal constriction. Basal fovea absent. Basal constriction broad, deep; flange ring-like, elongated and concave in the middle; scutellum located on the pedunculus.

Elytra. Elongate, twice longer than pronotum with eight striae, striae punctuate striate; 1 st stria deep, 4 th broader than others, 7 th carinate apically; striae 1, 2 and 3 complete. Base of elytra incomplete; basal tubercle with setigerous puncture situated at declivity of 2 nd interval; intervals moderately convex, intervals 3 and 5 with series of 25 to 30 setigerous punctures bearing long setae, all setae bent and comb-like. Marginal channel moderately broad, with uninterrupted series of setigerous punctures arising from small tubercles; margins distinct from base to apex; slightly wavy at humerus and with a fold like carina crossing marginal channel at apex.

Wings. Well developed.

Ventral side. Proepisternum tumid laterally, distinctly visible from above and forming outline of pronotum. Prosternal process narrow anteriorly, broader and depressed between coxae. Metacoxae separated slightly by posterior extension of metasternum. Abdominal sternites transversely sulcate, glabrous with a pair of paramedian setae; terminal sternite shiny, without reticulation, 2 apical setae on each side widely separated.

Legs. Profemora large and flattened on inner and outer side; Meso and metatibiae l without external spines; apical spurs thin. First tarsal segment of all legs long, claws simple.

Genitalia. Female. Styli glabrous; inner margin of stylus with one pair of small setae ( Fig. 2b)

Geographical distribution. The type locality is Kunnamangalam (11 0 18’ N, 75 0 53’ E), an agricultural belt 15 km east of the Calicut coast, Kerala, India , in the Malabar coast moist deciduous ecoregion in the foot hills of the Western Ghats , a hot spot of biodiversity in south India .

Remarks. No details on its habits are available as the specimens were collected with light traps from residential buildings.