Apophylon Gueorguiev & Sciaky

Gueorguiev, Borislav & Sciaky, Riccardo, 2015, A new genus and two new species of Pterostichini from China, with " sphodrine-like " parameres (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 62 (2), pp. 225-237 : 225-227

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Apophylon Gueorguiev & Sciaky gen. n.

Type species.

Apophylon schillhammeri sp. n.

Diagnosis.

The following combination of morphological features distinguishes this taxon from all the other Pterostichini known to date:

mentum transverse, weakly emarginate;

pronotal basal impressions, lateral margins and basal part of midline, as well as the elytral striae both grooved and widened;

elytral microreticulation double, isodiametric within the striae, transverse-mesh on the intervals;

apicolateral plica of elytron large and visible;

parascutellar striola absent, i.e. striola anastomosing in full with stria 1;

angular base of stria 1 absent;

stria 7 shallow (punctiform) in anterior half;

parascutellar setiferous punctures present at base of stria 2;

no discal setiferous punctures in interval 3;

remnants of both stria 9 and interval 10 present along penultimate fifth of elytron;

meso- and metatarsomeres 1-4 with two dorsolateral grooves divergent distally;

metatarsomeres 1-2 (and sometimes metatarsomere 3) setose on medioventral surface, in addition to the lateroventral setae;

tarsomere 4 moderately emarginate along apical margin in all legs;

abdominal sternite 6 bisinuate and bordered along apical margin in both sexes, flat and smooth in males, impressed and rugose on apical part in females.

median lobe of aedeagus with dorsal ostium;

left paramere without transverse apophysis;

right paramere falcate, with styloid apex, medial part broadened and hasp situated at subbasal position;

laterotergite and basal gonocoxite 1 both with trichoid setae;

apical gonocoxite narrowed distally, with apex widely rounded, two ensiform setae, two nematiform setae, and a lots of pit pegs on dorsal and ventral surfaces.

Description.

Habitus. Size medium (ca. 12.5-13.5 mm) for Oriental Pterostichini , shape elongate, subparallel (Figs 1, 11). Tegument. Glabrous throughout (excl. antennomeres 4-11), dorsally smooth; sternal parts partly punctate, namely postgenae, proepisterna, mesosternum and mesosterna, gula of head, prosternum and proepipleura impunctate, abdomen mostly impunctate, slightly wrinkled laterally. Color. Body dark brown to black on dorsal and ventral surface, antennae, palpomeres and legs red-brown to black. Microsculpture. Present ( Apophylon pangu ) or largely reduced ( Apophylon schillhammeri ); striae of elytra with shiny isodiametric microreticulation, in contrast to less shiny, transverse-mesh microreticulation on elytral intervals. Head. Eyes large, laterally protruding, tempora minute; frons with two well-developed and relatively deep furrows, divergent backward, reaching anterior supraorbital punctures; two pairs of supraorbital punctures, anterior puncture just before middle of eye, posterior one at posterior fifth of eye; antennae long, filiform, with segments 1-3 and basal fifth of segment 4 glabrous, pubescent from antennomere 4, scape shorter than antennomere 3, with single dorsal seta distally, pedicel with one ventral seta, not eccentrically attached to scape, segment 3 with six apical setae, end of antennomere 8 and antennomeres 9-11 exceeding posterior margin of pronotum; labrum subrectangular, with anterior margin concave in middle and six equidistant setae, middle four shorter than lateral two; clypeus subtrapezoid, with anterior margin straight and with two punctures removed from anterior margin at distance of one and a half diameters of puncture and closer to lateral margins than to anterior margin; mandibles large, elongate, more or less pointed and hooked at apex; maxillae shorter than mandibles, stipes with two long lateroventral setae; ligula with two setae, paraglossae long, glabrous (Fig. 3); labial palpomeres elongate, fusiform, with penultimate segment bisetose; maxillary palpi considerably longer than labial palpi, with glabrous and elongate segments; labium with distinct suture between mentum and submentum, mentum transverse, weakly emarginate, sides of sinus widely divergent, epilobes narrow, median tooth large, weakly emarginate, slightly bifid in front, bordered posteriorly, labial setae long, paramedial pits indistinct; submentum with two medial setae, without lateral setae (Fig. 3). Thorax. Pronotum subcordate, wider than long, widest before middle; midline narrow anteriorly and wide posteriorly, not reaching anterior and posterior borders; anterotransverse sulcus superficial; two basal impressions, linear, wide, deep, and divergent to base; anterior border slightly narrower than basal border, concave medially, finely rimmed laterally, rim obliterated medially; sides rounded anteriorly, sinuate before posterior angles, with wide and grooved lateral margin from each side; basal border slightly convex, oblique towards angles, not rimmed; anterior angles rounded, hardly protruding; posterior angles distinct, obtuse, slightly outward protruded; anterolateral and posterolateral setiferous punctures present. Elytra elongate, not fused, widest after middle, with slightly convex disc and subapical sinuation; apicolateral plica present, large and visible from above and at sides; basal border complete, touching stria 1; shoulders completely rounded, without denticles; striae wide, deep, impunctate; stria 7 shallow along anterior half of elytron, with one or two preapical setiferous punctures (posterior one closer to apex of elytron than to suture) (Figs 4, 13); stria 9 present along penultimate fifth of elytron; parascutellar striola anastomosing with stria 1, angular base of stria 1 absent; intervals smooth, 7-8 almost fused anteriorly; interval 9 beginning from umbilicate puncture III, not reaching apex; interval 10 present at penultimate fifth of elytron; parascutellar setiferous punctures present, small, situated at base of stria 2; no discal setae in interval 3; umbilicate series mostly with 16 pores (sometimes 15, 17, or 18), indistinctly divided into humeral and apical groups by an interruption between pores VII and VIII, interruption as long as double distance between pores VI and VII, humeral group of seven pores, I-III situated before beginning of interval 8, IV-VII within stria 8, III larger than rest, apical group of nine pores, all within stria 8, pores XI and XVI larger than others. Hind wings present. Prosternum smooth, prosternal process unbordered, proepipleura broadened posteriorly. Metasternum smooth, mostly impunctate, finely punctate only laterally, metepisterna finely punctate, twice longer than wide, strongly narrowed posteriorly. Legs moderately long and slender; procoxa without seta; mesocoxa with one lateral and one medial seta; metacoxa with two lateral setae, one anterolateral and one posterolateral seta, without medial seta, with metacoxal sulcus arcuate and ended before lateral end of coxa; protrochanter with one anterior seta at distal position; mesotrochanter with one posterior seta at distal position; metatrochanter without seta (but one female paratype of Apophylon pangu with a seta at proximal position on left metatrochanter); profemur with three long setae on posterior surface, one proximal, one medioventral and one distal seta; mesofemur with three long setae on anterior surface, two closely situated proximal setae and one medioventral seta; metafemur with two long setae on anterior surface, one proximal seta and one medioventral seta; protibia rather dilated distally in both sexes, with two long clip setae; mesotibia nearly as long as mesofemur, with ventral ctenidium well differentiated; metatibia longer than metafemur; all tarsomeres dorsally glabrous (only tarsomere 5 with a pair of subapical setae), with two rows of lateroventral setae, glabrous on medioventral surface, except for metatarsomeres 1-2 (and sometimes metatarsomere 3) which are setose also medioventrally (Fig. 5), tarsomere 4 with apical emargination from above in all legs, meso- and metatarsomeres 1-4 with two dorsolateral grooves, posteriorly divergent (Fig. 6); male protarsomeres 1-3 strongly and symmetrically expanded, biseriate squamose beneath, segment 1 and 2 nearly equal in width, segment 3 flatter and narrower than previous two; tarsal claws smooth, one seta at base of each tarsal claw. Abdomen. Sternites 3-5 each with a pair of ambulatory setae, sternites 4-6 without transverse sulci, terminal sternite 6 in both sexes bisinuate and bordered marginally, in males flat and smooth with two large terminal setiferous punctures (Fig. 7), in females apically impressed and rugose, with four terminal setiferous punctures (Fig. 17). Male genitalia: aedeagus (Figs 8-10, 14-16). Median lobe of aedeagus long, in lateral view strongly arcuate ventrally, with basal bulb large and well developed, basal orifice concave, medial part narrower than bulb, apical lamella slightly bent ventrally; median lobe dorsally elongate, slightly bent to right apically, with left margin straight to slightly concave and right margin convex, apical lamella somewhat narrowed before tip, thereupon widened, subapical orifice (ostium) on dorsal side, elongate, extended over entire dorsum; inner sac of aedeagus with or without chitinized structures, with complex membranous pattern distally. Left paramere conchoid, without transverse apophysis, with small apical denticle on ventral margin. Right paramere falcate, attenuate at apex, broadened medially, with a hasp situated at subbasal position. Female genitalia (Figs 19-21), consisting of bipartite laterotergits and gonocoxae (latter clearly separated into basal gonocoxite 1 and apical gonocoxite 2). Laterotergite subtriangular, articulated to lateral base of gonocoxite 1, with protruding apophysis on anterior margin and 10-12 trichoid setae on posterior margin medially; gonocoxite 1 relatively narrow, elongate, with several long trichoid setae on ventral surface laterodistally; gonocoxite 2 not curved, with sides narrowed distally, apex not tapering, but widely rounded, two broad ensiform setae, one dorsomedial and one dorsolateral, preapical sensory furrow on ventral surface, with a furrow peg bearing two long and thin nematiform setae, and numerous pit pegs on both surfaces.

Etymology.

Apophylon is a compound word, based on the Greek prefix ἀπό [ apó] (away from, separate) and φύλον [ fýlon] (tribe, clan), alluding to the putative systematic remoteness of this taxon concerning its relatives. It is treated as a Greek neuter.