Contribution to the knowledge of Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli Mannerheim, 1830 in the Caucasus, with description of two new subspecies (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Carabini)
Author
Fominykh, Dmitriy D.
Author
Zamotajlov, Alexandr S.
Author
Khomitskiy, Eugeniy E.
Author
Titarenko, Andrey Yu.
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-01-30
4729
3
301
328
journal article
24216
10.11646/zootaxa.4729.3.1
f7aee5da-a7ce-4660-b00c-b272b6204a19
1175-5326
3632662
330533E0-25B8-4C66-89F2-B93F3E88DD5A
6.
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim, 1830
(
Figs. 1
,
24–67
,
95–108
,
115
,
121–124
)
Material examined.
5♂♂
,
2♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Adjaria
(=
Adjara
,
Adzharia
),
Baki
(
Bako
) vill. env., 08.-
26.06.1998
(
V
.
Filippov
) (
CFDD
)
;
15♂♂
,
3♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Adjaria
,
Arsiani
(=
Arsiyan
)
Mt. Range
near
Goderdzi Pass
,
Chanchakhi Mt.
,
2300 m
,
N 41°36’35.00”
/
E42°31’34.15”
,
10.06.2015
(
D. Fominykh
&
A. Zubov
) (
CFDD
)
;
30♂♂
,
17♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti
, N slopes of
Khormani Mt. Range
, right bank of
Khveibliani River
,
1 km
E of Zarzma
vill.,
1266 m
,
N 41°40’36.50”
/
E 42°40’04.90”
,
pitfall traps
, 01.05.-
09.06.2015
(
D. Fominykh
&
A. Zubov
) (
ZISP
,
MPSU
,
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
6♂♂
,
9♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti
,
Adigeni Distr.
,
Khormani Mt. Range
, E slopes of
Tail’ Mt.
,
2290 m
,
N 41°36’57.00”
/
E 42°40’32.40”
, 22.-
24.05.2015
(
A. Zubov
&
R
.
Khryapin
) (
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
48♂♂
,
53♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti, N
slopes of
Adzhar-Imereti
(=
Meskheti
)
Mt. Range
, S
part of
Pirsagat Mt. Range
,
Pirsagat Mt.
,
2290 m
,
N 41°43’50.60”
/
E 42°44’23.10”
,
pitfall traps
, 26.05.-
11.06.2015
(
A. Zubov
&
R
.
Khryapin
) (
ZISP
,
MPSU
,
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
,
CKEE
)
;
44♂♂
,
59♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti
, upper of
Borbala River
,
10 km
SW of Akhaltzikhe town
, N slopes of
Shabanibeli Mt.
,
2270 m
,
N 41°33’12.00”
/
E 42°55’18.10”
,
pitfall traps
, 28.05.-
11.06.2015
(
D. Fominykh
&
A. Zubov
) (
ZISP
,
MPSU
,
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
,
CKEE
)
;
15♂♂
,
17♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Adjaria
,
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
near
Chidila Pass
,
6 km
S of Bakhmaro
vill.,
2350 m
,
N 41°47’27,62”
/
E 42°19’20,22”
,
05.06.2016
(
D. Fominykh
) (
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
2♂♂
,
2♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Guria
, N slopes of
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
near
Chkhakoura
vill., E slopes of
Dzegvila Mt.
, right bank of
Chkhakoura River
,
1081 m
,
N 41°54’16,70”
/
E 42°22’41,10”
,
pitfall traps
, 09.04.-
04.06.2016
(
D. Fominykh
) (
CFDD
)
;
4♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Guria
, N slopes of
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
near
Chkhakoura
vill., E slopes of
Dzegvila Mt.
, right bank of
Chkhakoura River
,
1434 m
,
N 41°53’30,10”
/
E 42°22’14,00”
, 09.04.-
04.06.2016
(
D. Fominykh
) (
CFDD
)
;
37♂♂
,
34♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Guria
,
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
near
Gomismta
vill.,
2100-2300 m
,
N 41°49’14.89”
/
E42°11’16.95”
,
08.06.2015
(
A. Zubov
) (
ZISP
,
MPSU
,
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
1♂
,
2♀♀
, Geor- gia,
Guria
, N slopes of
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
near
Gomi
vill. between
Bzhuzhi
and
Kalova
rivers,
1440 m
,
N 41°50’16,60”
/
E 42°08’29,20”
,
pitfall traps
, 10.04.-
07.06.2016
(
D. Fominykh
) (
CFDD
)
;
25♂♂
,
15♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Imereti
,
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
near
Zekari Pass
,
2100-2200 m
, 14.-
15.06.2014
(D.
Fominykh
&
A. Zubov
) (
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
6♂♂
,
7♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Imereti
, N slopes of
Adzhar-Imereti Mt. Range
S of Sairme
vill., W slopes of
Samtikheli Mt.
, right bank of
Sairme-Gele River
,
1526 m
,
N 41°52’46,50”
/
E 42°46’22,30”
,
pitfall traps
, 08.04.-
31.05.2016
(
D. Fominykh
) (
CFDD
)
;
27♂♂
,
34♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti
, S slope of Ad- zhar-Imereti
Mt. Range
near
Sviri
vill.,
1580 m
,
N 41°44’03,10”
/
E 42°58’37,10”
,
pitfall traps
, 14.04.-
11.06.2018
(
D. Fominykh
) (
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
41♂♂
,
45♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Adjaria
,
Mts.
between
Skhalta
and Tchirukhists- kali rivers near
Momtsvari
vill.,
1300 m
,
N41°36’02,50”
E42°14’43,70”
,
pitfall traps
, 10.04.-
13.06.2018
(
D. Fominykh
) (
ZISP
,
MPSU
,
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
)
;
217♂♂
,
188♀♀
,
Georgia
,
Adjaria
,
Tsvinta Mt.
env.
N of Goderdzi Pass.
,
2400 m
,
N 41°40’32,95”
/
E 42°30’56,18”
12.
VI
.2018
(
D. Fominykh
) (
ZISP
,
MPSU
,
CFDD
,
CTAY
,
CZAM
,
CKEE
)
.
FIGURES 24–31.
Dorsal habitus of
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim
: 24–27— Baki env.; 28–29—Goderdzi Pass env., 2300 m; 30–31—Gomi env., 1500 m. Scale bar 10.0 mm.
FIGURES 32–39.
Dorsal habitus of
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim
: 32–35—Zarzma env., 1300 m; 36–39—Tail’ Mt., 2300 m. Scale bar 10.0 mm.
FIGURES 40–47.
Dorsal habitus of
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim
: 40–43—Pirsagat Mt., 2300 m; 44–47—Akhaltsikhe env., 2270 m. Scale bar 10.0 mm.
FIGURES 48–55.
Dorsal habitus of
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim
: 48–51—Dzegvila Mt., 1100 m; 52–55—Chidila Pass env., 2350 m. Scale bar 10.0 mm.
FIGURES 56–63.
Dorsal habitus of
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim
: 56–59—Gomismta env., 2100 m; 60–63—Zekari Pass env., 2100 m. Scale bar 10.0 mm.
FIGURES 64–67.
Dorsal habitus of
Carabus (Lipaster) stjernvalli stjernvalli
Mannerheim, Sairme
env., 1500 m. Scale bar 10.0 mm.
Distribution and habitat.
Since the
type
locality of
C. stjernvalli stjernvalli
cannot be unequivocally established, we follow hereafter the concept of this form, accepted in the last revision (
Březina
et al.
2017
) and by
Retezár (2015)
, i.e. the nominotypical subspecies inhabits the Lesser Caucasus in
Georgia
and
Armenia
and Northeastern
Anatolia
,
C. stjernvalli tabackuriensis
,
C. stjernvalli gvalijai
Retezár, 1992
, and
C. stjernvalli humboldtii
representing distinct valid subspecies. Thus we attribute to the nominotypical subspecies populations from Adzhar-Imereti (=Meskheti), Shavsheti, Arsiani (Yalnýzçam) mountains (ranges), and ones from Mount Shabanibeli southwards of Akhaltsikhe (
Fig. 1
). Material has been collected mainly on alpine meadows, but some populations were forestdwelling. Activity of the imago on meadows starts in spring just after thaw.
Remarks.
The above recorded populations exhibit rather pronounced morphological heterogeneity from one to another in average body size, elytral sculpture and body coloration (
Figs. 24–67
). Decrease in body size does not definitely correlate with altitude (on the contrary, individuals of some forest populations in several localities are significantly smaller than alpine meadow-dwelling ones), elytral sculpture (which is variable even within the same population), and body coloration. In all alpine localities, except only for Shabanibeli Mountain Mass, completely black individuals are rather usual, while in the forests they were observed only in the Zarzma village vicinity at
1266 m
. Elytral punctation is also variable, some individuals possess rather smooth elytra, while others—rows of impressions or distinct coarse punctation. The upper side is usually with bright metallic or mirror flare luster, red-bronze to violet.