Dicheirotrichus (Trichocellus) himalayanus, Abak & D.W, 2006

Abak & D. W, 2006, Three new species of the subgenus Trichocellus GANGLBAUER 1891 of the genus Dicheirotrichus JACQUELIN DU VAL 1857 from the East Palaearctic, with description of the male of D. stenothorax (KABAK & KATAEV 1994) (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 717-729 : 720-721

Dicheirotrichus (Trichocellus) himalayanus spec. nova ( Figs 1-6 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: Nepal, Karnali Prov., Jumla Distr., Gothichaur Valley, Hochebene , 3800 m, 29°12'N 82°18.5'E, Gesiebe [sifted], 11.VI.1997, M. Hartmann leg. ( NME) . Paratypes: 43, 27, same data as holotype ( NME; ZISP; cWR) ; 3, 1, Hochtal Gothichaur , 29°12.10'N 82°18.56'E, 3000-3300 m, 9.VI.1997, J. Weipert leg. ( NME) ; 5, 9, same but 2900-3050 m, 10.VI.1997, J. Weipert leg. ( NME) ; 57, 20, same but 2900 m, 13.VI.1997, J. Weipert leg. ( NME; ZISP; cWR) ; 12, 8, same but 2850 m, nahe Lager, Gesiebe , 10.VI.1997, Grill leg. ( NME) ; 1, Jumla Distr. , 2 km W Gothichaur, 3000 m, 1.V.1995, A. Weigel leg. (cSCHM) ; 25, 12, Jumla Distr., Gothichaur Khola SE, 29°12'10"N 82°18'56"E, 2850 m, 12.VI.1997, A. Weigel leg. ( NME) ; 5, 4, same but 2800 m, 8.VI.1997, A. Weigel leg. (cWGL); 1, 5, same but 29°12'10"N 82°18'65"E, 2800 m, 12.VI.1997, A. Weigel leg. ( NME) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.3-4.3 mm, width 1.4-1.8 mm.

Colour: Dorsum shiny, largely black, with lateral areas of head behind eyes, clypeus apically, labrum at least externally, middle portions of mandibles, pronotum extremely narrowly along lateral beads and more widely along apical and basal margins, elytra on suture and in humeral areas (except for constantly dark 9 th interval) reddish brown. Underside black; epipleurae of pronotum and elytra reddish brown, but epipleurae of elytra distinctly infuscate in basal half. Palpi, antennae and legs reddish brown; palpomeres (except for apical half of apical one), antennomeres (except for first one), femora, apices of tibiae and tarsi more or less distinctly infuscate. Pubescence yellow.

Head: Comparatively large (WHmax/WP = 0.76-0.83; WHmin/WP = 0.63-0.68), coarsely and irregularly punctured, usually with more or less wide unpunctured areas on clypeus, frons and vertex medially. Each puncture bearing a short seta. Eyes large, comparatively weakly convex, almost reaching buccal fissure (separated from it by very short distance much less than width of first antennomere). Tempora short, convex. Clypeus sometimes slightly depressed or indistinctly bordered along apical margin. Labrum with nearly straight apical margin. Dorsal microsculpture usually invisible, sometimes weak isodiametric meshes recognizable on areas behind eyes. Mandibles acute at apices. Antennae extending slightly beyond elytral base, with middle and preapical antennomeres rather short, each approximately one and a half times as long as wide.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ): Moderately convex, 1.30-1.42 times as wide as long; widest in apical third. Its sides basally either almost rectilinearly converging posteriad or slightly rounded. Apical margin hardly emarginate, bordered only laterally. Basal margin very broadly rounded medially, oblique laterally, with rather distinct bead along oblique portion on each side, approximately equal to apical margin, narrower than elytral base, and clearly ciliate on basal ridge. Apical angles not protruding anteriad, narrowly rounded at apices. Basal angles very obtuse, usually widely rounded at apices, each bearing a long seta. Lateral furrows narrow throughout. Basal foveae large and wide, reaching basal pronotal margin, separated from each other and usually from sides by convexities. Areas at basal angles sometimes flattened. Pronotal surface coarsely and comparatively sparsely punctured mainly along margins and along median line, sometimes with scattered punctures in central portion of disc on each side between median line and lateral margin. Puncturation within basal foveae more dense and confluent. Each puncture bearing a short seta. Dorsal microsculpture absent.

Elytra: Moderately convex, 1.43-1.50 times as long as wide, 2.93-3.13 times as long and 1.45-1.58 times as wide as pronotum, markedly widened posteriad, widest just behind middle, and evenly rounded at sides. Humeri comparatively prominent, widely rounded at apices. Subapical sinuation very weak. Sutural angle narrowly rounded at apex. Basal bead weakly sinuate, arcuately curving inside humerus up to lateral margin. Parascutellar pore puncture present, large. Third interval in apical third with a discal setigerous pore near second stria. Posterior group of umbilicate series consisting of usually seven (more rarely six or eight) setigerous pore punctures. Striae unpunctured, weakly impressed, very fine along sides, particularly basally; 7 th and 8 th striae becoming evanescent and absent in basal half; 6 th stria not visible near basal bead of elytra. Intervals rather flat, at most weakly convex in medio-basal portion of elytra, weakly narrowed posteriad. Puncturation of intervals on elytral disc comparatively coarse, with two punctures in a transverse row across each interval at middle. Each puncture bearing a short, posteriorly inclined seta. Microsculpture recognizable only latero-apically, meshes more or less isodiametric.

Wings: Developed, longer than elytra.

Ventral surface: Metepisterna ( Fig. 2 ) long and narrow, strongly narrowed posteriad. Anal sternum rounded at apex, with one pair of marginal setae in male and two pairs in female.

Legs: 5 th tarsomere with two pairs of ventro-lateral setae. Metatarsus somewhat stout, with slightly diverging sides, its length approximately equal to width of head measured across neck constriction (WHmin); first metatarsomere markedly longer than second and slightly shorter than second and third together. In male protarsi ( Fig. 6 ) very weakly dilated, with biseriate vestiture ventrally; mesotarsi not dilated.

Female genitalia ( Fig 3 ): Hemisternite asymmetrical, without spines or setae. Basal stylomere slightly widened apicad, also without spines or setae. Apical stylomere notably arcuate, moderately long, with a peg-like seta on outer ventral margin before middle.

Median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 4-5 ): Weakly and somewhat evenly arcuate, with almost straight apical portion and weakly swollen at apex (lateral aspect); sides rather evenly rounded, apex blunt (dorsal aspect). Internal sac with asymmetrical pattern of tiny spines and with three (sometimes united into one) patches of larger spines in apical portion of median lobe.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Central Himalaya. Known only from several localities, all within the Jumla District, Karnali Province, Nepal. The beetles were collected at altitudes of 2800-3800 m.

E t y m o l o g y. The species epithet refers to the Himalaya, the area of the geographical distribution of the new species.

R e m a r k s: This new species is very similar and apparently closely related to D. obscuricollis (REITTER 1899) from Middle Asia. Both species share many character states of coloration and morphology, including genital characters. D. himalayanus spec. nova differs markedly from D. obscuricollis in having the body notably smaller, the antennomeres shorter, the pronotum more coarsely punctured, the elytra darker and comparatively shorter, and in the well developed left apical spiny patch in the internal sac (in D. obscuricollis this spiny patch is usually absent).

Figures

Figs 1-6: Dicheirotrichus (Trichocellus) himalayanus spec. nova. (1) Pronotum. (2) Left metepisternum. (3) Hemisternite and stylus. (4-5) Median lobe of aedeagus (holotype), (4) dorsal view, (5) lateral view. (6) Male protarsus. Figs 7-10: D. (T.) stenothorax (KABAK & KATAEV). (7) Left metepisternum (Volgograd Prov.). (8) Male protarsus. (9-10) Median lobe of aedeagus (Elton), (9) dorsal view, (10) lateral view. Scales = 0.5 mm (A: Fig 1; B: Figs 2, 6-8; C: Figs 3-5, 9-10).