Anillinus chilhowee Sokolov, 2011

Sokolov, Igor M., 2011, Five new species of Anillinus Casey from the Southern Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont Plateau of eastern U. S. A. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Bembidiini), Insecta Mundi 2011 (164), pp. 1-14 : 8-9

Anillinus chilhowee Sokolov , new species

Figure 3 , 8 , 13 , 16

Holotype. Male labeled / TENNESSEE: Polk Co., Cherokee Natl. Forest , Chilhowee Mt. at 35°7.0’N 84°37.44’W, 715m. 18 Sept 2005. Forest litter. A.K. Tishechkin / Anillinus barri S. and C. A. Tishechkin det. / HOLOTYPE, Anillinus chilhowee Sokolov , des. 2009/. The holotype is dissected and bears a plastic rectangle with genitalia mounted in dimethylhydantoin formaldehyde resin. Deposited USNM .

Type locality. U.S.A. Tennessee, Polk County, Cherokee National Forest, Chilhowee Mountain, 35°7.0’N 84°37.44’W.

Etymology. The name of this species is based on the name of the mountain where it occurs.

Description. Small for genus (ABL = 1.64 mm). Habitus ( Fig. 3 ) moderately convex, ovoidal (WE/ABL 0.38), head of normal proportions for the genus (WH/WPm 0.71), pronotum narrow compared to elytra (WPm/WE 0.78). Body color rufobrunneus, appendages testaceous. Dorsal microsculpture well-developed; covering all head, except two paramedial patches without microsculpture on vertex, and all pronotum except medial part of the disc. Elytra with well-developed polygonal microsculpture.

Pronotum ( Fig. 8 ) moderately convex and of normal proportions for genus (WPm/LP 1.26), with margins rectilinear and moderately constricted posteriad (WPm/WPp 1.26). Anterior angles evident, very slightly prominent. Posterior angles obtuse (115°). Width between posterior angles greater than between anterior angles (WPa/WPp 0.92).

Elytra moderately convex, depressed along suture, slightly elongated (LE/ABL 0.58), with traces of 2 interneurs. Humeri rectangular and rounded. Lateral margins subparallel, slightly divergent in basal forth, evenly rounded to apex in apical third, maximal width of elytra at midpoint. Elytra without subapical sinuation. Vestiture of elytra short (lesser than one-third of discal setae).

Prothoracic leg of males with moderately dilated tarsomere 1. Profemur moderately swollen. Metafemora unmodified. Sternum VII of males unmodified.

Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 13a ) evenly arcuate and twisted, with apex greatly enlarged and widely rounded. Ventral margin of median lobe enlarged bearing numerous poriferous canals, which are also present on walls of median lobe across its lower half. Dorsal copulatory sclerites forming a short, curled blade-like structure with long basal prolongations. Ventral sclerite and spines of internal sac absent. Left paramere ( Fig. 13b ) not enlarged, paramere apex with four poriferous canals, bearing one long (more distal) and one short setae in apical position. Right paramere ( Fig. 13c ) elongate, with subparallel apical portion, bearing four long setae that are slightly shorter than the apical part of paramere.

Distribution. Known only from the Chilhowee Mountain, Polk County, Tennessee ( Fig. 16 ).

Habitat. A single male was collected by sifting forest litter.

Differential diagnosis. Anillinus chilhowee belongs to the loweae-group of species ( Sokolov and Carlton 2010), which is characterized by two paramedial patches of smoothed microsculpture on the head. It is distinguished from all other species in this group by the form of the median lobe and armature of the internal sac, and especially by the smaller size.

Anillinus chilhowee occurs sympatrically with one or two species of Anillinus , and undescribed species from the langdoni - group ( Sokolov et al. 2007), and, possibly, A. steevesi Barr. It is also presumably sympatric with one or two species of Serranillus . Externally, it can be distinguished from all species of Serranillus by the presence of long discal elytral setae. From the species of the langdoni-group A. chilhowee can be distinguished by the presence of areas with smoothed microsculpture on the head and pronotum, and from A. steevesi , A. chilhowee can be distinguished by the smaller size (1.64 versus 1.67-1.92 mm of A. steevesi ) and form of the median lobe.

The key to the loweae-group species ( Sokolov and Carlton 2010) is modified from couplet 8 to accommodate the A. chilhowee :

8. Male median lobe with dorsal sclerites very long, forming filament-like structures with greatly elongated basal processes. Setae of right paramere long, much longer than the length of paramere itself. Beetles from the limestone area at the eastern part of Rich Mountain ridge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park .................................... A. gimmeli Sokolov and Carlton

— Male median lobe with dorsal sclerites shorter, forming blade-like structures. Setae of right paramere shorter than the length of paramere itself ........................................................... 8A

8A(8). Median lobe with strongly enlarged and symmetrically rounded apex, and without a patch of spines near apical orifice. Beetles from Chilhowee Mountain (Polk County, TN) to the south of the Hiwassee River ................................................................................ A. chilhowee sp.nov.

— Apex of median lobe EITHER with sinuation on dorsal side, OR noticeably asymmetrical, OR not enlarged (its width much lesser than half width of median lobe itself). Beetles from eastern portions of southern Appalachian Mountains to the north and east of the Hiwassee River ...... ......................................................................................................................... 9 (follow the key)

Figures

Figure 16. Locality records for the moseleyae-group (red color) and loweae-group species from Chilhowee and Starr Mountains (yellow color). Anillinus moseleyae – red quadrangles; A. carltoni, new species – red circle; A. unicoi – red star; A. juliae – yellow circle; A. chilhowee – yellow star.

Figure 1-5. Habitus images. 1) Anillinus unicoi (NC, Graham Co., Unicoi Mtns.), holotype. 2) A. carltoni (TN, Blount Co., GSMNP, Thunderhead Mtn.), paratype. 3) A. chilhowee (TN, Polk Co., Chilhowee Mtn.), holotype. 4) A. smokiensis (TN, Blount Co., GSMNP), paratype. 5) A. chandleri (SC, Edgefield Co., Sumter National Forest), holotype.

Figure 6-10. Pronotum images. 6) Anillinus unicoi (NC, Graham Co., Unicoi Mtns.). 7) A. carltoni (TN, Blount Co., GSMNP, Thunderhead Mtn.). 8) A. chilhowee (TN, Polk Co., Chilhowee Mtn.). 9) A. smokiensis (TN, Blount Co., GSMNP). 10) A. chandleri (SC, Edgefield Co., Sumter National Forest).

Figure 11-15. Illustrations of male aedeagus. 11) Anillinus unicoi (NC, Graham Co., Unicoi Mtns.). 12) A. carltoni (TN, Blount Co., GSMNP, Thunderhead Mtn.). 13) A. chilhowee (TN, Polk Co., Chilhowee Mtn.). 14) A. smokiensis (TN, Blount Co., GSMNP). 15) A. chandleri (SC, Edgefield Co., Sumter National Forest). a-Median lobe, right lateral aspect; b-Left paramere, left lateral aspect; c-Right paramere, right lateral aspect. Scale = 100 µm.