Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) semenowi Tschitschérine, 1896

Kabak, I. I. & Liang, H. - B., 2021, An annotated list of the genus Chlaenius Bonelli, 1810 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, Far Eastern Entomologist 429, pp. 12-28 : 18-20

Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) semenowi Tschitschérine, 1896

Figs 4–6

Chlaenius Semenowi Tschitschérine, 1896: 494 [type locality: “Songarie chinoise:

Dshincho”].

Chlaenius semenovi: Jacobson, 1906: 314 [“Dsungaria”].

Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) Semenowi: Winkler, 1924: 118 [“Dsung.”].

Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) semenowi: Csiki, 1931: 984 [“Dsungarei”].

Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) semenowi: Kirschenhofer, 2003: 350 [“ Xizang ”].

Chlaenius ( Chlaeniellus , the nitidulus -group) semenowi: Kirschenhofer, 2004a: 10 , 11,

fig. 13, 15, 56 [“ China (Xinjiang)”; “ Xinjiang, 1400 m, 120 km Yining , 15.5.97” (= 120 km

E of Yining, 15.5.1997, A. Gorodinsky leg.)].

Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) semenovi: Schnitter, 2016: 201 [ Mongolia, Chovd-Aimak,

Bulgan-gol, 46°06'42.9"N, 91°07'26.5"E].

Chlaenius (Chlaeniellus) semenowi: Kirschenhofer, 2017: 487 [“ Xizang ”].

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Holotype of Chlaenius semenowi , female ( Fig. 4 ),

labeled as “Dzhinho, 13. VI.89, Gr.-Grzhimajlo” (in Russian); “ Semenovi m. typ. Tschi-

tscherin det.”; “coll. Semenov-Tian-Shansky”; “ Holotypus ” ( ZIN) ( Fig. 5 ).

NOTES. This poorly known taxon till now is known only on the holotype (female specimen). The first re-description of Ch. semenowi was recently given by E. Kirschenhofer based on one male specimen from Xinjiang, which is differing from the holotype in color of the upper-side (Kirschenhofer, 2004a). Taken into account such insufficient information, we give here a re-description of Ch. semenowi based on the holotype, and compare it with related species.

DESCRIPTION. Medium-sized (BL = 10.6 mm), convex and rather robust species ( Fig. 4 ).

Upper-side with uniform metallic blue luster, elytra without yellow limb. Mandibles, palpi,

scape and femora brownish, tibia, tarsi and the rest of the antenna dark-brown to blackish.

Head finely and densely punctate and transversely rugose, glabrous, PW/HW = 1.43.

Eyes large, markedly salient. Labial tooth wide, clearly shorter than lateral lobes, truncated at apex. Antenna not thin, surpassing the base of pronotum by three apical segments; antennomere 3 a little shorter than antennomere 4 and much shorter than the antennomeres 1 and 2

combined. Penultimate labial palpomere without setae on anterior surface.

Pronotum clearly transverse, PW/PL = 1.41, widest slightly behind mid-length. Lateral margins evenly arched, without sinuation before posterior angles, the latter rounded. Posterior margin of pronotum concave medially, anterior one – subrectilinear, anterior angles rounded,

slightly salient. Disc convex, impressed along median line, uniformly densely and roughly punctured and transversely rugose. Anterior transverse impression deep, but vaguely outlined.

Basal foveae large but not deep. Lateral sides moderately impressed. Median line thin not reaching both, anterior and posterior margins. Lateral border narrow, evenly convex, narrowed anteriorly. Pubescence moderately long, suberrect, goldish. Lateral pore just near basal angle.

holotype: 4 – habitus; 5 – labels; 6 – gonocoxites, ventral view; 7 – Ch. (Achlaenius) tristis tristis (Schaller, 1783) from Fergana Mt. Range, gonocoxites, ventral view; 8 – Ch. (Trichochlaenius) steveni (Quensel, 1806) from Charyn River, gonocoxites, ventral view.

Elytra ample, EL/EW = 1.40 times as long as wide, EL/PL = 2.82, EW/PW = 1.43 times as wide as the pronotum, widest behind middle, shoulders rounded, lateral margins evenly arched, in the basal half subrectilinear, preapical sinuation moderately deep, elytral apices pointed. Lateral gutter narrow. Basal border wide, markedly rounded. Discal striae uniform,

deep, distinctly punctate; parascutellar striole long. Intervals flat, with dense rasp-like scul-

pture and dense goldish adpressed pubescence. Parascutellar pore present.

Microsculpture isodiametric on pronotum and elytra, smoothed on head.

Ventral surface black, with feebly pronounced blue metallic luster, surface densely punctate and pubescent. Prosternal process not bordered.

Legs moderately long, tarsi glabrous dorsally, except for two basal segments which are provided with sparse tiny pilosity.

Apical gonocoxite densely aciculate on ventral surface ( Fig. 6 ).

NOTES. Chlaenius semenowi is very similar to Ch. nigricornis in the main external characters and structure of the apical gonocoxites but differs from the latter by the monochromic dark blue dorsal side of body (in Ch. nigricornis , head and pronotum coppery, elytra metallic green or pale blue) and by dark legs: femora brown, tibiae pitchy-black (in Ch. nigricornis ,

femora and, at least, proximal half of tibiae yellowish). Such a similarity of these two forms brings us to suppose that both taxa are conspecific. Thus, the taxonomic status of Ch.

semenowi is unclear. The recent records for Xinjiang (Kirschenhofer, 2004a) and Mongolia

(Schnitter, 2016) correspond to the specimens similar to Ch. nigricornis in having bicolorous dorsal side of body and pale femora. For the moment, we have no enough material to propose here the nomenclature changes. Additional material from the type locality of Ch. semenowi is needed.

DISTRIBUTION. Chlaenius semenowi is known for sure only from the type locality,

which we determine based on the both label data and itinerary of G.E. Grum-Grzhimajlo trip

(Grum-Grzhimajlo, 1896) as follows: northern foothills of the Boro-Horo Mt. Range,

spring Dzhiuz-Agach, SE of Jinghe Xian, ca. 44°28'55"N, 83°02'35"E, h= 750 m. The recent records for “ 120 km Yining ” and Mongolia need to be confirm, that from Xizang is doubtful .

HABITAT. No data.

Figures

Figs 4–8. Chlaenius spp.: 4–6 – Ch. (Chlaeniellus) semenowi Tschitschérine, 1896,