Trichotichnus (Pseudotrichotichnus) jelineki, Ito, 2009

Ito, Noboru, 2009, Note on the subgenus Pseudotrichotichnus of the genus Trichotichnus from Southeast Asia (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 599-606 : 600-603

Trichotichnus (Pseudotrichotichnus) jelineki sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–2 ) Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘Nong Lom (lake) env., N 15˚02′ E 106˚35′, alt. 800m, 15 km SE of Ban Houaykong, Bolaven Plateau, Attapu prov., South Laos, 18-30.IV. 1999, E. Jendek & O. Šauša leg.’ (OMNH). PARATYPES: 1 J 10 ♀♀, same data as the holotype (NIKJ).

Description. Body oblong, pitchy black, very shiny, with iridescent lustre on elytra; labial and maxillary palpi, antennae and tarsi light reddish brown, tibiae and femora dark reddish brown, labrum blackish brown.

Head gently elevated on vertex, large, 0.75–0.78 times as wide as pronotum, with sparsely scattered, minute punctures; labrum subtrapezoidal, triangularly emarginate at apex; clypeus gently emarginate apically, with several obscure rugosities near each lateral seta; clypeal suture almost straight and deep throughout; frontal impressions also deep till supraorbital grooves, linearly oblique; eyes large, fairly prominent; temples short, steeply contracted behind; space between buccal fissure and genuine ventral margins of eyes fairly wide; antennae short, not surpassing elytral base, segment 3 pubescent in apical three fourths, as long as segment 4 and 1.8 times as long as segment 2; palpi slender, segment 3 of labial palpus 0.9 times as long as segment 2; ligula narrow, parallel-sided, with apical angles rectangular; paraglossae narrowly fan-shaped; mentum sharply toothed at middle of apex, epilobes not widened apicad; microsculpture visible as isodiametric meshes in apical half of clypeus, partly as vague transverse meshes on the other parts.

Pronotum transversely subquadrate, widest at apical two fifths, 1.44–1.46 times as wide as long, sides arcuate in apical third, thence linearly oblique to base; surface moderately convex, largely smooth, sparsely covered with minute and somewhat coarse punctures only on basal foveae; anterior margin shallowly and obtrapezoidally concave, with thin border throughout; base 1.2 times as wide as apex, hardly bisinuate, with no border in middle; apical angles widely rounded, slightly protruding; basal angles obtuse, angularly rounded; lateral furrows impressed in a line throughout; basal foveae shallow, each with short groove at inner side; front and hind transverse impressions almost obsolete; median line thin, not reaching both anterior margin and base, with several minute punctures; microsculpture consisting of fine transverse meshes on disc and of isodiametric meshes in basal areas.

Elytra oblong-oval, 1.25 times as wide as pronotum, nearly 1.5 times as long as wide, gently convex, impunctate; sides gently curved behind humeri, very weakly arcuate around midlength, rather steeply arcuate in apical one fifth; apices widely arcuate at sides, narrowly rounded at tips which are close to each other; base of each elytron very shallowly emarginate, rounded at humeral angles; striae deep, rather wide, and clearly crenulate, scutellar striole moderately long; intervals barely convex on disc, gradually becoming more convex apicad and basad, interval 3 with setiferous pore between apical third and two-fifths; marginal series consisting of (7–8) + (10–11) umbilicate pores; microsculpture observable as vague transverse lines. Hind wings developed.

Ventral surface mostly smooth, sparsely punctate on mesepisterna; metepisterna elongate, 1.5 times as long as wide; metepisterna elongate, 1.55–1.60 times as long as wide; abdominal sternite 6 with two setae on each side in both sexes, truncate or feebly emarginate in male and fairly arcuate in female.

Legs moderately long; fore tibiae more or less dilated apicad, clearly sulcate in basal four-fifths, with two or three spines near apex along each external margin; hind tarsi short, 0.78–0.80 times as long as the width of head including eyes in male and 0.74–0.76 times as long in female, segment 1 0.92 times as long as segments 2 and 3 taken together, segment 3 0.85 times as long as segment 2 and 1.2 times as long as segment 4, all claws with two setae on ventral margin.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 2 ) robust, clearly arcuate dorsally, thinned at apex, knob-shaped at tip; apical orifice wide, inner sac armed with small spines near basal bulb; apical lobe elongate, about 1.50 times as long as wide.

Body length: 10.4–10.9 mm; body width: 3.8–4.0 mm.

Differential diagnosis. This new species is closely allied to T. (P.) miyakei , but is distinguishable by the pronotal foveae more clearly depressed, the hind tarsi longer and the aedeagus armed with three small sclerites ( Fig. 2 ), which are missing in T. miyakei ( Fig. 9 ).

Etymology. This species is dedicated to the eminent Czech coleopterist Josef Jelínek at the occasion of his 70th anniversary.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in southern Laos (Attapu province).

Figures

Figs. 1–5. 1–2 – Trichotichnus (Pseudtrichotichnus) jelineki sp. nov., holotype (1 – habitus; 2 – male genitalia); 3 – T. (P.) vietnamensis sp. nov.; 4 – T. (P.) tenuitibialis sp. nov.; 5 – T. (P.) niger Louwerens, 1951. Scale bar: 1 mm. Abbreviations: l – lateral aspect, d – dorsal aspect.

Figs. 6–9. Male genitalia. 6 – Trichotichnus (Pseudotrichotichnus) vietnamensis sp. nov.; 7 – T. (P.) tenuitibialis sp. nov.; 8 – T. (P.) niger Louwerens, 1951; 9 – T. (P.) miyakei Habu, 1980. Scale bar: 1 mm. Abbreviations: l – lateral aspect, d – dorsal aspect.