Notiophilus nuristanensis, Barševskis, 2011

Barševskis, Arvīds, 2011, Two new species of the genus Notiophilus Dumeril, 1806 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from India and Afghanistan, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 11 (2), pp. 127-134 : 129-132

Notiophilus nuristanensis sp.n.

Holotype. Male. Afghanistan, Nuristan, Waigal valley, 10.07.1992. Deposited with the Institute of Systematic Biology , Daugavpils University , Daugavpils, Latvia ( DUBC) (Fig. 3).

The body is elongated, 4.96 mm in length. Surface is monochrome with metallic lustre.

Head. The head is approximately as wide as the pronotum, together with the eyes it is 1.51 mm wide. Its upper side is black and slightly lustrous. Eyes are big and hemispherical. Forehead has 8 frontal furrows, the outer furrows being doubled at the base and, in relation to the middle ones, which are parallel, their outer ridges are symmetrical and slightly C convex. The outer striae, which separate the forehead ridges, form the rest of the forehead and are heavily impressed. The stria at the eye base is deep with a big setiferous puncture in the middle. A ridge-like elevation between the outer forehead stria and the stria at the eye is rather roughly dotted and has rudiments of some short striae. Scutellum has elongated ridges, but at its base there is a transversal stria. Some scutellar ridges are doubled in the forward direction. Scutellum has 2 setiferous punctures. Labrum is mat with a median line, but along its rounded front margin has a convex row of setiferous punctures. Antennae are dichromatic: segments 1-4 are brown, but the rest are black. The last palpomere of the maxillary palp is sharp and dark. The end of the last labial palp segment is not sharp; it has a straight margin and is dark. The basic segments of the probes of the mandibles and the labium are lighter, russet. The lower side of the head is lustrous, without puncture, except for some fine dots at the lower side of the eye.

Thorax. Pronotum length is 0.91 mm, width 1.49 mm. Pronotum is black, lustrous, and slightly heart-shaped. Its discal part is lustrous, almost smooth, with sparse and very fine puncture. Along the sides of the pronotum there is a rather rough puncture. The median line of the pronotum is rather deeply impressed in its discal part, not so distinct at the base, and at the frontal part not marked at all. The hind angles of the pronotum are curtailed and do not project to the sides. Its base dimples are deeply impressed. Although the pronotum is slightly heart-shaped, the bent of its side margins at the base is rather unmarked and does not form a distinct neck-like narrowing. The prothorax is lustrous with a specular surface and groups of rough dots on its sides. The prothorax protuberance has deep U-shaped striae at its margins. The coxae of the forelegs are black, their trochanters are russet, femurs are dark brown, tibiae are brown, and tarsi are dark brown. In males, 3 tarsal segments of the forelegs are widened and have soles of thick silvery hair. The mesothorax is black and lustrous, too. The midleg coxae are black with russet trochanters, dark brown femurs, brown tibiae, and dark brown tarsus segments. The metathorax is black, lustrous, and slightly punctured on the sides. Episterna are dotted. The proportion of the length and width of the episterna is 2.0. The femurs of the hind legs are black, large, and smooth. Trochanters and femurs are also almost black, tibiae, similarly to the forelegs and midlegs, are brown, and tarsi are dark black.

Elytrae. Length is 2.91 mm, width 1.91 mm. Surface is monochrome black, slightly lustrous. The rows of dots on the elytrae are distinct in their basal, dorsal, and lateral parts, but in the apical part the size of dots is smaller as they gradually disappear while not reaching the top. The elytra ends have 2 apical setiferous punctures, along which there is a distinct reticulate microsculpture and fine dissipated puncture. The spaces between the rows of dots, including the 2 nd wide interval, have very fine puncture, which is similar to the puncture of N. sublaevis Solsky, 1873 . The 2 nd elytral interval between the rows of dots is approximately of the same width as the following two taken together, the latter being of the same width. The next two spaces between the rows of dots are also of the same width, but they are narrower than the previous ones. The rows of dots 4-6 are slightly impressed at the base and slightly convex in the direction of the scutellum. The dorsal setiferous puncture is situated in the 4 th space between rows, approximating the 3 rd row. There is a row of dots at the scutellum.

Abdomen. Every sternite is convex, lustrous, and smooth with an uneven, relief surface. The anal sternite in males has two setiferous punctures, which on the side sport a little plicated area that stands out from the overall smooth background.

Male genitalia. The beetle’s genitalia have been dissected and glued to a paper triangle, but during the preservation period the end of the aedeagus has been broken.

Differential diagnosis. The new species bears resemblance to N. sublaevis Solsky, 1873 , but differs in a range of features. The elytra of the new species has less parallel sides, a wider 2 nd interval, which is almost as wide as the following 2 intervals taken together, and, at the base, impressed and distinct rows of dots 4-6 with narrower intervals, whereas in N. sublaevis S. the rows 4-6 are not so deeply impressed but straight with wider intervals. These intervals, in the new species, are noticeably narrower than each following 2 intervals taken together. In addition, the forehead ridges have a slightly different form.

This species is also very similar to N. heinzi Dostal, 1986 , which is known from the Pakistani province of Swat, Jabba surroundings, but differs by a less contracted prothorax sclerite, which does not show protruding, sharp angles, as in N. heinzi D., but rather obtuse, curtailed angles and a slightly different puncture. The elytra rows of dots in the new species, unlike in N. heinzi D., are smoothed at the top part and do not reach the top. They have a slightly different microsculpture. The proportion between the length and width of the metathorax episterna in N. heinzi D. is 1.35 while in the new species it is 2.0.

From N. radians Andrewes, 1926 , which is distributed in the North Indian Himalayas, this species differs by a much less expressed metallic lustre of the body, different form and puncture of the prothorax sclerite, different microsculpture of the elytrae, and other features. In the new species the 3 rd and 4 th intervals of the elytra are of almost equal width, but in N. radians A. the 3 rd interval is almost one half wider than the 4 th. Besides, the latter one is mat and has an isodiametric microsculpture. The metathorax episterna have a different form.

From N. orientalis Chaudoir, 1850 , which is distributed in the west part of the Himalayas, the new species differs by the body form and colour, surface microsculpture, metathorax episternal form, and a number of other features.

Type locality. Afghanistan, Nuristan, Waigal valley.

Derivatio nominis. The name of the species has been created from the province of Nuristan, Afghanistan, where it has been detected.

Note. Both new species are described only on the basis of their holotype as the totality of their morphological features is sufficient to determine that these specimens belong to new, up to now unknown species. After almost 20 years of research, having processed the materials deposited with more than 60 entomological collections worldwide, no other specimens from Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Northern India have been found that possibly belong to these species. Besides, there is very little material of the genus Notiophilus D. from these countries in the collections in general .