Gilesdytes, Giachino & Eberhard & Perina, 2021

Giachino, Pier Mauro, Eberhard, Stefan & Perina, Giulia, 2021, A rich fauna of subterranean short-range endemic Anillini (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae) from semi-arid regions of Western Australia, ZooKeys 1044, pp. 269-337 : 269

Gilesdytes gen. nov. Figs 38-42

Type species.

Gracilanillus vixsulcatus Baehr & Main, 2016

Diagnosis.

Species of this genus are strongly characterised by: lacking longitudinal elytral grooves, pronotum with basal border as wide as the anterior border, sides posteriorly not sinuate, and denticulate before, or near, the basal angles, elytral disc bearing one (posterior) seta placed at the level, or after, the 7th umbilicate pore, 8th pore of the umbilicate series located after the 9th (sensu Giachino and Vailati 2011), toothed labium, median lobe of the aedeagus long and weakly curved with parameres very long and slender.

Differs from Gracilanillus Baehr & Main, 2016 by bearing a single discal seta on the elytral disc (2 in Gracilanillus ), and for the absence of longitudinal elytral grooves.

Description.

Included medium size species (TL mm 1.29-2.11), and anophthalmous. Integument depigmented but well sclerified, with strong microsculpture and covered by short and moderately dense pubescence.

Head large, slightly narrower than pronotum; mandibles short and simple, without hyperplasias. Maxillary palps ovoidal, swollen. Labium transverse, articulated; mentum not fused with submentum. Labial tooth present. Antennae moniliform, without particular features.

Pronotum squared, sides not sinuate on the basal third, denticulated on the basal third or just before the posterior angles. Basal angles right, sharp, not rounded; basal border as wide as the anterior border; two marginal setae, posterior seta placed near the basal angles.

Elytra elongated and subrectangular, separately rounded, not truncate and not apically emarginated; convex, without longitudinal grooves. Elytral striae absent (except for sutural stria). Lateral margin starting from the humeral area, distinctly serrulate up to the level of 8th-9th pores of the umbilicate series.

Scutellar pore present, large and umbilicate; umbilicate series of type B (sensu Jeannel 1963; Giachino and Vailati 2011) with the 8th pore placed after the 9th; disc bearing one seta.

Legs relatively long and slender. Pro- and metafemora unarmed; metatrochanters normal, two slightly dilated protarsomeres, without adhesive phanerae, in the male.

Aedeagus relatively small, median lobe long, subrectilinear with basal bulb of normal size. Parameres long, bearing two apical setae. Endophallus with a sinuate, slightly sclerified, apical phanera.

Etymology.

Gilesdytes : name composed by two sections, the first one (Giles) dedicated to William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 - 13 November 1897), Australian explorer who in 1876 named the Ophthalmia Range (type locality of the genus); and the second one (dytes) for diver.

Species included.

Currently three species belong to this genus:

Gilesdytes vixsulcatus (Baehr & Main, 2016)

Gilesdytes ethelianus sp. nov.

Gilesdytes pardooanus sp. nov.

Figures

Figures 38 - 42. Gilesdytes gen. et spp. nov., habitus (38, 40, 41) aedeagus in lateral view (39, 42) 38, 39 G. vixsulcatus (Baehr and Main), ♂ 40 G. pardooanus sp. nov., HT ♀ 41, 42 G. ethelianus sp. nov., HT ♂. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.