Nebria (Patrobonebria) paropamisos, Huber & Schmidt & Baur, 2013

Huber, Charles, Schmidt, Joachim & Baur, Hannes, 2013, Nebria (Patrobonebria) paropamisos, a new species from the Hindu Kush (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Contributions to Natural History 22, pp. 1-14 : 5-10

Nebria (Patrobonebria) paropamisos sp. nov. ( Fig 3 )

Holotype ♂: Pakistan (Swat), Utrot , 2200–2800 m, 12.–14. 7. 1982, Erber & Heinz leg. ( SMNS).

Paratypes: 6 ♂ 4 ♀ same data as holotype ( SMNS, NMBE) ; 3 ♂ 3 ♀ Pakistan (Swat), Utrot , 2300/ 2600 m, 15./ 19. 7. 1997, Heinz leg. ( SMNS, CWRASE, NMBE) ; 1 ♂ Pakistan, Swat , s/ Utrot, 2500–2600 m, 14. 5. 1983, leg. Besuchet & Löbl ( MHNG) .

Additional material examined:

3 ♂ Pakistan (Chitral), Madaglasht , 2500–3700 m, 5.–7. 7. 1982, Erber & Heinz leg. ( SMNS, NMBE) ; 1 ♀ Pakistan, Chitral, Bumburet , 2200–2350 m, 24. 5. 1983, leg. Besuchet & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂ 3 ♀ Afghanistan, Nuristan (Kunar) Parun , 2600 m, 35° 15’55 N, 70° 54’02 E, 26. 6. 2006, leg. Chr. Reuter ( CSCHM; CWRASE) .

Body length: 14–17 mm.

Colour black, mandibulae und labrum dark brown, palpi brown. Antennae dark brown to black. Head with two small, weakly visible brown spots on the vertex. Legs black, knees and tarsi brown.

Head large, with a distinct transverse collar impression of the neck behind the eyes. Mandibles long. Labrum trisinuate, occasionally medially deeply notched, causing a V-shaped apical margin of the labrum; labrum with 6 setae. Apical margin of clypeus medially concavely angled. Supraantennal edge distinctly rebordered. Supraorbital impression shallow, obliquely wrinkled, near the supraorbital seta longitudinally wrinkled; impunctate. Head and collar impression faintly punctate. Eyes prominent. Temples regularly rounded towards the neck. Supraorbitally generally unisetose. Antennae long and slender, extending almost to the middle of the elytra. Antennal scape weakly suboval, basally narrowed, with 1 dorsal seta. 2 nd antennomere with 1 ventral seta, 4 th antennomere with an apical collar of long setae, with several additional short setae apically. 1 st antennomere shorter than the eye’s diameter, ratio 1 st antennomere: diameter of eye = 0.95 (0.90–1.00). Ligula blunt, with 2 long apicolateral setae. Penultimate labial palpomere bisetose. Tip of the medial tooth of the mentum truncated with a distinct notch. Apex of the mental lobe short, spiny, lateral lobe of the mentum with a distinct concave incision ( Fig 4 ). Submentum with a row of 6–10 setae. Microsculpture of the head isodiametric.

Pronotum cordiform ( Fig 5 ), transverse, anteriad considerably widened, widest at apical fifth; ratio width: length of the pronotum = 1.34 (1.26–1.44). Lateral margin convex without a break in outline near the lateral marginal pore. Pronotum strongly rounded towards the anterior angles, narrowed towards the posterior angles, concavely and roundly angled slightly before the posterior angles. Anterior angles regularly rounded to a triangular lobe, which is distinctly protruding. Posterior angles laterally short, with the tip outwards. Posterior angles narrower than the anterior ones, ratio = 0.79 (0.74–0.87). Lateral channel large, near anterior angle as large as the width of the 1 st antennomere; channel narrowed posteriad. Lateral margin bladelike, obliquely upturned. Basal margin bisinuate. Pronotal disc convex, slightly transversally wrinkled. Prebasal fovea deep, oblong, reaching the base. Anterior and posterior transverse impressions deep, the median longitudinal impression weak. Prebasal fovea, the anterior and the posterior transverse impressions and the lateral groove tightly and coarsely punctate. Apical and basal margination absent, but finely longitudinally wrinkled. 1 lateral and 1 basolateral seta present. Insertion of the lateral seta on the channel’s border behind the widest diameter of the pronotum. Microsculpture of the pronotum isodiametric. Disc impunctate. Proepisternum caudad tightly punctate. Prosternal process large, triangular, obtusely acuminate, impunctate and immargined, medially with a faint bulge.

Elytral silhouette elongate-ovoid, widest behind middle. Ratio elytral length: elytral width = 1.69 (1.63–1.78). Lateral margin straight (not concavely sinuate) at basal fourth; subapically concavely sinuate. Elytral apex rounded. Basal margination curved, joined at an obtuse angle with the lateral margination. Humeral carina absent. Striae distinctly impressed, punctate. Striae 1–3 reaching the apex, the other striae and their punctation obliterate just before the apex. Short faint carina at apex. Intervals flat, 3 rd interval with 6–9 short setae. Scutellar setae present. Microsculpture isodiametric. Mesepisterna tightly punctate. Metepisterna twice as long as wide, coarsely and tightly punctate. Metacoxa with 4–6 basal and 1 apical setae. Hindwings fully developed. 2 nd sternum (sensu Ledoux & Roux 2005) laterally rough, coarsely punctate. 3 rd sternum laterally and medially asetose. Sterna 4–6 each with 4–5 posterior paramedial setae. Anal sternum with 1 paramedial seta in the male and 2–3 in the female. All sterna with faint impressions laterally.

Legs long and slender. Tarsi robust; all tarsi dorsally glabrous. Protarsomeres 1–2 of the males slightly dilated, ventrally with pads of adhesive setae. Metatarsomere 4 with a large, triangular ventroapical tooth, bearing long setae. In males metatarsomeres 2–4 at base laterally compressed.

Aedeagus ( Fig 6 ): Median lobe basally regularly rounded, mid-shaft to the apex straight, deflected towards the left. Tip of the apex acute, short ( Fig 6c ).

Diagnosis: N. paropamisos sp. nov. differs from N. himalayica by the ovoid elytra, by the not pronounced shoulders which are distinct in N. himalayica , in the shape of the pronotum ( Fig 5 ), by the upturned lateral margin of the pronotum, and by the wide lateral groove of the pronotum being as wide as the width of the 1 st antennomere, whereas in N. himalayica the narrow groove is of half the width of the 1 st antennomere. Ratio set.d: eye.l = 1.23–1.51 in N. paropamisos sp. nov., 0.78–1.25 in N. himalayica . In N. paropamisos sp. nov. the anterior angles of the pronotum protrude distinctly and triangularly, whereas in N. himalayica the angles are largely rounded and only little protruding. Tip of the aedeagus in N. paropamisos sp. nov. short, in N. himalayica longer and slender.

N. paropamisos sp. nov. differs from N. elegans by the large upturned lateral channel of the pronotum, which is narrow in N. elegans , and the strongly protruding anterior angels of the pronotum, which only slightly protrude in N. elegans . In N. paropamisos sp. nov. the 1 st antennomere is generally shorter than the eye’s diameter in contrast to N. elegans where it is longer; ratio an1.l: eye.l = 0.90–1.00 in N. paropamisos sp. nov., 1.10–1.18 in N. elegans . In N. paropamisos sp. nov. the scutellar setae of the elytra are present, in N. elegans absent.

Etymology: The name (noun in apposition) refers to the Paropamisos Mountains, the Ancient Greek name for the Hindu Kush Mountains.

Distribution: The new species is known from the Hindu Kush Mountains in North-Eastern Afghanistan (Kunar Province) and North-Western Frontier Province (Chitral, Swat) of Pakistan ( Fig 7 ).

Figures

Fig 3: Nebria (Patrobonebria) paropamisos sp. nov., Holotype male. Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig 4: Mentum of Nebria (Patrobonebria) paro- pamisos sp. nov. with a distinct incision of the lateral lobe (arrow). Holotype. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig 5: Pronota of (a) Nebria (Patrobonebria) paropamisos sp. nov., Holotype male, and (b) N. (Patrobonebria) himalayica, Lectotype male (MNHN). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig 6: Aedeagi of Nebria (Patrobonebria) himalayica (a) and N. (Patrobonebria) paropamisos sp. nov. (b), Holotype male. Apices in frontal view of N. (Patrobonebria) himalayica (c) and N. (Patrobonebria) paropamisos sp. nov. (d). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig 7: Relief map of western High Asia showing the distribution of Nebria (Patrobonebria) paropamisos sp. nov. (red stars), N. (Patrobonebria) elegans (green dots), and N. (Patrobonebria) himalayica (white squares).