Aspidoglossa subangulata ( Chaudoir, 1843 )

Bousquet, Yves, 2006, Review of the species of Ardistomina (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Clivinini) in America north of Mexico, Zootaxa 1308, pp. 1-29 : 8-10

Aspidoglossa subangulata ( Chaudoir, 1843)

( Figs 4 , 11, 15 , 19 , 23–25 , 28 , 31 )

Dyschirius subangulatus Chaudoir 1843: 738 . Type locality: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Dyschirius humeralis Chaudoir 1843: 737 . Type locality: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, U.S.A. Synonymy established by LeConte (1857: 80).

Aspidoglossa vicina Putzeys 1846: 632 . Type locality: "Caroline", U.S.A. Synonymy established by LeConte (1857: 80).

Aspidoglossa fraterna Putzeys 1846: 632 . Type locality: "Amérique boréale". Synonymy established by LeConte (1857: 80).

Aspidoglossa subangulata: LeConte (1857: 80) ; Putzeys (1866: 216); LeConte (1879: 32); Blatchley (1910: 61); Nichols (1988a: 105, 115); Downie and Arnett (1996: 112); Ciegler (2000: 44).

Type Material. Chaudoir originally described both Dyschirius subangulatus and D. humeralis from an unspecified number of specimens. One specimen in MHNP is labelled " subangulatus Chaud. [handwritten]/ Louisiane Chevrolat [handwritten]/ Lectotype Dyschirius subangulatus Chd. Des. S.W. Nichols 1984 " (fide Nichols 1988a: 116). The lectotype designation is here published.

Putzeys originally described Aspidoglossa vicina based on two male specimens in Chevrolat's collection (which is now housed in the Hope Entomological Collections, The University Museum, at Oxford, England). He originally described A. fraterna based on seven specimens in Dejean (housed in MHNP), Hope (housed in the Hope Entomological Collections), Buquet (location unknown to me) and Schaum (housed in the Zoologisches Museum, Berlin, Germany) collections. I have not seen any syntypes of these two taxa, or of Dyschirius humeralis Chaudoir.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from all other Nearctic Ardistomina by the presence of a row of punctures along the metepisternal suture on the metasternum and the proeminent lateral lobes of the clypeus.

Description. Color: Upper surface black except head capsule with sides of frons and clypeus and labrum reddish­brown; elytron with preapical reddish spot on intervals 4–7 extended narrowly to apex; antennae and palpi pale reddish­brown; legs reddish­brown. Microsculpture: Pronotum and elytra devoid of microlines, smooth. Head: Eyes large and hemispherical. Frons with more or less V­shaped groove varied from distinct to suggested only. Antennomeres 5–10 longer than broad. Prothorax: Pronotum with midline not margined on each side. Elytra: Strial punctures coarse but progressively finer toward apex. Interval 3 with 6–10 setae, interval 5 with 5–8 setae. Abdomen: Last visible sternite with 4 setae, distance between 2 setae on each side shorter than that between medial setae. Male Genitalia: Median lobe elongate ( Fig. 4 a), parameres markedly long and narrrow, more or less similar ( Fig. 4 b). Female Genitalia: Apical stylomere as illustrated ( Fig. 11 ); seminal tube of spermatheca markedly long ( Fig. 15 ).

Body length: 6.5–8.0 mm.

Geographical Distribution. This species ranges over eastern United States ( Fig. 31 ) from Nebraska to Washington D.C., south to southern Florida (not yet recorded from the Keys) and northeastern Mexico, west to southeastern Arizona. I have also seen one specimen, in AMNH, labelled "Oregon, Summit Lake [Klamath Co.], 20.VII.1962, J.D. Vertrees", and another one, in CAS, labelled "Montana. Gallatin Co., West Yellowstone, 6–VII–1949 Durham Giuliani C.A.S. Accession". Whether or not these two specimens are mislabelled or represent legitimate records cannot be answered at the moment. This species has been also recorded from one locality in Japan ( Habu 1963).

Habitat. Ball (1960: 109) reported that members of this species are found among sparse vegetation on wet clay near the margins of ponds and streams, and that they come to light on warm nights during the summer. They were collected on an eroding river bank composed of clay and sand in northern Florida ( Choate & Rogers 1976: 364). Ferguson and McPherson (1985: 165) reported this species from soybean fields in Virginia.

Note. The male differs from the female by having the protarsomeres 2–4 larger and with long, flat, translucent setae underneath ( Fig. 23 ). In the female the protarsomeres are narrower and have long but more or less regular setae ( Fig. 24 ).

Figures

FIGURE 31. Collection localities for Aspidoglossa subangulata (Chaudoir) in United States of America.

FIGURES 4 – 8. Median lobe (a) and paremeres (b). 4, Aspidoglossa subangulata; 5, Semiardistomis viridis; 6, S. puncticollis; 7, Ardistomis schaumii; 8, A. obliquatus.

FIGURES 11 – 18. 11 – 14. Apical stylomere. 11, Aspidoglossa subangulata; 12, Semiardistomis viridis; 13, Ardistomis schaumii; 14, A. obliquatus. 15 – 18. Spermatheca. 15, Aspidoglossa subangulata; 16, Semiardistomis viridis; 17, S. puncticollis; 18, Ardistomis schaumii.

FIGURES 19 – 22. 19 – 21. Head (dorsal view). 19, Aspidoglossa subangulata; 20, Semiardistomis viridis; 21, Ardistomis schaumii. 22, Extremity of body (lateral view) of Ardistomis schaumii. Scale bar = 0.2 mm (Figs 20 – 22), 0.5 mm (Fig. 19).

FIGURES 23 – 26. 23 – 24. Protarsomeres (ventral view). 23, Aspidoglossa subangulata ɗ; 24, Aspidoglossa subangulata Ψ. 25 – 26. Humeral region (dorsal view). 25, Aspidoglossa subangulata; 26, Semiardistomis viridis. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 27 – 30. 27, Prosternum of Ardistomis schaumii. 28 – 30. Protibia (ventral view). 28, Aspidoglossa subangulata; 29, Semiardistomis viridis; 30, Ardistomis schaumii. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.