Pterostichus (Oreophilus) podgoricensis, Guéorguiev, Borislav, 2013

Guéorguiev, Borislav, 2013, Taxonomic, nomenclatural, and faunistic records for species in tribes Melaenini, Moriomorphini, Pterostichini, Licinini, and Sphodrini (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Zootaxa 3709 (1) : -

Pterostichus (Oreophilus) podgoricensis sp. n.

Habitus: Fig. 9; male genitalia: Figs. 10–15 .

Type material. Holotype ♂, well preserved (no part to missing), mounted on card, genitalia dissected and deposited in euparal on separate card pinned below the first card, “NHRS-JLKB 000020046” [black print on white label] / “Titograd Yugoslavia ” [handwritten on white label] / “coll. J. Ferrer” [handwritten on white label] / “H O L O T Y P E Pterostichus podgoricensis sp. n. Guéorguiev des. 2012” [black print on red label] ( NHRS). Paratype ♀, slightly damaged (segments 9–11 of right antennae and fore legs missing), pinned, genitalia not dissected, wrongly labelled “Teneriffa Coll. O. Thieme” [black print on white label] “P A R A T Y P E Pterostichus podgoricensis sp. n. Guéorguiev des. 2012” [black print on red label] [ Fig. 9] ( MNHUB).

Other material examined. Specimens of different European taxa of Pterostichus Bonelli , namely those of Adelopterus Reitter , Aphaon Heyden , Calopterus Chaudoir , Cheporus Latreille , Lianoe Gozis , Oreophilus Chaudoir , Parapterostichus Desbrochers des Loges, Platypterinus Reitter , Platypterus Chaudoir , and Pterostichus s. str. (in the sense of Bousquet 2003). All the above mentioned subgenera include taxa having sternum VII with sexual modification in the males.

Diagnosis. Large, wingless, distinctly two-colored beetle, characterized by presence of sub-quadrate pronotum with dentiform basal angles, interval 3 with three foveolate setiferous punctures, apical end of stria 7 with four-five small setiferous punctures, sternum VII in male strongly depressed at sides and apical part, with stout medial, longitudinal projection and fine transverse subapical sulcus broken at carina (sternum VII in female with slight medial projection and fine transverse subapical sulcus broken at middle), median lobe of aedeagus stout, with apex clearly bent to right at dorsal aspect.

Description. Habitus. Large-sized, bicoloured species of Pterostichus , with sub-oval, slightly convex body and sides of pronotum distinctly oblique and sinuate in front of dentiform basal angles. Measurements. BL: 14.1– 15.1 mm (14.1 mm in holotype); BW: 5.5–6.2 mm (5.5 mm in holotype). Ratios. PW/HW: 1.48–1.55; PW/PL: 1.32–1.37; PbW/PaW: 1.06–1.1; EW/PW: 1.27–1.31; EL/EW: 1.38–1.39. Colour. Piceous on dorsal and ventral surface as well as on appendages, femora red-yellow, excluding piceous extremities (proximal tips and knees) in holotype; same in paratype, but palpomeres and segments 5–11 of antennae testaceous, coxae, trochanteri, and proximal tips of femora red-yellow. Microsculpture. Entire body and appendages with very fine, hardly visible isodiametric microreticulation, somewhere partially reduced. Lustre. Strong dorsally and ventrally, glossy, not iridescent. Head. Moderately large in relation to prothorax, impunctate; eyes moderately large, convex, laterally rather protruded in holotype (smaller, slightly convex, laterally slightly protruded in paratype), temporae short and steep in holotype (longer and slanting in paratype); paraorbital sulci deep, surpassing posterior margin of eye; frons with indistinct, sub-linear frontal grooves, divergent posteriorly, terminate before level of posterior supraorbital pore; apex of clypeus concave, clypeal suture clear, but degrade; labrum transverse, slightly concave in middle; mandibles moderately elongate, apically suddenly curved; antennae moderately long, distal margin of penultimate segment exceeding posterior border of pronotum; labial pits distinct, mentum tooth long and bifid; both medial and lateral setae of submentum present. Pronotum. Sub-quadrate, wider than long; widest diameter before middle, in second fifth; sides evenly curved and convergent, more posteriorly, less anteriorly, almost straight along second third, subsequently convex and sinuate in front of dentiform basal angles; sides bordered, with thick bead, bordering continue on anterior margin (disappearing before midline), absent along basal margin; apex only slightly shorter than base, concave, apical angles projecting, rounded off; base almost straight, slightly concave in middle, basal angles dentiform, somewhat projecting outside; anterior transverse sulcus vanished, posterior transverse sulcus deep, coinciding with anterior edge of basal foveae; midline well-impressed, long, not reaching anterior margin, reaching posterior one; disk slightly to moderately convex; basal part with two sub-linear impressions, which form together deep basal fovea from each side, external impressions short, convex outside, internal impressions long and straight, each fovea more or less coarsely punctate inside, central area of basis wrinkled close to margin; anterior marginal pore in second fifth of pronotum, at point of maximum width of pronotum, posterior marginal pore at basal angles. Elytra. Oval, relatively short and wide, dorsally slightly convex, widest diameter behind middle; basal margin distinct, slightly sinuate, reaching parascutellar stria; humeri obtusely angled; lateral margin almost parallel in holotype, more round in paratype, bead moderately wide, subapical sinuation very slight, apex slightly round (in holotype) to almost truncate (in paratype); elytral internal plica indistinct; scutellar pore present; all striae well-impressed, impunctate, continuous from basal margin to apex, parascutellar stria distinct; intervals plane in holotype, moderately convex in paratype; three foveolate setiferous punctures in middle of interval 3 or so; four-five small setiferous punctures in apical end of stria 7 close to subapical sinuation; umbilicate setiferous series in stria 8 with a row of 25 pores on left elytron and 29 pores on right elytron in holotype (respectively, 32 and 30 pores in paratype), two rows uninterrupted; hind wings vestigial. Ventral surface (thorax and abdomen). Prosternum, mesosternum, metasternum, and first two abdominal sternites punctate laterally, impunctate in middle; morphological sternites V–VII (visible ones IV–VI) of abdomen impunctate, only laterally superficially wrinkled; prosternal process unbordered; metepisternum subquadrate, slightly wider than long; morphological sternum VII in male bisetose, wrinkled distally, strongly depressed at sides and at apical part, with stout projection forming a longitudinal, sub-pyramidal carina at middle and with an incomplete, fine transverse subapical sulcus broken at carina (same in female quadrisetose, less wrinkled distally, slightly depressed at sides, with very slight, but evident central projection and incomplete, fine transverse subapical sulcus broken at projection). Legs. Basal tarsomeres 1–3 of male protarsi expanded and biseriately squamose underneath; front tibia with three clip setae; mesotibial ctenidium well-differentiated; seta on middle trochanteri present; middle femur with two posterior setae on ventral side; metatarsal carina present on basal tarsomeres 1–3; seta of hind trochanteri absent; hind coxae without medial seta; onychium setose or not ventrally (if setose then with single short and thick seta unilaterally or a pair of such setae bilaterally). Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus stout and curved down at medial third in lateral aspect ( Figs. 10–11 ), bent to right ventrally ( Fig. 12 ); basal part with developed bulb and concave basal orifice; apex straight, wide, laterally compressed, with strongly sclerotized tip; ostium fully deflected to left; internal sac with numerous chitinized prickles and a moderately sclerotized plate, visible from below. Right paramere elongate, slightly curve down in medial part ( Figs. 13–14 ); left paramere wide, subquadratic ( Fig. 15 ).

Affinities. The new species is best placed within subgenus Oreophilus due to the presence of the following combination of characters: 1/ pronotum with sides straight to convex towards the dentiform basal angles and with relatively deep basal foveae; 2/ elytral interval 3 with foveolate setiferous punctures in middle; 3/ end of elytral stria 7 with four-five small setiferous punctures; 4/ elytral apices of elytra somewhat truncate; 5/ onychium without or with single (or with a pair of) short and thick setae ventrally; 6/ sternum VII with elevated longitudinal carina in the males; 7/ apical lamella of the median lobe of aedeagus bent to left at dorsal view; 8/ right paramere elongate, nearly straight. As a rule, the species of Oreophilus possess a glabrous onychium, viewed from below, in contrast to the taxa of Pterostichus s. str., with an onychium bearing two or more pairs of long setae. However, some individuals of P. (O.) impressus (Fairmaire & Laboulbéne) , P. (O.) flavofemoratus (Dejean) , P. (O.) multipunctatus (Dejean) , as well as P. (O.) podgoricensis sp. n. possess an onychium ventrally with single short and thick seta unilaterally, or with a pair of such setae bilaterally especially on the middle and hind legs.

P. podgoricensis sp. n. somewhat resembles P. flavofemoratus (Dejean) from the Western Alps in: 1/ the overall structure of the pronotum (i.e., basal impressions united in the same manner, deep basal foveae and dentiform basal angles); 2/ yellowish femora; 3/ elytra with somewhat truncate apices; 4/ elytral interval 7 without foveolate setiferous punctures; 5/ apical end of stria 7 with three-five small setiferous punctures. However, the habitus of the new species is more oval and robust (more elongate in P. flavofemoratus ), the sides of the pronotum are strongly convex towards the basal angles (vs. sides of pronotum almost straight towards angles), and the apices of the elytra are less truncate (vs. apices of elytra reversely truncate towards suture). The new species is similar also to P. spinolae (Dejean) from the Western Alps. Both species possess red-yellow femora, an elytral interval 7 without large foveolate setiferous punctures and stria 7 with more than two small setiferous punctures. But, the former species is distinguished from the latter in the more robust habitus and pronotum having sides somewhat convex towards basal angles, outer and inner basal impressions united in a basal fovea, and basal angles dentiform.

Distribution. Montenegro, the vicinity of Podgorica City. According to the data, the precise type locality is unknown. The holotype was collected in the neighborhood of Podgorica (former Titograd), the capital of Montenegro; see “Collecting circumstances”. Undoubtedly the only paratype is wrongly labeled being not collected in the Tenerife Island. The following fact proves that. Except for the holotype, a male specimen Pterostichus brucki Schaum , “NHRS-JLKB 000020045” [print] / “Titograd Yugoslavia 26.6.80 ” [handwritten] / “ 26. VI. 1980 Jōrgen Nielsen” [handwritten] / “coll. J. Ferrer” [handwritten], is present in NHRS. The labels in the two samples have serial numbers consecutive and identical handwritten.

Collecting circumstances. Dr. Julio Ferrer (NHRS) kindly informed me that the holotype of the new species and the male of P. brucki have been donated to the entomological collection of NHRS by Prof. Dr. Jørgen Nielsen (Zoological Museum, the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark). The two specimens were collected by the latter during “a short tourist visit arranged by a charter from Sweden and as far I know, the visit was strictly confined to the city of Titograd and local suburbs.” (Dr. Julio Ferrer, personal communication).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in nominative singular standing in preposition. It honors Podgorica (a South Slavic word meaning “under the small hill” in English), the capital of Montenegro and place in which vicinities the new species was collected.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 15. Male genitalia of Pterostichus (Oreophilus) podgoricensis sp. n., holotype: Fig. 10, median lobe of aedeagus, left lateral aspect; Fig. 11, median lobe of aedeagus, right lateral aspect; Fig. 12, median lobe of aedeagus, ventral aspect; Fig. 13, right paramere, internal face; Fig. 14, right paramere, external face; Fig. 15, left paramere, internal face. Scale bar: 1 mm (Figs. 10 – 12); 0.5 mm (Figs. 13 – 15).