Stomis wrasei, Sciaky, 2024

Sciaky, Riccardo, 2024, Review of the Chinese Stomis, with description of nine new taxa and a new key (Carabidae: Pterostichini), Zootaxa 5523 (1), pp. 1-34 : 13

Stomis wrasei sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/1694f4d9-34d0-4b0a-9944-54c9545b0d05

Diagnosis. A Stomis of very long length (12.2–13.8 mm), related to P. gigas Sciaky, 1998 , but different in the broader and more robust body, stronger greenish hue, pronotum with more abrupt constriction before base, striae more superficial and less evidently punctate.

Description. Habitus as in Fig. 16 . Integuments rather smooth and shiny, body rather convex; dark metallic blue or green on elytra, legs and antennae dark brown, rather long and slender; Head rather narrow, with shallow collar constriction right behind the eyes; mandibles very long, much longer than the rest of the head; the right one with an evident notch almost in the middle; eyes small and flat; antennae relatively long, reaching the elytral base with the 8th article. Pronotum evidently broader than long, markedly transverse, rather convex at sides; lateral margins very dilated in the anterior half, constricted in regular curve towards the base, then abruptly divergent in the posterior fifth; anterior margin almost straight; anterior angles hardly projecting forward, very small; base almost straight, only arcuate forward in correspondence of the basal angles; basal foveae rather ill-defined, broad, sparsely punctate; basal angles almost right; lateral gutter narrow all along. Elytra parallel-sided, not dilated in the posterior half, all striae well marked and evident, very finely punctate, intervals evidently convex; shoulders markedly constricted, angulose but not dentate. Ratios: El/Pl = 2.37; Ew/Pw = 1.33; El/Ew = 1.54.

Type-locality: China, W-Sichuan (Ganzi Tibet. Aut. Pref., Yajiang Co.) Shalui Shan, river valley 6 Km WSW Yajiang.

Type-series. Holotype ♀: China, W-Sichuan (Ganzi Tibet. Aut. Pref., Yajiang Co.) Shalui Shan, river valley 6 Km WSW Yajiang , 3250 m, river bank, bank slope, 30°01’N 100°57’E, 4.VII.1999 ( CW) ; 1 Paratype ♀: China, Prov. Sichuan, Ganzi Tibetian Auton. Pref., Yayiang co., Shaluli Shan , 32 km WNW Yayiang, 4300 m, 30°08‘07”N 100°42’36”E, 2.VII.1999: ( CS).

Etymology. This species is cordially dedicated to David Wrase, an excellent specialist of Carabidae Harpalini and a dear friend of mine.

Affinities. The occurrence of the notch in the right mandible and the large size allow to place this species systematically close to S. gigas Sciaky, 1998 , but it is clearly distinct from it. Stromis gigas is larger (13.2–14.1 mm) more robust and shows feeble greenish hues on elytra, but it has very different pronotal margins, the elytra are narrower, less convex and the striae are deeper and more markedly punctate. This species can be inserted in the chinensis -group, that contains also the species farkaci , facchinii , chinensis , davidi , titanus and gigas .

Distribution. Known from a single locality in Sichuan: this locality is in the middle of the vast area inhabited by S. facchinii Sciaky, 1998 , with which it could even prove to be syntopic, while it is much more distant from the area occupied by S. gigas , that is the nearest species from the systematic point of view.

Figures

FIGURES 13–16. Habitus of: (13) S. facchinii HT (7.9 mm); (14) S. farkaci PT from Yunnan, Hengduan mts., part Baima (9.1 mm); (15) S. gigas PT from Yunnan, Habashan (12.3 mm); (16) S. wrasei HT (12.1 mm).