Uenoites reuteri, Belousov & Kabak & Schmidt, 2019

Belousov, Igor A., Kabak, Ilya I. & Schmidt, Joachim, 2019, Two new species of the genus Uenoites Belousov et Kabak, 2016 from mountains of Myanmar (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini), Zootaxa 4544 (1), pp. 103-112 : 104-108

Uenoites reuteri sp. n.

( Figs 1 , 3 , 6 , 11 , 12 )

Type material. Holotype: MYANMAR: 1 male, with label data “N Burma, leg. Reuter, ca. 75 km NW Putao , 3700 m NN, 10.08.2006 ” (coll. J. Schmidt). Paratypes: 1 male, collected together with holotype (coll. I. Belousov & I. Kabak) ; 1 female, with label data “N Burma, ca. 70 km NW Putao , 3900 m NN, 12.08.2006, leg. Reuter ” (coll. J. Schmidt) .

Description. Habitus: large-sized species, body length 5.15–5.54 (5.30) mm. Body elongate and convex, with relatively wide elytra and narrow head and pronotum, the latter strongly constricted at base, its hind angles acute and distinctly attenuated outwards and backwards; body surface shining, appendages rather long but not thin ( Fig. 1 ).

Color: body dark, pitchy-blackish, with slight metallic luster; anterior part of head (boundary vague), mandibles and appendages reddish. Femora distinctly darkened, antennae vaguely obscured towards apex beginning with antennomere 4.

Microsculpture: reduced, not visible at 50x magnification; micropunctation extremely fine but dense and perceptible throughout the dorsum, dispersed in irregular agglomerations (not in one irregular row on each interspace of elytra as in species of Trechus Clairville, 1806 ). Ventral surface of abdominal sternites mostly smooth and shining except for the median area, which is covered with microsculpture.

Head: medium-sized, PW/HW 1.32–1.35 (1.33), slightly depressed; eyes conically convex, medium-sized (EyL/TL 1.50–1.64, 1.59, L3/EyL 0.94–1.17, 1.06), distinctly longer than tempora; latter linearly convergent posteriad or, at most, faintly convex, glabrous. Frons moderately convex, slightly transversely rugose in median part. Frontal furrows arcuate, subparallel in middle, moderately deep in posterior portion; parietal impression shallow. Supraorbital setiferous pores located on subparallel lines, anterior one slightly foveolate, posterior one faintly impressed. Labrum concave, sexsetose. Mandibles rather slender, moderately curved, tooth on the right mandible tridentate, premolar fused with retinaculum, basal margin of molar rather short, proximal and distal denticles long, median denticle shorter, set closer to distal denticle. Mentum fused with submentum, submental suture indistinct. Six submental setae, of which subangular setae are slightly shorter than median setae. Labial tooth slightly produced, truncate apically or barely concave, not distinctly bordered basally. Palpi moderately slender, maxillary palpi glabrous except a very short and thin seta discernible on anterior margin of segment 2; penultimate segment of labial palpi quadrisetose. Glossa markedly salient medially, normally octasetose (more seldom only two lateral setae on one side apart from a pair of median setae), with median setae much longer than lateral ones. Paraglossae slender, crescent, distinctly pubescent, surpassing the anterior margin of glossa. Antennae of medium length, as long as elytra, AL/EL 0.94–1.11 (1.00); middle antennomeres much longer than wide, L3/ W3 2.70 –2.91 (2.83), L3/L2 1.31–1.48 (1.41).

Pronotum: comparatively large, slightly transverse (PW/PL 1.12–1.14, 1.13), convex and cordiform, its maximum width in anterior third, markedly constricted toward base (PW/PB 1.69–1.72, 1.70). Hind angles slightly attenuated in small triangular lobes directed posterolaterad ( Figs 1 , 6 ). Hind angles not bordered, though their lateral edges are relatively sharp. Both lateral border and lateral groove narrow, shortened anteriad and posteriad, not reaching the anterior margin of pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) and reduced posterior to the pronotum mid-length level. Basal margin slightly convex or rectilinear medially, rather oblique and emarginated laterally; anterior margin straight; anterior angles completely rounded off. Prebasal transverse impression exceptionally shallow for most of its length, basal surface smooth. Basal foveae medium-sized, very deep, their bottom smooth. Apical transverse impression at most barely distinguished medially, obliterated elsewhere. Discal foveae lacking. Median line shallowly impressed, more distinct in median portion, without defined basal impression. Two lateral setiferous pores on each side of pronotum, the anterior one in the anterior third (31–34, 32% of pronotal length), the posterior one markedly shifted anteriad from hind angles.

Elytra: convex (EL/BH 2.05–2.16, 2.09), not large (EL/PL 2.66–2.72, 2.70; EW/PW 1.64–1.73, 1.68; EW/HW 2.21–2.28, 2.24), pear-shaped, relatively short (EL/EW 1.38–1.46, 1.42), with maximum width distinctly behind their mid-length. Disc of elytra subdepressed medially, steeply sloped laterally. Pre-humeral margin oblique, humeri rounded off. Apices of elytra conjointly rounded, though not tightly touching each other at the apical point. Preapical sinuation distinct. Lateral gutter rather narrow. Striation of elytra more or less reduced, only striae 1–3 traceable, mostly in middle portion. Interspaces flat. Parascutellar striole short, distinguishable as a shallow and vague impression. Apical striole slightly curved, abruptly interrupted anteriorly. Four to six (on average, five) foveolate discal setiferous pores on each elytron, posterior one (preapical pore) located in sinuation of stria 2, at level of umbilicate pore 8 or slightly behind it (86–87% of elytral length), a little before level of the anterior termination of apical striole. All other pores attached to stria 3, rather variable in position though pores 1–2 always approached; posterior discal (not preapical) pore located not far behind the mid-length of elytra, at or before level of umbilicate pore 5. Apical triangle rather variable in shape, moderately to markedly elongate, its inner side subparallel to body axis; angulo-apical seta much shorter than other setae of apical triangle. Median pair of umbilicate series far behind mid-level of elytra though clearly spaced from preapical pair. Umbilicate formula: 12, 14–16, 19, 24–25, 58–61, 63–67, 76–81, 86. Umbilicate pores 5–8 located approximately at the same distance from lateral margin. In contrast, umbilicate pore 1 markedly removed from the lateral margin, especially compared with umbilicate pore 2 which is located much closer to the lateral margin than all other pores of the humeral group; umbilicate pore 4 shifted markedly farther on disc than pore 3.

Ventral side: metepisternites rather short, though markedly longer than wide. Suture between abdominal sternites III and IV completely effaced in median part. Two paramedian setae on visible sternites IV–VI. Two distantly spaced setae along the posterior margin of the anal sternite in male, and two pairs of setae in female.

Legs: relatively long but robust, more so in males, pro- and mesotibiae nearly straight, rather thin, metatibiae distinctly curved apically, their inner surface covered with dense goldish hairs ( Fig. 12 ). Two basal segments of male protarsi distinctly dilated, moderately transverse, with inner tooth triangularly shaped. Hyaline appendages of the fourth pro- and mesotarsomeres each distinctly dilated in median portion, not reaching the apex of tarsomere 5. Hind tibia relatively short (EL/HTi 1.95–1.97, 1.97; HTi/HTa 1.38–1.41, 1.39). First segment of metatarsi markedly shorter than the three following segments combined (ratio 0.81–0.84).

Aedeagus: very long and slender, S-shaped in lateral view, with clearly-cut, button-like apex ( Fig. 11 ). Sagittal aileron large and moderately sclerotized; basal orifice distinctly emarginated. In dorsal view, the aedeagal tube subparallel-sided, with maximum width in apical third. Preputial area long, almost reaching basal bulb of aedeagus. Apical lamella large, gradually narrowing towards apex, which is slightly defined by very shallow preapical emarginations of the lateral margins. Ventral surface of aedeagus longitudinally carinate. Endophallus armature not large, poorly sclerotized, confined to the apical third of aedeagus, consisting of scaly and membranous areas, without distinctly sclerotized and well-defined pieces. Parameres long, rather thick, each with five rather long apical setae; left paramere somewhat longer, with a distinct ventral apophysis.

Sexual dimorphism: apart from the two basal segments of protarsi dilated in male, there are some other morphometric differences between sexes. Though the number of available specimens is limited to 2 males and 1 female, the males seem to be a little larger (average body length of males 5.42 mm vs. 5.20 in the single female specimen). Additionally, the female is distinct in having smaller elytra (EL/PL = 2.66 in female vs. 2.72 in males). These data agree well with sexual dimorphism observed in most Trechini .

Comparative notes. Uenoites reuteri sp. n. differs from all hitherto known members of the genus Uenoites in larger size and more reduced lateral border of pronotum. Externally, the new species is most similar to U. jiuhecola (Deuve & Kavanaugh, 2015) . Both species share the strongly convex habitus with pear-like elytra, but U. reuteri sp. n. differs in having the pronotal hind angles simple, not produced in digitiform processes. Though similar in appearance to a large and dark Queinnectrechus , the new species is distinguished from all members of the nominate subgenus of this genus by the presence of the true preapical pore, pronotum with lateral border more markedly reduced both anteriorly and posteriorly ( Fig. 3 vs. Fig. 5 ) and hind angles not attenuated apically ( Fig. 6 vs. Figs 7–8 ). However, in the presence of preapical pore and simple hind angles of pronotum, U. reuteri sp. n. is similar to Queinnectrechus (Gaoligongtrechus) balli Deuve & Kavanaugh, 2016 from the Gaoligong Shan Mountain Range, Yunnan, China ( Deuve et al., 2016). The fact that both these taxa occur in neighboring geographic areas also argues in favor of their closeness. U. reuteri sp. n. differs readily from Q. balli in much larger body size, darker color, including clearly infuscate femora, only one anterior lateral seta on each side of pronotum and in the structure of the male genitalia: median lobe S-shaped, with button-like apex, endophallus armature less sclerotized, without two slender sclerites pointed apically.

For the time being, we prefer to describe the new species within the genus Uenoites and refrain from taxonomic and nomenclature changes of the genus-level taxa. Additional material is needed to resolve phylogenetic relationships among the above species and related taxa.

Distribution. The new species is probably endemic to the mountain range located ca. 70–75 km NW of Putao in the easternmost part of the Greater Himalaya, northern Myanmar.

Habitat. The species was found in the cloud forest zone at an elevation of 3700–3900 m a.s.l. Etymology. It is a great pleasure for us to name this remarkable species after our friend and colleague Christoph Reuter (Hamburg, Germany).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Male genitalia of Uenoites reuteri sp. n. a, lateral view; b, dorsal view; c, parameres.

FIGURES 1–2. Uenoites Belousov et Kabak, 2016, habitus, holotypes. 1, U. reuteri, sp. n.; 2, U. tibialis sp. n.

FIGURES 3–5. Lateral border and marginal groove of pronotum. 3, Uenoites reuteri sp. n.; 4, U. tibialis sp. n.; 5, Queinnectrechus globipennis Uéno, 1998.

FIGURES 6–8. Hind angles of pronotum, lateral view. 6, Uenoites reuteri sp. n.; 7, Queinnectrechus angusticollis Belousov & Kabak, 2003; 8, Q. micrangulus Belousov & Kabak, 2003.

FIGURES 12–13. Uenoites Belousov et Kabak, 2016, hind tibiae. 12, U. reuteri, sp. n.; 13, U. tibialis sp. n.