Cintaroa sikkimica, Häckel & Sciaky, 2019

Häckel, Martin & Sciaky, Riccardo, 2019, A new species of Cintaroa from India and new records of Craspedophorus from Pakistan and the Philippines (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Panagaeini), Zootaxa 4565 (2), pp. 245-252 : 246-247

Cintaroa sikkimica sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:31BAD6B4-218B-4A20-841D-99EA7AE55274

Type locality. “ Chongay , Sikkim, northern India ” .

Type material. 1♀: “ India / Sikkim / Ch. J. Rai // Chongay 1700 m / 20. IV. 1985 ” ( Fig. 1 , NMWC) .

Description of holotype. BL 16.4 mm, EW 5.5 mm. Proportions. Head and pronotum (PW/PL 1.14, PW/HW 1.53), elytra (EW/PW 1.42, EL/EW 1.63).

Colouration. Body piceous black, rather opaque, immaculate, wholly covered with black setae; palps ferrugineous, labrum and mandibles distally, antennae, except first two antennomeres, and tarsi brown.

Head almost quadrate (length to width ratio 1.25) and flat; eyes small, feebly convex, tempora distinct, almost as long as eye. Mandibles long and narrow, hooked and pointed at apex. Frontal sulci deep and wide, rugulose and punctate; frons convex, punctate; occiput depressed; neck transversely rugose; mentum tooth transverse, gently emarginate at apex, paraglossae surpassing glossa and longer ligula ( Fig. 1d, e ); apical/terminal labial palpomere feebly triangularly dilated in the only known specimen (female). Antennae filiform, extending to elytral midlength; scape more than twice, antennomere 3 about 3 times as long as pedicel (AR = 0.86: 0.35: 0.69).

Pronotum subcordate, slightly wider than long, distinctly wider than head across eyes, widest at midlength; sides converging anteriad from the widest point, distinctly sinuate behind the widest point; lateral margins widely reflexed; widening posteriad; lateral bead obsolete; anterior margin as long as base, straight, with angles rounded but distinct and weakly protruded; basal margin slightly emarginate and gently oblique on each side, basal angles rectangular, without denticulation, pointed; disc strongly convex, surface densely punctate; median line distinct; microsculpture isodiametric.

Elytra connate, almost elliptical, 1.6 times as long as wide, convex, widening posteriad, widest at midlength, almost 1.5 times as wide as pronotum; humeri indistinct; lateral margins flattened and elevated, preapical emargination shallow, apices rounded combined; striae fairly deep; intervals convex, densely punctate and covered by sparse black setae, median line distinct; microsculpture isodiametric.

Ventral side strongly and irregularly punctured, except for mesosternum medially and sternites, the latter with dense punctures, each indistinctly crenulated at basal margin ( Fig. 1c ); metepisternum short, rhomboidal (ES3L/ ES3 W 1.33, Fig. 1b ). Legs long and slender.

Male unknown.

Differential diagnosis. This species closely resembles Cintaroa aptera Kasahara, 1989 from Taiwan, described upon a single male specimen collected three years earlier than our specimen in the mountains of southern Taiwan ( Kasahara, 1989). C. sikkimica is very similar to the Taiwanese species, but shows less bulging eyes and more developed genae, antennae with shorter pedicellus, pronotum significantly more convex and more transverse (see tab. 1), elytra less narrowing in the front third to the base ( Fig. 1a ).

Etymology. Named after Sikkim state in Northeast India.

Distribution. Sikkim, India.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cintaroa sikkimica sp. nov. HT (female): a) dorsal habitus, b) left metepisternum, c) ventrites, ventral view, d) mouthparts, ventral view, e) mouthparts, ventral view (glossa and paraglossae outlined in red).