Epaphiotrechus Deuve, 2016

Deuve, Thierry, Kavanaugh, David H. & Liang, Hongbin, 2016, Inventory of the Carabid Beetle Fauna of the Gaoligong Mountains, Western Yunnan Province, China: Species of the Tribe Trechini (Coleoptera: Caraboidea), with Descriptions of Four New Genera, One New Subgenus and 19 New Species., Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 63 (12), pp. 341-455 : 424-425

Genus Epaphiotrechus Deuve and Kavanaugh, gen. nov.

TYPE SPECIES.— Epaphiotrechus fortipesoides sp. nov.

Derivation of genus group name.— The genus group name (masculine) is a combination of two other trechine generic names, Epaphius and Trechus .

DIAGNOSIS.— Adults of this genus ( Fig. 33a ) can be recognized by the following combination of character states: size large (BL = 4.5 to 4.7 mm), apterous; body color dark piceous with elytral interval 1 and lateral areas of pronotum and elytra more or less reddish; dorsum shiny, distinctly iridescent, dorsal surface glabrous except for isolated fixed setae typical for trechines, eyes also glabrous; right mandible ( Fig. 16g ) with premolar not fused with retinaculum but closely associat- ed with the latter [possibly representative of an intermediate state in the evolution of the “bidentate” mandibular type (see discussion above for genus Trechus )], anterior tip of retinaculum enlarged as a distinct tooth and displaced anteriorly (but not quite as far as in members of Trechepaphiopsis species); pronotum with basal angles small and rectangular; elytra elongate, oblong, slightly flattened along the median suture area, striae finely impressed, crenulate or finely punctate, lateral striae partly effaced but striae 6 and 7 still evident; two discal setae present on interval 3 next to stria 3, inserted near the anterior one-sixth and near mid-elytral length, respectively; preapical seta present, inserted next to stria 2.

COMMENTS.— When Uéno (1999) described Trechus (s. str.) fortipes , he noted that it was a “strange species similar to certain Epaphiopsis ”, with the distinct premolar on the right mandible. However, characters of the male aedeagus, particularly the presence of a distinct endophallic sclerite, led him to consider this species as a basal member of genus Trechus in which the plesiomorphic right mandibular dentition was retained.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. This genus currently is known from only two species, both found only in the southern part of the Gaoligong Shan region of western Yunnan Province, China.

Figures

FIGURE 33. Epaphiotrechus fortipesoides sp. nov.; a. Dorsal habitus (CASENT1039089). b. Map of locality record (red circle) for E. fortipesoides in the Gaoligong Shan region. Scale lines a = 0.5 mm, b = 100 km.

FIGURE 16. Trechine right mandibles, ventral aspect. a. Agonotrechus xiaoheishan sp. nov. b. Trechus indicus Putzeys with dentition enlarged. c. Trechus gongshanensis sp. nov. d. Trechus shibalicus sp. nov. e. Pseudepaphius gonggaicus Deuve with dentition enlarged (China, Sichuan Province, Moxi Township, NE slope of Gongga Shan). f. Trechepaphiopsis uniporosa sp. nov. with dentition enlarged. g. Epaphiotrechus fortipesoides sp. nov. with dentition enlarged. h. Trechepaphiama gaoligong sp. nov. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.