Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta 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 : 418-421

Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta Deuve and Kavanaugh, sp. nov.

( Figs. 30 , 38b , 42a , 46–48 )

TYPE MATERIAL.— Holotype, a male, in IOZ, labeled: labeled: “CASENT 1007387”/ “ CHINA, Yunnan Province, Gaoligong Shan, Nujiang Prefecture, Nujiang State Nature Reserve , No. 12 Bridge Camp area , 16.3 airkm W of Gongshan,”/ “ N27.71503° / E98.50244°, 2775 m, 15-19 July 2000, Stop#00-23A, D.H. Kavanaugh , C.E. Griswold, Liang H.-B., D. Ubick, & Dong D.-Z. collectors”/ “IMAGE” [green label]/ “ HOLOTYPE Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta Deuve & Kavanaugh, sp. nov. designated 2016” [red label]. Paratypes (at total of 56): 14 males and 17 females (in CAS, IOZ, MNHN) labeled: same as holotype, except first label “CASENT 1007388” to “CASENT 1007400” and “CASENT 1021923” and “CASENT 1007401” to “CASENT 1007416” and “CASENT 1021924”, respectively ; 10 males and 14 females (in CAS, IOZ) labeled: “CASENT 1006508” to “CASENT 1006517” and “CASENT 1006518” to “CASENT 1006530” and “CASENT 1021922”, respectively/ “ CHINA, Yunnan Province, Gaoligong Shan, Nujiang Prefecture , Gongshan County, Dazhu He drainage, 13.5 airkm SW of Gongshan, 2830m ”/ “ N27.62947° / E98.62010°, 30 June- 5 July 2000, Stop #00-17I, D.H. Kavanaugh , C.E. Griswold ,

Liang H.-B., D. Ubick, & Dong D.-Z. collectors”; 1 female (in CAS) labeled: “CASENT 1025812”/ “ CHINA, Yunnan, Gongshan County, Bingzhongluo Township, SW slope of Kawakarpu Shan 0.3 km SW of Chukuai Lake at campsite,”/, “ N27.97686° / E098.47799°, 3750 m, 18 August 2006 Stop #DHK-2006-078 D.H. Kavanaugh collector”. All paratypes also bear the following label: “ PARATYPE Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta Deuve & Kavanaugh, sp. nov. designated 2016” [yellow label] .

TYPE LOCALITY.— China, Yunnan, Gaoligong Shan, Gongshan County, Qiqi Trail at No. 12 Bridge Camp area , 16.3 airkm W of Gongshan, N27.71503° / E98.50244°, 2775 m ,

DERIVATION OF SPECIES NAME.— The species epithet, monochaeta , is an adjective derived from the Greek words, μόΝΟς (transliterated into Latin as mono), meaning one or single, and χαίτα (transliterated into Latin as chaeta), meaning hair or bristle. The name refers to the single discal seta found on the elytra of members of this species.

DIAGNOSIS.— Adults of this species ( Fig. 30a ) can be distinguished from those of all other species in the region by the following combination of character states: size small (BL = 2.8 to 3.0 mm), apterous; body color reddish brown, dorsum shiny, very slightly iridescent; eyes small but convex; tempora convex and sparsely pubescent; pronotum transverse (PW/PL = 1.38), with basal angles obtuse and rounded; elytra convex, medial four or five striae distinctly impressed, more lateral striae more or less effaced; recurrent stria terminated anteriorly in presumed location of interval 6; only one discal setiferous pore present, inserted anterior to and next to stria 3; preapical seta present, inserted next to stria 2; median lobe of male aedeagus ( Fig. 30b ) with apex moderately broad and apically rounded, slightly deflected ventrally; endophallus with an elongate and scaly sclerotized area not narrowed apically.

DESCRIPTION.— Size small, BL = 2.8 to 3.0 mm. Body color reddish brown, appendages slightly paler, yellowish brown, palpi paler yellow; dorsum shiny, slightly iridescent.

Head. Medium in size; eyes small but moderately convex, their diameter about equal to length of tempora, the latter distinctly convex and sparsely pubescent. Frons convex, with frontal furrows slightly angulate and deeply impressed, continuous to posterior margins of tempora, not or slightly attenuated posterior to margins of eyes. Two pairs of supraorbital setae present, the anterior pair inserted in foveae. Clypeus with four setae. Labrum with six setae, anterior margin distinctly emarginate or concave. Mentum and submentum not fused. Mentum with medial tooth broad and apically truncate or faintly bifid, about half the length of the lateral lobes. Submentum with six setae anteriorly. Gula broad. Genae with a single ventral seta one each side. Antennae short, with only about 1.5 antennomeres extended posteriorly beyond basal pronotal margin; antennomeres 2 and 3 about equal in length, antennomere 4 slightly shorter.

Pronotum. Transverse (ratio PW/PL = 1.38), with greatest width slightly anterior to middle; lateral margins rounded, slightly more so anteriorly, not or only slightly straighten posteriorly just anterior to basal angles, the latter obtuse and bluntly or rounded. Disc convex and smooth, median longitudinal impression finely impressed, continuous from middle of apical median swelling to posterior margin; basal foveae very small and shallow, faintly impressed; median basal area well defined but short and transverse, smooth but with several small longitudinal foveae. Lateral borders slender and finely relexed dorsally, lateral grooves deeply impressed. Single midlateral setae on each side inserted near anterior one-third; single basolateral seta on each side, inserted at basal angle.

Elytra. Ovoid, only slightly narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, humeri distinct but rounded. Disc convex, striae finely impressed and not or only faintly punctate, the medial three or four striae clearly impressed, the more lateral striae more or less effaced, but still evident. Parascutellar striole present and distinct. Recurrent stria deeply impressed, its anterior recurved end terminated in the posterior end of stria 5. Only one discal setiferous pore present, inserted slightly anterior to middle next to stria 3. Preapical seta present, inserted on interval 3 next to stria 2 and about equidistant from apical and sutural elytral margin.

Legs. Short, protibiae with longitudinal furrow. Male protarsomeres 1 and 2 dilated and apicomedially toothed.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites glabrous, except for a single paramedial seta on each side, and ventrite VII of males apically with one pair of paramedial setae, of females with two pairs.

Male aedeagus. Median lobe ( Fig. 30b ) with sagittal aileron very small, shaft moderately broad basally, then gradually narrowed, with apex moderately broad and apically rounded, slightly deflected ventrally; endophallus with an elongate and scaly sclerotized area not narrowed apically.

COMMENTS.— This species appears to be very closely related (perhaps sister species) to T. unipilosa sp. nov., but its male members can be distinguished from those of the latter by having the base of the median lobe of the male aedeagus broader (narrower in T. unipilosa members, see Fig. 31b ) and the scaly sclerotized area of the endophallus of more equal width throughout and not narrowed distally (as it is in T. unipilosa males).

HABITAT DISTRIBUTION.— Members of this species have been collected by sifting leaf litter and mosses from the floor of closed canopy forest with an understory of ferns and large-leafed (ca. 60 cm long leaves) Rhododendron sp. at elevations ranging from 2775 to 2830 m ( Fig. 42a ). At the lowest elevation, specimens of Trechus qiqiensis were collected in the same litter samples. One specimen was also found under stones or wood chips in a disturbed open meadow area surround- ed by one meter high Rhododendron thickets at an elevation of 3750 m ( Fig. 38b ); and specimens of Queinnectrechus griswoldi were found in this same area

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN THE GAOLIGONG SHAN.— Fig. 30c . We examined a total of 57 specimens (23 males and 34 females) from sites on the crest or eastern slope of the northern part of the Gaoligong Shan in Gongshan County (see Type material above for exact collection data). All of these sites are in Core Area 2 .

OVERALL GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.— This species currently is known only from Gongshan County in the northern part of the Gaoligong Shan region, western Yunnan Province, China.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta sp. nov.; a. Dorsal habitus (CASENT1007411). b. Median lobe of aedeagus of male (CASENT1007411), left lateral aspect. c. Map of locality records (red circles) for T. monochaeta in the Gaoligong Shan region. Scale lines a, b = 0.5 mm, c = 100 km.

FIGURE 38. Photographs of habitats for trechine species in the Gaoligong Shan region. a. Gongshan County, Bingzhongluo Township, SW slope of Kawakarpu Shan 0.3 km SW of Chukuai Lake, elevation 3750 m; habitat in which specimens of Queinnectrechus griswoldi sp. nov. and Trechus gongshanicus sp. nov. were collected. b. same area, but habitat in which specimens of Queinnectrechus griswoldi sp. nov. and Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta sp. nov. were collected. Photos by David H. Kavanaugh.

FIGURE 42. Photographs of habitats for trechine species in the Gaoligong Shan region. a. Gongshan County, Cikai Township, Qiqi Trail at No. 12 Bridge Camp area, elevation 2775 m; habitat in which specimens of Trechus qiqiensis sp. nov. and Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta sp. nov. were collected. b. Fugong County, Shiyueliang Township, 11.5 km above Shibali on Shibali Road, elevation 3290 m; habitat in which the holotype of Trechus pseudoqiqiensis sp. nov. was collect- ed. Photos by David H. Kavanaugh.

FIGURE 46. Chart showing the representation of trechine species in project-designated Core Areas (see Fig. 3) in the Gaoligong Shan region.

FIGURE 47. Chart illustrating the altitudinal ranges of trechine species represented in the Gaoligong Shan region.

FIGURE. 48. Chart illustrating the co-occurence (syntopy) of trechine species in samples from the same habitats and at the same sites in the Gaoligong Shan region.

FIGURE 31. Trechepaphiopsis unipilosa sp. nov.; a. Dorsal habitus (CASENT1023757). b. Median lobe of aedeagus of male (CASENT1023757), left lateral aspect. c. Map of locality records (red circles) for T. unipilosa in the Gaoligong Shan region. Scale lines a, b = 0.5 mm, c = 100 km.