Omophron (Phrator) barsevskisi, Valainis, 2011

Valainis, Uldis, 2011, Revision of the Omophron (Phrator) ‘ vittulatum’ species group (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 11 (2), pp. 117-126 : 120-124

Omophron (Phrator) barsevskisi sp. n.

Description: Body length 6.7 – 7.11 mm; width 4.29 – 4.43 mm (holotype 7.09 mm and 4.41 mm, respectively). Habitus ( Fig. 2).

Colour: Head, pronotum, and elytra brown. Legs and antennae amber yellow. Patches of pronotum and elytral patterns phthalo green, with metalic lustre. Mandibles near base amber yellow, their apical part dark brown, almost black. Ventral side excluding epipleura and sternites brown; epipleura and sternites amber yellow.

Head fairly flat, sparsely punctured, gently wrinkled on vertex and frons, more wrinkled near eyes. Subocular ridge well developed, curved upwards and slightly rounded. Head with one supraorbital setiferous puncture on each side of head near the eye. Frons with gentle but broad impression toward clypeus. Clypeus convex, frontal part smooth, near labrum wrinkled, bisetose. Labrum with moderately rounded sides and six setae near the front margin. First segment of antennae unisetose at apex, 5 – 11 segments covered with thin setae, 1 – 4 segments bare, only with some longer setae near apex, HW: 2.21 – 2.35 mm.

Pronotum moderately convex, base bisinuated, edge weakly expressed. On the base lateral edge curved towards the exterior, but near the head curved towards the interior.Anterior angles nearly acute. Base, disc and apex of pronotum wrinkled, coarsely punctured, sides almost smooth. Median impression well developed. Green pattern on pronotum weakly expressed, tripartite, without clear borders. Prosternum almost smooth, with some coarse punctures around coxa. Front part of proepisternum smooth, posterior part gently wrinkled, coarsely punctured, strongly inclined towards the mesepisternum. PL: 1.76 – 1.83 mm, PW: 3.32 – 3.39 mm.

Elytra moderately convex, oval, with weakly expressed edge. Elytra with 15 striae, all striae evanescent towards apex. Striae well developed but shallow, extremely slightly punctured on the disc and smooth on the base. At the apical two thirds of elytra 3 rd stria joining 4 th. Intervals smooth. Elytral pattern divided into three irregular bands. In 6 th and 10 th intervals apical band of elytral pattern may converge with median band. Metasternum and metepimeron almost smooth. Sides of sterna with weak wrinkles. Last three sternites bisetose. EL: 4.10 – 4.30 mm, EW: 4.29 – 4.43 mm.

Comments. O. (P.) barsevskisi n. sp. clearly differs from other Omophron (Phrator) species. The shape of the new species resembles the species of subgenus Omophron , although peculiar mandibles as well as metafemurs and mesofemurs strongly projecting beyond elytral borders undeniably indicate the association of this species to subgenus Omophron (Phrator) . The new species can be easily distinguished from other species of the Omophron (Phrator) ‘vittulatum’ group by evenly rounded elytra, smooth elytral striae, and a different elytral pattern.

The only male sample known up to now has been damaged, therefore aedeagus is not described in this article.

Etymology. This species is named after my colleague and supervisor of my Ph.D. thesis Prof. Dr. biol. Arvīds Barševskis (Institute of Systematic Biology, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia).

Distribution. Up to now known only from three locations in Cameroon and one location in Nigeria. Distribution map ( Fig. 6 ).

Material examined. Holotype: Cameroon: Edea (Bsse-Sanaga) (1 female) ( MRAC) . Paratypes: Cameroon: Younde (2 females) ( MRAC) ; Vadon (1 male) ( MRAC) ; Nigeria: Taraba State, Lau , Benue river, 14.04 (1 female) .

Figures

Fig. 6. Distribution map of Omophron (Phrator) barsevskisi n. sp.