Geodromicus (s.str.) affinis Cameron, 1934

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2022, The bodemeyeri and the convexicollis species groups of the genus Geodromicus Redtenbacher, 1857, and additional taxonomic and faunistic data for some species of the Eastern Palaearctic Region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae), Zootaxa 5213 (5), pp. 451-496 : 483-486

Geodromicus (s.str.) affinis Cameron, 1934

( Figs. 62 , 66–70 )

Geodromicus affinis Cameron, 1934: 17 ; Puthz 1973: 518

Geodromicus torrentis Puthz, 1973: 517 syn.n.

Type material examined. Holotype of Geodromicus affinis Cameron, 1934 , ♂ ( Fig. 62 ; dissected; left antennomeres 8–11 missing): ‘Type’ <round label with red margin>, ‘N. India [underlined by yellow] | KASHMIR [handwrutten]’ <printed>, ‘Y.N.I.E | K83 Kargil—| 24 May 1912 Wet | mossy stoned by spring, Geodromicus | affinis | TYPE [underlined] Cam’ <handwritten> ( BMNH).

Holotype of Geodromicus torrentis Puthz, 1973 , ♂ (dissected): ‘WEST-PAKISTAN | SWAT-REGION’ <handwritten>, ‘Guhral spring | H3 F | 17.7.[19]68’ <handwritten>, ‘ HOLOTYPUS | ♂ [handwritten] ’ <red, printed>, ‘ Geodromicus | torrentis | nov. spec. | det. V. Puthz 19[printed]72’ <handwritten> ( MHNG) .

Additional material examined. PAKISTAN: KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA: 2 ♂♂: Swat , Utrar. 2200–2800 m a.s.l. 12– 14.07.1982. Erber & Heinz leg. ( MHNG) ; INDIA: KASHMIR: 1 ♂: Sonamarg. 13.07.1981. G. Ledoux leg. (cSh).

Redescription. Measurements (n=5): HW: 0.97–1.10; HL: 0.67–0.70; OL: 0.27–0.30; TL: 0.15–0.17; AL (averaged): 4.16; PL: 0.80–0.99; PWmax: 1.20–1.50; PWmin: 1.01–1.15; ESL: 1.92–2.12; EW: 2.00–2.26; MTbL (averaged): 1.40; MTrL (averaged): 0.65 (MTrL 1–4: 0.40; MTrL 5: 0.25); AW: 1.52–2.11; AedL: 0.50–1.02; BL: 5.25–6.70 (holotype of G. affinis : 6.50; holotype of G. torrentis : 6.70).

Habitus as in Fig. 62 . Body reddish-brown to black, with slightly paler abdomen; legs brown; mouthparts, antennae and tarsi yellow to dark-brown. Body without microsculpture except neck with very dense isodiametric meshes and abdominal tergites with fine and transverse microreticulation.

Head 1.4–1.5 times as broad as long, with strongly convex supra-antennal elevations and infraorbital portions, with very deep and wide subrectangular anterio-median and moderately deep subtriangular interocellar depressions; temples slightly less than twice as long as longitudinal length of eyes; interocellar depression separated from infraorbital portions by strongly convergent latero-anteriad moderately narrow and deep anteocellar foveae. Ocelli small or moderately large, distance between ocelli slightly broader than distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye. Punctation moderately fine and dense, slightly larger and deeper on infraorbital portions. Antenna reaching apical third of elytra when reclined; antennomere 2 about 1.3 times as long as basal antennomere, 3 1.3–1.4 times as long as 2, 4–5 slightly shorter than 3, 6–9 slightly longer and broader than 5, 10 slightly shorter than 9, apical antennomere 1.3–1.4 times as long as 10.

Pronotum transverse, 1.5 times as broad as long, from widest anterior portion gradually or sharply narrowed toward moderately long and subparallel laterobasal margins; hind angles subacute or somewhat rounded; middle portion without or with indistinct longitudinal depression or with traces of it in medioapical portion; mediobasal depression very deep, transverse. Punctation moderately dense, distinctly larger and deeper than that on head, slightly denser in medioapical and sparser in mediobasal portions, sometimes with impunctate oval portion in front of mediobasal depression.

Scutellum without punctures and microsculpture.

Elytra distinctly broader than long, strongly broadened posteriad, more than twice as long as pronotum; hind margins broadly rounded. Punctation about as that on pronotum, or slightly larger and deeper, dense, finer along suture and in apical portions, finer or coarser in parascutellar area.

Metatibia more than twice as long as metatarsus.

Abdomen distinctly narrower than elytra, with very wide, transverse tomentose spots in middle of abdominal tergite IV.

Male. Apical margin of abdominal tergite VIII truncate or rounded. Apical margin of abdominal sternite VIII concave. Aedeagus with moderately small and wide basal part, gradually narrowed toward narrow median lobe and rounded apex; parameres with broadened apical portions, distinctly exceeding apex of median lobe, with four ( Figs. 66–67, 69 ) to six ( Puthz 1973: figs. 1–2) moderately long apical setae; internal sac with short and wide strongly sclerotized flagellum, from widest middle portion gradually narrowed apically (Figs. x, x) and with short narrow basal part curved in basal portion. Lateral aspect of the aedeagus as in Fig. 68 .

Female unknown.

Comparative notes. Based on the slender shape of the aedeagus and the presence of sclerotized wide flagellum, it is similar to species of the plagiatus group ( Shavrin 2022), but it differs from them by the presence of an additional narrow basal part of the flagellum. Based on the length of the body, coloration, distance between ocelli and broadened parameres, it is somewhat similar to Eastern Palaearctic G. (s.str.) paramerus Shavrin 2000 , known from Siberia and China ( Shavrin 2000, 2022; Cheng et al. 2020), from which it can be distinguished by the more transverse pronotum, longer elytra, and by the narrower apical portions of the median lobe and the parameres.

Distribution. The species is known from several localities in north-eastern Pakistan and India (Kashmir) ( Fig. 70 ).

Bionomics. Two males from Utrar ( Pakistan, Swat) were collected at elevations from 2200 to 2800 m a.s.l. The holotype of G. affinis was collected in wet mosses. The detailed bionomical data are unknown

Remarks. Geodromicus affinis Cameron, 1934 based on the holotype was originally described from “Indian Tibet: Kargil”. Puthz (1973) studied the type and provided the figure of the aedeagus ( Puthz 1973: fig. 2).

Geodromicus torrentis Puthz, 1973 based on the holotype was descibed from “ Pakistan: Swat Region: Guhral”. I not found essential external and internal morphological differences between this specimen and additional material from Pakistan and Kashmir (see above), except the smaller length of the aedeagus ( Puthz 1973: fig. 1). The length of the aedeagus in some species of Geodromicus can signigificantly vary. Thus, G. torrentis is synonymized with G. (s.str.) affinis .

Figures

FIGURE 70. Distribution of Geodromicus in the Himalayan Region: G. affinis (circles), G. alticola (squares), G. curvipes (triangle), G. ruficornis (diamond), G. subsimilis (black stars).

FIGURES 57–62. Habitus of Geodromicus: 57–59—G. macrothorax (Fig. 57: Kazakhstan, Chelkydysu; Fig. 58: Kazakhstan, Kokjota Mt.; Fig. 59: Kyrgyzstan, Grigoryevka), 60—G. malcolmi (holotype), 61—G. medvedevi (holotype), 62—G. affinis (holotype). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 64–69. Aedeagus of Geodromicus malcolmi (Figs. 64–65: holotype) and G. affinis (Fig. 66: holotype; Figs. 67–68: India, Sonamarg; Fig. 69: Pakistan, Utrar): 64, 66–67, 69—parameral view, 65, 68—lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.