Orictites ANDREWES, 1931

Balkenohl, Michael, 2017, Revision of the genus Orictites ANDREWES, 1931 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Clivinini), Contributions to Natural History 35, pp. 1-68 : 4-7

Genus Orictites ANDREWES, 1931

Catalogue

Orictites ; Andrewes 1931: 438;

Orictites ANDREWES ; Csiki 1933: 638;

Orictites ANDREWES ; Louwerens, 1964: 172;

Orictites ANDREWES ; Balkenohl 1996: 24;

Orictites ANDREWES ; Lorenz 1998: 135;

Orictites ANDREWES ; Baehr 1999: 115;

Orictites ANDREWES ; Balkenohl 2001: 17.

Type species: Orictites minotaur ANDREWES, 1931 , by original designation.

Diagnosis: General appearance more or less like a Clivina . Clypeus variable, straight anteriorly or excised or with teeth, with raised knob between the two clypeal setae or with blunt elevation, wings small or well-developed, more or less projecting, divided from supraantennal plates by distinct notches and from middle part of clypeus by distinct or indistinct notches. Frons separated from clypeus by band of big punctures and/or by broad flat furrow. Longitudinal frontal carinae distinct. Supraorbital carinae distinct. Eyes oval, flattened, enclosed posteriorly by distinctly vaulted genae of different length, temporae carinate; antennae relatively short, with some long setae among the usual pubescence. Labrum 7-setose. Mandibles strong, right or left one with tooth at middle or basally. Pronotum square, almost flattened with tooth at posterior angle, anterior angles formed by reflexed lateral margin, rounded and projecting anteriorly or angled. Reflexed lateral margin more or less crenulated. Lateral channel distinctly broad, separated from disc by longitudinal vault, median line conspicuously deep and broad, surface in most of the species covered with deep and broad punctures. Basal channel always broad and deep. Elytra subcylindrical, stria 1–4 free at base, intervals more or less convex, asetose or with setigerous punctures on interval 3, or 3, 5, and 7. Third interval of elytra broadened and raised at base with distinct tubercle, in most species the same is true for interval 4. Middle tibia with spur near apex furnished with seta. Terminal abdominal sternite with two widely separated apical setae at each side. Ventral surface almost covered with punctures. Distinguished from all other Clivina -related genera by the following combination of characters: the flattened eyes with distinctly enlarged genae, the distinct carinae on the head, the transverse square and flattened pronotum with unusually broad lateral channel, the big and usually numerous punctures on the head, pronotum, and ventral surface, the broad and deep base of the pronotum, the distinctly convex intervals of the elytra, and the distinctly broadened, raised and tubercle possessing intervals 3 and 4 at base.

Genus description

Size: Small to medium-sized, elongate.

Colour: Shiny, without metallic lustre, black or brown.

Head: Wide. Clypeus straight, excised, or with teeth anteriorly, limited laterally by small rounded or sharp tooth, with raised knob in between the two clypeal setae or with blunt elevation; wings always well-developed, rounded or angled, hollowed out, divided from supraantennal plates and from middle part of clypeus by notches. Supraantennal plates vaulted, with reflexed rounded margin, frons separated from clypeus by transverse furrow or depression, with or without big punctures, with nearly parallel running carinae at each side posteriorly, each carina with furrow mesially, carinae enclosing the convex frons; frons smooth or with punctures. Supraorbital setae located in broad furrow between eye and frontal carina, the posterior one arising from a small tubercle. Eyes oval, not big, orbit projecting laterally, tempora with distinct supraorbital carina, subtemporae and genae distinctly vaulted, rounded, nearly as high but slightly shorter than eyes, distinctly enclosing eyes posteriorly. Grooves for reception of antennae short. Neck constriction formed by punctures or indistinct. Labrum 7-setose, ciliate laterally, almost with isodiametric reticulation. Mandibles shorter than head, distinctly broadened at base, acute at apex, upper margin of scrobe of both mandibles sharply carinate, mandibular teeth differently developed in the two subgenera. Maxilla bent slightly sigmoidal. Apical maxillary palpomere slender, fusiform bottle-like. Apical labial palpomere slightly arcuate, fusiform bottle-like or securiform, second segment bisetose. Ligula somewhat truncated at apex, with one seta. Paraglossae slender, membranous. Mentum and submentum divided by sharp furrow, with two pairs of setae each, median tooth broad, obtuse at apex, bisetose, lobes smooth or with wrinkles, longer than tooth, acute at apex, margins with carinae. Antennae short, not reaching over two thirds of pronotum, scapus with one seta dorsoapically, scapus and pedicellus in most of the cases convered with fine reticulation, segments 4–11 densely pubescent, with few additional long setae.

Pronotum: Square, as long as wide or broader than long, almost flattened. Anterior margin straight or slightly bisinuate. Reflexed lateral margin smooth or crenulated. Lateral channel distinctly broadened between the two lateral setigerous punctures, basal channel broad and deep. Anterior setigerous puncture located backwards, the posterior one located at level of posterior angle, removed from lateral channel. Anterior angles more or less projecting anteriorly, posterior angles well developed. Anterior transverse line sharp, punctured, or indistinct. Median line deep and conspicuously broad, often with blunt carina bilaterally. Surface nearly always covered with punctures of different size.

Elytra: Subcylindrical. Marginal channel broad, visible from above, with uninterrupted row of big setigerous punctures arising from broad tubercles, with second row of smaller punctures. Reflexed margin with more or less developed crenulation, more distinct at humerus. Reflexed lateral margin bending parallel to channel over rounded humerus up to stria 5, with or without humeral tooth. Basal tubercle big, with setigerous puncture, situated at declivity of 1 st stria. Striae 1–4 free at base, all striae deep, with more or less distinct punctures, striae 1–2 either ending free at apex or joining apically, 3–4 and 5–6 joined apically; striae 6 and 7 shortened at humerus. Striole distinct, interval between striole and sutura raised. Intervals conspicuously convex, with increasing distinctness laterally, 3 rd interval and in some cases the4 th as well broader and raised at base, with big tubercle at base, 7 th running to apex as more or less obtuse carina, 8 th small, carinate. Intervals asetose or with setigerous punctures on interval 3, or 3, 5, and 7.

Hind wings: Well developed.

Ventral surface: Proepisternum with big scattered punctures and indistinct reticulation, in a few species with some small punctures, submarginal furrow engraved. Metasternum smooth at middle, punctured laterally. Epipleura somewhat broadened basally, with row of big punctures. Sternites 3 rd to 5 th with paralateral ambulatory setae at each side, covered densely and irregularly with big punctures or punctures limited to lateral margin, ventral strigae distinct, with transverse reticulation; terminal sternite with two widely separated apical setae at each side.

Legs: Anterior tibia with strong digitation, with two big and one small lateral preapical denticles, apical spine curved distinctly towards ventral and lateral. Basal tarsomere distinctly elongated. Mesotibia with long apical spine, furnished with strong seta. All tarsomeres relatively broad.

Male genitalia: In general of Clivina - type, with spatulate or stick-like apex.

Female genitalia: Stylomere more or less sigmoidal, with or without preapical setae, with one or two ensiform seta at middle and some nematiform setae laterally in basal half.

Sexual dimorphism: External sexual differences not observed.

Distribution. South East Asia including Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and Sulawesi. Specimens were also found in North East India (Megalaya Hills) and in the West of Papua ( Fig. 41 ; p. 63).

Habitat: Not well known. Specific labels of some specimens indicate finds in mountainous areas. Some species were found under bark of trees and rotten wood, e.g. in a pine forest.

Figures

Fig. 41: Distribution of the species of the Genus Orictites in South East Asia (recorded localities of all species plotted).