Amara (Xenocelia) sikkimensis Andrewes, 1930

Kavanaugh, David H., Hieke, Fritz, Liang, Hongbin & Dong, Dazhi, 2014, Inventory of the carabid beetle fauna of the Gaoligong Mountains, western Yunnan Province, China: species of the tribe Zabrini (Coleoptera, Carabidae), ZooKeys 407, pp. 55-119 : 72-75

6. Amara (Xenocelia) sikkimensis Andrewes, 1930 Figs 5 b–d, 6b, 14, 23a, 23b, 27-30

Amara (Leiocnemis) sikkimensis Andrewes, 1930: 24. Type material: Holotype male and 7 paratypes in BMNH. Type locality: China, Xizang Autonomous Region (southern Tibet), Rongshar Valley. Transferred to subgenus Xenocelia by Hieke (2001: 106).

Amara (Bradytus) coelestis Baliani, 1932: 16. Type material: 26 syntypes in BMNH, MCSNG and ZMHB, lectotype not yet designated. Type locality: China, Sichuan, Kangding ( “Tatsienlu-Chiulung”). Transferred to subgenus Celia by Baliani (1937: 176); synonymized by Hieke (1975: 292).

Amara (Celia) expolita Baliani, 1934a: 191. Type material: Holotype male in BMNH, allotype in ZSIC, and 8 paratypes in BMNH, MCSNG and ZMHB, 18 more “syntypes” not yet accounted for. Type locality: India, "Punyab: Simla Hills, Baghi". Synonymized by Hieke (1975: 299).

Diagnosis.

Adults of this species (Fig. 14) can be distinguished from those of all other species in the region by the following combination of character states: body length 7-8 mm; dorsal surface dark piceous; pronotum with both inner and outer basal impressions deeply impressed; elytra with parascutellar pore puncture absent; medial protibial spurs simple; tarsomere 5 of hind tarsi with two or (in a few specimens) three pairs of setae ventrally (Fig. 6b); last abdominal sternite of both male (Fig. 5d) and female (Fig. 5c) with two pairs of setiferous punctures near hind margin (second seta absent from one side in a few males for total of three setae).

Habitat distribution.

Specimens of this species were collected in daytime from under stones and other cover in open roadside areas (Fig. 23b) and other waste areas around human settlements (Fig. 23a) with scattered grasses and shrubs, at the edges of agricultural fields, and on open rocky, graveled and sandy banks of streams, and in these same habitats at night, when beetles were found active on bare substrate. They were especially conspicuous on open sandy beaches at night. Members of this species were found at elevations ranging from 1175 to 2800 m, syntopic with adults of Amara birmana , Amara chalciope , Amara davidi , Amara dissimilis , Amara latithorax , Amara lucidissima , Amara shaanxiensis and Amara silvestrii at one or more sites.

Geographical distribution within the Gaoligong Shan.

Fig. 14d. We examined a total of 164 specimens (92 males and 72 females) from the following localities: Fugong County: Lishadi Township (Shibali area, 27.16536°, 98.78003°, 2535 m, 6 October 2007, H.L. Shi collector [1 female; IOZ]), (0 to 2 km E of Shibali on Shibali Road, 27.16100°, 98.79370°, 2300-2350 m, 18 August 2005, D.Z. Dong collector [1 male and 1 female; IOZ]), (0.1 km below Shibali on Shibali Road, 27.16577°, 98.78091°, 2545 m, 5 May 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh & C.E. Griswold collectors [1 male; CAS]), (0.3 km SE of Shibali on North Fork Yamu He, 27.16337°, 98.78208°, 2475 m, 7 May 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh & C.E. Griswold collectors [1 male and 1 female; CAS]), (1.5 km below Shibali on Yaping Road, 27.16284°, 98.78989°, 2420 m, 2 May 2004, H.B. Liang & G.X. Peng collectors [1 male and 1 female; CAS, IOZ]), (Shilajia Village at Shibali Road, 27.13947°, 98.82184°, 1800-1900 m, 24-25 April 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh & C.E. Griswold collectors [2 females; CAS, IOZ]), (11 km above Nu Jiang on Yaping Road at Shimowa Village, 27.13839°, 98.82147°, 1850-1928 m, 25 April 2004, H.B. Liang collector [4 males and 5 females; CAS, IOZ]); Lumadeng Township (7.0 km SW of Lao Shibali on Lao Shibali Road at tributary of South Fork Yamu He, 27.10220°, 98.73107°, 2800 m, 13 August 2005, D.H. Kavanaugh & P. Paquin collectors [1 male; CAS]), (7.5 km below Shibali on Yaping Road, 27.14627°, 98.81559°, 2030 m, 3 May 2004, H.B. Liang & M. Xie collectors [2 males and 2 female; CAS, IOZ]), (South Fork Yamu He above Shilajia Village, 27.12101°, 98.83173°, 1630-1790 m, 26 April 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh collector [1 female; CAS]), (Yaping Road below Shibali, 27.16520°, 98.77980°, 2530 m, 24 April 2004, H.B. Liang & X.Y. Li collectors [1 male; IOZ]); Shangpa Township (Nu Jiang at west end of footbridge in Shangpa, 26.90743°, 98.86391°, 1175-1180 m, 20 April 2004, H.B. Liang collector [1 female; IOZ]). Gongshan County: Bingzhongluo Township (Bingzhongluo Village, 28.01940°, 98.62106°, 1760 m, 21 April 2002, H.B. Liang & W.D. Ba collectors [2 males and 1 female; IOZ, ZMHB]), (Gongdangshenshan, 27.99725°, 98.62003°, 2489 m, 12 November 2004, H.B. Liang collector [1 male; CAS]); Cikai Township (Heiwadi, 16.8 km W of Cikai on Dulong Valley Road, 27.79584°, 98.58443°, 2020 m, 20 April 2002, H.B. Liang & W.D. Ba collectors [2 males; IOZ]), (Heiwadi Village, 27.79584°, 98.58443°, 1965 m, 14 November 2004, H.B. Liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [26 males and 14 females; CAS, IOZ]), (North Fork Pula He above Heiwaidi Village, 27.78644°, 98.59831°, 1890 m, 15 November 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh & V.F. Lee collectors [3 males; CAS, IOZ]), (Nu Jiang in Cikai at Dashaba, 27.73845°, 98.67092°, 1430 m, 11 November 2003, D.H. Kavanaugh, H.B. Liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [1 female; CAS]), (Pula He just above Nu Jiang Road, 27.74861°, 98.66675°, 1440 m, 11 November 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, H.B. Liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [1 female; CAS]); Dulongjiang Township (Bapo, Miliwang, 27.72383°, 98.36117°, 1956 m, 31 October 2004, H.B. Liang collector [21 males and 8 females; CAS, IOZ, ZMHB]), (0.6 km N of Dizhengdang Village on Dulong Jiang, 28.08442°, 98.32652°, 1880 m, 29-30 October 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [4 males and 5 females; CAS, IOZ]), (S of Dizhengdang Village at Silalong He, 28.07654°, 98.32603°, 1890 m, 30 October 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [2 males and 3 females; CAS, IOZ]), (Dizheng Wang, 28.08686°, 98.32840°, 1900-1970 m, 30 October 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh & D.Z. Dong collectors [1 female; CAS]), (Dulong Jiang at Elideng Village, 28.00287°, 98.32145°, 1640 m, 3 November 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, H.B. Liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [1 male and 2 females; CAS, IOZ]), (Dulong Jiang at Xiajiudang Village, 27.94092°, 98.33340°, 1580 m, 4 November 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [2 females; CAS, IOZ]), (0.5 km N of Kongdang, 27.88111°, 98.34063°, 1500 m, 25 October 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, H.B. Liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [1 female; CAS], 5 November 2004, H.B. Liang collector [1 female; IOZ]), (2.3-3.3 airkm S of Longyuan Village on Dulong Jiang, 28.00532°, 98.32145°, 1685-1720 m, 2 November 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [2 males and 1 female; CAS, IOZ]), (Maku, 27.68553°, 98.30425°, 1823 m, 2 November 2004, H.B. Liang collector [14 males and 13 females; CAS, IOZ]), (Siran Wang, 0.2 km above confluence with Dulong Jiang, 28.01347°, 98.32117°, 1720 m, 2 November 2004, D.H. Kavanaugh & D.Z. Dong collectors [1 female; CAS]). Lushui County: Luzhang Township (Yaojiaping He at Pianma Road, 25.97722°, 98.71091°, 2527 m, 20 May 2005, D.H. Kavanaugh, C.E. Griswold, H.B. liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [1 male; CAS]). Tengchong County: Jietou Township (Longtang He at Dahetou Lingganjiao, 25.73947°, 98.69630°, 2010 m, 20 May 2005, H.B. Liang & P. Hu collectors [1 female; IOZ]); Shangying Township (Km 42-46 on Bawan-Tengchong Road, 24.95361°, 98.74222°, 2290 m, 14 October 2003, H.B. Liang & X.C. Shi collectors [1 male; IOZ]).

Members of this species were collected from the northern to the southern parts of the study area (Core Areas 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6), but they were found only on the western side of the mountain range in the southern part (Core Area 6). This distribution pattern may be an artifact of inadequate sampling on the eastern slope of the mountain range in the south.

Overall geographical distribution.

Fig. 27. This species has been recorded from Bhutan, China (Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces and Xizang Autonomous Region), India (Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Jammu, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh), Nepal and Pakistan (northern). Its occurrence in the study area represents the southern limit of its known geographical range.