Pterostichus (Circinatus) beneshi Sciaky, 1996

Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2015, The genus Pterostichus in China II: the subgenus Circinatus Sciaky, a species revision and phylogeny (Carabidae, Pterostichini), ZooKeys 536, pp. 1-92 : 32

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Pterostichus (Circinatus) beneshi Sciaky, 1996 Figures 24, 50, 51, 68, 87, 109

Pterostichus (Circinatus) beneshi Sciaky 1996: 225 (Original: Pterostichus (Circinatus) ; holotype deposited in CRS); Bousquet 2003: 488; Lorenz 2005: 280; Allegro and Sciaky 2010: 4.

Type locality.

Sichuan: Wolong (ca. N31.03°, E103.18°), Wenchuan County, Sichuan province.

Type material examined.

Holotype of Pterostichus beneshi Sciaky (CRS), male, body length = 11.2 mm, board mounted, genitalia dissected and glued on same board with specimen, "Cina - W Sichuan / Wolong / 150 Km NW Chengdo / 9. VII. 94. Beneš.”; "HOLOTYPUS / Pterostichus / ( Circinatus )/ beneshi sp. n. / Det. Sciaky, 1994" [red label].

Non-type material examined

(total 53 specimens). 3 males, 7 females (IZAS), "Sichuan, Wolong, Wulidun, pit fall trap, YU Xiaodong lgt.", various altitude between 2290m-2615m, and date between 2004 VI.6-VIII.8; 4 males, 1 female (IZAS), "Sichuan, Wolong, Wuyipeng, pit fall trap, YU Xiaodong lgt.", various altitude between 2545m-2630m, and date between 2004 VI.14-VIII.14; 8 males, 2 females (IZAS), "Sichuan, Wolong, Wuyipeng, Caoyuandi, pit fall trap, YU Xiaodong lgt.", various altitude between 2370m-2570m, and date between 2004 V.31-VIII.31; 1 male (IZAS), "Sichuan, Wolong, Wuyipeng, 1990.VII.20, T. Deuve et Xie Weiping"; 2 males (IZAS), "China, Sichuan, Baoxing county, Donglashan gorge park, N30.41675, E102.59366; 2012.VI.28D 1933m, Liu Ye, Shi Hongliang leg."; 3 males (IZAS), "China, Sichuan, Baoxing county, Jiajinshan mt., Mahuanggou, mixed forest, N30.85669, E102.76615, 2012.VI.29 D 2681m, Liu Ye, Shi Hongliang leg."; 1 male (IZAS), "China, Sichuan, Baoxing county, Jiajinshan mt., Borigou viewing platform, mixed forest, N30.82233, E102.71886; 3238m, 2012.VI.29, Shi Hongliang, Liu Ye leg"; 1 male (IZAS), "Sichuan, Baoxing, Fengtongzhai, 1995m, 2001.VI.30-VII.3, YU Xiaodong lgt."; 1 female (IZAS), "Sichuan, Baoxing, Jiajinshan, Mahuanggou, 2495m, 2001.VII.2-5, YU Xiaodong, ZHOU Hongzhang lgt."; 4 males, 1 female (IZAS), "China, Sichuan, Tianquan, Erlangshan, 2500m, 2011.8.5, Huang Hao lgt."; 1 male, 2 females (IZAS), "China, Sichuan, Tianquan, Erlangshan, 2500m, 2011.7.21, Huang Hao lgt."; 5 males, 2 females (IZAS), "China, Sichuan Tianquan county, Erlangshan pass, meadow with shrubs, N29.86240, E102.28123; 2012.VI.20 D, pit fall trap, 2985, Liu Ye, Shi Hongliang leg."; 2 males (IZAS), "China, Sichuan, Tianquan county, Erlangshan pass, meadow with shrubs, 2985m, N29.86240, E102.28123, 2012.VI.24, pit fall trap, Shi Hongliang, LIU Ye lgt."; 2 males (IZAS), "Sichuan, Tianquan, Lianglu, Erlangshan, 2229m, 2014.IV.8, Yang Xiaodong lgt.".

Diagnosis.

Pronotum with single mid-lateral seta; posterior seta distant from hind angle, hind angle completely rounded; basal foveal outer groove absent, outer region of inner groove completely flat; basal fovea area finely punctate between two inner grooves; elytral humeral tooth almost invisible; elytron with faint linear microsculpture; fifth tarsomeres glabrous beneath; terminal sternum of male not modified.

This species is very similar to Pterostichus zoiai . They can be easily separated by their allopatric distribution. But morphologically, these two species can be separated only with difficulty by: (1) Pterostichus beneshi with apical lamella longer, length approx 3/4 of the basal width; Pterostichus zoiai with apical lamella shorter, length approx half the basal width; (2) Pterostichus zoiai with pronotum relatively narrower as indicated by Allegro and Sciaky (2010: 18, key). These two species are very different in endophallus: Pterostichus zoiai with endophallus strongly bent dorsal-basally, the dorsal margin of endophallus closely adjacent to the apical orifice of aedeagus; dl and ll completely fused together. In Pterostichus beneshi , the endophallus fully expanded on the dorsal face of the aedeagus, the dorsal margin of the endophallus distinctly separate from the apical orifice; dl and ll well separated. (Figs 49, 50, 51)

Supplemental description.

Male sternum. Penultimate and terminal sterna without special structures. Endophallus (Fig. 50D, E, G) extended in dorsal direction of aedeagus, main portion of endophallus located on dorsal side of aedeagus; gonopore (gp) located at level near middle of aedeagus, pointing to right (gonopore lobe folded in Fig. 50). Six distinct lobes recognized: dorsal lobe (dl) large with rounded apex, bent backward, close to apical orifice of aedeagus, dorsal half decorated with heavy scales; left lobe (ll) a little larger than dl, with finer scales, also bent backward; ventral lobe I (vl-I) small, tubiform, pointing in apical direction of aedeagus; ventral lobe II (vl-II) small, tubiform, a little longer than vl-I, apex slightly bent to right in dorsal view; right lobe (rl) shorter and thicker than vl-II; pre-apical lobe (pa) located on right surface, close to gp, apex enlarged, with very fine scales; basal-dorsal region on endophallus decorated with fine and dense scales; endophallus without chitinized piece. Female genitalia. Spermatheca with seminal canal approx 3.5 times as long as receptaculum; receptaculum capitate (Fig. 68), club approx half length of receptaculum; seminal canal inserted at base of common oviduct, base of seminal canal with sclerotized region long and thick. Stylomere II with two ensiform setae at basal half of outer margin, and a small one near middle of inner margin; two short nematiform setae located in a furrow near apex. Female sternum VIII (Fig. 87B) with fine setae on posterior margin, setae on middle region thicker; posterior margin narrowly notched in middle; posterior region well chitinized; anterior region weakly chitinized, deeply notched in middle; middle transparent region V-shaped, adjacent to anterior and posterior notches in middle. Female tergum VIII (Fig. 87A) short, posterior region semi-chitinized, with sparse and irregular spots; middle of anterior region with a chitinized large patch; anterior margin notched in middle, posterior margin evenly arcuate.

Distribution.

Recorded from four counties of central Sichuan province: Wenchuan (Wolong nature reserve), Dayi (Xilingxueshan), Baoxing (south slope of Jiajinshan), and Tianquan (east slope of Erlangshan). In Wolong and Dayi, this species is sympatric with Pterostichus xilingensis , while it is sympatric with Pterostichus pohnerti in Baoxing and Tianquan (Maps 2, 3).

Affinities.

This species is very close to Pterostichus zoiai in their similarities of external appearance and male genitalia. The endophalli are also similar, and all lobes can be recognized as homologous.

Geographical variation.

We studied males from three localities: Wolong (N31.03°, E103.18°), Erlangshan (N29.88°, E102.30°), and Baoxing (N30.86°, E102.77°). We found that the Erlangshan population is slightly different from the other two in male genitalia: (1) in the Erlangshan population, the apical lamella is slightly shorter and wider than that in the other two populations and is more similar to that in Pterostichus zoiai ; (2) in the Erlangshan population, the endophallus with ll is strongly and abruptly narrowed to the apex, the upper margin is strongly sinuate, and the apex of ll is much narrower than that in the other two localities; and (3) in the Erlangshan population, vl-I and vl-II are much thicker than those in the other two localities (Figs 50, 51).