Calleida piligera Shi & Casale

Shi, Hongliang & Casale, Achille, 2018, Revision of the Oriental species of Calleida Latreille (sensu lato). Part 2: the C. discoidalis species group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini), ZooKeys 806, pp. 87-120 : 94-98

[2] Calleida piligera Shi & Casale sp. n. Figs 9-18, Map 1

Type locality.

Taiwan, Taoyuan county, Siling (24.65N, 121.42E, 1100 m).

Type materials.

Holotype, male, "Taiwan, Taoyuan, Fuhsing, Siling; leg. Changchin Chen, 1995.V.28, C.C.C.C." (NMNST, Fig. 9). Paratypes (a total of 23 specimens): Taiwan: 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype (CCA, CCCC). 1 male, 1 female, "Taiwan, Nantou, Ren’ai, Sungkang, 2000 m, leg. Chinchi Lo, 1995.VI.23" (CCCC). 1 female, "Taiwan, Nantou, Ren’ai, Sungkang; 2000 m; leg. Chinchi Lo, 1995.VI.2" (CCCC). 1 female, "Taiwan, Nantou, Ren’ai, Sungkang, leg. Changchin Chen, 1994.VIII.16"(CCCC). 1 male, "Taiwan, Taitung, Hsiang Yang; leg. Wensin Lin; 2008.IV.26N" (CCCC). 2 females, "Taiwan, Ilan, Tatung, Siyuan, leg. Changchin Chen, 1998.V.30"(CCCC). 1 female, "Taiwan, Hsinchu, Jianshi, leg. Changchin Chen, 1994.VI.11" (CCCC). 3 females, "Taiwan, Hualien, Sioulin, Bilyu Scared Tree, leg. Changchin Chen, 1995.V.2" (CCA, CCCC). Shaanxi: 1 male, "China, Shaanxi, Ningshan, Huoditang; 33.43368N, 108.44747E ", "1538m, 2007.VI.2, beating, leg. Shi Hongliang" (IZAS). Shanghai: 1 female “Shanghai”, "Coll. Armitage", "Museum Paris Coll. R. Oberthür, 1952" (MNHN). Guangdong: 1 male, "Guangdong, Shimentai N.R. leg. Tian M.Y" (SCAU). 1 female “Guangdong” (CCA). Guangxi: 1 male, "Guangxi, Tianlin, Cenwanglaoshan; 1200-1300 m; 2002.V.28, leg. Yang Xiujuan" (HBUM). Guizhou: 1 female, "Guizhou, Fanjingshan, Heiwanhe; 1200 m; 2002.VI.4; leg. Song Qiongzhang" (IZAS). 1 male, "Guizhou, Fanjingshan, N27°89.962', E108°70.826 '; 1500-2000 m;", "2008.VII.3, light trap; leg. Li Yu, B08L9135" (CCCC). Sichuan: 1 male "China, Sichuan, Qingchenghou Shan 70 km NW Chengdu 1500 m 6.-13.VIII.2010 S. Murzin" (ZSM). 1 female, "West Sichuan Gongga Shan (Moxi env.) 3000 m 22. V– 10.VI.1993 leg. V. Beneš” (CPB).

Specific epithet.

In Latin, piliger means setose. The specific name is referred to the remarkable high number of setae on the abdominal sternite VII in both sexes.

Diagnosis.

With the character states of the Calleida discoidalis species group, but differing from all other known species by the combination of: (1) elytra uniformly metallic green or cupreous green, without discal patch; (2) head and pronotum brownish, without metallic lustre; (3) abdominal sternite VII with eight or more setae in both males and females; (4) pronotum only with a few fine punctures along the median furrow.

Compared with Calleida fukiensis , the new species differs by the complete elytral basal ridge that reaches the parascutellar stria, the much higher number of setae on abdominal sternite VII, and the different body colour.

In this species group, the new species is somewhat similar to C. yunnanensis sp. n., but differs from that species by the elytra lacking any trace of discal reddish patch, and males with more than eight setae on the terminal ventrite. Amongst the other Calleida species of China, the new species is similar to C. klapperichi Jedlička, 1963 in general appearance, but can be readily distinguished by the number of setae on abdominal sternite VII.

Description.

General features as in Figs 10, 11. Medium-sized: L = 9.5-11.0 mm.

Colour: Head dark brown, mouth part and antennae yellowish brown; pronotum dark brown, with lateral expansions yellowish; scutellum reddish brown; elytra uniformly metallic green, usually with cupreous reflection, without reddish discal patch; elytral suture and lateral margins yellowish brown; epipleura yellowish brown; ventral side and legs yellowish brown, femora darkened in some specimens.

Lustre and microsculpture: Head without microsculpture; pronotum mostly without distinct microsculpture, except some fine transverse meshes near the discal transverse wrinkles, and faint isodiametric meshes on the middle part of the basal area; elytra with distinct microsculpture in an isodiametric mesh.

Head: Moderately convex; frons with a few very fine punctures and oblique wrinkles laterally, distinct or very faint; supraorbital furrows deep, extended to the level of posterior edge of eyes; temporae not swollen, gradually narrowed towards the neck; genae shorter than the half length of eyes; antennae reaching the basal fifth of elytra; terminal labial palpomere strongly securiform with truncate apex in males, only slightly expanded in female; mentum lateral lobes with outer margins slightly arcuate, inner margins oblique, mentum tooth near triangular, rounded at apex, with two short setae inserted in middle part of the tooth.

Pronotum: Transverse (ratio PW/PL = 1.19-1.28), with its maximum width at about the anterior third; lateral margins gradually arcuate near the middle, straight or slightly sinuate before the posterior angles which are obtusely rounded; lateral expansions widened, explanate in front; disc slightly convex, with distinct transverse wrinkles and with a few fine punctures along only the median furrow; median furrow distinct, but interrupted before both the anterior and posterior margins.

Elytra: Elongate (ratio EL/EW = 1.65-1.75), with basal border complete, reaching the parascutellar stria; striae distinct, finely punctate, the punctures gradually weakened in the apical part; intervals slightly convex, finely and sparsely punctate; intervals without additional setigerous pores; third to fifth intervals slightly depressed at the basal fourth; eighth interval slightly tumid at apex; umbilicate series of 15-16 pores along eighth stria; apical truncation slightly concave; lateral margins distinctly thickened at the outer apical angles, which are obtusely rounded.

Ventral side: Prosternum, lateral area of metasternum, and metepisterna with fine pubescence; abdominal sternites with dense and long accessory setae; abdominal sternite VII with 8-12 setae in both male and female (four to six on each side) (Fig. 13), usually not regularly arranged in a row; apical margin of abdominal sternite VII distinctly notched in male, straight or slightly emarginate in female.

Male genitalia (Figs 16-18): Median lobe bent, pleuropic left; in ventral aspect middle portion strongly widened, right lateral margin strongly sinuate; apical lamella flat, a little shorter than basal width, fully rounded at apex. Endophallus with two chitinized copulatory pieces close to left lateral margin of the median lobe, their apex adjacent to the base of the apical orifice, close to each other at base, V-shaped, the ventral one sinuate and acerate, the dorsal one a little wider. Left paramere dorsally depressed, about 1.5 times as long as wide; right paramere not emarginate.

Female genitalia (reproductive tract Fig. 12 and gonocoxa Figs 14, 15): Spermatheca digitiform, twice longer than the pedicel, surface not whorled, base with an evident basal sclerotized plate (annulus receptaculi); spermathecal pedicel with basal part a little expanded, apical part slender; spermathecal gland duct laterally inserted at the basal surface of the plate, very long and slender, a little longer than spermatheca; glandular area slightly incrassate, a little shorter than gland duct, base with very small atrium. Gonocoxite I moderately wide, with microsculpture; gonocoxite II subulate, apex sharp, length about three times as basal width; inner margin with several setae, extending from the basal third to apex, outer margin only slightly setose in the apical third; both outer and inner margins straight; apical margin with membranous extension and short setae.

Geographical distribution and habitat.

Widely distributed in several provinces of south China: Taiwan, Shaanxi, Shanghai, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Sichuan (Map 1). Common at mid-high elevations (ca 2000m) in Taiwan, but apparently rare in Chinese continental provinces. This species was mainly found in evergreen broad-leaf forest. Some specimens were collected by beating from vegetation or in light trap.

Remarks.

From many important morphological aspects, C. piligera sp. n. is very peculiar in the C. discoidalis species group: (1) the base of spermatheca has an evident annulus receptaculi, surface not whorled; in contrast spermatheca is without such structure and surface more or less whorled in all other known species; (2) terminal ventrite with four or more setae on each side in males; in contrast usually with two (exceptionally three) setae on each side in males for all other known species; and (3) gonocoxite II subulate, apex narrowed and sharp in contrast to gonocoxite II with apex more or less oblique truncated in all other known species. The similarities of spermatheca lead us to hypothesize a relationship of the new species to the C. terminata species group, in which all known species have spermatheca with annulus receptaculi and without whorled surface ( Casale and Shi 2018: figs 55, 60). But, in several other aspects, such as shape of the male genitalia, setation on the terminal ventrite, and shape of elytral apical outer angles, the new species does not accord with the C. terminata group at all. As discussed above, the C. discoidalis group is probably not monophyletic. As we just erected it as a group of convenience to accommodate species with similar multiple setation of the abdominal sternite VII and male genitalia character, the question of species relationship must await a future answer.

In most specimens, the elytra are metallic green, with distinct cupreous reflection (Figs 9, 10), but in two females from Songgang (Taiwan: Nantou), the elytra are vivid green, without cupreous reflection (Fig. 11).