Pterostichus (Circinatus) bullatus Allegro & Sciaky, 2010

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 : 32-34

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Pterostichus (Circinatus) bullatus Allegro & Sciaky, 2010 Figures 10, 39, 61, 77, 96, 128

Pterostichus (Circinatus) bullatus Allegro and Sciaky 2010: 9 (Original: Pterostichus ( Circinatus ); holotype deposited in collection of Allegro).

Type locality.

Sichuan: Ebian, Yizhi Yakou (= Yizi pass, N28.67°, E103.05°), Xiaoliang Shan, Si He (= Xihe, or Heizhugou town), 2800-3100 m.

Notes on types.

We did not examine type of this species.

Non-type material examined

(total 46 specimens). 16 males, 28 females (IZAS), "China, Sichuan Prov., Yizi pass btw. Meigu county and Ebian county, mixed forest; N28.67477 E103.05248; 2923 m; 2012.VI.15; by pitfall trap; SHI Hongliang & LIU Ye lgt."; 1 female (IZAS), "China, Sichuan Prov., Yizi pass btw. Meigu county and Ebian county, mixed forest; N28.67477 E103.05248; 2923 m; 2012.VI.12; in dead log; SHI Hongliang & LIU Ye lgt."; 1 male (IZAS), "China, Sichuan prov., Ebian county, way btw. Lewu xiang and Yizi pass, 2543 m, 2012.VI.15, pit fall trap, LIU Ye & YANG Ganyan lgt.".

Diagnosis.

Pronotum with three to four mid-lateral setae; hind angle completely rounded; elytron with faint transverse microsculpture; even intervals of elytra strongly interrupted, forming large bumps, odd intervals also interrupted but less than even ones; fifth tarsomeres glabrous beneath; males with terminal and penultimate sterna unmodified; apical lamella of aedeagus long, slightly bent to left.

This species can be rapidly distinguished from all other Circinatus species by its modified elytral intervals.

Supplemental description.

Male sternum. Penultimate and terminal sterna of males without special structures. Endophallus (Fig. 39D, E, F) bent to ventral side across apical lamella; gonopore (gp) located approx at level of apical lamella, pointing to aedeagal base. Four distinct lobes recognized, the three (vb-I, vb-II, va) located on ventral side of endophallus strongly chitinized: ventral-basal lobe I (vb-I) close to left margin of apical lamella base, small, upper surface decorated with heavy spines and strongly chitinized, lower surface membranous; ventral-basal lobe II (vb-II) with a large T-shaped piece, strongly chitinized, apex truncate and wide, base narrow and long; ventral-apical lobe (va) between apex of apical lamella and gp, compressed, strongly chitinized for one half, and membranous for other half; right lobe (rl) very small, present as a small hump, not chitinized or decorated, close to gp. Female genitalia. Spermatheca with seminal canal approx three times as long as receptaculum; receptaculum capitate (Fig. 61), club approx half length of receptaculum; spermathecal gland slightly expanded; seminal canal inserted at base of common oviduct, base of seminal canal sclerotized. Stylomere II with two or three ensiform setae at outer margin, and two at basal third of inner margin; two very short nematiform setae located in a furrow near apex. Female sternum VIII (Fig. 77B) with dense and fine setae on posterior margin; posterior margin almost straight, strongly notched in middle; anterior margin deeply notched in middle; major part of sternum well chitinized, anterior third semi-chitinized; middle transparent region approx quadrate or semicircular, small, adjacent to posterior notch in middle. Female tergum VIII (Fig. 77A) with anterior region strongly chitinized, posterior half less chitinized than anterior region, posterior half pigmented with fine and irregular spots.

Distribution.

So far, this species is known only from mountains between Meigu and Ebian County in south Sichuan (Map 2). Large numbers of specimens were collected from several localities in this area. The altitude range is between 2541-2923 m.

Affinities.

With the unique bumps on elytral intervals, this species is one of the most special species in the subgenus. However, because of the similarities in elytral microsculpture and apical lamella of the aedeagus, this species could be close to Pterostichus agilis and Pterostichus zhygealu sp. n.

Variation.

We examined two very special females (Fig. 128): "China, Sichuan Prov., Yizi pass btw. Meigu county and Ebian county, mixed forest; N28.67477 E103.05248; 2923 m; 2012.VI.15; by pitfall trap; SHI Hongliang & LIU Ye lgt." Unlike the other individuals, these two specimens have elytral striae without bumps, only slightly tangled near the base in one female and completely regular in the other female. Nevertheless, these two females are in perfect accord with Pterostichus bullatus in the shape of the pronotum, elytral microsculpture and female sternum VIII characters. These two females are likely individual aberrants instead of a distinct species. For a definitive determination of the taxonomic status of this “form”, male specimens are required.