Pericalus (s. str.) elegans, Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2018

Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2018, Revision of genus Pericalus from China, with descriptions of four new species (Carabidae, Lebiini, Pericalina), ZooKeys 758, pp. 19-54 : 28-29

Pericalus (s. str.) elegans sp. n. Figs 4, 5, 20, 31, 34, 42, 53, 60

Type material.

Holotype (IZAS): male, body length = 10.6 mm, board mounted, left antenna wanting, genitalia dissected and deposited in micro vial pinned under specimen, "CHINA, Xizang, Mêdog, 96km at road Bomê to Mêdog, 1413 m, N29.5837, E95.4674, 2014.VII.20, daytime, YANG X.D. lgt., 14Y0158, CCCC." [in Chinese]; "HOLOTYPE ♂ Pericalus elegans sp. n., des. SHI & LIANG 2018" [red label] (Fig. 20). Paratypes (4 ex.): 1 male (IZAS), left elytra broken: "China, Tibet, Mêdog county, close to township, N29.32687 E95.32975, broadleaf forest, 1300-1500 m, 2012.VII.30D, YANG G.Y. lgt."; “IOZ(E)1700285”. 1 female (CCCC), "CHINA, Xizang, Mêdog, Phomshen village, 1846m, N29.5767, E95.3952, 2014.VII.12, light trap, YANG X.D. lgt., 14Y0460, CCCC". 1 male, 1 female (IZAS), "China, Tibet, Zayü county, Xia Zayü Twonship, Gadui, 28.50226, 97.00425 "; "1686 m, 2001.7.8D, Liu Ye collector, Institute of Zoology". 1 male (CRS), "Tibet - Motuo co., Hanni, VI.2013".

Diagnosis.

Middle size in the subgenus, body length 10.6-11.6 mm; head and pronotum black, elytra unicolorous, cupreous green with a strong metallic hue. Pronotum strongly transverse, PW/PL = 1.65-1.80; lateral margins weakly sinuate before posterior angles; disc without transverse wrinkle. Elytra flat; outer apical angles rounded; sutural angles sharp, forming short tooth; third interval with three setigerous pores; striae shallow and impunctate. Median lobe of aedeagus evenly curved; apical orifice opened to the left side.

Comparison.

Only three other species in the subgenus have no yellowish pattern on the elytra. This new species can be readily distinguished from P. cicindeloides and P. fascinator by the presence of three setigerous pores on the third elytral interval (vs. four pores in the other two). From P. aeneipennis , which also has three setigerous pores according to the original description (further discussions, see below), this new species is distinguishable by all wrinkles long on vertex, reaching or nearly reaching level of posterior margin of eyes (vs. wrinkles short, only reaching a little beyond mid-eye level); pronotum much wider, PW/PL more than 1.65 (vs. approximately 1.30); pronotal lateral margins weakly sinuate before posterior angles (vs. strongly sinuate); posterior angles not projecting laterally (vs. projecting a little laterally); elytral outer apical angles completely rounded (vs. "hooked but not toothed"); and quite different distribution ranges.

Description.

Body length 10.6-11.6 mm (no significant sexual differences). Coloration. Head and pronotum shiny blackish, with very faint metallic hue; elytra cupreous green, with strong metallic hue; mouthparts, antennomeres 2-11 reddish brown; legs dark brown, trochanters and tarsi yellowish brown; ventral side black. Microsculpture faint and isodiametric on vertex and pronotal disc, distinct and isodiametric or slightly transversal on elytral intervals. Head with strong and irregular wrinkles; four to six short wrinkles on each side extending from clypeus to frons, middle area around frontoclypeal sulcus smooth; five to seven subparalleled long wrinkles along each side of inner margin of eye, reaching level of posterior margin of eyes; inner wrinkles forming concentric rings around the smooth vertex. Eyes very prominent; temporae gradually constricted after eyes. Pronotum strongly transverse, PW/PL = 1.65-1.80, subequal to width of head with eyes (PW/HW = 1.00-1.07); posterior margin a little narrower than anterior margin; lateral margins rounded in the middle, slightly sinuate before posterior angles; posterior angles a little more than rectangular angle, not projecting laterally, with a seta very close to the posterior angles; lateral expansions wide; disc weakly convex, with very faint wrinkles, with a pair of reniform shallow pits on each side; sub-anterior impression shallow, median line fine, not reaching anterior nor posterior margin; basal fovea shallow, extending medially merged with sub-posterior impression, extending posteriorly forming short oblique grooves. Elytra ovate, weakly convex; EW/EL = 0.73-0.78; wider than pronotum, EW/PW = 1.45-1.64; apical truncation weakly curved; outer apical angles rounded, sutural angles sharp, forming short tooth; striae shallowly incised, without punctures; third interval with three setigerous pores, the first one at approximately basal tenth, the second near middle, the third one close to apex; the first one adjacent to the third stria, the other two close to the second stria; intervals weakly convex, the eighth interval tumid apically, the eighth and ninth intervals with very sparse and fine setae aside of umbilical series; lateral expansions widely extended, strongly widened near basal third. Male genitalia (Fig. 34) with median lobe of aedeagus slender and bent, right margin almost straight, ventral margin evenly curved; apical orifice opened to the left; apical lamella short, a little flat, in ventral view length nearly same as basal width, in lateral view weakly constricted before apex; endophallus strongly folded, with fine scales all through length, without spines. Right paramere with apex extended and expanded, securiform. Female genitalia. Internal reproductive system (Fig. 53): spermatheca pedunculate, inserted on the base of common oviduct; spermatheca fusiform, longer than the pedicel; spermathecal gland inserted on the joint of spermathecal pedicel, approximately twice as long as spermatheca (including the pedicel). Gonocoxite 2 of ovipositor (Fig. 42) scimitar-shaped, abruptly bent to the outer side at apical third; length approximately six times as basal width; outer margin with three dorsolateral ensiform setae, the basal one finer than the rest two; inner margin with one doromedial ensiform seta near apex.

Distribution.

Only known from Mêdog and Zayü (Southeast Xizang, China). (Fig. 60).

Etymology.

The name elegans refers to the beautiful metallic color of this new species.

Habitat.

In southeast Tibet, this species occurs in montane rain forests, with the dominant trees being Castanopsis spp., Machilus spp., and Elaeocarpus spp. Elevation ranges between 1300 and 1850 m. Adults were collected on/in dead tree trunks, or attracted by light.

Remarks.

According to the original description (Louwerens, 1964), P. aeneipennis from Borneo has only three setigerous pores on the third elytral interval and seems to be very similar to the new species P. elegans . However, we infer that Louwerens’ species has four pores, as he either missed the last pore which is very close to elytra apex or confused it with the umbilical series, same as other species illustrated in the same paper ( P. longicollis , P. quadrimaculatus . for example). Moreover, from the original description and illustration, in spite of the pores on the third elytral interval and coloration, P. aeneipennis is very similar to P. cicindeloides which is also recorded in Borneo. We suspect these two species could be conspecific. Unfortunately, no determined material of P. aeneipennis from Borneo was available. Therefore, these two species are retained in their present status, but P. aeneipennis is not included in the key to species. Nevertheless, according to those diagnostic characters mentioned above, the new species P. elegans is quite different from P. aeneipennis .