Pristosia dahud polita, Schmidt, Joachim & Hartmann, Matthias, 2009

Schmidt, Joachim & Hartmann, Matthias, 2009, Pristosia Motschulsky, 1865 from the Nepal Himalaya: Taxonomy and Biogeography (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Sphodrini), Zootaxa 2009, pp. 1-26 : 14-16

Pristosia dahud polita ssp. n.

Figs. 5 , 30, 31 .

Type material: Holotypus female, with label „ NEPAL, Prov. Karnali, distr. Jumla, Gothichaur valley, Wald, 2900–3800 mNN, 29°12N, 82°18,5E, 11.VI.1997, leg. Hartmann“ ( NME).

Paratypes (all from Western Nepal, Jumla district): 20 males, 14 females, with same label data as holotype ( CSCHM, NME); 10 males, 6 females, Tal von Gotichaur, Berg SW Lager, 2850–3800 m, 29°12N 82°19E, 9.VI.1997, leg. E. Grill ( CGR, CSCHM); 11 males, 9 females, Gothichaur Khola SE, 3400–3600 m, 10.VI.1997, leg. A. Weigel ( CSCHM, CWG, NME); 1 male, Lager E Churta bis Gothichaur-Tal, 3300– 2800m, 07.VI.1997, leg. J. Weipert ( CWP); 3 males, 3 females, Tal von Gothichaur, Berg SW Lager, 2850–3800 m, 29°12N 82°19E, 09.VI.1997, leg. E. Grill ( NME).

Etymology: Named after the weakly engraved elytral microsculpture in both sexes that gives the individuals a more polished feature (Latin “polit-us, -a, -um”: polished).

Description: 78 specimens studied.

Body length 10.6–12.2 mm.

Colour: Dorsal surface of male and female shiny black throughout.

Microsculpture: Elytra in female with weakly engraved slightly transverse meshes throughout; seldom mesh pattern isodiametric in basal quarter. Surface of sculpticells plane.

Pronotum: Ratio PW/PL 1.05–1.13, PW/HW 1.47–1.53. Anterior margin almost as wide as base. Pronotal sides straight or convexly rounded toward base ( Fig. 5 ). Lateral gutter more strongly expanded behind pronotal middle.

Elytra: Ratio EL/EW 1.51–1.66, EW/PW 1.33–1.45. Shoulders broader, basal groove more strongly concave.

Male genitalia: Aedeagal median lobe remarkable large, distinctly convexly rounded on ventral surface ( Figs. 30, 31 ).

In all other characters completely agreeing with the nominotypical form P. dahud dahud .

Identification: On an average pronotum and shoulders broader, aedeagal median lobe larger, than in nominotypical subspecies, pronotal lateral gutter more distinctly expanded toward base. Main diagnostic character is the female elytral microsculpture, which is not scale-like as in the nominotypical form, but weakly engraved and with surface of sculpticells plane, and with mesh pattern slightly transverse or partly isodiametric.

Distribution: Figs. 42 , 43 . Currently only known from Gothichaur Valley, that is a southern side valley of Babila Khola river (= upper Tila river) at south western slope of Kanjiroba Himal south east of Jumla.

Habitat: P. dahud polita was found under stones and dead wood in mixed and coniferous forests of the high montane zone.

Figures

FIGURE 42. Distribution of Pristosia in Nepal and adjacent parts of the Himalaya.

FIGURE 43. Distribution of Pristosia in the Western Nepal Himalaya.

FIGURES 5 – 15. Pristosia spp., pronotum. Fig. 5, P. dahud polita ssp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 6, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Rara Lake. Fig. 7, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Maharigaon. Fig. 8, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Khari Lagna (transitional form). Fig. 9, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Khari Lagna (typical form). Fig. 10, P. similata sp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 11, P. glabella sp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 12, P. amaroides (Putzeys, 1877), non-type, female, India, Darjeeling. Fig. 13, P. a t re m a (Andrewes, 1926), Holotype. Fig. 14, P. nepalensis sp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 15, P. championi (Andrewes, 1934), Holotype. Scale bar = 2 mm.

FIGURES 30 – 35. Pristosia spp., aedeagal median lobe, dorsal view (Figs. 30, 32, 34) and left lateral view (Figs. 31, 33, 35, the internal sac is figured only in dorsal view). Figs. 30, 31, P. dahud polita ssp. n., Paratype. Figs. 32, 33, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, Khari Lagna (transitional form). Figs. 34, 35, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, Khari Lagna (typical form). Scale bar = 1 mm.