Amara (Amara) silvestrii Baliani, 1937

Kavanaugh, David H., Hieke, Fritz, Liang, Hongbin & Dong, Dazhi, 2014, Inventory of the carabid beetle fauna of the Gaoligong Mountains, western Yunnan Province, China: species of the tribe Zabrini (Coleoptera, Carabidae), ZooKeys 407, pp. 55-119 : 65-66

3. Amara (Amara) silvestrii Baliani, 1937 Figs 5 b–c, 5e, 6b, 7 a–b, 11, 23a, 27-30

Amara (Amara) silvestrii Baliani, 1937: 179. Type material: Holotype male in MCSNG. Type locality: China, Yunnan “Yunnan-fu”.

Diagnosis.

Adults of this species (Fig. 11) can be distinguished from those of all other species in the region by the following combination of character states: body length 9-10 mm; base of pronotum slightly flattened at the sides, only the middle part evenly convex, coarsely punctuate, outer basal impressions shallow and obliquely linear (Fig. 11a); elytra with parascutellar pore puncture present; medial protibial spurs simple; tarsomere 5 of hind tarsi with two or (in a few specimens) three pairs of setae ventrally (Fig. 6b); last abdominal sternite of male with one pair (Fig. 5e) and female with two pairs (Fig. 5c) of setiferous punctures near hind margin; male aedeagus with median lobe distinctly broader in apical one-third than more basally, apical lamella shorter, broadly rounded apically and with sides only slightly convergent subapically (Fig. 11c), sclerites of internal sac with form as in Fig. 7 a–b.

Habitat distribution.

Specimens of this species were collected in daytime from under stones and other cover in open roadside areas (Fig. 23a) and meadows with scattered grasses and shrubs, at the edges of agricultural fields, including wet and dry rice paddies, under clods of soil in recently tilled fields and on open banks of streams, and in these same habitats at night, when beetles were found active on bare substrate. They were also collected under debris and in leaf litter in deciduous forests and also in crevices between stones in a talus slope. Members of this species were found at elevations ranging from 1515 to 3000 m, syntopic with adults of Amara birmana , Amara chalciope , Amara davidi , Amara lucidissima , Amara shaanxiensis , and Amara sikkimensis at one or more sites.

Geographical distribution within the Gaoligong Shan.

Fig. 11d. We examined a total of 34 specimens (18 males and 16 females) from the following localities: Fugong County: Lishadi Township (Shibali area, 27.16536°, 98.78003°, 2535 m, D.H. Kavanaugh, P. Paquin & D.Z. Dong collectors [1 female; CAS]), (0.5 km W of Shibali, 27.16665°, 98.77936°, 2537 m, 18 August 2005, P. Paquin collector [1 male and 1 female; CAS]), (below Shibali on Yaping Road, 27.16520°, 98.77980°, 2530 m, 24 April 2004m, H.B. Liang & X.Y. Li collectors [1 male; IOZ]), (7.5 km below Shibali on Yaping Road, 27.14627°, 98.81559°, 2030 m, 3 May 2004, H.B. Liang & M. Xi collectors [1 female; IOZ]); Lumadeng Township (0.5 km W of Lao Shibali on Lao Shibali Road, 27.08072°, 98.76920°, 2305 m, 22 August 2008, P. Paquin collector [1 male; CAS]), (South Fork of Yamu He at Yejiadi, 27.08994°, 98.77325°, 2307 m, 10 May 2004, H.B. Liang collector [2 males and 1 female; CAS, IOZ); Maji Township (Majimi village near power station on Gaxie He, 27.39630°, 98.81701°, 1567 m, 28 April, 2004, H.B. Liang collector [1 male; IOZ]). Gongshan County: Cikai (27.74972°, 98.66444°, 1515 m, 5 October 2002, H.B. Liang & W.D. Ba [1 female; IOZ]); Dabadi (41 km W of Cikai on Dulong Valley Road, 27.79655°, 98.50562°, 3000 m, 27 September to 6 October 2002, D.H. Kavanaugh, P.E. Marek, H.B. Liang & D.Z. Dong collectors [5 males and 6 females; CAS, IOZ, ZMHB]); Heiwadi (16.8 km W of Cikai on Dulong Valley Road, 27.79584°, 98.58443°, 2020 m, 15 and 20 April 2002, H.B. Liang, W.D. Ba & C.G. Jin collectors [2 males and 1 female; IOZ, ZMHB]); Qiqi area (27.71542°, 98.56529°, 2000-2020 m, 9-14 July 2000, D.H. Kavanaugh & H.B. Liang collectors [1 female; CAS]); Cikai Township (8.3 to 13.1 km NW of Cikai on Dulong Valley Road, 27.75653°, 98.58214°, 2620-3000 m, 23 September 2002, D.H. Kavanaugh, P.E. Marek & D.Z. Dong collectors [1 female; CAS]). Lushui County: Luzhang Township (Yaojiaping He at Pianma Road, 25.97722°, 98.71091°, 2527 m, 20 May 2005, D.H. Kavanaugh, C.E. Griwold, H.B. Liang, D.Z. Dong & G. Tang collectors [1 male; CAS]); Pianma Township (6 km ESE of Pianma, 26.00808°, 98.65921°, 2210 m, 15 May 2005, H.B. Liang & D.Z. Dong collectors [2 males and 2 females; CAS, IOZ]). Tengchong County: Jietou Township (Cha He at Shaba village, 25.39256°, 98.70488°, 1840 m, 25 May 2006, D.H. Kavanaugh, R.L. Brett & D.Z. Dong collectors [1 male; CAS]); Qushi Township (Longchuan Jiang at Longkou village, 25.28167°, 98.59167°, 1500 m, D.H. Kavanaugh & C.E. Griswold collectors [1 male; CAS]).

Members of this species were collected from the northern to the southern parts of the study area (Core Areas 2, 3, 5 and 6), but they were found only on the eastern side of the mountain range in northern half of the study area (Core Areas 2 and 3), on both side in the central part (Core Areas 3 and 4) and only on the western versant in the southern part (Core Area 6). This distribution pattern is most likely an artifact of inadequate sampling on the western slope of the mountain range in the north, some of which is in Myanmar.

Overall geographical distribution.

Fig. 27. This species has been recorded from China (Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces), Myanmar (extreme north) and Taiwan. Its occurrence in the study area represents the southwestern limit of its known geographical range.