Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae, Tian & Huang & Jia, 2023

Tian, Mingyi, Huang, Sunbin & Jia, Xinyang, 2023, A contribution to cavernicolous beetle diversity of South China Karst: eight new genera and fourteen new species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini), Zootaxa 5243 (1), pp. 1-66 : 45-46

Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp.

Figures 1j , 27B , 29–31

Material. Holotype: male, Cave I , Jiudu Xiang , Du’an Yao Autonomous County, Hechi Shi , Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, 24.27°N / 108.23°E, 333 m in altitude, 2018-IX-25, leg. Mingyi Tian, Sunbin Huang & Mengzhen Chen, in SCAU; paratypes: 6 males and 8 females, same data as holotype, in SCAU ; 2 male and 1 female, same cave, 2015-VII-27, leg. Xinhui Wang, Mingruo Tang & Jujian Chen leg., in SCAU ; 1 male and 1 female, 2017-III-17, leg. Sunbin Huang, Pingjing Yang & Dianmei Wang, in SCAU .

Diagnosis. Large sized cavernicolous trechines, not pubescent, head and pronotum with a few sparse setae, elytra glabrous, antennae very long, with the apical part (9 th to 11 th antennomeres) extended over the apex of elytra.

Description. Length: 8.1–8.6 mm; width: 1.89–2.13 mm. Habitus as in Figure 29 .

Brown or light yellowish brown, apical half of antennae, mouthparts palps and tarsi pale. Underside of head, pro- and mesothorax covered sparsely with rather long setae; ventrites densely pubescent. Microsculpture: transverse striate on head and pronotum, dense isodiametric engraved meshes on elytra. Moderately shiny. Fore body including mandibles as long as elytra.

Head elongate, much longer than wide, HLm/HW=3.22–3.47, HLl/HW= 2.54–2.68; widest at about frontal 1/3 of head excluding mandibles, much longer than pronotum, HLl/PnL = 1.48–1.65; genae hardly expanded, gradually narrowed posteriad, but strongly narrowed from basal 1/3, neck constriction fairly long, about 1/3 as wide as head; frons flat, vertex convex; clypeus transverse, 6-setose; labrum moderately sinuate at frontal margin, 6-setose; two pairs of supraorbital setae present, the anterior two at about the widest point, while the posterior two much shorter, only slightly longer than the secondary setae and so not easy to be noticed, at about 3/8 of head from base; a pair of suborbital setae present at about 1/4 from base; mentum and submentum well separated by a clear labial suture, mentum bisetose, mental tooth small and short, simple at tip; submentum 9-setose; mouthparts palps very thin and slender, glabrous except 2 nd labial palpomere which is bisetose on inner margin; the 2 nd labial palpomere 1.4 times longer than 3 rd; the 3 rd maxillary palpomere 1.1 times longer than 4 th; ligula 6 or 8-setose; antennae filiform, very slender and long, apical three antennomeres extended at over elytral apices; pubescent from pedicel, scape stouter and shorter than other, with several long setae; the 4 th the longest; the comparative length of each antennomere from the 1 st to 11 th in holotype as: 1 st (1.00) / 2 nd (1.23) / 3 rd (2.51) / 4 th (2.60) / 5 th (1.70) / 6 th (1.97) / 7 th (1.77) / 8 th (1.49) / 9 th (1.23) / 10 th (1.11) / 11 th (1.23).

Prothorax elongate, propleura strongly expanded and visible from above except base and front, longer than wide, PrL/PrW =1.41–1.70; slightly wider than head, PrW/HW= 1.10–1.21; wider than pronotum, PrW/PnW = 1.27–1.34; widest at about 1/3 from base. Pronotum elongate, much longer than wide, PnL/PnW = 1.90–2.22; slightly narrower than head, PnW/HW= 0.85–0.89; widest at about basal 1/3, slightly sinuate just before hind angles which are bluntly rectangular, front angles obtuse; base distinctly wider than front, PbW/PfW= 1.23–1.35; both anterior and posterior latero-marginal setae present, located at about 4/7 from base and a little before hind angles respectively; posterior transversal impression well-marked. Scutellum large, in inverse triangle, nearly as long as wide.

Elytra very elongate, much longer than wide, EL/EW=2.05–2.24, much wider than prothorax; apex wider than base; lateral margins finely bordered, smooth and glabrous throughout; base slightly narrower than base of pronotum, humeral parts nearly straight, humeral angles widely rounded off; widest at about 2/3 from base; disc moderately convex except the basal area which is evidently depressed; striae indistinct, only the 1 st and 2 nd faintly traceable; chaetotaxy ( Figure 27B ): two dorsal pores present on the site of the 3 rd stria, at about basal 2/7 and 4/7 respectively; preapical pore present at apical 1/7 of elytron, pattern of the marginal umbilicate pores similar in D. (s. str.) baxian Tian, 2011 .

Legs thin and very slender, tibiae not longitudinally sulcate; the 1 st tarsomere subequal to 2 nd – 4 th tarsomeres combined in fore leg, while slightly longer those in middle and hind legs.

Ventrite IV–VII each quadrisetose in both sexes.

Male genitalia ( Figure 30 ): Median lobe of aedeagus moderately elongate, nearly straight ventrally in apical half though shortly sinuate just before apex, which is blunt; basal orifice large, with a very small sagittal aileron; inner sac armed with a large copulatory piece which covered with scale structures on surface, as long as 1/4 of the median lobe; in dorsal, apical lobe short and narrow, rounded at apex; parameres very elongate and clavoid, evenly developed, each with 5 long and one or two short setae at apical portion.

Remarks. Similar to Dongodytes (s. str.) baxian (Tian, 2010) , but easily separated from the latter by its thinner head with longer and narrower neck constriction, the median lobe of aedeagus thinner, and narrower at apical part, and ventrite VII 4-setose in male, instead of bisetose.

Etymology. Named after Ms. Mingruo Tang, a member of SCAU caving team.

Distribution. Guangxi (Du’an). Known only from the Cave I in Jiudu Xiang ( Figure 1j ).

Cave I opens on a hillside not far from a village. It is about 200 metres long, from the large opening to its bottom, through a steep slope. It is surrounded by big trees and dense bushes but sun light can reach most parts of the cave. There is a large population of Begonia edulis Lévl., 1909 ( Figure 31A, B ). There are droplets of water in some places at half way or near the bottom. The blind beetles were discovered lower half of the cave ( Figure 31C ). Apart from D. (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp., Dongodytes (Dongodytodes) sp. and Eutrichodemus millipede species also occur in this limestone cave.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map indicating the locality caves of the new genera and species. a. Xianren Dong; b. Shisanya Dong; c. Da Dong, Tuoluo; d. Da Dong, Bali; e. Weixiao Tiankeng; f. Laba Dong; g. Gui Dong; h. Suolue Cave I; i. Xiannü Dong; j. Jiudu Cave I; k. Xiannü Dong; l. Yunxian Dong; m. Zhongguo Dong; n. Feixian Dong.

FIGURE 27. Left elytra (white dots indicating the chaetotaxy) of Dongodytes species (white dots indicating the chaetotaxy). A. Dongodytes (Dongodytodes) pingjingae sp. n.; B. Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp.

FIGURE 29. Habitus of Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp., male, holotype.

FIGURE 30. Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp. A. median lobe, lateral view; B. median lobe, dorsal view. Scale for both.

FIGURE 31. Jiudu Cave I, the type locality of Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp. A. entrance; B. several plants of Begonia edulis Lévl., 1909; C. a running specimen of Dongodytes (s. str.) mingruoae n. sp. in cave.