Pristosia glabella, 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 : 16-17

Pristosia glabella sp. n.

Figs. 3 , 11 , 40, 41 .

Type material: Holotypus male, with labels „NEP: Mahakali/Darchula, 10 km NE Ghusa, Chamlya Khola (former vill. Shinae), 2850 m ”, “29°53’35N, 80°56’30E 10.VI.2005 leg. A. Weigel river side/decid. forest“ ( NME).

Paratypes (both from Far Western Nepal, Darchula district): 1 female, 1 km NE Batar, valley at Chamlya Khola, 2100 m, 29°51’29 N 80°54’ 34E, river side, 5.VI.2005, leg. A. Weigel, KL/HF ( CWG); 1 female, 12 km NNE Ghusa, 3200 m, 29°54’51 N 80°57’ 11E, West slope, deciduous forest, 7.VI.2005, leg. A. Weigel ( CSCHM).

Etymology: The species is named after the more weakly engraved elytral microsculpture in the female that gives the elytral surface a more shiny appearance compared to the sibling species P. dahud Morvan, 1994 (Latin “glabell-us, -a, -um”: polished).

Description: Three specimens studied.

Body length 9.8–11.3 mm.

Colour: Dorsal and ventral surface of body and femora almost black, knees, tibiae, tarsi, antennae and palpi reddish brown. Male and female dorsal surface moderately shiny throughout.

Microsculpture: Head with mesh pattern isodiametric, moderately engraved, and pronotum with very weakly engraved slightly transverse meshes, visible under high magnification (80x). Meshes of microsculpture on elytra in male and female weakly engraved, slightly transverse in male and slightly transverse to isodiametric in female.

Head: Temporae about 3/4 of eye diameter. Antennomeres I–III smooth apart from primary apical setation.

Pronotum: Moderately slender (ratio PW/PL 1.07–1.12, PW/HW 1.47–1.53). Anterior margin as wide as base or slightly broader. Pronotal sides straight before base. Hind angles completely rounded ( Fig. 11 ). Base almost straight in middle, strongly bent anteriorly toward sides. Lateral gutter flat, more strongly expanded behind pronotal middle. Basolateral seta located at a slight distance (1–2 times pore diameter) from lateral edge, but distinctly distant (5–6 times pore diameter) from base.

Elytra: Slender oval, ratio EL/EW 1.56–1.73, EW/PW 1.33–1.46 (because left elytra of holotype is somewhat deformed, only the right elytra was measured and its width doubled), distinctly narrowed toward shoulder; basal groove more strongly concave, forming a right angle with scutellar stria and an obtuse or rounded angle with lateral groove.

Legs: Relatively slender.

Male genitalia: Aedeagal median lobe relatively small, with ventral surface almost straight toward apex ( Fig. 41 ), with apical lamella relatively long and slender, seen dorsally ( Fig. 40 ), and with terminal bead slightly angular. Internal sac with transverse folding in middle of median lobe arranged in two separated layers and broadly connected with the longitudinal folds on both sides of ostium; longitudinal folding relatively compact ( Fig. 40 ).

Identification: This new species is unambiguously distinguishable by its characteristic internal sac folding. Moreover, the pronotum is more strongly constricted toward base, and its lateral gutter is more strongly expanded behind pronotal middle than in P. dahud dahud Morvan, 1994 , the meshes of female elytral microsculpture are not scale-like, and the apical lamella of the aedeagal median lobe is slender. In pronotal shape and elytral microsculpture the new species is similar to P. dahud polita ssp. n., but the elytra are more strongly constricted toward the shoulders, and the aedeagal median lobe is distinctly smaller with its apical lamella more slender. For differences with P. similata sp. n., see diagnosis of the latter below.

Distribution: Figs. 42 , 43 . Currently only known from the Chamlya Khola Valley on south slope of Api Himal.

Habitat: The three specimens were collected in deciduous forests of the high montane zone at altitudes between 2100 and 3200 m.

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 1 – 4. Pristosia spp., habitus. Fig. 1, P. crenata (Putzeys, 1873), non-type, male, Nepal, Dailekh. Fig. 2, P. amaroides (Putzeys, 1877), non-type, female, India, Darjeeling. Fig. 3, P. glabella sp. n., Paratype, female. Fig. 4, P. nepalensis sp. n., Paratype, male. Scale bar = 5 mm.

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 36 – 41. Pristosia spp., aedeagal median lobe, dorsal view (Figs. 36, 38, 40) and left lateral view (Figs. 37, 39, 41, the internal sac is figured only in dorsal view). Figs. 36, 37, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, Maharigaon. Figs. 38, 39, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, Rara Lake. Figs. 40, 41, P. glabella sp. n., Holotype. Scale bar = 1 mm.