Tapinopterus (Molopsis) relegatus, Lohaj, Roman, Guéorguiev, Borislav, Dubault, Gérard & Lassalle, Bernard, 2012

Lohaj, Roman, Guéorguiev, Borislav, Dubault, Gérard & Lassalle, Bernard, 2012, Revision of Molopsis Schatzmayr (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini), with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 3185, pp. 1-35 : 24-26

Tapinopterus (Molopsis) relegatus sp.nov.

(Figs. 24, 142, 149, 160, 165)

Type locality. Dorukhan Pass near Zonguldak, NE Turkey.

Material examined. One specimen.

Type material. Holotype Ƥ, relatively well preserved, only apical borders of elytra bitten, Turkey, col Dorukhan, Zonguldak, VII.1990 (p)/ Holotype Tapinopterus (Molopsis) relegatus sp. n. Lohaj, Guéorguiev, Dubault & Lassalle, 2007” (red p) (Fig. 24) (cBL).

Description. BL 12.2 mm; maximum width 4 mm. Body smooth and glabrous (excluding antennae), head and pronotum without microsculpture, elytra with distinct fine isodiametric microsculpture. Head, pronotum and elytra black, shiny, antennae, palpi, legs and body ventrally piceous brown.

Head large, robust, subconvex, 1.33 times longer than wide; disc smooth. Mandibles stout and protruding. Antennae relatively short, not reaching hind angles of pronotum, with dense, decumbent pubescence from antennomere 4, antennomere 2 nearly two times shorter than scapus. Length of eyes almost equal to length of scapus; temporae not protruding, shorter than length of eye. Frontal furrows short, very smooth. Mentum with short bifid tooth. Pronotum 1.48 times wider as long and 1.53 times wider than head, subcordate and subconvex, smooth. Lateral sides more convergent posteriorly than anteriorly; ratio anterior margin / basal margin 1.09. Anterior margin moderately sinuate, with rounded and slightly prominent angles. Posterior margin almost straight; angles sharply pointed, prominent outside. Basal surface with single impunctate basal fovea on each side of midline, fovea with single linear posterolateral impression slightly divergent anteriorly and not reaching basal margin. Midline distinct and deeper in basal third, not reaching anterior, and hardly reaching basal margin.

Elytra suboval, coalesced along suture, 1.32 times longer than wide and 1.41 times wider than pronotum; disc convex. Shoulders obtusely rounded. Scutellar stria absent; basal border not reaching scutellum; striae fine, barely punctate. Intervals slightly convex; interval 3 of left elytron with single setigerous puncture at apical third, same one of left elytron without puncture. Umbilicate series of each elytron consist of 10 setigerous punctures (left elytron 5+0+5, right elytron 5+0+5), in the middle largely interrupted. Prosternum, mesosternum, metasternum and abdominal sterna smooth, glabrous, impunctate; anterior margin of metaepisterna rather longer than internal margin; abdominal sterna II–VI with two setigerous punctures, sternum VII with four marginal setigerous punctures.

Legs moderately long, femora stout; protibia with two clip setae; mesotibial ctenidium well differentiated; hind coxa with medial setigerous puncture below meeting point of coxae; both median and hind trochanter with setigerous punctures; tarsomere 5 without ventral setae.

Female genitalia. Tergum VIII with convex, slighlty angled at top, distal margin and very short proximal “legs” (Fig. 142). Sternum VIII consists of two oblong chitinised parts connected with membrane, without “legs” on proximal margin (Fig. 149). Ovipositor very small, with relativelly bigger valvifer and smaller stylus, as longer axis of former more or less perpendicular to longer axis of latter (Figs. 160); valvifer having two-humped internal margin, smoother external margin, and well-developed process across; stylus consisting of one basal degenerate stylomere (apical stylomere disappeared). Spermatheca with seminal canal and receptaculum discrete, seminal canal longer, receptaculum shorter than seminal canal, strongly curved apically (Fig. 165).

Male genitalia. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet derives from the Latin adjective relegatus , meaning “exile” or “ejected” (in English), reflecting its isolation from the ranges its known to be inhabited by its congeners.

Diagnosis. This species is distinct from its congeners by: (i) the reduction of setigerous punctures in interval 3 of elytra, i.e presence of single puncture on left elytron, and none on rigth elytron; (ii) umbilicate series on each elytron consisting of 10 setigerous punctures; (iii) peculiarities in the structure of the female genital armature (see above paragraph “Female genitalia”).

The new species possess receptaculum strongly curved apically that differs quite clearly from the receptaculum in T. molopinus , which is only slightly curved apically. In the structure of the female genital components, i.e. tergum VIII, sternum VIII, stylus of ovipositor, and spermatheca (Figs. 140–142, 147–149, 158–160, 164–165), T. relegatus sp. nov. looks like T. molopinus and T. chaudoiri sp. nov. Most probably, three aforementioned species of Molopsis form a monophyletic complex.

It worth noting that the species inhabits an area situated very closely to the range of T. wiedemanni , but beyond the ranges of T. molopinus and T. chaudoiri sp. nov. On the other hand, T. relegatus sp. nov. and T. wiedemanni seem to be not closely related phyletically. There are clear distinctions between the last two species, as well as between T. wiedemanni and the pair T. molopinus - T. chaudoiri sp. nov., in the structure of the female genitalia (see Figs. 140–143, 147–150, 158–162, 164–166). From a zoogeographic perspective, we may postulate the following two hypotheses. In the past the lineage “ T. molopinus - T. chaudoiri sp. nov. - T. relegatus sp. nov. ” had a wider range in NW Anatolia and occurred east of the Sakarya River. After that, probably as a result of climatic changes, the spreading of this group was reduced as the central and most of the eastern parts of former range were occupied by T. wiedemanni . Today, two taxa of the complex live in the western part of the former range, and a third taxon survived in a restricted area in the east. Or, alternatively, a single migration of the same lineage, started from the area of west of the Sakarya River, reached the region of Dorukhan Pass. The migration took place along the north parts of the Bolu Range. These assumptions should be tested by phylogenetic and molecular analyses.

Distribution. The type specimen was found in the Dorukhan geçidi (pass), between Mengen and Devrek. The point lies ca 20 km N of Mengen (NW Turkey, villayet Zonguldak).

PLATE 12. Terga VIII (dorsal view) (Figs. 138–143) of Tapinopterus species. Fig. 138. Tapinopterus (Pseudomolopsis) rebellis ( Greece, Taygetos, Anogia); Fig. 139. T. (Molopsis) molopiformis (Tmolos-Gbg., Lydien, West-Kleinasien, Weirather) ; Fig. 140. T. (Molopsis) molopinus ( Turkey, Uludaġ); Fig. 141. T. (Molopsis) chaudoiri sp. nov. (paratype, Gök-daġ); Fig. 142. T. (Molopsis) relegatus sp. nov. (holotype); Fig. 143. T. (Molopsis) wiedemanni ( Turkey, Bolu, Kartalkaya). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.