Trichotichnus (Bottchrus) gupchiensis, Schmidt, 2017

Schmidt, Joachim, 2017, Brachypterous ground beetles of the Trichotichnus subgenus Bottchrus Jedlička (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from the Himalaya, with description of fifteen new species, Zootaxa 4323 (3), pp. 301-358 : 332-335

Trichotichnus (Bottchrus) gupchiensis sp. n.

( Figs 91 , 95–102 , 152 , 1)

Type material. Holotype: ♂, “ NEPAL Manaslu Mts. SE slope, W Gupchi Danda 2200–2300 m, 28°08'37"N 84°44'42"E, 18.V.2006 leg. J. Schmidt ” (cJS).

Paratypes: 19 ♂, 15 ♀, same data as holotype (cJS, ZIN) ; 1 ♂, Manaslu Mts. , E-slope, E Gupchi Danda, above Gumda vill., 2400 m, 23.V.2006, J. Schmidt leg. (cJS) ; 2 ♂, 5 ♀, ditto but 28°08'59"N 84°46'06"E, 2500–2800 m, 19+ 20.V.2006, leg. J. Schmidt (cJS, ZIN) .

Description. Habitus as in Fig. 91 . Body length 5.2–5.9 mm, width 2.3–2.7 mm.

Colour: Body piceous, shiny on dorsum, with more or less distinct bluish or greenish tinge on elytra and pronotum; labrum, in some specimens also very narrow margins of pronotum and elytra within lateral gutter paler, reddish brown; palpi, antennae and legs brownish yellow, rarely femora slightly infuscate.

Head: Large, with wide neck (in males, HWmax/PWmax = 0.68–0.71, HWmin/PWmax = 0.55–0.58; in females, these indices 0.71–0.73 and 0.59–0.60, respectively). Eyes markedly convex (in males, HWmax/HWmin = 1.22–1.25, and in females, 1.18–1.25), in lateral view somewhat wide oval, occasionally slightly more elongate. Tempora comparatively long, about third to half as long as eye, flat or slightly convex, somewhat abrupt to neck. Genae wide, slightly less than twice as wide as width of antennomere 1, with few short setae. Lateral margin of head between antenna and eye slightly protruded laterally, forming an obtuse angle near eyes, distinctly bordered. Area between supraorbital furrow and upper margin of eye approximately as wide as width of antennomere 2 basally. Supraorbital setigerous pore located just behind level of posterior margin of eye, separated from supraorbital furrow by width of antennomere 3 apically. Labrum moderately concave anteriorly. Clypeus slightly emarginate along anterior margin, moderately convex basally, flatly sloped to apex. Frons and vertex convex. Mentum and submentum completely fused, submentum on each side with one long seta and ocasionally one short seta laterally of long seta. Left mandible not truncate, blunted at apex. Dorsal microsculpture strongly obliterate, more or less distinct transverse and almost isodiametric meshes evident only laterally behind eyes. Antennae in males extending to the basal edge of pronotum, with antennomeres 4–8 markedly longer than wide, in females slightly shorter.

Pronotum: Slightly transverse (PWmax/PL = 1.33–1.42), widest slightly before anterior third, markedly narrowed posteriad (PWmax/PWmin = 1.20–1.28), with one lateral seta inserted slightly before widest point. Sides rounded anteriorly, nearly straight in basal third and slightly sinuate in short distance before basal angles. Apical margin slightly emarginate, bordered only laterally or almost throughout. Apical angles more or less widely rounded, slightly protruded anteriad. Basal margin nearly straight, in some specimens slightly oblique laterally, vaguely, occasionally very indistinctly, bordered almost throughout, somewhat longer than apical margin and slightly shorter than base of elytra between humeral angles. Basal angles obtuse, each with a small denticle at apex. Pronotal disc convex, strongly sloped to apical angles and moderately so to basal ones, not depressed basally. Lateral gutter narrow, very slightly widened in apical third. Median line fine, interrupted, ended before apical and basal margins, deepened anteriorly. Lateral depressions absent; basal foveae poorly delimited, very small and superficial. Surface comparatively coarsely and irregularly punctate along base and in latero-basal area, with finer obliterate punctation at apical margin. Microsculpture present only at apical angles, consisting of very fine transverse meshes.

Elytra: In lateral and caudal view convex, in dorsal view oval, elongate, moderately wide (in males, EL/EW = 1.32–1.35; EL/PL = 2.21–2.33; EW/PWmax = 1.19–1.27; in females, these indices 1.31–1.36, 2.27–2.38, 1.23– 1.27, respectively), widest slightly behind middle, with somewhat acute apex. Humeri prominent, angularly rounded at tip, usually with a tiny denticle visible from behind. Subapical sinuation very shallow. Sutural angle almost rectangular at apex, with small acute tooth projected posteriad. Basal edge slightly sinuate laterally, forming an obtuse angle with lateral margin. Striae smooth or finely crenulate anteriorly, slightly impressed along entire length. Parascutellar setigerous pore large. Parascutellar striole short, at most as long as distance from parascutellar pore to suture, with apex free. Intervals flat. Interval 3 with a discal setigerous pore at stria 2 at or behind middle. Marginal umbilicate series widely interrupted at middle, with 5–7 pores in anterior group and 8–9 pores in posterior group. Microsculpture strongly obliterate, indistinct on disc, fine transverse meshes evident at apex and on one or two lateral intervals.

Hindwings: Reduced to tiny scales.

Ventral surface: Prosternum and metasternum finely pubescent. Metepisternum ( Fig. 95 ) markedly wider than long, narrowed posteriad. Apex of last visible (VII) abdominal sternite in both sexes widely rounded ( Figs 96–97 ).

Legs: Protibia not sulcate. Profemur with four to seven setae on anterio-ventral margin. Tarsi short, metatarsus noticeably shorter than HWmin, with metatarsomeres (particularly 2–4) moderately widened posteriad, metatarsomere 1 approximately as long as metatarsomeres 2+3. Metatarsomeres glabrous on dorsal side (at most with few scattered very shot setae on some tarsomeres), pro- and mesotarsomeres each with few somewhat long setae at their apical margin. Tarsomere 5 with two pairs of ventro-lateral setae. In male, pro- and mesotarsi very moderately widened.

Female genitalia: Laterotergite (hemisternite) symmetrical, with two thick setae apically. Basal stylomere with one strong preapical spine on external margin. Apical stylomere moderately curved, with a peg-like spine at both ventral and dorsal edges of outer margin.

Male genitalia: Median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 98–102 ) in lateral view arcuate, C-shaped, with ventral margin evenly emarginate in middle portion and with comparatively long and narrow terminal lamella bent ventrad; ventral margin of terminal lamella convex; in dorsal view median lobe almost straight, strongly narrowed to apex in distal half. Terminal lamella ( Fig. 100 ) in dorsal view narrow, almost parallel-sided, hardly widened apically. Apical capitulum in lateral view slightly oblique, more strongly prominent ventrally than dorsally ( Figs 98–99 ), oval in caudal view ( Fig. 101 ). Internal sac without individual spines and distinct spiny patches.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Gupchi Danda mountain range where the new species occurs.

Comparison. This new species is particularly similar in size and gestalt to T. (B.) minutus sp. n., T. (B.) ganeshensis sp. n., and T. (B.) pusillus sp. n. Trichotichnus (B.) gupchiensis sp. n. shares with these species many morphological characters including mentum and submentum completely fused, metepisternum slightly wider than long, humerus with more or less distinct denticle at apex, microsculpture on pronotal and elytral discs strongly reduced, and median lobe of aedeagus markedly bent ventrad basally and apically. It is distinctly distinguished from all these species by having protibia not sulcate on dorsal side, terminal lamella of aedeagus much longer ( Figs 98–100, 102 ), and apical capitulum more prominent ventrad than dorsad in lateral view ( Figs 98–99 ) and elongate oval in caudal view ( Fig. 101 ). Among other distinctive characters of T. (B.) gupchiensis sp. n., it should be mentioned elytral sutural angle with small acute tooth projecting posteriad, and pronotum with lateral gutter narrow, very slightly widened in apical third, and with basal margin usually nearly straight, occasionally slightly oblique laterally.

Distribution ( Fig. 152 , 1). Up to today only found on Gupchi Danda mountain range on southern slope of Manaslu Himal, Gorkha District, western Central Nepal, at altitudes of 2200–2800 m.

Figures

FIGURE 152. Distribution of the Himalayan species of Trichotichnus subgenus Bottchrus. 1, T. gupchiensis sp. n.; 2, T. brancuccii sp. n.; 3, T. manasluensis sp. n.; 4, T. loebli Ito, 1998; 5, T. sikkimensis sp. n.; 6, T. hingstoni Andrewes, 1930.

FIGURES 91 – 94. Himalayan species of Trichotichnus subgenus Bottchrus, photographs of habitus. 91, T. gupchiensis sp. n., paratype, male. 92, T. brancuccii sp. n., paratype, male. 93, T. manasluensis sp. n., paratype, male. 94, T. cyanescens Ito, 1998, male from Dhabeli.

FIGURES 95 – 102. Trichotichnus (Bottchrus) gupchiensis sp. n. (95 – 98, paratypes; 99 – 102, holotype). 95, left metepisternum; 96, apex of last (VII) abdominal sternite, male; 97, same, female; 98 – 99, 102, median lobe of aedeagus; 100, terminal lamella and apical capitulum; 101, apical capitulum. 95 – 97, ventral view; 98 – 99, lateral view; 100, 102, dorsal view; 101, caudal view. Scale bars = 0.25 mm (A: Figs 95 – 99, 102; B: Figs 100 – 101, 89).