Trichotichnus (Bottchrus) philippinus Jedlička, 1935,

Kataev, Boris M., 2016, On taxonomic status of Bottchrus, with a description of a new brachypterous species of the genus Trichotichnus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 4061 (1) : -

Trichotichnus (Bottchrus) philippinus Jedlička, 1935 , comb. n.

( Figs 6–9 )

Bottchrus philippinus Jedlička, 1935: 8 . Type locality: " Philippinen " (without more detailed data).

Type material examined. Holotype: ♀ [!], labelled " Type " [on the round piece of white paper with a red margin], " Philippine Is., Coll. Bottcher, B. M. 1929–201", " Bottchrus n.g. philippinus sp. n., det. Ing. Jedlička", " Bottcheria n. g. philippina sp. n., type, det. Ing. Jedlička" (BMNH).

Additional description. Body length 7.7 mm, width 3.1 mm.

Colour. Body reddish dark brown, very shiny on dorsum, not iridescent; labrum and base of mandibles paler; palpi, antennae and legs light reddish brown; femora scarcely infuscate, slightly darker than tibiae.

Head. Rather large (HWmax/PWmax = 0.72; HWmin/PWmax = 0.63), impunctate. Eyes weakly convex (HWmax/HWmin = 1.14); tempora about 0.35 times as long as eye length, almost flat, sloped to neck. Genae slightly wider than width of antennomere 1, glabrous. Fronto-clypeal suture and fronto-ocular furrows rather deep, the latter continuing along inner margin of eyes. Supraorbital setigerous pore located at level of posterior margin of eye. Labrum notably concave anteriorly. Apex of clypeus slightly arcuately emarginate. Mentum ( Fig. 6 ) with acute medial tooth and narrow epilobes, separated from submentum by transverse suture medially and fused with it laterally. Ligular sclerite narrowed to apex, with two ventral setae slightly removed from apical margin, paraglossae somewhat narrow, separated from ligular sclerite by a narrow notch. Penultimate labial palpomere slightly shorter than apical palpomere, with two long setae and one shorter seta on anterior margin. Submentum on each side with one long seta and another more lateral very short seta. Left mandible blunt at tip. Dorsal microsculpture consisting of obliterate weakly transverse meshes visible only on anterior part of clypeus anteriorly and on lateral areas of head behind eyes. Antennae short, not reaching pronotal basal edge, with middle antennomeres (4 to 7) slightly longer than wide.

Pronotum ( Fig. 7 ). Moderately wide (PWmax/PL = 1.38), widest in apical third (PWmax/PWmin = 1.21). Sides with one seta slightly anterior of widest point, narrowly bordered throughout, rounded anteriorly and almost rectilinearly converging in basal half. Apical margin scarcely emarginate, bordered only laterally. Apical angles narrowly rounded at tip and only very slightly protruding anteriad. Basal margin slightly longer than apical margin, not bordered, more or less straight, only slightly oblique laterally, with glabrous basal edge. Basal angles obtuse, sharp at tip. Pronotal disc convex, evenly and flatly descending to sides. Lateral depressions not developed. Basal fovea small, somewhat oval, very shallow. Pronotal surface almost smooth, with few vague punctures in basal foveae and in laterobasal area. Microsculpture strongly obliterate, recognizable here and there, consisting of weakly transverse meshes.

Elytra. Elongate (EL/EW = 1.55; EL/PL = 2.59; EW/PWmax = 1.22), rounded at sides, widest at middle, their base slightly longer than pronotal base. Humeri angulate, without denticle at apex. Preapical sinuation shallow, but distinct. Sutural angle acute, rather sharp at tip. Basal edge moderately sinuate, meeting lateral margin at distinct obtuse angle. Parascutellar striole very short, parascutellar pore present. Discal pore located at middle of length of interval 3 at stria 2. Striae slightly deepened throughout, finely crenulate. Intervals weakly convex along entire length, somewhat wide at apex. Marginal series of setigerous pores (umbilacate series) without distinct gap at middle. Microsculpture very fine, obliterate, consisting of thin transverse lines.

Wings. Reduced to short scales.

Ventral surface. Metepisternum short, approximately as long as wide, noticeably narrowed posteriad.

Legs. Metafemur with two setae along posterior margin. Protibia with long fine sulcus on dorsal surface. Metatarsus notably shorter than width of head measured behind eyes (HWmin). Metatarsomere 1 equal to metatarsomeres 2+3. Tarsomere 5 with two pairs of latero-ventral setae.

Female genitalia ( Figs 8–9 ). Laterotergite somewhat symmetrical, with one apical seta. Basal stylomere moderately widened apicad, with one preapical seta on external margin. Apical stylomere elongate, rather slender, weakly curved, with a very small peg-like spine at both ventral and dorsal edges of outer margin.

Distribution. Philippines.

Remarks. Described from a single female (erroneously indicated as male in the original description) from the Philippines without more detailed collecting data. Because the male is unknown, the relationship of this species with other members of Bottchrus is rather obscure. The species has short metepisterna, therefore it is constantly brachypterous, and its distribution seems to be restricted to the Philippines from where three other species of this subgenus were described (Ito 1997b). In size and other characters including the short metepisternum combined with reduced hind wings, T. (B.) philippinus is very similar to T. (B.) debilistriatus Ito, 1997, which was described from the series of specimens (males and females) collected in Luzon and Mindanao. I had no opportunity to examine the type series of T. (B.) debilistriatus, but judging from the original description (Ito 1997b), the latter species differs externally from T. (B.) philippinus mainly in having elytra with somewhat reduced striae and pronotum slightly sinuate before blunted basal angles. As these differences are insufficient, these two species may be conspecific, but the direct comparison of the type specimens and examination of the additional material from the Philippines are needed to reach a conclusion.

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 9. Trichotichnus (Bottchrus) philippinus (holotype). 6, labium; 7, pronotum; 8, left laterotergite and stylus, ventral view; 9, stylus, lateral view. Scales = 0.5 mm (A: Figs 6 – 7; B: Figs 8 – 9).