Qianaphaenops (Sanwangius) rowselli Tian et Chen, n. sp.

(Figs. 1–7)

Type material. Holotype male, investigation site 1, Cave Sanwang Dong, Erlongdong village, Houping Xiang, Wulong Qu, Chongqing Shi, southwestern China, 29°35′39″N / 107°59′42″E, 930 m, VIII-12-2018, leg. “Xiong Da” (Philip John Rowsell), Mingyi Tian, Jingli Cheng, Mengzhen Chen & Zijun Ma; paratypes: 20 males and 31 females, idem; 15 males and 3 females, investigation site 1, Cave Erwang Dong, 29°35′17″N / 107°59′47″E, 880 m, VIII-13-2018, same collectors; 16 males and 5 females, investigation site 2, Cave Erwang Dong, same date and collectors. All are in SCAU.

Description. Length: 5.8–6.3 mm (from apex of right mandibles to elytral apex) or 5.2–5.5 mm (from labrum to elytra); width: 1.5–1.6 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1.

Body yellowish brown, but pale on apical joint of antennae, mouthparts palps and tarsi; moderately shiny and whole body including abdominal ventrites glabrous though head with several short hairs on genae, and legs pubescent; microsculptural engraved meshes moderately transverse near base of head, transverse striate on frons and vertex of head, pronotum and elytra; fore body much shorter than elytra, (HmL+PL) / EL = 0.808, (HlL+PrL) / EL = 0.693.

Head elongate, much longer than wide, HLm/HW = 1.96–1.97, HLl/HW = 1.70–1.71; genae fairly developed, nearly parallel-sided, widest at about middle of head from neck to apical margin of labrum; frons and vertex convex, frontal furrows well-marked, very long, widely and strongly divergent posteriad, ended behind posterior supraorbital pores; clypeus transverse, quadrisetose; labrum transverse, frontal margin slightly emarginate, 6-setose; two pairs of supraorbital setiferous pores present at about 3/7 and 3/4 of head from labrum; labial suture clearly visible, mentum bisetose on either side of tooth, mental tooth short and blunt at apex, basal fovea widely concave; submentum 6-setose; both maxillary and labial palps moderately subcylindrical, glabrous except for the 2 nd labial palpomere which is bisetose on inner margin, and with an additional one at subapex; the 2 nd labial palpomere slightly longer than the 3 rd; the 3 rd maxillary palpomere slightly longer than the 4 th; suborbital pore just between base and submentum (Fig. 2A). Antennae thin and rather long, but extending only to the site of preapical pores of elytra; the 1 st antennomere stouter, as long as the 2 nd, the 5 th longest, the 11 th longer than 10 th, as long as the 7 th, the comparative length of each antennomere from the 1 st to 11 th as: 1.00 / 1.00 / 1.54 / 1.73 / 1.85 / 1.73 / 1.58 / 1.46 / 1.35 / 1.19 / 1.50.

Pronotum subquadrate, as long as wide, wider than head, PW/HW = 1.16–1.21, slightly shorter than head excluding mandibles, widest a little before middle, gently narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, latero-margins finely bordered; front and base slightly concave and convex respectively, both unbordered; fore latero-marginal setae at about apical 1/8, hind ones on hind angles; disc moderately convex; median line clear, basal transversal impression well-marked. Scutellum fairly small.

Elytra (Figs 1, 2B), elongated ovate, much longer than wide, EL/EW = 1.61–1.65; longer than prothorax, EL/PL = 3.17–3.38, much wider than prothorax, EW/PW = 2.04–2.12; widest at about 3/7 of elytra from base, lateral sides smooth, finely bordered throughout, marginal gutters well-marked; slightly depressed near base, disc moderately convex; striae well-defined and punctate, intervals moderately convex. Chaetotaxy (Fig. 2B): dorsal pores of the 3 rd stria at about 1/5 and 3/7 of elytra from base respectively; the preapical pore at about apical 1/8 of elytra, much closer to elytral suture than to apical margin; basal pore present; the marginal umbilicate pores not aggregated.

Legs thin and elongate, bearing short pubescence; femora sparsely setose; fore tibia with a longitudinal furrow or sulcus dorsally; the 1 st tarsomere shorter than, as long as, and slightly longer than the 2 nd– 4 th tarsomeres together in fore, middle, and hind legs, respectively.

Ventrites IV–VI each with two pairs of paramedian setae.

Male genitalia (Fig. 3): The median lobe of aedeagus quite small but stout, arcuate medially; endophallus armed with a large copulatory piece which is about 1/4 as long as the median lobe; base large; in dorsal view the apical lobe quite elongate, rounded at apex; each parameres bearing six long setae at apex (except only two on right one and four on the left in one male from Sanwang Dong).

Larval characteristics (Fig. 4): Habitus as in Fig. 4A and Fig. 7E. Body campodeiform, long and slender, head width subequal to thoraces, abdominal segment I width equal to metathorax, then gradually narrowed towards apex. Length (from apex of mandibles to apex of urogomphi) 11.25 mm; moderately sclerotized, head light yellowish brown, other parts lighter; body covered with some secondary setae. Head width subequal to thorax; abdominal segments bead-like. Cephalic capsule subquadrate, longer than wide (HL/HW = 1.10), parallel-sided, slightly sinuated before base; anterior margin of nasale triangular, protruding at middle, strongly serrated on either side which are symmetrical; frontale moderately curved, U-shaped at base; stemmata, ocular groove and egg-brusters absent; frontale (FR) with setae FR1–4 and FR7; parietal (PA) with setae PA1–10 and several secondary setae on each side (Figs. 4 B–C); mandibles falciform; maxilla slender (Fig. 4F); labium shorter than maxilla; antenna slender and long, 4 segmented, each much longer than wide, separated by weak membrane (Fig. 4E). Thoraces transverse: pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum transverse with many secondary setae. Legs with only one claw (Fig. 4G). Abdomen 9- segmented; urogomphi long and slender, each with setae UR2–10; pygidium long, but shorter than urogomphi (Fig. 4D).

Remarks. Larva of Q. (S.) rowselli is a semi-aphaenopsian type, similar to that of Guizhaphaenops lipsorum Deuve, 1999 (Luo et al. 2017). But nasale is evenly serrated at front margin instead of trilobed in the latter species.

Etymology. Dedicated to Dr. Philip John Rowsell (Hong Meigui Cave Exploration Society), a well-known Speleologist.

Distribution. China (Chongqing: Wulong). Known from the Sanwang Dong-Erwang Dong cave system (Figs. 5–7).

Entrances of the both caves are about 850 m from each other (Fig. 5D). The beetles were found and collected from three sites: one site in Sanwang Dong and two in Erwang Dong. In Sanwang Dong the beetles were collected in a twilight zone just close to the entrance (Figs. 6, 7A). In Erwang Dong they were collected in dark zones, at about 100 metres from entrance and from Qingkou Tiankeng respectively (Figs. 6, 7B).