Formosiella brunnea Jedlicka

Hunting, Wesley & Yang, Man-Miao, 2019, A taxonomic review of the pericaline ground-beetles in Taiwan, with descriptions of new species (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini), ZooKeys 816, pp. 1-164 : 99-102

Formosiella brunnea Jedlicka Figs 73, 74 A–D, 77A, 78

Formosiella brunnea Jedlička, 1951: 113; Kirschenhofer 1994: 1029; Lorenz 2005; 460.

Types and other material examined.

Holotype (male) labeled "ARISAN/FORMOSA/22.x. 1931/COL. M. CHUJO"; “TYPUS” [rectangular, red paper, black border]; Formosiella / brunnea sp. n./ DET.ING.JEDLICKA". 51 specimens of F. brunnea : 26 males and 25 females. For further details see EH Strickland Virtual Entomology Museum Database.

Type locality.

Taiwan. “Arisan” = Alishan, Chiayi County.

Diagnosis.

Specimens of this species are easily distinguished from the only other Taiwanese species of the genus by the concolorous elytral disc.

Redescription.

OBL 5.42 - 6.50 mm. Length (n = ten males, ten females): head 0.52 - 0.64, pronotum 0.92 - 1.12, elytra 3.50 - 4.16, metepisternum 0.80 - 1.00 mm; width: head 1.12 - 1.32, pronotum 1.68 - 2.04, elytra 2.75 - 3.50, metepisternum 0.48 - 0.64 mm.

Body proportions. HW/HL 1.97 - 2.38; PWM/PL 1.65 - 2.00; EL/EW 1.17 - 1.26; ML/MW 1.54 - 1.85.

Color. Fig. 73. Dorsum of head rufo-brunneous to rufo-piceous, dark, clypeus and labrum brunneo-testaceous to testaceous, much lighter that head, antennae and palpi brunneo-testaceous to testaceous; disc of pronotum rufo-brunneous to rufo-piceous, always slightly lighter than head, margins translucent, rufo-brunneous; elytral disc rufo-brunneous to rufous, margins and suture slightly lighter; ventral surface brunneous to rufo-brunneous, darker at margins; metepisternum slightly darker; legs with trochanter and femora rufo-testaceous, tibia with surface partially rufo-piceous to piceous.

Microsculpture. Remaining dorsal surface with microsculpture not visible at 50 ×; ventral surface of pronotum and lateral margins of abdominal segments with faint transverse microsculpture; metepisternum with contrasting granulate and easily visible isodiametric microsculpture. Remaining ventral surface with microsculpture not visible or hardly so at 50 ×.

Macrosculpture and pilosity. Dorsum of head and clypeus with fine, scattered setigerous punctures, punctures easily visible but setae hardly so at 50 ×; pronotum with fine, scattered setigerous punctures, setae of two lengths, longer setae more sparsely dispersed over surface, margin with evenly spaced setae along border; elytra with intervals somewhat convex, entire surface with fine, scattered setigerous punctures with setae hardly visible at 50 ×, intervals 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 with rows of longer setae with larger punctures, +/- evenly spaced along length of interval apex, striae punctate, margin with evenly spaced setae along border; ventral surface with several randomly scattered setigerous punctures.

Fixed setae. Pronotum with two pairs of setae, one at base of lateral margin and one on lateral margin at pronotum max width; 16-17 lateral (umbilical) setae in interval 9; elytra with interval 3 with three punctures not bearing setae, first on outside of interval in basal 1/6, second on inside of interval at mid-length, third on inside of interval in apical 1/6.

Luster. Dorsal surface glossy; ventral surface moderately glossy to glossy.

Head. Mandibles curved at apex; labrum long, bilobed, setose towards apex, setae visible when viewed laterally; mentum with tooth; eyes moderately convex; palpi cylindrical, elongate and setose.

Pronotum. Anterior transverse impression shallow; posterior transverse impression shallow, median longitudinal impression shallow; lateral margins widely explanate, apical margin deeply emarginate, forming broad apico-lateral lobes, posterio-lateral margins slightly sinuate, obtuse.

Elytra. Elytra relatively short and wide, hind angles truncate.

Legs. Males with adhesive vestiture ventrally, two rows squamo-setae on tarsomeres 1-3 of fore-leg.

Male genitalia. Fig. 74 A–D. Length 1.08 - 1.20 mm. Phallus narrowest at base and widening towards apex in lateral view, apex narrow and pointed; endophallus short, with one microtrichial field (esp) present near mid-length on left side.

Female genitalia. Fig. 77A. Width 0.96 - 1.00 mm. Gonocoxite 2 (gc2) relatively narrow along length; two lateral ensiform setae (les), one dorsal ensiform seta. Two spermathecae present, first spermatheca (sp1) with attachment site near junction of bursa copulatrix (bc) and common oviduct (co), cylindrical and elongate; second spermatheca (sp2) with attachment site in basal 1/3 of spermatheca 1, cylindrical and slightly expanded towards apex; one spermathecal accessory gland (sg), round, associ ated spermathecal gland duct (sgd) somewhat expanded before gland, attachment site at base of spermatheca 2.

Habitat, habits, and seasonal occurrence.

The known elevational range of F. brunnea is from 700 to 2230 meters, with the majority being collected from between 1830 and 2000 meters. Most specimens collected have come from trees that have recently fallen or been uprooted and are dying. Adults are nocturnal or crepuscular and are found in mixed forest of both primary and disturbed secondary forests. Specimens have been collected from March to September. Methods of collecting include u.v. light sheet, m.v. light, sugar baiting tree trunks and hand collecting.

Geographical distribution.

Formosiella brunnea is known only from Taiwan. See Figure 78.