Bamaroodes, Gueorguiev, Borislav, 2014

Gueorguiev, Borislav, 2014, Two new related oodine genera in the Oriental Region, with remarks on the systematic position of the genera Hololeius and Holosoma (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 61 (2), pp. 87-104 : 90

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Bamaroodes gen. n.

Type species.

Hololeius cyaneus Facchini, 2011

Diagnosis.

Medium-sized species (8.0-8.5 mm) for Oriental oodines; habitus semi-elongate; color cyaneus on head and pronotum, piceocyaneus on elytra, with yellowish apical band, piceous to rufopiceous on ventral surface, scape, palpi, tibiae, and tarsomeres red-yellow to yellow; microsculpture isodiametric; integument of body glabrous and impunctate dorsally and ventrally, (only disc of head moderately punctate and striate laterally); head with conspicuously large eyes and minute tempora; frons with punctiform impressions and one pair of punctures; labrum with six setae along anterior margin; clypeus with two setae; labial palpomere glabrous; mentum tooth rounded anteriorly, bordered posteriorly; pronotum moderately transverse, without protruded angles, with anterior and posterior margins of similar width; sides of pronotum finely bordered throughout; anterolateral setae lacking, posterolateral setae present; laterobasal impressions of pronotum faint, sublinear; elytra with fine striae, 1-7 obliterated apically, 5-7 obliterated basally; stria 7 separate to apex (not joined to stria 8), scarcely noticeable apically; stria 8 deeper than other striae, moderately grooved along posterior half; parascutellar striola well-developed, long, located between suture and stria 1; intervals uniformly flat and smooth throughout; intervals 7 and 8 not fused posteriorly, interval 8 not forming ridge externally; interval 9 transformed into marginal gutter at anterior two fifths of elytra, distinct on posterior three fifths; parascutellar pore present; discal pores in interval 3 lacking; interval 7 with two subapical pores; prosternal process unbordered; marginal gutter ended before apex of elytron; mesosternum concave; metepisternum laterally coadunate with elytral epipleuron; sterna 4-5 with pair of minute ambulatory setae; apical sternum with two marginal pores in female; mesocoxa without lateral seta, with posteromedial one; metacoxa with anterior pore; mesofemur without posterior setae; metafemur glabrous or with single pore on dorsal surface; tarsomere 5 of all legs setose ventrally.

Etymology.

A compound word, based on the ethnic name of the people in the region where the type species was first found, Bamar, and Oodes (for its etymology see Bousquet 2012: 955). It is treated as a Latin masculine.

Affinities.

In 2011, Facchini described eight new species of Chlaeniini from the Afrotropical and Oriental region, among them Hololeius cyaneus from Myanmar ( Facchini 2011: 350-351). The author noted also that the holotype of the species has sympatrically been collected with specimens of Hololeius ceylanicus , the type species of the genus. Facchini differentiated the latter from the former by: 1, size of the body; 2, coloration of the integument, including the color of femora and epipleura; 3, shape of the pronotum; 4, shape and striation of the elytra; 5, punctuation of the elytral intervals; 6, chaetotaxy of the last abdominal sternum in the females; 7, distance between the joints of the claws of tarsomere 5. Examination of the paratype and another specimen of Hololeius cyaneus from Thailand confirms that these distinguishing features are valid (except for the color of epipleura, which is not markedly different) and well-chosen for ready differentiation of these taxa. However, they are inadequate to give an idea of a more precise systematic position of the species, though some of the differences noted by Facchini are of generic value.

Careful study ascertained significant structural differences between Hololeius cyaneus and Hololeius ceylanicus (Table 2).

Five of the listed character states (1, 2, 3, 9, and 11) are of tribal magnitude, though one of them (i.e., attribute 9) shows transitional conditions in the two species. All the states are characteristic of Oodini and atypical for Chlaeniini ( Jeannel 1949a, Bousquet 1996). Point 11 exhibits a unique condition in Hololeius cyaneus that is hitherto unknown in the two tribes. However, a complete character state transformation of this feature occurs in the Oodini . Except for Bamaroodes gen. n., all other examined oodines possess a ninth interval of elytra completely transformed into a marginal gutter throughout. In my view, this special feature may be morphological evidence for transition between the two tribes, but this needs further examination. The losses of the mesocoxa lateral seta (point 13) and parallel position of the joints of the tarsal claws (attribute 14) are conditions hitherto not found together in the aforementioned tribes. Among the Oodini , the three character states occur together only in Hololeius cyaneus and Thaioodes gen. n. piceus sp. n. I believe that they have arisen as a consequence of a specific adaptation and survival strategy for an aquatic manner of living. The remaining character states (i.e., 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 16) demonstrate marked differences of a grade higher than the grade usual for species from one and the same genus. I treat each of these nine differences as of generic significance.

In conclusion, there are quite a number of considerable morphological differences between Hololeius ceylanicus and Hololeius cyaneus , which taken together are cause for the separation of the latter in a separate genus. That is why Bamaroodes gen. n. is proposed to accommodate this species. The new taxon does not share main tribal characters of chlaeniines but shows important similarities with oodines. Bamaroodes cyaneus is therefore removed to a new tribal placement within Oodini . The relationships of the new genus are discussed below (see ‘Discussion’).