Coleolissus iris Andrewes, 1924

Kataev, Boris M., 2022, Notes on carabid beetles of the genera Coleolissus and Siopelus (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalini), with description of four new species with unusual aedeagi from India and China, Zootaxa 5168 (3), pp. 285-305 : 294-296

Coleolissus iris Andrewes, 1924

( Figs. 19 , 21–30 )

Coleolissus iris Andrewes, 1924: 135 .

Coleolissus andrewesi Alluaud, 1932: 19 (unnecessary replaced name for Coleolissus iris Andrewes, 1924 ).

Calathomimus splendens Ito, 1997: 518 , syn. n.

Coleolissus (Tenuistilus) turturensis Ito, 2016: 360 , syn. n.

Type material examined. Holotype of Coleolissus iris : male, labelled “Nagpur. C. P. India. 1,000 ft., 30.7.1918. E. A. D’Abreau. ”, “Type”, “ Coleolissus iris Andr. , Type, H.E. Andrewes det.”, “ Ex. Compared with perlucens Bates [Andrewes’ handwriting]”, “ Central Mus. Nagpur , C. P.”, “ H.E. Andrewes Coll., B.M. 1945–97” ( BMNH).

Holotype of Calathomimus splendens : male, labelled “N. Indien, Uttar Pradesh, Shiwalik-Kette, S. Seite, 19 km SW Dehra Dun ”, “ 600 m, 20.8.1985, leg. Hieke ”, “ HOLOTYPE Calathomimus splendens N. ITO ” ( MFNB); and paratype: 1 female, labelled “South India, Pondicherry State, Karikal ”, “ PARATYPE Calathomimus splendens N. ITO ” ( MFNB).

Additional material examined. Nepal. 1 female, Narayani / Chitwan , 13 km W Sauraha, Kasara, Chitwan-NP, 27°33′07″N 84°21′59″E, 180 m, deciduous forest, 20.VI.2005, A. Weigel leg. (cJS) ; 1 male, Sauraha, Hotel “Sweet home”, 27°35′09″N 84°29′30″E, 180 m, LFF, 5.VI.2017, A. Weigel leg. #17–22 ( NME) . Pakistan. Islamabad : 3 males, 1 female, Islamabad “SW from Garni”, 1500 m, 5–15.VII.2003, V. Gurko & S. Ovchinnikov leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 male, Islamabad, National Forest Park, 12.VII.2003, S. Ovchinnikov leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 male, Islamabad , 10.VII.2003, S. Ovchinnikov leg. ( ZIN) . North-West Frontier Prov .: 1 female, Khyber AG, middle stream Kabul river , 700–900 m, 15–22.VIII.2005, V. Gurko leg. (cWR). Balochistan : 1 female, Suleiman Mts., Zhob Valley , 1700 m, 8.V....[?] ( SIZK) . India. Punjab : 1 female, Hoshiarpur, Rormazara , 31°11′50.7″N 76°12′58.0″E, 308 m, 6–9.VII.2004, M. Uhler leg. (cDST). Kerala : 1 female, 7 km N of Munnar, Eravikulam Nature Park , 10°09′N 77°04′E, 1740 m, 12– 18.IV.1997 ( ZIN) ; 1 male, near Kallar, 30 km NE Trivandrum, 400 m, Kallar River , 8°45′N 77°05′E, 29.VI.1999, Kejval, Tryzna leg. (cFCCH). Tamil Nadu : 1 male, Vilupparam Distr., Auroville , 12°0′N 79°48′E, 1.VIII.–5.X.2012, F. Burger leg. ( NME) ; 4 females, Vilupparam Distr., Auroville, Discipline Vill. , 12°0.7′N 79°47.97′E, 1.VII– 31.VIII.2013, local collector leg. ( NME) ; 1 female, same but on Zizyphus mauritianus , 19.IX–30.X.2017, local collector leg. ( NME) . Sri Lanka. 1 female, Ratnapura Distr., Panamure env., 15.XII.1995, S. Bečvář leg. (cKM) ; 1 female, “ Hambantota , 10.XII.1979, Ex. coll. Viggo Mahler” ( ZMUC) ; 1 female, Polonaruwa , 23.XI.1984, P. Beron & S. Andreev leg. ( NMNHS) .

Diagnosis. This species is similar to C. perlucens in general habitus ( Fig. 19 ) and in many other characters including fore tibiae with longitudinal sulcus, abdominal sternites finely pubescent, last visible abdominal sternite rounded and with two pairs of setae in both sexes, but well differs from it as following: head very finely punctate, with fronto-ocular furrows reaching supraorbital furrows; mentum with a very wide and short, less prominent tooth; pronotum relatively narrower, with wider base, more widely rounded sides and more narrowly rounded basal angles; elytra relatively longer, their basal border more strongly arched, forming almost right or acute angle with lateral border; all elytral intervals finely punctate; pro- and mesotarsomeres in male less widened; meso- and metatarsomeres 4 in most specimens with three pairs of ventro-lateral setae; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs. 23–30 ) much more slender, with button-like apical capitulum and without sclerotic spines in internal sac. In addition, pronotum of C. iris is with wider yellowish brown margins, and elytra along sides and suture in apical half are also yellowish brown. Female genitalia as in Figs. 21, 22 .

Body length 7.9–9.2 mm, width 3.2–3.8 mm. Proportions (7 males and 6 females measured): HWmax/PWmax 0.62–0.68; HWmin/PWmax 0.47–0.53; HWmax/HWmin 1.25–1.38; PWmax/PL 1.34–1.43; PWmax/PWmin-ap 1.46–1.64; PWmax/PWmin-bas 1.14–1.20; EL/EW 1.54–1.61; EL/PL 2.68–2.74 in male and 2.73–2.86 in female; EW/PWmax 1.23–1.27 in male and 1.25–1.31 in female.

Distribution. This species is widely distributed over India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Andrewes (1924, 1930) recorded it from the Indian states Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and from Sri Lanka. Ito (1997) recorded it (as Calathomimus splendens ) from the Indian states of Chandigarh, Delhi, Puducherry and West Bengal, and from Nepal. It is recorded here from the Indian states of Punjab and Kerala for the first time.

Remarks. Andrewes (1924) has described C. iris from many specimens collected in different localities in India and Sri Lanka (type locality: Nagpur, India). Ito (1997) has described Calathomimus splendens from the series collected in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, also in Nepal and Sri Lanka (type locality: Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, India) as similar to Coleolisssus teradai Habu, 1978 from Taiwan without comparison of the former species with C. iris . More recently, the same author ( Ito, 2016) has described C. turturensis based on one male from Nepal as similar to C. puncticollis Ito, 2008 from Laos; he also did not compare it with either C. iris or C. splendens . Examination of the original descriptions of C. splendens and C. turturensis and the holotype and one paratype of the former species revealed that both these species are conspecific with C. iris .

Coleolissus iris demonstrates geographical variation in body length. Specimens examined from southernmost localities in India (Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and Sri Lanka are, on average, smaller (7.9–8.7 mm, mean 8.3 mm) than the specimens examined from other part of the species range (8.6–9.2 mm, mean 9.0 mm). The status of the populations from the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and from Sri Lanka needs further study based on additional material.

Figures

FIGURES 19, 20. Coleolissus iris Andrewes, 1924 (Pakistan), habitus (19); Siopelus liangi sp. n. (holotype), habitus (20). Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 21–30. Coleolissus iris Andrewes, 1924 (21, 22, Kerala; 23–26, Tamil Nadu; 27, Islamabad; 28, Nepal; 29, 30, holotype). 21, laterotergite, gonosubcoxite, and gonocoxite; 22, gonocoxite; 23, 24, 29, 30, median lobe of aedeagus; 25, right paramere; 26, left paramere; 27, 28, terminal lamella. Ventral (21), left lateral (22, 23, 25, 29), dorsal (24, 27, 28, 30) and right lateral (26) views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.