Trichotichnus (Parairidessus) perforatus, Kataev, 2020

Kataev, B. M., 2020, Description of a new subgenus of Trichotichnus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), with two new species from the Western Ghats (India), and remarks on other subgenera, Zoosystematica Rossica (China) 29 (2), pp. 172-194 : 179-183

Trichotichnus (Parairidessus) perforatus

sp. nov.

( Figs 9–15, 16 b)

Holotype. Male , “ INDIA occ., 7–11.x.2005 / Maharashtra state / MULSHI env. F. Kantner leg / 40 km W of Pune ” ( SMNS).

Paratypes. 3 males, 6 females, “ INDIA occ. Maharashtra st. / WAI env. 3–6.x.2005 / 70 km S of Pune / leg. F. & L. Kantner ” ( SMNS, ZIN) ; 1 male, 2 females, “ INDIA occ. Maharashtra sta / MAHABALESH- WAR env. / 70 km SSW of Pune / 30.ix.–2.x.2005, 1400 m / leg F.L. Kantner ” ( SMNS) .

Description (five males and five females measured). Habitus as in Fig. 9. Body length 8.9– 9.7 mm, width 3.7–4.1 mm.

Colour. Body black, slightly shiny on dorsum, very slightly iridescent on elytra; mandibles except for their apices and narrow margins, labrum and very narrow lateral margins of pronotum reddish brown; palpi, antennae and legs brownish yellow; femora not infuscate; in some specimens, tarsi slightly infuscate; ventral side with more or less distinct reddish tinge.

Head. Moderately sized (HWmax/PWmax 0.63–0.65, mean 0.64; HWmin/PWmax 0.48– 0.50, mean 0.49). Eyes large, almost hemispherical (HWmax/HWmin 1.29–1.33, mean 1.31), in lateral view very wide oval, almost touching buccal fissure ventrally. Tempora very short, slightly convex, abruptly sloped to neck, glabrous. Frons and vertex convex, with very fine micropunctures. Fronto-clypeal suture fine, shallow, straight. Frontal foveae deepened, each with short oblique depression directed inward. Fronto-ocular furrow deep at clypeus, becoming shallow posteriorly, reaching supraorbital furrow. Supraorbital furrow very narrow, touching upper margin of eye. Supraorbital setigerous pore small, located slightly before level of posterior margin of eye, separated from supraorbital furrow by distance approximately equal to one and half diameter of pore. Labrum very shallowly concave anteriorly. Clypeus slightly convex, almost straight along anterior margin, with a pair of setigerous pores located in anterior third of clypeus just at its lateral margins. Mentum ( Fig. 10) completely fused with submentum, with wide, rounded median tooth; epilobes narrow, slightly widened anteriorly; submentum with one pair of long setae. Ligular sclerite markedly narrowed anteriorly, truncate at apex, with one pair of ventroapical setae. Paraglossa moderately wide, rounded apically, markedly longer than ligular sclerite and separated from it by narrow notch. Two apical maxillary palpomeres and one apical labial palpomere densely covered with rather long setae. Labial penultimate palpomere about as long as ultimate palpomere. Apex of left mandible acute. Dorsal microsculpture highly obliterate, recognisable only laterally behind eyes, consisting of transverse meshes. Antennae slen- der, surpassing pronotal basal edge by two apical antennomeres, with antennomeres 4–8 about 2.0–2.5 times as long as wide. Basal antennomere about as long as antennomere 3.

Pronotum. Transverse (PWmax/PL 1.40– 1.49, mean 1.43), widest at the end of anterior third, narrowed posteriorly (PWmax/PWmin 1.11–1.16, mean 1.14), with one lateral seta insert- ed in widest point. Sides rounded in apical third and almost straightly converging in basal twothirds. Apical margin shallowly emarginate, very narrowly bordered along entire length, but occasionally border more or less strongly obliterate at middle; apical edge setose. Apical angles widely rounded, slightly protruded ahead, with one to four very short and fine setae (in some specimens extremely short and hardly recognised). Basal margin almost straight in middle portion, oblique laterally, bordered either along entire length or only laterally, markedly longer than apical margin and slightly shorter than base of elytra between humeral angles; basal edge glabrous. Basal angles obtuse, blunted at tip. Pronotal disc moderately convex, strongly sloped to apical angles and moderately sloped to sides in basal portion, slightly flattened at basal angles. Lateral groove very narrow in apical third, slightly widened posteriorly, reaching basal pronotal edge. Basal foveae elongate, shallow, isolated from lateral grooves by convexities. Median line distinct, superficial, almost reaching apical pronotal edge anteriorly and touching basal pronotal edge posteriorly. Surface densely and finely punctate along base, in lateral groove and at middle of apical margin; remaining areas with dense micropunctation. Microsculpture visible only along pronotal margins, consisting of very fine transverse meshes.

Elytra. Moderately convex, elongate oval (in both sexes, EL/EW 1.54–1.59, mean 1.57; EL/PL 2.91–3.08, mean 2.96; EW/PWmax 1.30–1.33, mean 1.32), widest markedly behind middle, with somewhat acute apex. Humeri angularly rounded, with a tiny denticle visible in caudal view. Subapical sinuation distinct but not deep. Sutural angle in both sexes acute and sharp at tip. Basal edge evenly arched, forming a very obtuse angle with lateral margin. Lateral groove flat throughout, at most with indistinct short elongate convexity at apex. Striae impunctate, moderately wide, rather deep along entire length, reaching anteriorly basal edge. Intervals convex, strongly narrowed apically, micropunctate. Parascutellar striole long, 0.17–0.20 times as long as elytra, with a small setigerous pore basally. Interval 3 with a small discal setigerous pore at stria 2 in the beginning of apical third. Marginal umbilicate series without gap at middle, consisting of 24–27 setigerous pores. Microsculpture on intervals visible throughout, consisting of transverse meshes, in female strongly obliterate; lateral groove and striae at bottom with isodiametric microsculpture.

B.M. Kataev. Description of new subgenus of Trichotichnus from Western Ghats

Hindwings fully developed.

Ventral surface of thorax. Prosternum, pro-, meso- and metepisterna as well as lateral portions of metasternum finely punctate. Prosternum almost glabrous, only with few very short setae at anterior margin and at apex of prosternal process. Metepisternum markedly longer than wide, strongly narrowed posteriorly.

Legs. Metacoxae without additional setae medially. Profemur with several (four to six) setae on anterio-ventral margin, in male markedly wider than in female. Protibia on upper surface without longitudinal sulcus, on outer margin with one preapical spine in male and with three such spines in female. Metafemur ventrally with two setae at posterior margin and without setae at anterior margin. Tarsi dorsally glabrous; tarsomere 5 with three to five pairs of ventro-lateral setae. Metatarsus approximately as long as HWmax, with tarsomeres markedly widened distally; metatarsomere 1 slightly shorter than metatarsomeres 2 and 3 combined; metatarsomeres 1–4 moderately densely setose ventrally. In male, pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–4 markedly widened and with adhesive scales ventrally. In female, mesotarsomere 1 elongate, almost as long as mesotarsomeres 2 and 3 combined.

Abdomen. Sternites glabrous; apex of last visible (VII) sternite bordered, subtruncate in male and rounded in female, in both sexes with two pairs of marginal setae.

Female genitalia ( Figs 11, 12). Laterotergite symmetrical, longer than wide, with four thick setae apically. Gonosubcoxite shorter than laterotergite, moderately widened posteriorly, with three preapical spines on outer margin. Gonocoxite short, about 0.47 times as long as gonosubcoxite, moderately curved, with relatively wide base and with a tiny, hardly recognisable spine on both ventral and dorsal outer edges.

Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 13–15) sclerotised only laterally, with wide membranous areas on dorsal and ventral surfaces from basal bulb to terminal lamella, in lateral view S-shaped, rather strongly bent ventrally just after basal bulb, in dorsal view somewhat parallel-sided basally and apically and widened at middle, with sides there rounded. Apical orifice in dorsal position, prolonged to basal bulb. Terminal lamella in dorsal view wide, slightly wider than long, narrowly rounded at apex, in lateral view thin, with sharp ventral flange at apex. Internal sac with a large curved spine on the right side at middle and with two large spiny formations in left basal and right apical portions of median lobe, respectively.

Comparison. This new species differs from T. saluki sp. nov. in having tarsi glabrous dorsally, setae in pronotal apical angles much shorter or occasionally indistinct, dorsum much more finely punctate (only microscopic punctures present), metafemur with two setae at posterior margin, and median lobe of aedeagus widely membranous ventrally. Additional distinctive features of T. perforatus sp.nov. are as follows: supraorbital seta located more posteriorly, antennae slightly shorter, pronotum with sides not sinuate basally and basal angles more obtuse, blunted at tip, elytra more elongate, with sharp sutural angle and slightly wider lateral groove and striae; in male, abdominal sternite VII subtruncate at tip and pro- and mesotarsi more markedly dilated.

Trichotichnus perforatus sp. nov. is somewhat similar to T. (Bottchrus) notabilis Ito, 1997 from Java in the peculiar shape of the median lobe dilat- ed at the middle, which character ( Ito, 1997: Fig. 5) makes the latter species isolated from the other Bottchrus . In other characteristics, the aedeagi of these two species are different: the median lobe of T. notabilis is sclerotised ventrally, although widely depressed, and the inner sac has no sclerotised elements.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective meaning “pierced” and referring to the unsclerotised ventral side of the aedeagus in the new species.

Distribution. Known from the Western Ghats within Satara and Pune districts, Maharashtra, India ( Fig. 16 b).