Nebria (Epinebriola) pseudorestias, C.Huber & J.Schmidt, 2017

Huber, Charles & Schmidt, Joachim, 2017, Notes on the Nebria subgenus Epinebriola K. DANIEL, 1904 with the description of Barbonebriola subgen. nov. and 13 new species from the Himalaya-Tibet orogen (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Nebriini), Contributions to Natural History 36, pp. 1-85 : 66-72

Nebria (Epinebriola) pseudorestias sp. nov. ( Fig. 35 )

Holotype ♂: Nepal, Jaljale Himal , Thangla Bhanjyang , 4630 m, 29.VI.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°41'41" N, 87°35'32" E ( cSCHM).

Paratypes: 41 ♂ 74 ♀, same data as holotype ( NMBE, cSCHM) ; 42 specimens same data as holotype ( ZSM) ; 18 ♂ 24 ♀, Nepal, Jaljale Himal , Thangla Pokhari , 4340 m, 30.VI.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°43'09" N, 87°34'54" E ( NMBE, cSCHM) ; 53 ♂ 63 ♀, Nepal, Sankhua Wasabha , W-slope Lumba Sumba pass , 4830 m, 4.VII.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°44'24" N, 87°37'55" E ( NMBE, cSCHM) ; 40 specimens W-slope Lumba Sumba pass , 4830 m, 4.VII.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°44'24" N, 87°37'55" E ( ZSM) ; 1 ♂, Nepal, Sankhua Wasabha , Somne E Thudam , 4150 m, 2.VII.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°45'16" N, 87°35'58" E ( cSCHM) ; 2 ♂, Nepal, Taplejung distr. , S Lumba Sumba pass , 4750 m, 5.VII.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°43'24" N, 87°39'20" E ( cSCHM) ; 2 ♀, Nepal, Taplejung distr. , S Lumba Sumba Himal , upper Palung Khola Vall ., 4200 m, 6.VII.2011, leg. S. Tamang, 27°41'12" N, 87°40'15" E ( cSCHM) ; 6 ♂ 3 ♀, Nepal, Taplejung distr. , ascent to Tangje La NW Walungchung Gola , 4400–4600 m, alpine steppe , 23 May 1988, leg. Martens & Schawaller, Nepal-Expeditionen Jochen Martens, Nebria orestias Andr. det. Shilenkov 1994 [2 specimens] ( SMNS, ZFMK) ; 1 ♂ 3 ♀, Nepal, Sankhua Wasabha distr. , ascent to Meropapa La from Gabri Khola S Thudam , 4300–4600 m, meadows with dwarf Rhododendron , 26 May 1988, leg. Martens & Schawaller, Nepal-Expeditionen Jochen Martens ( SMNS, ZFMK) ; 2 ♂ 2 ♀, Nepal, Sankhua Wasabha distr. , from Thudam to Gabri Khola , 4000–4250 m, 27 May 1988, dwarf Rhododendron , leg. Martens & Schawaller, Nepal-Expeditionen Jochen Martens ( SMNS, NMBE) ; 1 ♀, Nepal, Sankhua Wasabha distr. , descent from Pomri La , S slope , 4550– 4450 m, on snow cover, 29.V.1988, leg. Martens & Schawaller, Nepal-Expeditionen Jochen Martens ( SMNS) .

Additional material examined: 9 specimens, Nepal, Mechi/Taplejung , 500 m NE Ghunsa , 3500–3600 m, stone debris/mixed forest, 10.5.2003, leg. A. Weigel, 27°39'48" N, 87°56'36" E ( NMBE, NME, cSCHM) ; 1 ♂ 2 ♀, Nepal, S Kangchenjunga , Hadi Pokhari , 4300 m, 13.VI.2012, leg. S. Tamang, 27°25'12" N, 88°01'16" E ( cSCHM) ; 2 ♀, Nepal, S Kangchenjunga, Timbu (wa) Pokhari , 4350–4500 m, 14–16.VI.2012, leg. S. Tamang, 27°26' N, 88°03' E ( cSCHM) .

Body length 9–10.5 mm.

Colour: Black. Head without bright spot on vertex. Pronotum sometimes blackish brown, brighter than the head. Appendages of the head piceous. Legs black with testaceous knees and tarsi, occasionally tibiae testaceous. Antennae reddish-brown, antennal scape occasionally infuscated.

Head slightly constricted behind the prominent eyes. Anterior margin of the labrum straight, bearing six setae. Apical margin of the clypeus straight or scarcely concave; clypeus laterally usually unisetose. Frontoclypeal suture slightly concave. Frons laterally near the insertion of the antennal scape faintly obliquely wrinkled, medially distinctly transversally wrinkled. Eyes prominent. Supraorbital setation bilaterally unisetose (rarely unilaterally or bilaterally bisetose). Vertex impunctate with an isodiametric microreticulation. Antennae long, extending to the middle of the elytra. Antennal scape oval-elongate, shorter than the the eye's diameter, distinctly narrowed basally and apically, with one dorsal seta; 2 nd antennomere with one ventroapical seta. Penultimate labial palpomere trisetose. Stipes normal. Ligula spiny, with two lateral setae. Mentum obtusely bidentate with only a shallow incision between the denticules. Submentum with a row of 10–12(–15) setae, medially interrupted.

Pronotum ( Fig. 36A ): Bulging, subcordate, widest at apical third. Lateral margin widely rounded to the anterior angles. Anterior angle acutely rounded, protruding. Lateral margin evenly rounded to the posterior angles with a weak concave sinuation just in front of the angles which acutely protrude backwards. Lateral margin near base strongly and nearly vertically reflexed. Basal margin deeply bisinuate. Apical margination of the pronotum restricted to lateral one-fourth, merges with a short ridge at the apex of the anterior angle. Base of the pronotum not margined. One midlateral seta present in the apical half at widest diameter of the pronotum, inserted in a distinct groove at the inside of the slightly upturned margin. The insertion groove of the midlateral seta disturbs the outline of the pronotum. Lateral explanation narrow, distinctly narrowed just behind the midlateral seta, then broadened basally. Base narrower than apex. Basolateral seta present, inserted at the inside of the edge of the lateral margin. Apical and basal transverse impressions distinct, distinctly and sparsely punctate. Transverse impressions faintly and sparsely punctate; longitudinal impression weak, reaching neither the apical nor the basal margin; paralaterally transversally wrinkled. Basal fovea deep due to the strongly reflexed lateral margin. Microreticulation isodiametric. Prosternal process elongate, rounded apically, laterally and apically unmargined, longitudinally bulging. Proepisternum smooth.

Elytra: Convex, ovoid-elongate, sparsely narrowed basally, laterally faintly convexly sinuate at basal third. Humeral carina weakly present. Scutellar setae absent. Striae shallow, obliterated apically and laterally, but deeply incised near base. Striae finely punctate, obliterated apically. Intervals scarcely convex on disc, but distinctly near base. Microreticulation transverse. 3 rd interval without discal setae, with 0–2 setae at the elytral decline just at apex. 5 th and 7 th interval asetose.

Sternum 3 medially asetose. Sterna 4–6 with 3–5 posterior paramedial setae; sterna laterally with shallow impressions. Anal sternum with 2(–3) paramedial setae in male, and with (2)–3 setae in female. Mesepisternum smooth and impunctate. Metepisternum smooth, 1.8 times as long as wide. Metacoxa basally and apically unisetose.

Legs: Long and slender. Tarsi dorsally glabrous. Metatarsomere 4 with a short ventral tooth. In male protarsomeres 1–3 expanded, with pads of adhesive setae ventrally. Metatorsomere 5 shorter than metatarsomeres 3+4.

Male genitalia: Edeagus ( Fig. 37A ): Base of the median lobe wide, with prominent basolateral lobes. Base fading abruptly to the thick mid-shaft. Midshaft long, strongly curved at base, straight to the apex. Apex in front of the tip on ventral side distinctly convex. Tip short. Apex deflected to the left. Midshaft of the endophallus without setae.

Female genitalia: Gonocoxa ( Fig. 10I ): Gonocoxite 2 triangular, short, one third the length of gonocoxite 1, broad at base. Apex broadly rounded, dorsally arcuate and distinctly grooved. Ventral preapical insertion furrow short-oval, with two nematiforme setae. Gonocoxites ventrally unjointed and continuously sclerotized, dorsally separated by a membranous area.

Body ratios: see Tab. 3 .

Morphometry: The scatterplot of the shape PCA shows that the three populations of N. pseudorestias sp. nov. from different localities of the Jaljale Himal (Thangla Bhanjyang, Tangje La, Lumba Sumba pass ) differ clearly from the holotype specimen of N. orestias along the first shape PC, and from the sympatric species N. tangjelaensis along the second shape PC ( Fig. 38A ).

The scatterplots of the three Jaljale populations of N. pseudorestias sp. nov. are almost entirely overlapping, indication that they belong to a single species. We performed another shape PCA including only these three populations and the type specimen of N. orestias . The scatterplot ( Fig. 38B ) shows a clear separation of N. orestias along the first and second shape PC. The isolation of the N. orestias holotype is furthermore based on true shape differences and not just due to allometric scaling.

The LDA ratio extractor was used to find the best body ratio for separating N. orestias and N. pseudorestias sp. nov. The best separating body ratios are frons width / scape length (2.08 in N. orestias , 2.39 in N. pseudorestias sp. nov.), and pronotum maximal width / pronotum apical width (1.31 in N. orestias , 1.42 in N. pseudorestias sp. nov.) ( Fig. 38C , Tab. 3 ).

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the similar species N. orestias ANDREWES, 1932 .

Diagnosis: Lateral margin of the pronotum widely rounded towards the anterior angles in N. pseudorestias sp. nov., whereas in N. orestias the lateral margin is only slightly narrowed to the anterior angles. Anterior angles of the pronotum acutely protruding in N. pseudorestias sp. nov. ( Fig. 32A ), scarcely protruding in N. orestias ( Fig. 32B ). Prosternal process laterally unmargined in N. pseudorestias sp. nov., margined in N. orestias . Median lobe with a long mid-shaft and a short apical tip in N. pseudorestias sp. nov., with a shorter midshaft and a longer apical tip in N. orestias . Lateral margin of the pronotum regularly rounded with a faint concave sinuation in front of the posterior angles in N. pseudorestias sp. nov., whereas in the sympatric N. tangjelaensis the lateral margin proceeds rectilinearly to the posterior angles. Furthermore, N. pseudorestias sp. nov. differs from N. tangjelaensis by its different edeagus outline.

Shilenkov (1998) placed N. tangjelaensis close to N. orestias without giving details. There is indeed one character (the unisetose basal margin of the metacoxa) which allows to pool four of the 20 known taxa from the Eastern Himalaya range: N. orestias , N. pseudorestias sp. nov., N. tangjelaensis and N. incarinata sp. nov. (see below). Due to considerable differences in the median lobes, in pronotal and humeral characters we state a close relationship only for N. orestias and N. pseudorestias sp. nov.

Distribution ( Fig. 41 ): Based on current data, the distribution of N. pseudorestias sp. nov. seems to be restricted to the western and southern slopes of the Kangchenjunga Massif (including the higher portions of the Singalila mountain range) and to the westerly adjacent Lumbasumba Himal and Jaljale Himal.

Habitat: Not noted.

Figures

Fig. 35: Nebria (Epi- nebriola) pseudorestias sp. nov. Holotype. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 36: Left part of the pronotum. A: Nebria (Epinebriola) pseudorestias sp. nov. B: N. (E.) orestias ANDREWES, 1932, holo- type (BMNH). Scale bar = 1 mm

Fig. 37: Male edeagi. A: Nebria (Epinebriola) pseudorestias sp. nov. B: N. (E.) orestias ANDREWES, 1932, with parameres; holotype (BMNH). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 10: Right gonocoxae of Epinebriola species, in ventral view. A: Nebria (Epinebriola) triseriata sp. nov.; B: N. (E.) rupina sp. nov.; C: N. (E.) montisanimae sp. nov.; D: N. (E.) impunctata sp. nov.; E: N. (E.) tuberculata sp. nov.; F: N. (E.) numburica sp. nov.; G: N. (E.) numburica sp. nov. in lateral view with the distale gonocoxite 2 dorsally grooved (arrow); H: N. (E.) christinae HUBER & SCHMIDT, 2007; I: N. (E.) pseudorestias sp. nov.; J: N. (E.) retingensis sp. nov.; Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 38 A: Scatterplot of first against second PC of Nebria (Epinebriola) orestias ANDREWES, 1932, of three pop- ulations of N. (E.) pseudorestias sp. nov. from different localities in the Lumba Sumba Himal, and of N. (E.) tangjelaensis SHILEN- KOv, 1998.

Fig. 32: Gonocoxae of Nebria (Epinebriola) delicata sp. nov., in caudal view.

Fig. 41: Locations with occurrences of Nebria (Epinebriola) species from the Central and Eastern Himalaya and from South Tibet.