Pterostichus ( Tschitscherinea ) spissipedes, Yin & Chen & Shi, 2024

Yin, Wen-Qi, Chen, Jia-Heng & Shi, Hong-Liang, 2024, Revision of the Chinese endemic subgenus Tschitscherinea Berg, with descriptions of three new species (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Zootaxa 5481 (1), pp. 43-65 : 47-48

Pterostichus ( Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov.

Figures 1–3, 16–17, 25, 35–36.

Chinese vernacular name: DZDzdzā±Ƥ

Type locality. China, Yunnan province: Lijiang County, Laojunshan ( N26.63°, E99.72°, alt 4003 m) .

Type material. Holotype, male ( IZAS): “ CHINA, Yunnan prov., Lijiang County, Laojunshan, top, N26.63098°, E99.71667° ”, “ 4003m, 2007.VIII.19, day. Liang H.B. collector, Institute of Zoology. ”, “ HOLOTYPE of Pterostichus ( Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label] . Paratypes (a total of 11 males and 12 females), 2 males and 1 female ( IZAS): the same data as holotype but labeled as paratype ; 3 females ( IZAS): “ CHINA, Yunnan prov., Lijiang County, Laojunshan grassland, N26.64341°, E99.76754° ”, “ 3510m, 2007.VIII.19, day. Liang H.B. collector, Institute of Zoology. ”, “ PARATYPE of Pterostichus ( Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label] ; 1 male ( IZAS): “ Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By the road of Benzilan to Deqin , Deqin County, Yunnan Prov., CHINA; < 3905m a.s.l., (28°19’26.1’’N, 99°05’55.0’’E)>, Limesone + brown soil, humid and cold, forest Arbie and Rhododendra; 6th July, 2002. Leg. A. Witor & M. Wu. ”, “ PARATYPE of Pterostichus ( Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label] ; 8 males and 8 females ( CHYL and CYHL): “ China, Yunnan province, Dali Bai Autonomous prefecture, Jianchuan County, Misha Township , 3500m, 2022.I, Zhang H. leg.”, “ PARATYPE of Pterostichus ( Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label] .

Diagnosis. Maxim width of head at outer margin of eyes; pronotum subquadrate; basal foveae almost impunctate; elytra with isodiametric microsculpture, parascutellar pore present; interval 3 with two setigerous pores; metatarsus strongly thickened in both sexes ( Figs 35–36), without outer-lateral ridge; right paramere falcate, ridged on dorsal surface, apex truncated ( Figs 16–17).

The new species is different from all other known species of this subgenus by the combination of: elytral parascutellar pore present; metatarsus thickened in both sexes. The new species is most similar to P. mulensis Sciaky, 1997 and P. krali Sciaky, 1997 . These three species are distinguishable from other species of the subgenus by the presence of a parascutellar pore. Compared to the rest two species, the new species is different in the following characters: (1) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., the eyes are much smaller and tempora more distinctly swell behind eyes, with eyL/tpL = 0.96–1.12; while in P. mulensis and P. krali this ratio is 1.85–1.98. (2) Elytra of P. spessipedes sp. nov. with isodiametric microsculpture while in P. mulensis and P. krali , elytra with transverse microsculpture ( Figs 45, 47). (3) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., elytral interval 3 has only two setigerous pores; but has three pores in P. mulensis and P. krali . (4) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., metatarsus are strongly thickened and in a stout form in both sexes, metatarsomere 1 with length/width = 1.7–2.0 ( Figs 35–36) and without outer-lateral ridge; while in P. mulensis and P. krali , metatarsomeres are slender as most Pterostichus species, metatarsomere 1 with length/width about 3.0 ( Figs 39–40, 42) and with distinct outer-lateral ridge. (5) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., right paramere of aedeagus are truncated on apex ( Figs 16–17); but are sharply pointed on apex in P. mulensis and P. krali ( Figs 20–21).

Description. BL = 10.3–11.2 mm, BW = 3.5–4.0 mm, dorsal surface and appendages dark reddish brown. Head slightly thickened, frons without puncture; antennae short, hardly reaching elytra base; eyes relatively small, tempora strongly swollen behind eyes, length subequal to eyes, eyL/tpL = 0.96–1.12, maxim width of head at outer margin of eyes, HW/PW = 0.62–0.65. Pronotum subquadrate, PW/PL = 1.17–1.21, PBW/PW = 0.81–0.87, widest near anterior third; anterior margin slightly narrower than posterior margin, PAW/PBW = 0.80–0.90; anterior angles broadly rounded, not projected; lateral margins subparallel, nearly straight before posterior angles; posterior angles rectangular, apex with a faint denticle. Basal foveae shallow and almost impunctate, inner and outer grooves faintly defined, area between them depressed; outer groove about half length of inner one; area between lateral margin and outer groove not ridged. Pronotum disc with faint transverse wrinkles aside median line; median line shallow. Elytra oblong and parallel-sided, BW/EL = 0.61–0.65, with isodiametric microsculpture in both sexes; parascutellar stria joined to stria 1, angular base of stria 1 usually short, apex free; parascutellar pore present; humerus with a small tooth, slightly projected out. Striae deeply incised, indistinctly punctate. Interval 3 with two setigerous pores, both adjacent to stria 2; the first one near middle, the second one near posterior fifth. Male sternite VII without secondary sexual modification; metafemora slightly thickened in males; metatarsus in a stout form in both sexes, more thickened in males (mt1 length/width = 1.7 in males, = 2.0 in females, Figs 35–36), metatarsomeres without outer-lateral ridge. Median lobe of aedeagus small (length about 1.45 mm), apex slightly bent ventrally in lateral view; apical lamella short and wide, apex rounded, slightly twisted to right; right paramere elongated and curved, falcate, apical portion thickened and carinate on dorsal surface, cross-section triangular at middle, apex truncated ( Figs 16–17). Endophallus extended to ventral side of aedeagus, gonopore opened to base of aedeagus; right apical lobe (ra) spherical with sclerotized top; left apical lobe (la) small and indistinct; with distinct scales near gonopore. ( Fig. 25).

Remarks. In the new species, the right paramere of aedeagus has slight variatons among different populations. In specimens from Deqin county, the apical portion of the right paramere is relatively slender ( Fig. 17), in comparison to those specimens from Lijiang and Jianchuan counties ( Fig. 16).

Distribution. This new species is known from three localities (Lijiang, Dali, Deqin) in the Northwest Yunnan, probably widely distributed in this area. ( Fig. 54, red)

Etymology. The scientific name of the new species is composed of two Greek roots, “ spiss -” meaning thick and “- pede ” meaning foot, referring to the new species has extraordinary thickened metatarsus in both sexes.