Trechus (Trechus) qiqiensis Deuve, 2016

Deuve, Thierry, Kavanaugh, David H. & Liang, Hongbin, 2016, Inventory of the Carabid Beetle Fauna of the Gaoligong Mountains, Western Yunnan Province, China: Species of the Tribe Trechini (Coleoptera: Caraboidea), with Descriptions of Four New Genera, One New Subgenus and 19 New Species., Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 63 (12), pp. 341-455 : 392-395

Trechus (Trechus) qiqiensis Deuve and Kavanaugh, sp. nov.

( Figs. 20 , 37b , 42a , 46–48 )

TYPE MATERIAL.— Holotype, a male, in IOZ, labeled: “CASENT 1007384”/ “ CHINA, Yunnan Province, Gaoligong Shan, Nujiang Prefecture, Nujiang State Nature Reserve , No. 12 Bridge Camp area , 16.3 airkm W of Gongshan,”/ “ N27.71503° / E98.50244°, 2775 m, 15-19 July 2000, Stop#00-23A, D.H. Kavanaugh , C.E. Griswold, Liang H.-B., D. Ubick, & Dong D.-Z. collectors”/ “IMAGE” [green label]/ “ HOLOTYPE Trechus qiqiensis Deuve & Kavanaugh, sp. nov. designat- ed 2016” [red label]. Paratypes (at total of 11): 2 males and 4 females (in CAS, IOZ, MNHN) labeled: same as holotype, except first label “CASENT 1007380” to “CASENT 1007381” and “CASENT 1007382” to “CASENT 1007383” and “CASENT 1007385” to “CASENT 1007386”, respectively ; 1 male and 2 females (in CAS, IOZ) labeled: “CASENT 1010345” and “CASENT 1010346” to “CASENT 1010347”/ “ CHINA, Yunnan, Gongshan County, Cikai Township , 52.6 km W of Gongshan on Dulong Valley Road, 3360-3380 m,”/ “ N27.77032° / E98.44661°, 1-2 October 2002, Stop #DHK-2002-034, D.H. Kavanaugh & P.A. Marek collectors” ; 1 male (in CAS) labeled: “CASENT 1015626”/ “ CHINA, Yunnan, Gongshan County, Cikai Township , 48 km W of Gongshan on Dulong Valley Road, 3330 m,”/ “ N27.78075° / E98.47000°, 13 November 2004, Stop # DHK-2004-086, D.H. Kavanaugh collector” ; 1 male (in IOZ) labeled: “CASENT 1025832”/ “ CHINA, Yunnan, Gongshan County, Bingzhongluo Township, SW slope of Kawakarpu Shan , 0.3 km SW of Chukuai Lake at campsite,”/ “ N27.97686° / E98.47799°, 3750 m, 19 August 2006, Stop #DHK-2006-082, Y. Liu collector”. All paratypes also bear the following label: “ PARATYPE Trechus qiqiensis Deuve & Kavanaugh, sp. nov. designated 2016” [yellow label] .

TYPE LOCALITY.— China, Yunnan, Gongshan County, Qiqi Trail at No. 12 Camp , N27.71503° / E98.50244°, 2775 m .

DERIVATION OF SPECIES NAME.— The species epithet, qiqiensis , is derived from the name of the ancient trail, Qiqi Trail, passing through the type locality, and the Latin suffix, -ensis, denoting place.

DIAGNOSIS.— Adults of this species ( Fig. 20a ) can be distinguished from those of all other species in the region by the following combination of character states: size relatively large (BL = 4.0 to 4.2 mm), apterous; body color reddish-brown; eyes slightly convex; tempora glabrous, short and convex; pronotum transverse (ratio PW/PL = 1.44), basal angles rectangular and sharp; elytra with striae 1 to 4 deeply impressed on disc but attenuated apically, remaining striae successively less distinct, the outermost effaced or nearly so; recurrent stria terminated anteriorly by a slight convexity in line with stria 7; two discal setae present, inserted on interval 3 next to stria 3; preapical seta present and inserted in a discal position on interval 3, next to either stria 2 or 3 in forward position near apical one-fourth of elytra; median lobe of male aedeagus large and robust, subapically bent ventrally, apical lamella sinuate and reflexed dorsally ( Fig. 20b ), endophallus with a more heavily sclerotized voluminous lobe or scaly fold.

DESCRIPTION.— Size relatively large, BL = 4.0 to 4.2 mm. Body color reddish-brown, shiny, appendages concolorous but paler, palpi pale yellow. Body surface smooth, only head capsule faintly alutaceous.

Head. Moderate in size; eyes only slightly projected, slightly more convex, their diameter less than twice as long as tempora, the latter short, convex and glabrous. Frons slightly flattened; frontal furrows deep, curved, continuous but attenuated posterior to the eyes. Two pairs of supraorbital setae present, the anterior pair inserted in foveae. Clypeus with four setae. Labrum with six setae, anterior margin distinctly concave. Mandibles short; right mandible distinctly tridentate with middle tooth closer to basal tooth (premolar) than to distal tooth, left mandible with a small slightly bifid process. Mentum and submentum not fused but suture between them only faintly impressed. Mentum with medial tooth broad and apically truncate, about one-half the length of the lateral lobes. Submentum with six setae anteriorly. Gula wide. Genae with a single seta ventrally on each side. Antennae short, extended posteriorly to basal one-sixth of elytra, with about 2 or 3 antennomeres extended posteriorly beyond basal pronotal margin; antennomeres 2 and 3 about equal in length, antennomere 4 slightly shorter.

Pronotum. Transverse (ratio PW/PL = 1.44), narrowed posteriorly, greatest width near anteri- or one-fourth; lateral margins markedly rounded, with a short sinuation just anterior to basal angles, the latter small, rectangular and sharp. Disc convex, smooth and glabrous, median longitudinal impression finely impressed, but continuous between anterior and posterior margins; basal foveae distinct, circular; median basal area faintly rugulose, delimited laterally by short, oblique furrows. Basal margin nearly rectilinear, slightly projected medially. Lateral borders of pronotum moderately slender, regular, narrowly and regularly reflexed, lateral grooves narrow but distinctly impressed. Single midlateral setae on each side inserted slightly anterior to middle; single basolateral seta on each side, inserted at basal angle.

Elytra. Ovoid, humeri distinct but rounded. Disc convex and smooth. Striae finely punctate, intervals faintly convex; striae 1 to 4 deeply impressed but attenuated apically, stria 5 more faintly impressed, striae 6 to 8 effaced or nearly so. Parascutellar striole present. Recurrent stria terminated anteriorly by a slight convexity at the presumed location of stria 7 apically. Basal setiferous pore present at common origin of striae 1 and 2. Two discal setae present and inserted next to stria 3, one at anterior one-fourth and one near middle of elytra. Preapical seta present and inserted in a discal position on interval 3, next to either stria 2 or 3 in forward position at apical one-fourth of elytra in most specimens; in a few specimens two preapical setae present, one inserted farther forward next to stria 3, as a third discal seta, the second inserted less far forward and next to stria 2. Umbilicate setal series with setae of humeral group equidistance from each other and setae of medi- an group inserted slightly posterior to middle.

Legs. Medium proportions, slightly short, protibiae with longitudinal furrow. Male protarsomeres 1 and 2 dilated and apicomedially toothed.

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites glabrous, except for a single paramedial seta on each side, and ventrite VII of males apically with one pair of paramedial setae, of females with two pairs.

Male aedeagus. Median lobe ( Fig. 20b ) large and robust, with a moderate-sized sagittal aileron; shaft subapically bent ventrally; apical lamella sinuate and reflexed dorsally, bluntly point- ed apically; endophallus with a more heavily sclerotized voluminous lobe or scaly fold.

HABITAT DISTRIBUTION.— Members of this species have been found at elevations ranging from 2775 to 3750 m in a variety of habitats. At the lowest elevation (2775 m), specimens were collected by sifting meager leaf litter and mosses on the forest floor and on rotting logs ( Fig. 42a ). This area had abundant conifers ( Abies , Thuja , and Picea species) that formed a partly open canopy. Litter and mosses were moist and substrate underneath was composed of crumbling granitic sand. Specimens of Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta sp. nov. were also collected in the same litter samples at this site. At higher elevations (above 3300 m), specimens were found under stones in meadows, talus slopes, in low Rhododendron thickets, and on heath-covered tundra slopes ( Fig. 37b ). In such areas, T. qiqiensis specimens were found syntopic with those of Queinnectrechus (Gaoligongtrechus) balli and Queinnectrechus (s. str.) griswoldi , and at highest elevation (3750 m) also with members of Trechus gongshanensis sp. nov.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN THE GAOLIGONG SHAN.— Fig. 20c . We examined a total of 12 specimens (5 males and 7 females), all from Bingzhiongluo and Cikai Townships in Gongshan County on the crest and eastern slope of the northern part of the Gaoligong Shan (see Type material above for exact collection data). These localities are all in Core Area 2 .

OVERALL GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.— This species currently is known only from Gongshan County on the crest and eastern slope of the northern part of the Gaoligong Shan, in western Yunnan Province, China.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Trechus qiqiensis sp. nov.; a. Dorsal habitus (CASENT1007384). b. Median lobe of aedeagus of male (CASENT1007384), left lateral aspect. c. Map of locality records (red circles) for T. qiqiensis in the Gaoligong Shan region. Scale lines a, b = 0.5 mm, c = 100 km.

FIGURE 37. Photographs of habitats for trechine species in the Gaoligong Shan region. a. Lushui County, Pianma Township,9.3 km ENE of Pianma along road to Lushui at Changyan He, elevation 2460 m; habitat in which specimens of Trechepaphiopsis unisetosa (Deuve), T. uniporosa sp. nov., and Trechepaphiama gaoligong sp. nov. were collected. b. Gongshan County, Cikai Township, slope S of of Heipu Yakou, elevation 3370 m; habitat in which specimens of Queinnectrechus griswoldi sp. nov., Q. balli sp. nov., and Trechus qiqiensis sp. nov. were collected. Photos by David H. Kavanaugh.

FIGURE 42. Photographs of habitats for trechine species in the Gaoligong Shan region. a. Gongshan County, Cikai Township, Qiqi Trail at No. 12 Bridge Camp area, elevation 2775 m; habitat in which specimens of Trechus qiqiensis sp. nov. and Trechepaphiopsis monochaeta sp. nov. were collected. b. Fugong County, Shiyueliang Township, 11.5 km above Shibali on Shibali Road, elevation 3290 m; habitat in which the holotype of Trechus pseudoqiqiensis sp. nov. was collect- ed. Photos by David H. Kavanaugh.

FIGURE 46. Chart showing the representation of trechine species in project-designated Core Areas (see Fig. 3) in the Gaoligong Shan region.

FIGURE 47. Chart illustrating the altitudinal ranges of trechine species represented in the Gaoligong Shan region.

FIGURE. 48. Chart illustrating the co-occurence (syntopy) of trechine species in samples from the same habitats and at the same sites in the Gaoligong Shan region.