Brachinus tschernikhi Mannerheim, 1801

Erwin, Terry L., 1965, A Revision Of Brachinus Of North America: Part I. The California Species (Coleoptera: Carabidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 19 (1), pp. 1-19 : 13-15

Brachinus tschernikhi Mannerheim

Brachinus tschernikhi Mannerheim, 1843: 184.

Brachinus puncticollis LeConte, 1858: 28 , ( NOMEN NUDUM). In LeConte's 1862 revision this name was omitted.

TYPE LOCALITY: " California."

TYPE SPECIMENS: The types of this species are presumed lost. The author has contacted the museum at the University of Helsinki in attempting to locate the types. Mr. Meinander, the Curator, states that these types are not in the Mannerheim collection. Material collected by Tschernik

in California was sent by Fischer von Waldheim to Mannerheim (1843: 180). If this material were reclaimed by von Waldheim it would be either in his collection at the University of Moscow or in Leningrad, but A. G. Ponomarenko in Moscow states that the types of B. tschernikhi are not in the Fischer von Waldheim collection. Dr. 0. L. Kryzhanovskij states that the types are not in the Leningrad Museum, either. The University of Moscow does have three specimens, in the Motschulsky collection, labelled "B. tschernikhi, California." It is possible that Motschulsky could have seen the Mannerheim types and subsequently identified his own specimens under that name. It is also conceivable that these specimens actually were Mannerheim's type specimens, but there is no concrete evidence indicating that to be the case. The following description is based on these three specimens, because of the assumption that they were at least compared with the "types" by Motschulsky, even if they are not Mannerheim's actual type specimens.

DISTRIBUTION: This species has a very limited range in central California, from Lake County to Merced County, but it also inhabits parts of Oregon ( fig. 16 ).

DESCRIPTION: Size. Length 7 to 9.5 mm.; width 4.2 to 4.4 mm. Coloration. Elytra of both sexes blue with blue epipleura; head and pronotum ferrugineus (sometimes varying from a yellowish shade to ferrugineus); mandibles piceous; antennal segments 1-2, legs, and frons ferrugineus; segments 3-11 black; mouthparts very dark, approaching color of outer segments of antennae; meseipsterna and venter black. Head. Labrum entire; dorsal surface of mentum slightly convex with a seta at each anterior corner; bead around eyes entire; eyes very prominent; frons with moderately deep and rugose frontal furrows; a few setae arise behind eyes and on top of head; microsculpture consists of small isodiametric meshes. Pronotum. Widest at middle with deeply sinuate sides behind; anterior angles very prominent; posterior angles very prominent, acute, with lateral basal impressions deep; lateral margins reflexed with a definite bead; disc flat, slightly rugose down midline; setiferous punctures sparsely covering dorsal surface; microsculpture consists of small isodiametric meshes. Elytra. Male elytra truncate, widest at apical third narrowing very little to prominent humeri; barely costate; microsculpture consists of small isodiametric meshes; pubescence sparse but covering elytra, occurring in all intervals. Female elytra similar, but proportionately slightly wider than those of male in apical half. Aedeagus ( fig. 7 ). Phallus long with a ridge at the dorsal apex; microsculpture lacking. The endophallus bears a poorly pigmented virga consisting of two lateral basal plates with a small median fin on the ventral side, and fused at the apex.

CALIFORNIA LOCALITY RECORDS: 47 specimens were examined. Lake County: (Clear Lake) CAS, (Cache Creek) ATM, (Lower Lake) CAS; Merced County: (Los Banos) CAS; Sacramento County: (Sacramento) UIM ATM; Yolo County: (Davis) UIM CAS ATM, (Cause Way) ATM, (Clarksburg) ATM.

DISCUSSION: Members of this species are the darkest in color of all the California Brachinus . The entire venter is black, unlike any other species. The black antennal segments are also unique (except in B. fidelis , which has the 3rd and 4th segments dark). The aedeagus closely resembles that of B. fidelis , which also indicates a close phylogenetic relationship between these species.

Figures

FIGURES 14-17, Brachinus spp. California distribution maps.

FIGURES 1-9, Brachinus spp. Aedeagus from dorsal and