Harpalus parvulus Dejean, 1829

Kataev, Boris M., 2021, On some Afrotropical Harpalus, with description of two new species, and remarks on Hypharpax australis (Coleoptera: Carabidae): misidentification, mislabeling and introduction to the Australian region, Zootaxa 5020 (1), pp. 31-56 : 46-49

Harpalus parvulus Dejean, 1829

( Figs 37 –44)

Harpalus parvulus Dejean, 1829: 393 .

Harpalus australasiae: Larochelle & Larivière, 2005: 53 (non Dejean, 1829).

Type material examined. Holotype of H. parvulus : ♂, labeled “ ♂ ”, “parvulus m. ad. Cap. Bon. sp.” [Dejean’s handwriting], “Goudot”, and “Ex Musaeo Chaudoir” ( MNHN).

Additional material examined. South Africa: 1 ♂, “C. b. Sp.”, “ parvulus Winth. Cap. ” [Ménétriés’ handwrit- ing] ( ZIN) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, “ S. Afri. Cape Prov., De Hoop Vlei, 20 miles E Bredasdorp, 2.I.1951, Swedish South Africa Expedition 1950–1951, Brinsk–Rudebeck”, “ Harpalus parvulus Dej., Basilewsky leg.” ( ZIN) ; 1 ♀, Cape Prov., Cape Ayulhas , 35°50’S 20°00’E, 4.XII.1996, M. & B. Uhlig leg. ( MFNB) ; 1 ♂, “Transvaal Heidelberg u. Ptetoria F. Wilms S.V. ” ( MFNB) .

Australia: 1 ♂, “N.S.W., Narabeen Lagoon , 19.VII.1983 ”, “FMHD #83–277, Xostrun & Casurina drift, L.E. Watrous ” ( FMNH) ; 1 ♀, “ S. Austl., 8 km SE Adelaide, Waterfall Gulley , 24.VI.1983 ”, “FMHD #83–245, compost heap, L.E. Watrous ” ( FMNH) .

Re-description (5 ♂♂ and 2 ♀♀ measured). Small (body length 5.9–7.0 mm). Habitus as in Figs 37 and 38 . Body dark brown to black, usually with green luster on dorsum; palpi, antennomeres 3–11 or 4–11, femora, tibial apices and in most specimens also tarsi blackish brown; palpomeres apically, two or three basal antennomeres, tibiae basally and occasionally tarsi brownish yellow.

Head moderately sized (HWmax/PWmax 0.59–0.65, HWmin/PWmax 0.48–0.51), impunctate, with large and convex eyes (HWmax/HWmin 1.17–1.29). Tempora oblique, somewhat flat. Frontal foveae very small and shallow, punctiform. Supraorbital seta situated near supraorbital furrow at level of posterior margin of eye or slightly before it. Genae narrow, about as wide as antennomere 1. Labrum almost straight or slightly concave anteriorly. Mentum separated from submentum by complete suture, with short and obtuse median tooth. Submentum with one long and one short lateral setae on each side. Epilobes narrow, slightly widened apically. Ligular sclerite narrow, not widened apically, with straight apical margin and with two ventroapical setae. Paraglossae wide, rounded apically, projecting slightly ahead beyond ligular sclerite, each at least with one marginal seta. Basal labial palpomere not carinate ventrally; ultimate labial palpomere about as long as penultimate one. Dorsal microsculpture fine, but distinct, consisting of isodiametric meshes.

Pronotum transverse (PWmax/PL 1.44–1.55), widest at the middle, markedly narrowed apically and only slightly narrowed basally, with sides in basal half straight or slightly sinuate. One pair of lateral setae just before widest point of pronotum. Apical margin moderately, usually arcuately emarginate. Apical angles markedly, but not strongly prominent, bordered only laterally. Basal angles almost right or slightly more than 90°, blunted or very nar- rowly rounded at tip. Basal margin nearly straight, slightly oblique laterally, completely bordered, markedly longer than apical margin, glabrous or with very fine and short, indistinct setae. Surface moderately convex, without lateral depressions, impunctate, at most with a few very fine punctures within narrow and very shallow basal foveae. Microsculpture distinct, consisting of more or less isodiametric (mostly apically and basally) and of slightly transverse (medially) meshes.

Prosternum with very fine and short setae along anterior margin and laterally. Metepisternum slightly longer than wide, strongly narrowed posteriorly, its posterior portion very narrow.

Elytra moderately elongate (in male, EL/EW 1.36–1.43, EL/PL 2.36–2.47, and EW/PWmax 1.16–1.21; in female, these indices 1.40–1.42, 2.46–2.59, and 1.14–1.21, respectively), widest about the middle; sides in medial portion very widely rounded, almost straight; preapical sinuation moderately deep. Basal margin only slightly longer than pronotal basal margin. Shoulders slightly prominent, angularly rounded, each with very small acute denticle recognizable in dorsal view. Basal border glabrous, forming right or obtuse angle with lateral elytral margin. Sutural angle not projecting posteriorly, acute, with apex sharp or slightly blunted. Striae fine, impunctate, not or only slightly impressed apically. Parascutellar setigerous pore present. Parascutellar (abbreviate) striole short, connected basally with parascutellar pore, free at apex, occasionally highly reduced. Intervals impunctate and glabrous, almost flat on disc and slightly convex at apex. Intervals 3, 5 and 7 without discal pores. Marginal umbilicate series with somewhat wide gap at middle (this gap almost as long as anterior row of pores). Microsculpture consisting of slightly transverse meshes on disc and of isodiametric meshes along basal edge, at apex and on two lateral intervals.

Hind wings fully developed.

Metepisternum notably longer than wide, strongly narrowed posteriorly.

Metacoxa without additional median and posteromedial pores; metafemur with four setigerous pores along posterior margin. Protibia moderately widened apically, with three preapical spines on outer margin (isolated from spines on ventral side) and with one ventroapical spine (without distinct ventroapical tubercle). Tarsi glabrous dorsally; metatarsus slender, with tarsomere 1 shorter than tarsomeres 2 and 3 combined. In male, pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–4 dilated and with biseriate adhesive vestiture ventrally.

Abdominal sternites without additional long setae, only medial portions of sternites III and IV finely and sparsely pubescent. Last visible abdominal sternite ( VII) without pronounced sexual dimorphism, in both sexes rounded at apex and with two pairs of marginal setae.

Female genitalia (Figs 41, 42): gonocoxite moderately wide, with long setae on dorsal edge and in scrobe of outer side.

Median lobe of aedeagus (Figs 39, 40, 43, 44) evenly bent ventrally before the middle, with apical half slightly curved to the right; its ventral margin in lateral view almost straight. Terminal lamella slightly longer than wide, with sides roundly converging and with apex angularly protruding ventrally. Internal sac with two spines similar in size, both in medial portion of median lobe.

FIGURES 39–44. Harpalus parvulus Dejean, 1929 (39–42, S Africa, Cape Prov.; 43, 44, Australia, N.S.W.). 39, 40, 43, 44, median lobe of aedeagus; 41, gonocoxite; 42, laterotergite, gonosubcoxite, and gonocoxite. Lateral (39, 41, 43), dorsal (40, 44) and ventral (42) views. Scale bar = 0. 5 mm.

Distribution. Harpalus parvulus occurs as native in South Africa and Botswana ( Basilewsky 1951) and was recorded as adventive from Australia (New South Wales and South Australia) ( Kataev 2015). This species has long been known from Australia (including Tasmania) and New Zealand, where it was also introduced, under the incorrect name H. australasiae (see, for example, Larochelle & Larivière 2005). Since in the collections the latter name is sometimes erroneously attributed to Hypharpax australis (see examined material of the later species below) and to some other species of this genus, all previous records of H. australasiae should be verified.

Comparison. Harpalus parvulus is similar to H. fuscoaeneus from Southern Africa and to the four species considered above from East Africa in small body size (length 5.9–7.0 mm), infuscate antennae, impunctate pronotum, short or highly reduced parascutellar striole and in aedeagus with two spines in internal sac; however it distinctly differs from them in shape of pronotum, which is weakly narrowed basally and with almost right basal angles (in H. fuscoaeneus and four species considered above from East Africa, pronotum is more or less equally narrowed apically and basally, with basal angles obtuse, often rounded at apex). In addition, H. parvulus is distinguished from H. fuscoaeneus by having metafemur with four setigerous pores along posterior margin, elytra with slightly transverse microsculpture on disc and deeper preapical sinuation but probably constantly without discal setigerous pore on interval 3; besides, median lobe of H. parvulus is less strongly bent ventrally and laterally, and spines in its internal sac are situated in medial portion closer to each other than in H. fuscoaeneus .

Remarks. Harpalus parvulus was originally described from one male from Cape of Good Hope (“cap de Bonne-Espérance”). The examined holotype ( Fig. 38 ) well corresponds to Dejean’s (1829) original description and to Basilewsky’s (1951) subsequent treatment. It also agrees with the description and illustrations provided by Larochelle & Larivière (2005) for H. australasiae and with the specimens examined from Southern Africa and Australia. The median lobes of the African and Australian specimens are showed in Figs 39, 40 and 43, 44, respectively.

Figures

FIGURES 37, 38. Harpalus parvulus Dejean, 1929 (37, S Africa; 38, holotype), habitus. Scale bar = 1.0 mm.