Zunotrechus, Tian & Huang & Jia, 2023

Tian, Mingyi, Huang, Sunbin & Jia, Xinyang, 2023, A contribution to cavernicolous beetle diversity of South China Karst: eight new genera and fourteen new species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini), Zootaxa 5243 (1), pp. 1-66 : 37-38

Zunotrechus n. gen.

Type species: Zunotrechus zhaojieyui n. sp. (Da Dong, Zunyi)

Generic characteristics. Medium sized for cavernicolous trechines; body stout, head and pronotum with a few sparse setae, elytra with several short pubescence along lateral margins; depigmented, eyeless and apterous; head elongate, subquadrate, longer than wide excluding mandibles; head nearly parallel-sided though slightly convex medially; frontal furrows not well-marked posteriorly; two pairs of supraorbital pores present; suborbital setae present; neck constriction short and well-defined; mandibles elongate, right mandibular tooth evidently reduced; mentum and submentum completely fused; mentum bisetose, tooth short and simple at tip, base largely concave; submentum 9-setose; antennae long, extending at about 1/8 of elytra from apex; propleura invisible from above; pronotum subcordate, as long as head excluding mandibles; lateral margins narrowly reflexed throughout, but more reflexed near hind angles; only anterior pair of latero-marginal setae present; hind angles broadly obtuse, fore angle nearly rectangular, and slightly protruded; elytra elongated ovate, broad at base and apices; moderately convex, base unbordered, sides entirely bordered and distinctly ciliated throughout; widest at about middle of elytra; striae rather shallow and vaguely traceable; two setiferous dorsal pores present on 3 rd stria, preapical dorsal pore present; humeral group of marginal umbilicate pores more or less regularly sited, but not really aggregated, 2 nd pore closer to marginal gutter than others; both pores of the middle group widely spaced; legs slender, 1 st protarsomere distinctly dilated and inwardly denticulated at apex in male; abdominal ventrite VII bisetose in male; male genitalia moderately sclerotized, median lobe very short and rather thick, slightly arcuate at median portion, without sagittal aileron, both parameres fairly developed.

Remarks. Zunotrechus n. gen. is probably close to Jiulongotrechus Tian et al., 2015 by sharing similar chaetotaxy, the 1 st protarsomere modified in male and fused labium ( Tian et al. 2015). However, it differs from Jiulongotrechus Tian et al., 2015 in: (1) right mandibular tooth reduced instead of evidently bidentate; (2) head more or less semi-aphaenopsian rather than anophthalmic; (3) whole body glabrous except several long setae covering on head and pronotum, and a few short setae along lateral margins on elytra; and (4) in particular, male genitalia short and stout, nearly straight, apex broad, vs. thin, slender, strongly curved medially and sharp at apex in Jiulongotrechus . (5) absence of posterior latero-marginal setae, vs. present in Jiulongotrechus ; (6) apical striole present, whereas absent in Jiulongotrechus . In addition, there is a large geographical gap between both above genera: about 250 kilometres in linear distance from Da Dong to Jiulong Dong in Tongren Shi, northeastern Guizhou (locality of Jiulongotrechus ).

Etymology. “ Zun + Trechus ”, “Zun” is a short name for Zunyi Shi, referring to the range of this new genus.

Distribution. China (Guizhou) ( Figure 1c ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map indicating the locality caves of the new genera and species. a. Xianren Dong; b. Shisanya Dong; c. Da Dong, Tuoluo; d. Da Dong, Bali; e. Weixiao Tiankeng; f. Laba Dong; g. Gui Dong; h. Suolue Cave I; i. Xiannü Dong; j. Jiudu Cave I; k. Xiannü Dong; l. Yunxian Dong; m. Zhongguo Dong; n. Feixian Dong.