Pterostichus matalini, Fedorenko, 2023

Fedorenko, D. N., 2023, A review of Pterostichus subgenus Orientostichus (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini) from Indochina, with description of new species, Russian Entomological Journal 32 (2), pp. 155-170 : 166-168

5. Pterostichus (Orientostichus) lesticoides ( Straneo, 1939)

Figs 4 , 30 , 33–34, 39.

Straneo, 1939: 122 ( Feronia ; ‘Chapa’ [= Sa Pa]);

MATERIAL. Holotype ♂ ( NHML; mesothoracic legs lost) with labels: ‘Type’ (circle edged with red); red ‘Holotypus’, ‘ Tonkin./ Chapa./ May 1916./ R. V.de Salvaza.’, ‘ Feronia / lesticoides nov./ det. ing. Straneo/ Holotypus ’, ‘Brit.Mus./ 1939- 316 ’. Paratype ♀ ( NHML) with labels ‘ Para- /type’ (circle edged with red), red ‘Paratypus’, ‘ Tonkin./ Chapa./ May 1916./ R. V.de Salvaza.’, ‘ Feronia / lesticoides nov./ det. ing. Straneo’, ‘Brit.Mus./ 1939- 316 ’; the specimen is strongly damaged, with antennomeres 5–11, left protarsomere 5 and left metatarsus lost; right elytron damaged, left one broken off behind base and glued inaccurately back; head broken off and glued roughly back, with labial palp, mentum and right maxilla dissected and mounted on separate paper rectangle.

DIAGNOSIS. This species is medium-sized for the subgenus and recognized chiefly by having pronotum quadrate, with lateral bead flattened and broadened, more so in basal half, its sides rounded, basal angles obtuse and blunt; elytra with parascutellar seta, no discal setae, intervals smooth, and microsculpture consisting of dense transverse lines.

REDESCRIPTION. BL 18.2 mm. Body ( Fig. 4 ) shiny black, elytra slightly iridescent in male. Antennae, tarsi, and tibiae toward apices dark reddish brown. Microsculpture superficial yet distinct, consisting of slightly transverse meshes on pronotum; elytral microsculpture consisting of dense transverse lines.

Head convex, without neck constriction. Eyes convex, genae short, meeting eyes at very obtuse angle; labrum barely sinuate, clypeus truncate, frontoclypeal suture fine and transverse. Frontal sulci s-shaped, moderately deep, impunctate, parallel anteriorly, then diverging, converging and shallow behind, barely surpassing level of anterior supra-ocular seta. Frons between eyes with a pair of short, impressed, diverging lines. Antennae reaching about pronotal base, antennomere 3 without extra setae; AR 1.35: 0.67: 0.96.

Pronotum quadrate, broadest just before middle, PLw/ PL 0.48 (♂) or 0.47 (♀); sides evenly rounded. Base wide, subsinuate medially, basal angles obtuse and blunt. Basolateral sulci impunctate, inner surpassing basal two fifth, deep medially, more shallow apically and basally, parallel in anterior 2/3 their lengths, diverging behind; outer sulci two thirds as long, vaguely joining inner ones along base, with a fairly smooth convexity in between and a convex plica outside. Apex evenly sinuate, apical angles slightly projecting, apically blunt; apical bead obliterate in middle third. Lateral bead slightly explanate and slightly reflexed, becoming increasingly broad basad, broadest a third from base; lateral groove disappearing in front of basal angle. Sublateral line deep, apical transverse impression vague, basal one very shallow. Median line fine, obliterate apically, vague behind basal transverse impression. Disc convex and smooth; apex faintly striated, extreme base unevenly striated and rather finely rugulose at bases of inner basal sulci and along vague lateral section of basal bead between basolateral sulci .

Elytra (when locked) almost parallel-sided, with a fairly deep preapical sinuation and a distinct preapical plica each; apices rounded combined so that sutural angle is nearly right. Base oblique, moderately wide, with striae 1–7 inside humeral angle; humeri distinct, without tooth. Basal ridge nearly straight and transverse, humeral angle obtuse. Striae fine, deep, impunctate. Intervals convex, more so in apical fourth, those 7, 8, as well as extreme apices of 5 and 6, subcarinate there; interval 9 in apical third much wider than 8th; this latter attenuated toward and subcarinate just behind humerus. Parascutellar striole and discal setae missing. Stria 7 bisetose at apex. USS: 25–29.

Ventral side smooth, sides of meso- and metathorax finely and moderately densely punctate, abdominal sternites II–III vaguely punctate. Prosternal process not beaded, inclination convex. Metepisternum as long at outer margin as wide. Male abdominal sternite VII with a low median tubercle and a fine median carina behind.

Legs: ti 1 with single postero-apical spinule; ti 3 asetose externally; meso- and metatarsomeres 1 and 2 with dorso-apical setae.

Aedeagus ( Figs 30 , 33–34, 39; median lobe reconstructed from damaged one, broken two fifths from base): median lobe in dorsal view barely wider preapically than basally; apex in lateral view distinctly s-shaped, densely striated on right side (two more characters of median lobe in lateral view, such as apically rounded re-entrant angle between basal two and apical three fifths or slightly convex 2/5 inner margin may be artifacts that have come from imperfectly reconstructing).

DISTRIBUTION. The species is known from the type locality only.

HABITATS AND HABITS. No data.

COMMENTS. The paratype is slightly different from the holotype. The pronotum is very smooth, the basolateral sulci isolated, obliterated just basally, with no basal bead traceable; the inner sulci being deep throughout, parallel anteriorly and barely diverging basad in their basal thirds; outer ones smooth, barely convex outward.

Figures

Figs 4–6. Dorsal habitus: 4 — Pterostichus lesticoides, holotype; 5 — P. prattii, ♀ from Chengkou; 6 — P. ferreroi, paratype ♂. Рис. 4–6. Габитус дорЗально: 4 — Pterostichus lesticoides, голотип; 5 — P. prattii, ♀ иЗ Chengkou; 6 — P. ferreroi, паратип ♂.

Figs 19–30. Aedeagus: 19–20, 25 — Pterostichus prattii, from Moupin, China; 21–22, 27 — P. matalini sp.n.; 23–24, 26 — P. ferreroi; 28 — P. makarovi sp.n.; 29 — P. pseudolesticoides sp.n.; 30 — P. lesticoides; 19–24 — median lobe; 25–30 — right paramere; 19, 21, 23, 25–30 — left lateral aspect; 20, 22, 24 — right lateral aspect. Scale bars 1 mm. Рис. 19–30. Эдеагус: 19–20, 25 — Pterostichus prattii, иЗ Moupin, Китай; 21–22, 27 — P. matalini sp.n.; 23–24, 26 — P. ferreroi; 28 — P. makarovi sp.n.; 29 — P. pseudolesticoides sp.n.; 30 — P. lesticoides; 19–24 — среднЯЯ долЯ; 25–30 — праваЯ парамера; 19, 21, 23, 25–30 — слева; 20, 22, 24 — справа. Масштаб 1 мм.