Anillinus affabilis (Brues)

Sokolov, Igor M., Reddell, James R. & Kavanaugh, David H., 2014, Life beneath the surface of the central Texan Balcones Escarpment: genus Anillinus Casey, 1918 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidiini): new species, a key to the Texas species, and notes about their way of life and evolution, ZooKeys 417, pp. 71-101 : 77-80

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Anillinus affabilis (Brues) Figs 1A, 3D, 4D, 5A, 6 A–C, 7 B–C, 8

Anillus affabilis Brues, 1902: 366. Leng 1920

Anillinus affabilis (Brues), Jeannel 1937; Erwin and House 1978; Bousquet 2012

Anillodes affabilis (Brues), Jeannel 1963a

Type material.

Anillus affabilis Brues, 1902: 366. Lectotype (Fig. 1A), designated by Erwin and House (1978: 233), a male, in NMNH, glued on a hair, dissected, and labeled: \ schmitti [handwritten] \ Type [typed] \ COTYPE [typed red label] \ Austin Texas [handwritten] \ HSB dissect of int. 1932 [handwritten] [these first five labels mounted on a single card] \ Anillus affabilis Brues 1902 Mann Coll. 1932 [red handwritten label with male symbol] \ LECTOTYPE [male symbol] Anillinus affabilis (Brues) By Erwin 78 \. Two paralectotypes: one female, also in NMNH, labeled: \ Austin Texas [printed] \ E. caecum [handwritten] \ type [typed with blue ink] \ TYPE [typed red label] \ ADP 115719 \ Anillodes affabilis Brues R, Jeannel det. 19 \ USNM TM #2067637 \ Paralectotype Anillus affabilis Brues recognized by Sokolov & Kavanaugh 2014 [printed yellow label] \; one male, in MCZ, labeled: \ Austin Tex \ Type [white label] \ H. C. Fall Collection \ Anillus affabilis Brues \ Paralectotype Anillus affabilis Brues recognized by Sokolov & Kavanaugh 2014 [printed yellow label]

Notes on nomenclature and types.

In his original description, Brues (1902) noted that he had examined three specimens of this species, all from Austin, Texas. In 1978, the paralectotype specimens noted above were unknown to Erwin and House (1978: 233) but they have been located in the MCZ and NMNH since then.

Recognition.

Females of Anillinus affabilis are practically indistinguishable from females of Anillinus wisemanensis , described below. From adults of other Texan species of the genus, those of Anillinus affabilis can be distinguished by the following combination of external characters: large size, comparatively narrow and transverse pronotum with rectilinearly constricted lateral margins, rather wide and long elytra with rounded apices; and males can be further distinguished by the minute spine on the posterior edge of metafemora and shape of the median lobe.

Redescription.

Medium-sized for genus (SBL range 1.73-1.96 mm, mean 1.87 ± 0.120 mm, n=3).

Habitus. Body form (Figs 1A, 5A) subdepressed, subparallel, slightly elongate (WE/SBL 0.38 ± 0.010), head normally proportioned for genus (WH/WPm 0.76 ± 0.026), pronotum moderately narrow in comparison to elytra (WPm/WE 0.78 ± 0.007).

Color. Body rufotestaceous or brunneorufous, appendages testaceous.

Microsculpture. Distinct over all dorsal surfaces of head, pronotum and elytra, with slightly transverse polygonal meshes of more or less scaly appearance on elytra.

Prothorax. Pronotum of normal length (LP/LE 0.39 ± 0.012) and slightly transverse for genus (WPm/LP 1.31 ± 0.016), lateral margins almost rectilinear and moderately constricted posteriorly (WPm/WPp 1.32 ± 0.008). Anterior angles indistinct, posterior angles slightly obtuse (100-110°). Width between anterior and posterior angles of equal length (WPa/WPp 1.00 ± 0.026). Basal margin almost straight.

Elytra. Widely depressed along suture, of normal length (LE/SBL 0.58 ± 0.008) and typical width for genus (WE/LE 0.66 ± 0.029), with traces of 4-5 striae. Humeri distinct, rounded, in outline forming right angle with longitudinal axis of body. Lateral margins subparallel, slightly divergent at basal fourth, evenly rounded to apex in apical fourth, without subapical sinuation. Vestiture of elytra short (less than one-third length of discal setae). Apex of elytron rounded.

Legs. Male protarsomere 1 markedly dilated apico-laterally with rows of adhesive setae ventrally. Male hind legs modified: metafemora with minute tooth at middle along posteroventral margin (Fig. 4D).

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites 3 and 4 of males each with a pair of protuberances at the places of setal attachments (Fig. 3D). Last visible abdominal ventrite of male slightly depressed (Fig. 3D).

Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 6A) with short basal lobe, long arcuate shaft, and strongly enlarged apex, broadly rounded at tip. Dorsal margin strongly sclerotized along almost all its length. Ventral margin enlarged along entire length from apex to basal orifice, bearing numerous poriferous canals. Dorsal sclerite in form of a semicircular blade-like structure with characteristic basal prolongations. Without distinct ventral sclerites, but with few sclerotized fields in apicoventral area. Dorsal membraneous field with small spines located dorsally from dorsal sclerite. Enlarged apical area of median lobe with a dark spine-like structure. Right paramere slightly enlarged, long and narrow, with numerous (>8) long setae (Fig. 6C), approximately equal in length to length of the paramere. Left paramere slightly enlarged apically and greatly so basally, with translucent keel and large lateral process comparable in size to paramere itself (Fig. 6B), without long setae.

Female genitalia. Gonocoxite 2 unguiform (Fig. 7B), rather long, with moderately curved blade and narrowly rounded apex, with nematiform and two ensiform setae, the lateral of which is thicker than the medial one. Laterotergite with 9-10 setae. Sper matheca (Fig. 7C, sp) with distal part of cornu (dpc) markedly dilated and abruptly narrowed to the proximal part (ppc). Nodulus (n) short, ramus undifferentiated.

Geographical distribution.

This species is known only from Travis County, Texas (Fig. 8, black triangle), in the vicinity of the Balcones Fault Zone. In addition to the lectotype and paralectotype, we have examined a total of five specimens (3 males and 2 females), all dissected: one male and one female labeled: \ TX: Travis Co., Tooth Cave, 24.V.1992, J. Reddell \ Texas Memorial Museum Invertebrate Zool Coll #27.145 \; one male and one female, in CNC, labeled: \ TX: Travis Co., Tooth Cave, 6.VI.1992, J. Reddell \ Texas Memorial Museum Invertebrate Zool Coll #27.146 \; one male, in TMM, labeled: \ TX: Travis Co., Three-Holer Cave, 18.VIII.1990, J. Reddell, M. Reyes \ Texas Memorial Museum Invertebrate Zool Coll #27.144 \.

Way of life.

All newly collected beetles were found in caves on the underside of rocks shallowly embedded in soil. Specimens of the type series were sifted from ant nests ( Brues 1902).

Relationships.

The shape of the spermatheca in females and the armature of the internal sac and type of ventral enlargement of the median lobe in males suggest a likely relationship with Anillinus forthoodensis .