Chydaeus loeffleri loeffleri ( Jedlička, 1966 ), loeffleri (Jedlicka, 1966

Kataev, Boris M. & Schmidt, Joachim, 2019, New data on the irvinei group of Chydaeus of the Himalaya from Nepal and southern Tibet (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini), Zootaxa 4686 (2), pp. 202-214 : 207-209

Chydaeus loeffleri loeffleri ( Jedlička, 1966)

( Figs 4 , 13, 25 )

Type material examined. Holotype: ♂, labelled “ Nepal, prov. Nr 3, East Umg. Thami, 13.VIII.1964, 4000 m, Löffler leg. (44). Staatsslg. München”, “ Holotypus ”, “ Harpalus loeffleri sp.n., det. Ing. Jedlicka ”, “Zool. Staatsslg. München” ( ZSM).

Additional material examined. Nepal: 1 ♂, “ Nan Gaon (= Na village), 4400 m [= 4000–4100 m] Rolwaling- tal”, “Gaurisankargebiet Nepal Löffler 1964” ( ZISP) ; 1 ♂, “ NEPAL: Mt. Everest env, W von Thami 13.8.1964 lg. Löffler” (cWR) ; 2 ♂♂, Bei Nan Gaon , 4400 m, Gauri-sankar-gebiet, 1964, Löffler leg. (former collection of W. Heinz: SMNS) ; 31 specimens (♂♂ and ♀♀), Na village , 4000–4100 m, 16.IX.1999, Schmidt leg. (cJS, SMTD) ; 70 specimens (♂♂ and ♀♀), Beding to Na 3600–4000 m, 14/ 15.IX.1999, Schmidt leg. (cJS, cWR, SMTD, ZISP) ; 30 specimens (♂♂ and ♀♀), Daldung La , N-slope 3500–3600 m, 25.V.2000, Schmidt leg. (cJS, SMTD) .

Re-description (five males and three females measured). Body length 6.8–7.8 mm, width 3.0– 3.4 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 4 .

Coloration. Black, base of mandibles, labrum externally, palpi, antennae, base of tibiae and tarsi brown to blackish brown; dorsum shiny, not iridescent.

Head. Large, in male HWmax/PWmax 0.77–0.79 (m = 0.78) and HWmin/PWmax 0.69–0.70 (m = 0.70), in female these indices 0.75–0.77 (m = 0.76) and 0.67–0.69 (m = 0.68), respectively, its dorsal surface impunctate, but in many specimens covered with very fine sparse micropunctures. Eyes weakly convex. Tempora about 0.3–0.5 times as long as eye, scarcely to moderately convex, sloped to neck. Clypeus very shallowly emarginate anteriorly, occasionally almost straight. Fronto-clypeal suture fine, deepened over short distance at middle forming a small fovea. Frontal foveae somewhat large and slightly deepened, oval. Supraorbital setigerous pore situated at level just behind hind margin of eye, removed at a distance of about three diameters of pore from supraorbital furrow. Labrum shallowly or slightly more deeply emarginate anteriorly. Left mandible truncate at apex ( Fig. 13 ). Ligular sclerite slightly narrowed before apex; paraglossae narrow, a little longer than ligular sclerite and separated from it by deep notches. Antennae slender, reaching elytral base, with antennomeres 4–8 about 1.5–2.0 times as long as wide. Dorsal microsculpture developed throughout, consisting of distinct isodiametric meshes.

Pronotum. Transverse, PWmax/PL 1.42–1.52 (m = 1.48), widest at beginning of second third, narrowed basad, WPmax/WPmin 1.16–1.19 (m = 1.18); sides rounded anteriorly and very slightly sinuate, almost rectilinearly converging, in basal third; each with one lateral setigerous pore slightly before middle. Apical margin shallowly emarginate, bordered only laterally. Basal margin somewhat rectilinear, only slightly rounded or oblique laterally just at basal angles, entirely distinctly bordered, as long as or slightly longer than apical margin and markedly shorter than elytral base between humeral angles. Apical angle slightly protruding, narrowly rounded at apex; basal angle slightly more than 90°, with sharp triangular denticle at apex slightly protruding laterally. Disc moderately convex, slightly sloped towards basal angles and markedly so towards apical angles, slightly flattened latero-basally. Lateral depressions not developed. Basal foveae small and shallow, in a few specimens slightly deepened, not reaching pronotal posterior edge, area between them convex. Pronotal surface finely and irregularly punctate within and around basal foveae and widely along sides, usually also with very small and fine punctures scattered at anterior margin and occasionally in central portion of disc. Microsculpture developed throughout, consisting of distinct isodiametric meshes.

Elytra. Not fused along suture, convex, oval, in male EL/EW 1.35–1.39 (m = 1.37), EL/PL 2.46–2.55 (m = 2.52) and EW/PWmax 1.23–1.29 (m = 1.26), in female these indices 1.34–1.38 (m = 1.35), EL/PL 2.56–2.61 (m = 2.59) and EW/PWmax 1.24–1.28 (m = 1.26), widest slightly behind middle. Humerus angulate, its apex with a tiny acute denticle visible from behind. Subapical sinuation very shallow, sutural angle narrowly rounded at apex. Basal border slightly sinuate laterally, joining with lateral margin at distinct obtuse angle. Striae very fine, superficial, crenulate, some lateral striae occasionally discontinuous. Scutellar striole rudimentary; parascutellar setigerous pore absent. Intervals impunctate, somewhat flat, almost not narrowed apically. Marginal umbilicate series widely interrupted at middle, consisting of five or six basal and of six to eight apical pores. Microsculpture distinct, developed throughout, consisting of more or less isodiametric meshes in narrow area along basal border and of slightly transverse meshes on other surface.

Ventral side of thorax and abdomen. Prosternum covered with short and sparse pubescence at apical margin. Metepisternum slightly wider than long, only slightly narrowed posteriad. Apex of last visible ( VII) abdominal sternite in both sexes rounded at apex (in male more widely than in female) and with two pairs of marginal setigerous pores along apical margin.

Legs. Metacoxa without (as in Fig. 6 ) or occasionally with (as in Fig. 25 ) an additional large medial setigerous pore. Tarsi dorsally glabrous and impunctate. Tarsomere 5 with three (occasionally two) pairs of latero-ventral setae. Metatarsus a little shorter than HWmin, metatarsomere 1 much longer than tarsomere 2 and slightly shorter than tarsomeres 2+3, approximately 2.5 times as long as wide at its apical part. In male, protarsi moderately enlarged, with tarsomeres 2–4 wider than long ( Fig. 23 ), and mesotarsi rather narrow (mesotarsomere 1 unmodified), with tarsomere 2 slightly longer than wide and with tarsomere 3 about as long as wide ( Fig. 24 ); ventral side of protarsomeres 2–4 and of mesotarsomeres 2 and 3 covered with adhesive vestiture.

Female genitalia ( Figs 21, 22 ). Laterotergite (hemisternite) asymmetrical, slightly longer than wide, arcuately bordered along inner proximal margin, without setae; basal stylomere elongate, also without setae; apical stylomere about as long as basal stylomere, in ventral view rather narrow, only slightly arcuate, with narrow base and with strongly prominent outer basal angle, in lateral view moderately wide, slightly rounded at sides, and narrowly rounded at apex.

Aedeagus. Median lobe ( Figs 14–17, 19, 20 ) relatively small (MLL/L 0.21–0.23), in lateral view arcuate, slightly concave along ventral margin, in dorsal view very wide. Apical orifice in dorsal position, very broad, prolonged up to basal bulb. Terminal lamella in dorsal view ( Fig. 18 ) wide and short, much wider than long, with sides strongly, roundly converging to blunted apex, without apical capitulum. Internal sac with a wide arched spiny patch at middle of median lobe.

Distribution ( Fig. 38 , ‘ red circle’). Rolwaling Valley, eastern Central Nepal.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Chydaeus, distribution: ‘red star’, Ch. irvinei (Andrewes. 1930); ‘red circle’, Ch. loeffleri loeffleri (Jedlička, 1966); ‘red square’, Ch. loeffleri tibetanus ssp. n.; ‘yellow square’, Ch. cf. loeffleri, population from Bothe Koshi Valley, see text for details; ‘blue circle’, Ch. soluensis sp. n.

FIGURES 1–5. Chydaeus, habitus (males). 1, Ch. irvinei (Andrewes. 1930), lectotype; 2, same, paralectotype from Gautsa; 3, Ch. loeffleri tibetanus ssp. n., holotype; 4, Ch. loeffleri loeffleri (Jedlička, 1966), specimen from the locality “Beding to Na”; 5, Ch. soluensis sp. n., paratype from Lamjura La. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 13–25. Chydaeus loeffleri loeffleri (Jedlička, 1966). 13, apex of left mandible; 14–17, 19, 20, median lobe of aedea- gus (14, 16, 19, lateral view; 15, 17, 20, dorsal view); 18, terminal lamella, dorsal view; 21, apical stylomere, lateral view; 22, laterotergite and stylus, ventral view; 23, male protarsus, 24, male mesotarsus; 25, left metacoxa. 14, 15, holotype; 13, 16–25, specimens from the Rolwaling Valley. Abbreviations: mp, medial pore; pmp, posteromedial pore. Scale bars: A = 0.5 mm (Figs 13–24), B = 1 mm (Fig. 25).

FIGURES 6–12. Chydaeus irvinei (Andrewes. 1930). 6, left metacoxa; 7, male protarsus; 8, male mesotarsus; 9, 10, 12, median lobe of aedeagus (9, 10, lateral view; 12, dorsal view); 11, terminal lamella, dorsal view. 6–8, 10–12, paralectotypes; 11, lectotype. Abbreviation: pmp, posteromedial pore. Scale bars: A = 1 mm (Fig. 6), B = 0.5 mm (Figs 7–12).