Pristosia similata, Schmidt, Joachim & Hartmann, Matthias, 2009

Schmidt, Joachim & Hartmann, Matthias, 2009, Pristosia Motschulsky, 1865 from the Nepal Himalaya: Taxonomy and Biogeography (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Sphodrini), Zootaxa 2009, pp. 1-26 : 17-18

Pristosia similata sp. n.

Figs. 10 , 24, 25 .

Type material: Holotypus male, with label „ NEPAL, Prov. Karnali, Distr. Humla, 20 km W Simikot, 5–6 km SE Chala, 35–3600 m, 30°58N, 81°38E, HF, 28.VI.2001 leg. A. Kopetz, coniferous wood“ ( NME).

Paratypes (all from Far Western Nepal, Humla district): 22 males, 16 females, with same label data as holotype ( CKOP, CSCHM, NME); 1 male, 600m W Simikot, 3000–3200 m, 29°58’ N 81°49’ E, terrace fields, 16.– 17.06.2001, leg. A. Kopetz ( CKOP); 1 male, 1000m W Simikot, 3050–4100m, coniferous forest, terrace fields, 29°58’00N, 81°48’48E, 17.VI.2001, leg. E. Grill ( NME); 2 males, 12 km S Simikot, env. Raya, 3400– 2500 m, 28°52’17 N 81°51’ 34E, rural landscape, 8.VII.1997, leg. A. Kopetz, KL/KF/HF ( CSCHM); 3 males, 13 km S Simikot, NE Malikasthan, 3800– 3400 m, coniferous-oak-forest, 8.VII.1997, leg. A. Kopetz & A. Weigel, KL/HF ( CKOP, CWG); 2 males, 15– 12 km S Simikot, N Malikasthan nach Raya, 3800– 3500m, coniferous-oak forest, 29°51N 81°49E, 08.VII.2001, leg. E. Grill, HF ( NME); 1 male, 20 km W Simikot, env. Chala, 3750 m, HF, KF, 30°00’35 N 81°37’ 12E, 23.VI.2001, leg. A. Kopetz ( CSCHM); 1 male, 20 km NW Simikot, 3 km W Chala, 3700–4300m, 29°59’ N 81°35’ E, 24.VI.2001, leg. A. Weigel ( CWG); 1 male, 2 females, 20 km NW Simikot, 3 km SE Chala, 42–4300m, 29°58’50 N 81°39’ 06E, 28.VI.2001, leg. A. Weigel ( CWG); 1 male, 20 km W Simikot, 3,8 km SE Chala, 3500m, forest mead./conif. forest, 29°58’49 N 81°38’ 23E, 27.VI.2001, leg. A. Weigel ( CWG); 1 male, 1 female, 18 km WNW Simikot, Chumsa Khola (Bridge), 2950m, 30°02’25 N 81°39’ 06E, 20.–22.VI.2001, leg. M. Hartmann & A. Weigel KL/HF ( CWG, NME); 1 male, Umg. W Chala, 3800–4200m, 30°00,33 N 81°37’ 18E, 24.VI.2001, leg. J. Weipert ( CWP); 40 males, 24 females, 20 km W Simikot, 5–6 km SE Chala, 3500–3600 m, coniferous forest, 30°58N 81°38E, 27.VI.2001, leg. M. Hartmann & E. Grill ( NME).

Etymology: Named for its external similarity with P. dahud Morvan, 1994 (Latin “similat-us, -a, -um”).

Description: 95 specimens studied.

Body length 9.7–12.5 mm.

Colour: Dorsal and ventral surface of body and femora almost black, knees, tibiae, tarsi, antennae and palpi reddish brown. Male dorsal surface moderately shiny throughout, female dull on elytra.

Microsculpture: Head with mesh pattern isodiametric, moderately engraved, and pronotum with very weakly engraved slightly transverse meshes, visible under high magnification (80x). Meshes of microsculpture on elytra in male weakly engraved, slightly transverse; in female isodiametric, much more deeply engraved and scale-like in anterior half (in approx. 10% of females meshes as long as wide and not scale-like), but weakly engraved and slightly transverse in posterior half.

Head: Temporae about 2/3 of eye diameter. Antennomeres I–III smooth apart from primary apical setation.

Pronotum: More transverse, ratio PW/PL 1.09–1.16, PW/HW 1.55–1.60. Anterior margin nearly as wide as base. Sides convexly rounded throughout or straight before base. Hind angles completely rounded ( Fig. 10 ). Base almost straight in middle, strongly bent anteriorly toward sides. Lateral gutter more strongly expanded beyond pronotal middle. Basolateral seta located at a slight distant (1–2 times pore diameter) from lateral edge, but distinctly distant (4–5 times pore diameter) from base.

Elytra: Oval, ratio EL/EW 1.55–1.68, EW/PW 1.35–1.43, distinctly narrowed toward shoulder, basal groove more strongly concave, forming an almost right angle with scutellar stria and an obtuse angle with lateral groove.

Legs: Relatively slender.

Male genitalia: Aedeagal median lobe moderately large, with ventral surface almost straight toward apex ( Fig. 25 ), with apical lamella relatively short ( Fig. 24 ), and with terminal bead slightly angular. Internal sac, in dorsal view, distinctly asymmetric, with longitudinal folding on right side of ostium not connected with the more strongly sclerotized part of transversal folding in middle of median lobe ( Fig. 24 ).

Identification: This new species is unambiguously distinguishable by its characteristic internal sac folding. Moreover, the eyes are somewhat larger than in other Nepalese species of the P. a t re m a group (but see Pristosia spec. from W slope of Dhaulagiri Himal). On an average, the pronotum is more transverse and its lateral gutter is more distinctly expanded toward base than in P. dahud dahud Morvan, 1994 . Meshes of female elytral microsculpture more deeply engraved in anterior half than in P. dahud polita s sp. n. and in P. glabella sp. n.

Distribution: Figs. 42 , 43 . North eastern slopes of Saipal Himal, Far Western Nepal.

Habitat: This species was found in dense or open coniferous and mixed forests of the high montane zone, and in a few cases on open ground near a forest, as well on wet subalpine meadows at altitudes from 2900 to 4200 m.

Figures

FIGURE 42. Distribution of Pristosia in Nepal and adjacent parts of the Himalaya.

FIGURE 43. Distribution of Pristosia in the Western Nepal Himalaya.

FIGURES 5 – 15. Pristosia spp., pronotum. Fig. 5, P. dahud polita ssp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 6, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Rara Lake. Fig. 7, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Maharigaon. Fig. 8, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Khari Lagna (transitional form). Fig. 9, P. dahud Morvan, 1994, non-type, male, Khari Lagna (typical form). Fig. 10, P. similata sp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 11, P. glabella sp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 12, P. amaroides (Putzeys, 1877), non-type, female, India, Darjeeling. Fig. 13, P. a t re m a (Andrewes, 1926), Holotype. Fig. 14, P. nepalensis sp. n., Paratype, male. Fig. 15, P. championi (Andrewes, 1934), Holotype. Scale bar = 2 mm.

FIGURES 24 – 29. Pristosia spp., aedeagal median lobe, dorsal view (Figs. 24, 26, 28) and left lateral view (Figs. 25, 27, 29, the internal sac is figured only in dorsal view). Figs. 24, 25, P. s i m i l a t a sp. n., Paratype. Figs. 26, 27, P. a trema (Andrewes, 1926), Holotype. Figs. 28, 29, P. a t re m a (Andrewes, 1926), non-type, India, Pindar Valley. Scale bar = 1 mm.