Stomis vignai ssp. megacephalus, Sciaky, 2024

Sciaky, Riccardo, 2024, Review of the Chinese Stomis, with description of nine new taxa and a new key (Carabidae: Pterostichini), Zootaxa 5523 (1), pp. 1-34 : 5

Stomis vignai ssp. megacephalus ssp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ 804C3C65-AA5F-4C6F-BA5F-9193825B24D7

Diagnosis. A Stomis of medium length (11.1 mm), black with evident bronze hue on head, pronotum and elytra, with forebody hardly shorter than elytra, elytra very markedly rounded at sides, without humeral tooth. Ratios: El/Pl = 1.90; Ew/Pw = 1.34; El/Ew = 1.28.

Description: Habitus as in Fig. 4 . Length 11.1 mm; color black with green hue on head, pronotum and elytra; labrum dark reddish brown, maxillae and palpi reddish; femora dark reddish brown, tibiae and tarsi reddish brown; head wide, smooth, with strong ocular convexity; mandibles rather short, shorter than the rest of the head; the right one almost straight; eyes very small, not protruding from the ocular convexity; pronotum broad, relatively short, widest at two thirds of its length; lateral margins very slightly sinuate before the basal angles; anterior margin almost rectilinear; anterior angles very small, projecting forward as small triangles; base sparsely punctate near the basal angles, almost smooth in the middle; basal foveae rather narrow, starting from the basal angles, as long as one third of the pronotal length; basal angles broadly rounded, basal seta not in the basal angle but where the sinuation begins; lateral gutter narrow all along its length, bearing 1 seta in the anterior half. Elytra oval, very convex, widest almost at middle, with no trace of humeral tooth; striae completely but finely punctate; intervals very slightly convex; humeri completely rounded; lateral gutter well marked and rather broad. Ratios: El/Pl = 1.90; Ew/Pw = 1.34; El/Ew = 1.28.

Type-locality: China, W Hubei, Muyuping NW env., 31° 27’ N 110° 22’ E, 1600 m.

Type-series. Holotype ♀: China, W Hubei, Muyuping NW env., 31° 27’ N 110° 22’ E, 1600 m, 3.V–15.VII.2006, leg. Jaroslav Turna ( CS).

Etymology. This subspecific epithet points out one of the most characteristic feature of this taxon, that is its very large head.

Distribution. Until now known from a single locality in western Hubei. It is the only Stomis known currently from this province, but I think that further explorations will lead to the discovery of other taxa.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of: (1) S. vignai ssp. vignai from 20 km NW Maowen (9.5 mm); (2) S. vignai ssp. taibashanensis from Shaanxi, Houzhenzhi (9.3 mm); (3) S. vignai ssp. maior HT (11.3 mm); (4) S. vignai ssp. megacephalus HT (11.2 mm).