Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes Yin, Chen & Shi, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yin, Wen-Qi
name: Chen, Jia-Heng
name: Shi, Hong-Liang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Pterostichus
Pterostichus spissipedes

description: Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov.
Figures 1–3, 16–17, 25, 35–36.
Chinese vernacular name: DZDzdzā±Ƥ
Type locality. China, Yunnan province: Lijiang County, Laojunshan (N26.63°, E99.72°, alt 4003 m).
Type material. Holotype, male (IZAS): “ CHINA, Yunnan prov., Lijiang County, Laojunshan, top, N26.63098°, E99.71667° ”, “ 4003m, 2007.VIII.19, day. Liang H.B. collector, Institute of Zoology. ”, “HOLOTYPE of Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label]. Paratypes (a total of 11 males and 12 females), 2 males and 1 female (IZAS): the same data as holotype but labeled as paratype; 3 females (IZAS): “ CHINA, Yunnan prov., Lijiang County, Laojunshan grassland, N26.64341°, E99.76754° ”, “ 3510m, 2007.VIII.19, day. Liang H.B. collector, Institute of Zoology. ”, “ PARATYPE of Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label]; 1 male (IZAS): “ Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By the road of Benzilan to Deqin, Deqin County, Yunnan Prov., CHINA; <3905m a.s.l., (28°19’26.1’’N, 99°05’55.0’’E)>, Limesone + brown soil, humid and cold, forest Arbie and Rhododendra; 6th July, 2002. Leg. A. Witor & M. Wu. ”, “ PARATYPE of Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label]; 8 males and 8 females (CHYL and CYHL): “ China, Yunnan province, Dali Bai Autonomous prefecture, Jianchuan County, Misha Township, 3500m, 2022.I, Zhang H. leg.”, “ PARATYPE of Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. det. Yin & Shi, 2024” [red label].
Diagnosis. Maxim width of head at outer margin of eyes; pronotum subquadrate; basal foveae almost impunctate; elytra with isodiametric microsculpture, parascutellar pore present; interval 3 with two setigerous pores; metatarsus strongly thickened in both sexes (Figs 35–36), without outer-lateral ridge; right paramere falcate, ridged on dorsal surface, apex truncated (Figs 16–17).
The new species is different from all other known species of this subgenus by the combination of: elytral parascutellar pore present; metatarsus thickened in both sexes. The new species is most similar to P. mulensis Sciaky, 1997 and P. krali Sciaky, 1997. These three species are distinguishable from other species of the subgenus by the presence of a parascutellar pore. Compared to the rest two species, the new species is different in the following characters: (1) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., the eyes are much smaller and tempora more distinctly swell behind eyes, with eyL/tpL = 0.96–1.12; while in P. mulensis and P. krali this ratio is 1.85–1.98. (2) Elytra of P. spessipedes sp. nov. with isodiametric microsculpture while in P. mulensis and P. krali, elytra with transverse microsculpture (Figs 45, 47). (3) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., elytral interval 3 has only two setigerous pores; but has three pores in P. mulensis and P. krali. (4) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., metatarsus are strongly thickened and in a stout form in both sexes, metatarsomere 1 with length/width = 1.7–2.0 (Figs 35–36) and without outer-lateral ridge; while in P. mulensis and P. krali, metatarsomeres are slender as most Pterostichus species, metatarsomere 1 with length/width about 3.0 (Figs 39–40, 42) and with distinct outer-lateral ridge. (5) In P. spissipedes sp. nov., right paramere of aedeagus are truncated on apex (Figs 16–17); but are sharply pointed on apex in P. mulensis and P. krali (Figs 20–21).
Description. BL = 10.3–11.2 mm, BW = 3.5–4.0 mm, dorsal surface and appendages dark reddish brown. Head slightly thickened, frons without puncture; antennae short, hardly reaching elytra base; eyes relatively small, tempora strongly swollen behind eyes, length subequal to eyes, eyL/tpL = 0.96–1.12, maxim width of head at outer margin of eyes, HW/PW = 0.62–0.65. Pronotum subquadrate, PW/PL = 1.17–1.21, PBW/PW = 0.81–0.87, widest near anterior third; anterior margin slightly narrower than posterior margin, PAW/PBW = 0.80–0.90; anterior angles broadly rounded, not projected; lateral margins subparallel, nearly straight before posterior angles; posterior angles rectangular, apex with a faint denticle. Basal foveae shallow and almost impunctate, inner and outer grooves faintly defined, area between them depressed; outer groove about half length of inner one; area between lateral margin and outer groove not ridged. Pronotum disc with faint transverse wrinkles aside median line; median line shallow. Elytra oblong and parallel-sided, BW/EL = 0.61–0.65, with isodiametric microsculpture in both sexes; parascutellar stria joined to stria 1, angular base of stria 1 usually short, apex free; parascutellar pore present; humerus with a small tooth, slightly projected out. Striae deeply incised, indistinctly punctate. Interval 3 with two setigerous pores, both adjacent to stria 2; the first one near middle, the second one near posterior fifth. Male sternite VII without secondary sexual modification; metafemora slightly thickened in males; metatarsus in a stout form in both sexes, more thickened in males (mt1 length/width = 1.7 in males, = 2.0 in females, Figs 35–36), metatarsomeres without outer-lateral ridge. Median lobe of aedeagus small (length about 1.45 mm), apex slightly bent ventrally in lateral view; apical lamella short and wide, apex rounded, slightly twisted to right; right paramere elongated and curved, falcate, apical portion thickened and carinate on dorsal surface, cross-section triangular at middle, apex truncated (Figs 16–17). Endophallus extended to ventral side of aedeagus, gonopore opened to base of aedeagus; right apical lobe (ra) spherical with sclerotized top; left apical lobe (la) small and indistinct; with distinct scales near gonopore. (Fig. 25).
Remarks. In the new species, the right paramere of aedeagus has slight variatons among different populations. In specimens from Deqin county, the apical portion of the right paramere is relatively slender (Fig. 17), in comparison to those specimens from Lijiang and Jianchuan counties (Fig. 16).
Distribution. This new species is known from three localities (Lijiang, Dali, Deqin) in the Northwest Yunnan, probably widely distributed in this area. (Fig. 54, red)
Etymology. The scientific name of the new species is composed of two Greek roots, “ spiss -” meaning thick and “- pede ” meaning foot, referring to the new species has extraordinary thickened metatarsus in both sexes.
description: Published as part of Yin, Wen-Qi, Chen, Jia-Heng & Shi, Hong-Liang, 2024, Revision of the Chinese endemic subgenus Tschitscherinea Berg, with descriptions of three new species (Coleoptera, Carabidae), pp. 43-65 in Zootaxa 5481 (1) on pages 47-48, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5481.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/12742724