Atti Soc. it. Sci. nat. Museo civ. Stor. nat. Milano, 139/1998 (II): 195-201, Dicembre 1998 Achille Casale* & Riccardo Sciaky** Laemostenus subtilissimus new species from Central Asia (Coleoptera Carabidae Sphodrini) Abstract - Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) subtilissimus, new species from Tadzhikistan, Mt. Seravshan, is described. This species is closely related to L. praedictus Dvorak, 1996, which lives in a nearby area, but can easily be distinguished through thè shape of thè elytra, which are narrower and slenderer, with weaker microsculpture and stronger striation, thè oc- currence of a small humeral tooth and thè aedeagus with an apical dorsal dilation. Both species are related to L. leptoderus, type species of thè subgenus Stenosphodrus, but they have thè mesosternum with a tooth in front of thè mesocoxae and thè pronotum cordate. The occurrence of these two characters, initially regarded as diagnostic for thè subgenus Stenosphodrus, seems to prove that it is not a valid subgenus, but a junior synonym of Anti- sphodrus, to which we attribute a new leptoderus-group of species. Riassunto - Laemostenus subtilissimum, una nuova specie dell Asia Centrale (Coleopte- va Carabidae Sphodrini). ... . In questo lavoro viene descritto Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) subtilissimus nuova specie del Tadzhikistan, M. Seravshan. La suddetta specie è affine a L. praedictus Dvorak, 1996, de¬ scritta di una località poco distante, ma se ne differenzia nettamente per il profilo ehtrale an¬ cora più stretto e slanciato, per la più debole microscultura e la più forte striatura delle elitre, la presenza di un piccolo dente omerale e per l'edeago provvisto di una dilatazione dorsale apicale. Entrambe queste specie presentano il mesosterno denticolato davanti alle mesocoxe e il pronoto cordiforme. La presenza di questi due caratteri, la cui assenza era ritenuta dia- gnostica per Stenosphodrus (specie tipo: Antisphodrus leptoderus Reitter. 1892) induce a con¬ siderare quest'ultimo sottogenere un sinonimo junior di Antisphodrus, al cui interno viene proposto un nuovo «gruppo-leptoderus». Key words: Coleoptera, Carabidae, Laemostenus. new species. new synonymy. Introduction Stenosphodrus has been proposed by Casale (1988: 518) as monobasic subgenus of Laemostenus Bonelli, 1810, for Antisphodrus leptoderus Reit¬ ter, 1892, a central-asian species characterized by several peculiar features (body very elongate, highly slender, depigmented, micropterous; eyes re- duced; pronotum longer than wide, not cordate; mesosternum without teeth in front of mesocoxae; aedeagus very long and slender, depressed and widened at apex).The type-species was described upon a single male speci¬ men from «Margelan» (= Margilan), in thè present Uzbekistan. Subse- *) Istituto di Zoologia. Università degli Studi di Sassari. **) Collaboratore del Museo civico di Storia naturale di Milano. 196 ACHILLE CASALE & RICCARDO SCIAKY quently, Kryzhanovskij & Michailov (1975) reported a second species of Stenosphodrus, not agreeing with L. (S.) leptoderus, from Mts. Chozratish, in thè present Tadzikistan (see Casale, 1988: 520); this species has later been described as L. (S.) praedictus by Dvorak (1996). On thè other hand, in thè recent catalogne by Kryzhanovskij et al. (1995) only L. (S.) leptoderus is mentioned. In thè last years we could get some specimens belonging to L. praedic¬ tus and to a third, undescribed species. In this note we will give a descrip- tion of thè new species and complete thè description of L. praedictus, com- paring both to thè species already known. Furthermore, thè study of this new species and of L. praedictus allowed us to note that a few characters, proviously believed to be peculiar to thè subgenus Stenosphodrus, in fact were only characteristic of thè species L. leptoderus. For instance, thè pronotum was described as dolioliform in Stenosphodrus, but in thè two species we know it is cordate. The mesoster- num was described as not denticulate in front of thè mesocoxae, but in these two species it is distinctly denticulate. This character, in particular, was not mentioned by Dvorak (1996), but we have noted it very evidently in both species, as already mentioned by one of us in thè description of anoth- er subgenus of Laemostenus (Sciaky, 1996). Finally, thè aedeagus of both L. praedictus and thè species here described (Figs. 3-10) is normally shaped, not modified as in L. leptoderus. Thus, thè most important characters be¬ lieved to be diagnostic for thè subgenus proved not to be valid and there- fore we must consider thè subgenus Stenosphodrus a junior subjective syn- onym of Antisphodrus, thè three species leptoderus, praedictus and subtilis- simus here described composing a species-group of thè latter subgenus, that by priority we will name leptoderus-group. Stenosphodrus Casale, 1988 = Antisphodrus Schaufuss, 1865 n. syn. Results and discussimi Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) leptoderus Reitter, 1892 In thè revision of thè Sphodrina one of us (Casale, 1988) had been able to examine only thè holotype of this species, but no additional material. Ex- amining thè collection of thè former Museum Frey, now in thè Naturhis- torisches Museum Basel, we have found under thè name L. leptoderus two specimens. One of theni, a female labelled «Cotypus» and «Taschkent, Led¬ er Reitter», did not belong to that species, but to L. subtilissimus, described hereafter. Furthermore it cannot be a Paratype, since Reitter (1892) speci- fied that thè species was described upon a single male specimen. The sec¬ ond one, a male labelled «Ispajran, Alaj sept.», really belongs to that species and therefore represents thè second specimen known. This specimen allows us to better define thè distribution area of thè species, as Reitter’s type specimen was simply labelled «Tadzhikistan, Margelan», where it is very un- likely that a species of high altitude as these are can live. Now thè distribu¬ tion area can be better defined as thè Alai mountains south of Margilan. The two following species are diffuseci to thè west of L. leptoderus. Laemostenus (Antisphodrus) praedictus Dvorak, 1996 This species has been described upon 4 specimens from two different localities, Hodzchaobigarm (type-locality) and Guschari, both in thè Hissar LAEMOSTENUS SUBTILISSIMUS NEW SPECIES FROM CENTRAL ASIA Figs. 1-2 - Habitus di Laemostenus praedictus (1), L. subtilissimus n. sp. (2) 198 ACHILLE CASALE & RICCARDO SCIAKY mountains in Tadzhikistan. We had thè opportunity to examine five further specimens, one of which topotypical, and therefore can give here some pic- tures so as to complete those provided by Dvorak (1996). It is possible to note that thè pronotum of thè specimens examined by us (Fig. 1) is longer than that drawn by Dvorak (1996), but less than in thè following species and thè aedeagus, drawn only in ventral view by Dvorak (1996), in lateral view (Fig. 3) is short, weakly bent downward and without apical dorsal dilation. The right paramere (Fig. 7) has a small incomplete hook and is rather thick, but narrower than in thè following species and thè left paramere (Fig. 9) is rounded and larger than in thè following species. Material examined: Tadzhikistan, Hissar Mts., Hodzchaobigarm 70 km N Dushambe: 1 6 ; Tadzhikistan, Hissar Mts., Ansob: 1 9 ; Tadzhikistan, Hissar Mts., Warzob, 2 6 6 1 9. Lciemostenus (Antisphodrus) subtilissimus n. sp. Diagnosis - A medium-sized (12.8-15.2 mm) Laemostenus (Antispho¬ drus) species, body very elongate and slender, color dark reddish-brown, sides of pronotum weakly but evidently sinuate before thè basai angles and thè metasternum denticulate in front of thè mesocoxae. Close to L. (A.) leptoderus and to L. (A.) praedictus, but easily distinguishable for several characters (see enclosed key for identification). Type locality: Tadzhikistan, Mt. Seravshan, Marguzor lake, Hurdak. Type-material: 6 holotype from Tadzhikistan, Mt. Seravshan, Marguzor lake, Hurdak, 25-30 Aprii 1996, in coll. Museo civico di Storia naturale di Mi¬ lano. Paratypes: 12 6 6 9 9, same data as holotype, in coll. Casale and Sciaky; 5 de? 9 9, same locality of holotype, 8-10 May 1989, in coll. Sciaky and Fac¬ chini; 31 6 6 9 9, same locality of holotype, 30 Aprii 1997, in coll. Pavesi, Fac¬ chini, Wrase and Sciaky; 1 9 from Taschkent, Leder Reitter, in coll. NHMB. Derivatio nominis - This specific epithet derives from thè latin absolute superlative subtilissimus (= very narrow) and alludes to thè shape of thè body of this narrow and elegant species. Description - Total length (from thè apex of mandibles to thè apex of elytra): 12.8-15.2 mm. Dark reddish brown; palpi and antennae reddish. Head and pronotum very shiny; elytra with rather dense isodiametric mi- crosculpture. Habitus as in Fig. 2. Head long and slender; genae long, slightly arcuate, neck constriction evident; eyes very small, less than half of genae, prominent; frontal furrows very short, deep, foveate; antennae very elongate and slender, almost reach- ing thè middle of elytra. Pronotum elongate-cordate, distinctly longer than wide (ratio 1/w = 1.17), a little wider than head, widest at anterior fourth; base slightly arcuate, finely beaded at sides only. Front angles rounded, slightly protruding. Sides gently arcuate in front, very weakly sinuate only before thè basai angles, which are right; anterior and latero-basal seta present. Disk smooth, median line rather shallow, basai foveae deep, sparsely rugoso-punctate. Mesoster- num with an acute tooth on each side in front of thè mesocoxae, well devel- oped in most specimens but almost completely effaced in a few of them. Legs very long and slender; profemora smooth on thè ventral side, protibiae without additional pubescence on distai third, mesotibiae straight; 199 LAEMOSTENUS SUBTILISSIMUS NEW SPECIES FROM CENTRAL ASIA Figs. 3-10 - Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral (3-4) and dorsal (5-6) view. right paramere (7- 8) and left paramere (9-10) of Laemostemts spp. L. praedictus (3, 5, 7, 9), L. subtilissimus n. sp. (4,6,8,10) (scale bar = 1 mm). femora and tibiae with long, spinose setae. Tarsal segments elongate and nar- row, dorsally strigose, all with long, dense dorsal setae; three basai segments of male protarsi dilated. Tarsal claws long, smooth in thè inner (ventral) side. Elytra elongate-ovate, subconvex, very narrow at base, with sides sub- parallel in thè middle, almost not widened in thè apical third, shoulders with a very tiny but perceptible tooth; striae well engraved, evidently punc- tate; intervals weakly convex and smooth. Basai umbilicate pore present; one apical pore-puncture on stria 7; umbilicate marginai series subinter- 200 ACHILLE CASALE & RICCARDO SCIAKY rupted at middle. Underside impunctate; abdominal sternum 7 with a single seta on each side. Aedeagus rather short and thick, in lateral view (Fig. 4) with an evident apical dorsal dilation, in dorsal view (Fig. 6) with apex rather square and with evident thickening; right paramere (Fig. 8) with a small but visible in¬ complete hook and very thick, even more than in thè preceding species, left paramere (Fig. 10) rounded and small, with membranous apex. Distribution - This species is known upon a rather long series of speci- mens collected in two different years in one locality of Tadzhikistan very dose to thè border with Uzbekistan. Also L. praedictus is known only from Tadzhikistan, but it occupies a region that is nearly 100 km east from thè only known station of L. subtilissimus. As far as L. leptoderus is concerned, thè localities where it has been collected are nearly 300 km to thè east of thè area of L. praedictus. Discussion - The occurrence of a third species of thè leptoderus-group in Tadzhikistan is thè prove that this group is quite widespread in thè region and it is likely that more undescribed species will be found on thè moun- tains of Central Asia when more regions presently difficult to access will be explored by skilled entomologists. From thè biogeographical point of view, thè occurrence of three Anti- sphodrus species in Central Asia is very interesting: analogously to what can be observed in thè Sphodropsis lineage, which is represented today by several Asian species and by one isolated, extant species in thè Western Alps, this fact demonstrates thè derivation of thè euro-mediterranean sub- terranean Sphodrina from Asian, forest-dwelling montane euro-asian lin- eages. Unlike Sphodropsis, however, Antisphodrus in thè new sense in- cludes only few, isolated centrai asian representatives and many species in thè euro-mediterranean area, which has been a secondary, very important center of differentiation of this lineage (Casale, 1988). A key is provided here to thè three Antisphodrus species of thè lep- toderus-group known to day so as to allow an easy identification. 1 (2) Pronotum cordate, mesosternum denticulate in front of mesocoxae. Aedeagus shorter and thicker.3 2 (1) Pronotum dolioliform, mesosternum not denticulate in front of meso¬ coxae. Aedeagus very long and slender, widened at apex ..L. leptoderus 3 (4) Elytra widened in thè posterior half; humeral angle completely rounded; elytra with stronger microsculpture and weaker striation. Aedeagus as in Figs. 3, 5, 7 and 9.L. praedictus 4 (3) Elytra almost parallel-sided; humeral angle with a small but evident tooth; elytra with weaker microsculpture and stronger striation. Aedeagus as in Figs. 4,6,8 and 10.L. subtilissimus Acknowledgements We would like to thank all those people who have variously helped us: Dr. Èva Sprecher, curator of thè Frey collection at thè Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, for her kindness in occasion of our visit to that Museum, 201 LAEMOSTENUS SUBTILISS1MUS NEW SPECIES FROM CENTRAL ASIA Dipi. Ing. M. Dvorak (Praha) for useful informations and Dr. V. Cameron- Curry (Torino), who revised thè English text. 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