Explosive radiation versus old relicts: The complex history of Ethiopian Trechina, with description of a new genus and a new subgenus (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini)
Author
Faille, Arnaud
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3274-5915
Department of Entomology, Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany
arnaud.faille@smns-bw.de
Author
Hofmann, Sylvia
Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Koenig, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Author
Merene, Yeshitla
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2998-822X
Faculty of Biology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany & Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia & Amhara Agricultural Research Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Author
Hauth, David
Faculty of Biology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Author
Opgenoorth, Lars
Faculty of Biology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Author
Woldehawariat, Yitbarek
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0918-8906
Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Author
Schmidt, Joachim
General and Systematic Zoology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
agonumschmidt@hotmail.com
text
Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift
2023
2023-09-27
70
2
311
335
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/dez.70.107425
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/dez.70.107425
1860-1324-2-311
8D3E277C424C440B8FE878085239C2A2
65D0B2390EBE553382C9727ECC9CBF8F
Subgenus Minitrechus Vigna Taglianti & Magrini, 2010
Type species.
T. gypaeti
Vigna Taglianti & Magrini, 2010.
New synonymy.
Archeotrechus
Magrini,
Queinnec
& Vigna Taglianti, 2012 (type species:
T. relictus
Magrini,
Queinnec
& Vigna Taglianti, 2012), syn. nov.
Remarks.
Based on the molecular data, all
Trechus
species known to occur in the mountains of southern Ethiopia (Bale and Arsi Mountains, Gughe Highlands), form a monophyletic clade (Fig.
3
). This clade includes species characterized by widely differing body sizes, shapes, and proportions, and by many other morphological characters, including elytral chaetotaxy, the number of dilated male protarsomeres, and the extent of the dorsal opening of the aedeagal median lobe. Similar character states can likewise be found in
Trechus
sensu lato species occurring in northern Ethiopia which, however, do not cluster within the south Ethiopian clade. At the current state of knowledge, a morphological definition of this clade together with a differential diagnosis with respect to other species groups of
Trechus
sensu lato cannot be presented here and require more comprehensive morphological investigations.
For the monophyletic southern Ethiopian
Trechus
clade, the oldest valid species group name is
Minitrechus
Vigna Taglianti & Magrini, which was given for a very tiny, depigmented species from Mt. Enkuolo (
Vigna Taglianti and Magrini 2010
). The subgenus
Trechus Archeotrechus
Magrini,
Queinnec
& Vigna Taglianti was described two years later for a likewise tiny and depigmented species from the Bale Mountains, which is additionally characterized by a very wide dorsal opening of aedeagus (
Magrini et al. 2012
). In our phylogeny, the type species of both of these subgenera cluster together within one of the two main clades of South Ethiopian
Trechus
, both of which are highly supported by the molecular data (Fig.
3
). Consequently, the status of
Archeotrechus
as a separate subgenus within
Trechus
sensu lato can no longer be maintained.
A complete list of species we propose to summarize within the subgenus
Trechus Minitrechus
, is shown in the checklist of the Ethiopian
Trechini
species, see Discussion, below.