Studies on Adriaphaenops Noesske with the description of five new species from the Dinarides (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini)
Author
Lohaj, Roman
Author
Lakota, Ján
Author
Quéinnec, Eric
Author
Pavićević, Dragan
Author
Čeplík, Dávid
text
Zootaxa
2016
4205
6
501
531
journal article
37562
10.5281/zenodo.200269
6c81cd0d-aeb6-4839-a588-bbdc59eac67f
1175-5326
200269
20C47092-7D67-4E65-ADE0-A73ED91DBB18
Genus
Adriaphaenops
Noesske, 1928
Adriaphaenops
Noesske, 1928
:5
,
type
species:
Trechus antroherponomimus
Noesske, 1928
by monotypy,
type
locality: Čatol jama des Bjelasica-Gebirges (weitere Umgebung von Gacko) im nord-ostherzegowinischen Karstlande.
Aphaenopsis
(
sg.
Adriaphaenops
)
Jeannel, 1928
:793
,
Pretner, 1959
:79
,
Casale & Laneyrie, 1982
:159
,
Vigna Taglianti & Sciaky, 1988
:166
,
Pavićević, 1990
:365
.
Aphaenops
(sg.
Adriaphaenops
)
Scheibel, 1935
:34
,
Pavićević, 2001
:33
.
Adriaphaenops
Sciaky & Vigna Taglianti, 1990:171
,
Monguzzi, 1993
:238
,
Casale & Guéorguiev, 1994
:421
.
Drovenik & Peks, 1994
:43
,
Moravec
et al.
, 2003
:289
, Quéinnec, 2008:157, Quéinnec & Pavićević, 2008:144.
Quéinnec, Pavićević & Ollivier, 2008
:154, Lakota
et al.
, 2010:100, Lohaj & Lakota, 2010:78.
Diagnosis.
Small to medium-sized trechine genus, L:
3.5–5.75 mm
, TL:
3.4–5.35 mm
, with aphaenopsoid characters: elongate head and pronotum, elytra ovoid with base strongly narrowed, distinctly wider than head and pronotum, body apterous, depigmented, strongly flattened, more or less pubescent. Antennae and legs elongate, densely pubescent.
Head varying in shape, from almost rounded (
pretneri
,
perreaui
,
jasminkoi
sp. nov.
) to more or less elongate (other species), as long as wide (
zupcense
) or distinctly longer than wide (other species), as wide as pronotum, or slightly narrower. Eyes totally absent. Frontal furrows moderately impressed, incomplete, usually shorter than half of head length, or reaching middle of head (
mlejneki
sp. nov.
). Usually two pairs of supraorbital setae present, in
albanicus
sp. nov.
and
mlejneki
sp. nov.
anterior pair is absent, in
staudacheri
,
perreaui
and
njegosiensis
sp. nov.
both pairs are missing or reduced (indistinguishable from pubescence). Mandibles very long and slender, at apex pointed, right mandible without tooth. Clypeus with four (
antroherponomimus
,
pretneri
,
stirni
and
mlejneki
sp. nov.
) or three (other species) pairs of setae, labrum with three pairs. Mentum imperfectly fused with submentum. Antennae long and slender, covered with dense pubescence, scape as long as pedicel, antennomeres
3–7 and 8 –11
nearly equally long.
Pronotum elongate, distinctly longer than wide, variously shaped. Basal part as wide as anterior (
pretneri
) or narrower (other species), anterior angles distinct, at apex pointed, or more or less rounded, posterior angles acute, sharp (
zupcense
), or obtuse, more or less rounded (other species). One pair of antero-lateral setae present; basolateral setae absent.
Elytra subovate elongate, with maximum width at middle or apical third, distinctly wider than head and pronotum. Basal part strongly narrowed, pedunculate, shoulders totally effaced. Scutellum small, single pair of basal scutellar setiferous pores present. Elytral striae absent. Pubescence of elytra sparse (
kevser
,
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
) or more or less dense (other species), site of stria 3 with four (three discal and one preapical) (
kevser
,
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
) or three (two discal and one preapical) dorsal pairs of setae (other species). Humeral group of umbilicate pores not aggregated, first pore of humeral group isolated and situated before level of first discal setae.
Legs long and slender, pro- and mesotarsi short, claws very long and acute, without denticulation, densely pubescent. First two tarsomeres of male protarsi dilated at internal margins.
Aedeagus (
Figs. 23–30
) from short and wide (
perreaui
,
antroherponomimus
) to elongate and slender in lateral aspect, apex variously shaped. Endophallus generally without distinct sclerotised copulatory piece or this piece is only very slightly defined. Parameres from short and wide to long, each with two long and thick setae at apex.
Female genitalia (
Figs. 31–36
): examination was possible only in six species:
zupcense
,
kevser
,
albanicus
sp. nov.
,
jasminkoi
sp. nov.
,
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
and
mlejneki
sp. nov.
. Gonocoxite 1 with one to three short setae close to the distal margin (
kevser
,
jasminkoi
sp. nov.
,
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
), or without them (
zupcense
,
albanicus
sp. nov.
,
mlejneki
sp. nov.
), gonocoxite 2 short, at apex rounded (
kevser
) or more or less pointed (other species), with two–ten very short setae (
jasminkoi
,
kevser
,
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
) or without them (
zupcense
,
albanicus
sp. nov.
,
mlejneki
sp. nov.
); sternal sensorial fovea small, with one long seta (
zupcense
,
kevser
,
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
,
mlejneki
sp. nov.
) or this seta is missing (
albanicus
sp. nov.
,
jasminkoi
sp. nov.
). We suppose that in older specimen examined (old dry preparation, specimen from long exposed traps) some especially short setae could be broken. This opinion should be confirmed by the examination of additional fresh specimen.
Geographical distribution.
So far known from underground habitats (caves, pits) in Bosnia & Hercegovina,
Montenegro and northern
Albania
(see Distribution map,
Fig. 37
). Eight species are only known from a single limestone karst caves, four species (
pretneri
,
zupcense
,
mlejneki
sp. nov.
and
rumijaensis
sp. nov.
)
were found in more (two or three) underground localities.
Adriaphaenops
inhabits subterranean habitats situated from low altitudes (
pretneri
from Vjetrenica cave on Popovo polje, ca
220 m
a.s.l.
) thorough middle regions up to highly situated caves (
kevser
from Vilina pećina cave on
Lebršnik Mts.
, ca
1820 m
a.s.l.
and
zupcense
s.l.
from Pećina u Zupcima cave, ca
2100 m
a.s.l.
and Jama na Vjetrenim Brdima, ca
2170 m
a.s.l.
on
Durmitor Mts.
). Low situated caves are warmer and mostly drier, with air temperature about 8–9 o C, mountain caves are significantly colder and wetter, with air temperature between 2–4 o C.
Bionomy.
Virtually nothing is known about the bionomy of
Adriaphaenops
as well as other Dinaric genera of aphaenopsoid trechine beetles. Most of the taxa known so far, with the exception of
Acheroniotes mlejneki
Lohaj & Lakota, 2010
and
Aphaenopsis apfelbecki
(Ganglbauer, 1891)
, were collected only individually or are known only from very few individuals. Representatives of these taxa were mostly found free walking or running on wet walls, speleothems and stones in the caves and pits, exceptionally collected also by pitfall traps baited with meat and/or cheese. Bionomy of
Acheroniotes
Lohaj & Lakota, 2010
is identical to other endogenous species of trechine genera like
Duvalius
Delarouzée
,
Duvaliopsis
Jeannel
or
Trechus
Clairville. No
specimens were found outside of the clay, on the walls or stones. Special behaviour was observed in
Scotoplanetes
Absolon. Most
of the known specimens were found in cave hygropetric environment (
Sket, 2004
), in Vjetrenica cave (B&H) and Vodna jama pit (
Montenegro
) together with leptodirine beetle
Hadesia
G. Müller.
Common external morphology.
Strongly flattened body with very long sensorial setae on elytra and/or head and pronotum can indicate that these taxa are inhabitants of narrow spaces like fissures, slots, rock debris and MSS (Mesovoid Shallow Substratum or originally
Milieu Souterrain Superficiel
sensu
Juberthie
et al.
, 1980a
,
b
,
1981
). We suppose that conditions (temperature, humidity) and availability of food here is more stable than in large cave spaces, which they visited only occasionally. Morphology of mandibles, which are very long and slender, apically pointed and usually with robust teeth at the base of the right mandible, indicates that they are very active predators (
Casale
et al
., 2012
; Lohaj & Lakota, 2010; Lakota
et al
., 2010;
Mlejnek & Zajíček, 2006
; Mlejnek, Jalžić, pers. comm.). Interestingly, ecomorphological convergent evolution between Dinaric
Adriaphaenops
and Pyrenean
Hydraphaenops
species (eg.
H. vasconicus
,
H. navaricus
,
H. elhersi
...)
provides evidences of adaptive processes as important drivers of phenotypic conservatism. Further research could develop these interesting topics.