A new species of Amara (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Zabrini) from Sichuan Province, China, with additional records for other Amara species from the region

Abstract A new species, Amara (Bradytulus) shalulishanica Hieke & Kavanaugh, sp. n. (type locality: Haizishan Yakou, 29.47366°N, 100.21921°E, 4623 m, Shalulishan, Zhuosang Township, Litang County, Sichuan Province, China) is described and diagnosed. Additional records are provided for 16 other Amara species, each of which represents one of five different geographical distribution types, which are discussed.


introduction
Over the ten-year period from 1998 to 2007, two of us (DHK and HBL) had the opportunity to collect extensively in western Yunnan Province, China, as part of a multidisciplinary, international project to inventory the biodiversity of the Gaoligongshan (Gaoligong Mountains). This project also provided the opportunity for us to collect in a few other areas while traveling between Beijing and the study area itself, including most notably one fast traverse in 2007 across several of the mountain ranges that represent the dissected southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau in western Sichuan and northeastern Yunnan Provinces. In total, more than 2,000 specimens representing species of the carabid beetle genus Amara Bonelli were collected in the course of this work. Specimens collected in the Gaoligonshan region will form the basis of a separate treatment of the Zabrini of that region (in preparation), which will include a key to the species in that fauna and details of geographical and habitat distributions for each of the included species.
In this contribution, we report on Amara species records for specimens collected outside of the Gaoligong region, including those representing one species new to science. That new species is described and a discussion of diagnostic features facilitating discrimination of its adults from those of similar species is provided. One of us (FH) is currently engaged in a comprehenive re-evaluation of subgeneric limits and relationships among Amara species, so we refrain from providing a key to subgenera of Amara or to species likely related to our new species pending results of that analysis.

Materials and methods
This contribution is based on the study of 279 Amara specimens, mainly from Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces. All of these specimens are deposited in the collections of CAS, IZCAS, or ZMHB.
Abbreviations for collections cited in this study follow Evenhuis (2012) as far as possible and include: The only measurement recorded is that of body length, taken as a single measure along the midline from the anterior margin of the labrum to the apex of the longer elytron. Information presented on the overall geographical distributions of species is based on the Catalogue of Palaearctic species (Hieke 2003a) and on data about these species gleaned from specimens in the collection at ZMHB.  Tschitschérine (1894), namely: pronotum with greatest width at or slightly anterior to mid-length; prosternum of male without a punctate fovea at middle; prosternal intercoxal process unmargined and apically asetose; mesofemora bisetose ventrally; mesotibiae of the male with a distinct subapical tooth (seen also in Curtonotus males) on medial margin and a brush-like patch of setae ventrally in apical one-fourth. The absence of an apical hook from the right paramere of male genitalia is shared with males of most other Bradytulus species. No other species of subgenus Bradytulus is known from the Shalulishan (Shaluli Mountains) of Sichuan Province, China. Most species of this subgenus live in the Himalaya Mountains and/or Xizang Province (Tibet) (Hieke 2003b). Amara thibetana Tschitschérine, 1894 has been recorded from northern Xizang, Qinghai and Gansu Provinces and may also occur in far northern Sichuan. Its members differ from those of A. shalulishanica in being smaller (body length less than 6.0 mm) and having the pronotum with its base more markedly punctate and lateral margins sinuate near the posterior angles. Amara micans Tschitschérine, 1894 is widespread in China, especially in Sichuan, and its members differ from those of A. shalulishanica in being larger (body length greater than 8.0 mm in most individuals) and having the pronotum with lateral margins sinuate near the posterior angles and the front angles more distinctly extended forward of the anterior margin. Although some brachypterous specimens have been recorded from the Himalayan region, all A. micans specimens from Sichuan examined are macropterous and have long metepisterna. The only other Bradytulus species with brachypterous members recorded from Sichuan is Amara platynota Hieke, 1994 (known from Daxueshan). Its members are larger (body length more than 8.0 mm), have a relatively wider body, broader head and darker legs, and its males have an S-shaped (in dorsal view) median lobe of the aedeagus (Hieke 1994, figs 88-89) and therefore cannot be confused with the new species.

Amara (Bradytulus) shalulishanica
Description. Dorsal habitus as in Fig. 1a-b. Body length male 6.8-7.0 mm, female 6.6-7.0 mm. Color of body dark brown, antennae, palpi and legs reddish brown. Dorsal microscuplture comprised of isodiametric or nearly isodiametric sculpticells throughout, very faintly impressed on head in both sexes, more shallowly impressed on pronotum and elytra in males than in females; males with shinier dorsal luster than females.
Head smooth, broad, with distinct, hemispheric eyes. Pronotum slightly transverse, with the greatest width slightly anterior to middle and posterior margin narrower than the base of elytra; lateral margins more rounded on anterior half, less arcuate or nearly straight in basal half; posterior margin slightly concave in middle; posterior angles distinct, slightly obtuse, narrowly rounded apically; anterior angles rounded, only slightly extended (about the diameter of the second antennomere) anteriorly beyond the front margin; inner basal foveae formed as short, deeply impressed longitudinal grooves; outer basal foveae absent; basal region with scattered, very fine punctures in and around inner basal foveae. Prosternum of male without a punctate fovea at middle; prosternal intercoxal process smoothly rounded apically, unmargined, asetose apically.
Pterothorax with metepisterna short, not longer than width across anterior margin. Elytra with slightly curved sides and finely punctate striae; parascutellar striae short, located between striae 1 and 2 and extended from basal margin near base of stria 2 apicomedially toward stria 1; basal borders nearly straight, very slightly arched forward laterally; humeral teeth small but distinct and sharp; umbilicate setal series sparsely and unevenly spaced in the middle region; stria 7 without subapical setiferous pore punctures.
Hind wings short, reduced to a minute scale, hence adults flightless. Legs with all femora bisetose; mesotibiae of males with a well-developed subapical medial tooth; metatibiae of males with a brush-like patch of setae ventrally in apical one-fourth. Abdomen with venter only punctate laterally on the sternites 2 and 3. Male with one pair and female with two pairs of anal setiferous pore punctures at the apical margin of the last visible sternite.
Male genitalia with median lobe of aedeagus relatively broad, with apex rounded, apical lamella wider than long in dorsal view (Fig. 1c); right (longer) paramere without apical hook.
Etymology. The species epithet, shalulishanica, is a Neolatin feminine adjective derived from the mountain range in which the type specimens were collected.
Geographical distribution. Known only from the type locality, where adults were found in a high alpine meadow at 4500 m elevation; probably endemic to the central Shalulishan SSW of Litang.
Habitat distribution. All five specimens of the type series were collected within the area shown in Fig. 2b, under stones on barren substrate interspersed with areas of sparse, low, dry tundra vegetation. Stones under which beetles were found, even in more barren areas, often had accumulations of fine-scale vegetative debris, probably deposited there by wind. Specimens of the new species were collected along with those of two other Amara species, A. micans Tschitschérine and A. litangensis Hieke, 1994, in the same habitat.
Remarks. All but one specimen (the smallest female) of the type series are teneral. Consequently, the color characteristics provided in the description are based solely on that one fully pigmented female specimen. However, because that specimen represents the far end (6.6 mm) of the size range of the type series (all others range between 6.8 and 7.0 mm in length), the holotype male was selected from among those other specimens despite its teneral condition. One consequence of this selection is that detailed structure of the internal sac of the male aedeagus, which typically includes more darkly pigmented or more heavily sclerotized features, cannot be distinguished in the holotype. Baliani, 1934 http://species-id.net/wiki/Amara_kingdoni Amara (Amara) kingdoni Baliani, 1934b:243

Discussion
The diverse carabid beetle fauna of China and adjacent areas remains relatively poorly sampled and many new species are discovered in and described from the region each year. The geographical distributions of virtually all species in the fauna are still poorly known, and this is certainly true for the Chinese Amara species. Despite this incomplete knowledge of the fauna, however, the Amara species recorded from Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces can be grouped, at least tentatively, into five different distributional types. The species on which we have reported here are listed below according to their apparent distributional type.
1. Widespread eastern and central Palaearctic species. These include species occurring in Russia (from the Altai to the Amur region, from Yakutia to the Mongolian border), Mongolia, and northern China (rarely as far south as the Himalaya): Amara rupicola.
2. Macropterous eastern Palaearctic species. These include species occurring in central Japan, the Ussuri region of the Russian Far East, Korea, eastern Mongolia, and China (excluding the west but often including Taiwan): Amara sinuaticollis and A. macronota.
3. Macropterous species widespread in China. These include species occurring in several Chinese provinces, and in many cases also in regions of the neighboring Himalayan countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar: Amara kingdoni, A. mandarina, A. chalciope, A. dissimilis, A. pingshiangi, and A. micans. 4. Macropterous Himalayan species. These include species occurring at least in the central and eastern parts of this region, and often also in Yunnan, less commonly also in southern Sichuan: Amara birmana.
5. Apterous endemic Chinese species. These include species occurring only in small areas, mainly in isolated mountain ranges that occupy only part of one province or border areas linking adjacent parts of two provinces: Amara collivaga, Amara shalulishanica sp. n., Amara daxueshanensis, A. dequensis, A. litangensis, A. stricticeps, and A. kangdingensis.
As additional sampling throughout the region continues, particularly in remote areas not yet explored, the ranges of known and additional, still undiscovered species will become better known. The appropriateness of recognizing these different distributional types for characterizing the geographical ranges of different Amara species, as well as other species of the regional fauna, will be tested by these future findings.