Table Of ContentElytra,Tokyo,35(1):267-278,May30,2007
DiscoveryofaNewAphaenopsoidTrechineBeetle (Coleoptera,
Trechinae) inNortheasternJiangxi, East China
Shun-lobi UENo
DepartmentofZoology,NationalScienceMuseum(Nat.Hist)
3-23-1Hyakunin-cho,Shinjuku,Tokyo, 169-0073Japan
and
Arthur K. CLARKE
SchoolofZoology,UniversityofTasmania,PrivateBag5,
Hobart. Tasmania 7001. Australia
Abstract Anewaphaenopsoidtrechinebeetlehasbeendiscoveredfor the first
timeinthenortheastofJiangxiProvince,EastChina,extendingtheeasternrangeof
theknownoccurrenceofcave-dwellingtrechinesinmainlandChinabymorethan700
km. The new genus appears to be distantly related to Cathaiaphaenops and Bore-
aphaenops,butisreadilydistinguishedfromthembyseveraldiagnosticcharacters. The
new namegivenisJlangxlap/1ae11opsfo'lglcepsS. U直NOetCLARKE.
Introduction
Aboutsixtyspeciesof blindcarabidbeetlesbelongingtoabout twodozengenera
havealreadybeenrecordedfromcavesinmainlandChina. Assummarisedin CLARKE
(2006),on thebasisofpublisheddescriptionsandspeleologicalreports,thedistribution
ofcavetrechines inChinaappearstoberestrictedtothemoreelevatedkarst regions
centering on Guizhou and itssurrounding provinces, that is, central and southern
Sichuan, easternYunnan, northernand northwestern Guangxi, southernandeastern
Chongqing, northwestern Hunan, and southwestern and western Hubei. The cave
dwellingtrechinesitesintheseprovincesaresituatedwithinthesub-tropicalor warm
temperateclimaticzonesofChina. Nocaveadaptedtrechineshavebeenrecordedfrom
themoredistant northern,eastern,southernandwesternprovinces,thoughbiospeleo-
1ogica1 investigations have also been undertaken in the karst and cavesof Shaanxi,
Hebei, Liaoning,Shandong,Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdongand Xinjiang (CLARKE,
2002). Needlesstosay, thisdoesnot mean that cavetrechinesdonot occur in those
provinces; insimilaritywithallbiologicalstudies,our knowledgeofthebeetlefaunain
karst areasof Chinamaysimply reflect the intensityof cavebiology studiesin these
268 Shun-Ichi UtNo and Arthur K.CLARKE
Fig. 1. Lookingout theeffluxentranceofBianfuDong.(PhotobyA.K.CLARKE)
provmces.
ThereareanimmensenumberofcavesinChina;manyhavelargeactiveor fossil
passagesections,sometimesconnectingtosignificantlylongsubterraneansystems. To
date,onlyaverysmallpercentageofthesecaveshavebeenvisitedbybiospeleo1ogists.
Someoftheknowncavesystems,includingthosewithlargedimensions,containquite
smallandrelativelyundisturbedorsometimespristinesidebranchpassagesorchambers
and “difficult-to-access” recesses that may be climatically different from the main
passages,particularlyinregardtohumiditylevels. Incommonwithotherhygrophilous
hypogeanspecies,trechinebeetlesaresometimesrestrictedto theseobscureorconfined
highhumiditysanctuaries,especiallywhenthecavesconcernedare largelydry. Cave
Figs 2-3. HabitatofJia11gxiaphaenops1onglcpsintheupperlevelpassageofBianfuDong. - 2.
Gravel and shingle stone passage floor in bed of ephemeral stream channel. - 3. A live
specimenofaplatyninecarabidbeetle,Metacolpodescf.sttpe・,fifaatrestbesidestreambedshingles
in theupperlevelpassage,indicatedbythebiropen(used forscale). (PhotobyA.K.CLARKE).
NewAphaenopsoidTrechineBeetlefromJiangx1 269
270 Shun-lobi UtNoand Arthur K. CLARKE
dwellingtrechinesarealsoreadilycamouflagedandlikemanyhypogeanspecies,theyare
“cryptic”duetotheirminutesize,scarcityinnumbers(smallor limitedpopulations),
colour-likenesstocavesedimentsandrapidmobility (toavoidpredators) (CLARKE,
2006). It is therefore often necessary to make painstaking and time-consuming
investigationstoclarifythepresenceorabsenceoftrechinefaunasanditisnotalways
possibletoundertakesuch intensivestudies.
Inlateautumn2006,thesecondauthorofthispaperhadanopportunitytovisitthe
XianrendongandShennongGongkarstareasofWannianXianinnortheasternJiangxi,
as amember of aspeleological research party organised by the Institute of Karst
Geology in Guilin. Thisexploration wasaimed at obtaining basic information for
promotingthenominationofShennongGonganditssurroundingkarst for national
geoparkstatus. Asidefromabrief inspectionofthefaunainShennongGong(recently
developedasashowcave),hewasabletoundertakeamoredetailedexaminationofthe
biologyofBianfuDong(BatsCave),locatedabout5kmnorthwestofShennongGong.
During exploration and mapping of Bianfu Dong, a diverse hypogean fauna was
discoveredwithseveralcaveadaptedspecies,mostlyassociatedwithbatguano. Ina
narrowandconfinedupper levelephemeralstreampassageinthefar reachesof this
small cave, locatedapproximately220-230m from theentrance, he found four indi-
vidualsofanaphaenopsoidtrechinebeetle(F.Carabidae).
BianfuDongand itsFauna
BianfuDong islocated inthevicinityofXiaoheMountain, about 5kmeastof
XianrenDongand5kmnorthwestofShennongGongintheHuaiyuShanhillsregion
ofWannianXianintheShangraoShiPrefecture,approximately16kmeast-northeastof
WannianXian (county) town,directlyeast ofNanchang. Thecaveitselfissituated
nearthesmallGangDaoYuanirrigationreservoirbesideWanlivillage. BianfuDong
isasignificantoutflowcavecontainingalargepopulationofbatsandmanyassociated
guano-eating invertebrates. Thecavehasessentiallythreelevelsofsandandgravel
flooredstreampassage,separatedbytwoverticalwaterfallsections;theloweronewith
deeptopandbottomplungepoolsisperenniallyactiveandtheupperwaterfallovera
gour pool flowstonewall isephemeral. A small colony of bats frequents the lower
(outer)sectionofBianfuDongwhichextendsapproximately70mintothecave,where
therangeofguanophilesincludesepigeanspecies. Themajorityofbats(Megachirop-
tera) occupythesecond(middle) levelaboveandbeyonda6-7mhighwaterfall; this
passage extends 130-140metres into the dark zone, where much of the guano is
depositeddirectlyintothe1-2mwidestreambed. Beyondthemainroostingarea, the
streampassageiswider,buthasalowflat roof,eventuallyterminatingatanupstream
sumpcontainingatyidshrimps.Beyondthesump,adrybypassovergourpoolflowstone
(asmallwaterfall inthewetseason), leadstoamoreconfinedupper levelephemeral
streampassageinanarrowsolutionmodifiedfissurewheredecayingguanomixeswith
thesandandgravelsubstrateinahighhumidityenvironment. Inadditiontotrechine
NewAphaenopsoidTrechineBeetlefromJiangxi 271
carabidsonthemoistcavewallsandsandyfloorofthis35-40mlongpassage(terminat-
ingat another sump), thecavernico1ousspeciesincludespiders,springtails,millipedes
andtheiridescentgreenish-blackplatyninecarabids,thelatterbeingtentatively identi-
fiedasMetacolpodessuperlita (H.W. BATES, 1888,p 383).
Anexaminationofcollectionrecordsandpublishedmanuscripts (CLARKE,2002,
2006;U直NO, 2002,2005) indicatesthatthefourspecimensbeingdescribedinthispaper
represent thefirst recordsof trog1obiticcave-dwellingtrechinesin East China. Also
representingtheeasternmostrecord formainlandChina, BianfuDong islocatedmore
than700kmeastofthepreviouslyknowneasternrangeextensionforthecave-dwelling
trechines.Subsequentstudyofthefourspecimenscollectedbythesecondauthor reveals
that the trog1obitictrechinebeetlebelongstoanewspeciesof anewgenus, distantly
relatedtotwocavegenerafromcentralChina. Itwillbedescribedinthepresentpaper
under thenameJiangxi,aphaenops1ongiceps.
Theabbreviationsemployed in thispaperarethesameasthoseinpreviouspapers
of the firstauthor;e.g.,seeU直NO,2002;2005.
Acknowledgements
Beforegoinginto furtherdetails,thesecondauthorwishestoexpresshisindebted-
ness to the followingpersons who have assisted in making thecollectionof these
specimenspossible. Firstly, to Ged CAMPION and Bruce BENsLEY from Yorkshire
Ramblers Club in North England for their invitation to partake in the October-
November2006ChinaCavesProjectexpeditiontowesternHubeiandnortheastJiangxi.
Secondly,toProf.YANZhiwu,VicedirectorofTourismDevelopment,ChinaUniver-
sityofGeosciences,Wuhan(Hubei) forhisfriendshipandprovisionoflogisticsupport.
Thirdly, tostaff at the Instituteof KarstGeology, inGuilin, includingCHENWeihai
(Directorofcavestudies),ZHANGYuanHal(expeditionorganiserand facilitator, who
assistedinprovidinglocationdata) andProf.HUANGBaojianfor invitationtosurvey
theBianfuDongpassages. Alsospecial thanksto ZHENGHongYun fromNanchang
University,inNanchang,Jiangxi. WANGShuijin,hotelmanager fromChaoxivillageis
thankedforprovidingaccommodation,alongwithCHIZhaowen,GeneralManagerof
ShennongGongshowcaveandXianrendongarchaeologicalsitekindlyactedashost,
givingpermission toaccess thecavesandcollect limitednumbersofspecimens. A
specialthankyoutoMr.WANGfromWanlivillage,whoguidedustoBianfuDongand
assistedinsidethecave. CHENLixinfromGuangxiTVinNanningisespeciallythanked
for puttingasidehiscinematographyof thecaveinorder toassist thesurvey and
mappingofBianfuDong,pluswaitingpatientlywhilethesecondauthorsearchedfor
andcollectedspecimens.
272 Shun-lobi UtNoand Arthur K. CLARKE
DescriptionoftheNewTrechineBeetle
GenusJiangx;:iaphaenopsS.UtNoet CLARKE, gen nov
Typespecies:Jiang:)ciaphaenops1ongicepsS.UtN0etCLARKE,sp
nov.
A fairly large-sizedtrechineof aphaenopsoid facies,withlongandnarrow fore
body,stronglyconvexelytrawidestmuchbeforethemiddle,andlongslenderappend-
ages. Probablyrelated,thoughdistantly,toCathaiaphaer1opsDEuvE(1996,pp 42,47),
but readilydistinguishedfromitbythemoreadvancedaphaenopsoidfacieswithlong
headandnarrowprothorax,thelatterof whichisfinelyborderedat thesidesandhas
distinct frontanglesandante-basalsinuationof lateralmargins,stoutlybidentateright
mandible,differentarrangementofmarginalumbilicateporesofelytra,anddifferently
shaped male genitalia. Also resembles Boreaphaenops S. UtNo (2002, p 412), in
particularB hirundinisS.UtNo (2005,p.12, figs.1-3),butthementumiscompletely
fusedwithsubmentumandwidelyconcave,thepronotumbearsdistinct frontandhind
anglesandisevidentlysinuateatthesidesbeforehindangles, theelytrabearobviously
serratehumeralmargins,only twosetiferousdorsalpores, andanteriorlytranslocated
pores of themiddleset of marginal umbilicate series, and themale genitalia are
differentlyshaped.
Conco1ourouslyreddish-brown,shinylustre. Bodyseeminglyglabrousondorsal
surfacethoughsparselycoveredwithextremelyminutehairs,particularlyat thelateral
parts. Microsculpturemoreor lessdegeneratedonheadandpronotum,notsharply
impressed thoughmostlyconsistingof finetransverselines; that ofelytracoarsebut
irregular, formingneitherreticulationnortransverselines. Hindwingsabsent.
Headelongate,muchlongerthanwide,widestatthelevelofantennalarticulation,
and gradually narrowed posteriad towards neck constriction, which is shallow but
distinctlymarked; neck wide,slightlydilatedposteriad; fronsandsupraorbitalareas
moderately convex, separated fromeachother by deeply impressed frontal furrows,
which are feebly curved and interrupted posteriorly behind the level of anterior
supraorbitalpores;twopairofsupraorbitalporespresent,bothwidelydistant fromeach
other,andtheposterioroneapproachingtoneckconstriction;eyescompletelyabsent;
genaeeitherstraightorveryslightlyarcuate,withseveralhairsinapicalparts. Labrum
transverse and narrow, widely emarginateat the apex. Mandibles slender, falcate
thoughstraightinproximalparts;rightmandiblestoutlybidentate,leftmandibledevoid
ofdistinct teeth. Mentumtransverse,completelyfusedwithsubmentum,anddeeply
concavealongthelongaxis,withporrectmentaltoothwhichiseithersimpleorslightly
truncatedatthetip;submentumprovidedwithatransverserowof four tosevensetae,
threemedianonesofwhichareusuallylocatedbetweenapairof longerones; ligula
roundedat theapex, octosetoseasusual,parag1ossaeverythinandslightlyarcuate,
extendingmuchbeyondligula.Palpislender;penultimatepalpomeres1ongerthanapjca1
ones,usuallybisetoseortrisetoseinlabialpalpus,practicallyglabrousthoughbearinga
few, extremelyminutehairsinmaxillarypalpus; apical palpomeressubulate though
NewAPhaenOPSOidTrechnieBeetel fromJ1angx1
273
Fi9 4 Jfan9XlaP
lmiestoneCaveanieWnoan-noainnglXcepaisnsofnUorNthoeaesltecrnLA e oV・, f「omBianfuDong,a
,
gx a In
274 Shun-lobi UtNoand Arthur K. CLARKE
bluntat thetips. Antennaelongandslenderthoughindividuallyvariableinlengthto
someextent,usuallyextendingtonearelytra1apicesbutexceptionallyonlyreaching
apical fourth of elytra; scapeas longaspedicel and theshortest though thickest,
antennomere5thelongest,6-10decreasingin length towards terminalantennomere,
which isaslongasantennomere9.
Pronotumelongatedbarrel-shaped, usuallysomewhatshorter andalittlewider
thanhead,widestalittlebeforethemiddle,andaml ostequallynarrowedinfrontand
behind;apexaboutaswideasbase,slightlybutwidelyemarginatebetweensharpfront
angles;lateralmarginsveryfeeblyarcuateandfinelyborderedthroughout,shallowlybut
distinctlysinuatejust beforehindangleswhicharenearly rectangularbut narrowly
roundedat thecorners; twopairofmarginalsetaepresent, theanterioroneatabout
apicalfifthandtheposterioronejustinfrontofhindangles;dorsumconvex,withfine
medianlinealmostreachingbothapexandbase;apical transverseimpressionevanes_
cent;basaltransverseimpressioncontinuous, laterallymergingintosmallbasalfoveae,
whichareexternally enclosed by reflexedpostangular lame11ae; basal areanarrow,
longitudinallystrigose. Propleuranarrowly visible fromabove in front of antebasa1
sinuationof lateralmargins.
Elytraelongatedobovate,muchwiderthanprothorax,obviouslylongerthanwide,
widestwellbeforethemiddle,andrathergraduallynarrowedtowardspointedapices;
basalPartsample; shoulderswidely rounded;sidesnarrowlybordered
throughout
thou9h diminishingat theprehumera1partsnear basal peduncle, and obtuselybut
distinctlyserrulateandciliatedatthehumeralparts;dorsumstronglyconvex,especially
beforemiddle,obliquelydepressedinbasalpartsinsidethebasalportjonofjnterva15,
andfo「min9aflatslantingarea,steeplydeclivousatthelateralpartsbutrathergently
Slantin9 in apical area;surfacesomewhat coriaceousandsubopaquedue to
coarse
miC「oSCulPture;striaenotsharplyimpressedbut fairlydeepandalmostentire,wjth
mat-definedPunctation,stria1closetosuture,stria8notdeepenedposteriorly;scutellar
St「ioleabsent;apicalstrioleevanescent;intervalsmostlyflat,sometimesslightlyconvex
nea「Suture,interval1verynarrow,2concaveatthebasalportionbehjndbasalpore;no
apicalCa「Ina;stria3withtwosetiferousdorsalpores,theanterioroneofwhichjsoften
foveolate;P「eaPica1porelocatedat theapicalanastomosisofstriae2and3orat the
apicalendofstria2;twoapicalporespresentasusual,buttheposterioronejsmuch
Sma11e「 than the anterior one and issometimesmissing on one elytron; marginal
umbilicatePO「eSnota99re9ated,firstthreeporesofthehumeralsetrangedequidsitantly
andeithe「adjoiningoralmostadjoiningmarginalgutter, the4thporewjdelydjstant
f「om theP「oXima1three, lyinghalfwaybetweenthe3rdand5th, anddjstant from
ma「9ina19utter,thetwoporesofthemiddlesetcloselylyingtoeachother,andalmost
adOj inin9ma「9ina1gutter,the6thporebeinglocatedjustatthemiddleofelytra,thetwo
PO「eSof the apical set widely distant from themiddleset mainly due to unusual
aPP「eachofthe7thporetothe8th, thelatterlyingbehindthelevelofpreapjca1pore
Vent「alSu「faceSparselypubescent fromprosternumtoanalventrjte,vjsjbleven_
t「iteS3-5eachprovidedwithapairofparamediansetae;analventriteprovjdedwjtha
NewAphaenopsoidTrechineBeetlefromJiangxi 275
pajr of marginal setaeind''. Legs longandslender; pro-andmesocoxae conically
protrudent;protibiaestraight,graduallydilatedtowardsapices,whollypubescent,and
notexternallygrooved;metatibiaeslightlyoutcurvedat theapicalparts; tarsi longand
thin; in , protarsomere1weakly dilated, twiceor moreas longaswide,stoutly
produced inwards at the apex, and furnished beneath with adhesive appendages,
protarsomere2slightlydilated,alittlemorethant5timesaslongaswide,onlyangulate
at theapico-interna1corner,andfurnishedbeneathwithafewsmalladhesiveappend-
ages.
Malegenitalorganverysmall;aedeagusslender,tubular,lightlyarcuate,abruptly
bentventradbehindbasalpart,andveryslightlydilatedtowardsapicalorifice;viewed
dorsally,aedeagusnearlysymmetricalandsubparalle1-sidedtoneartheroundedtipof
apical lobe; basal orifice small, with the sides not emarginate but ventro-1atera11y
arcuate; sagittal aileron large though hyaline; ventral surface minutely granulated
behind middle; inner sac armed with an anisotopic copulatorypiece but devoid of
teeth-patches;stylesshortandbroad,devoidofventralapophyses,eachbearingtwoor
threeapicalsetae.
Femaleunknown.
Range. KnownonlyfromalimestonecavenearXiaoheMountainintheHuaiyu
ShanhillsofnortheasternJiangxiProvince,EastChina.
Notes. In view of thenarrow forebody, thebidentaterightmandible,andthe
positionof thefirst umbilicateporeof themarginalseries, whichisnot translocated
inwards, thepresentgenusappearscloser toBore11phae11opsthantoCathaiaphaenops,
but is definitelydifferent from it bythecompletely fusedlabium,smallbutsharply
protrudentfrontanglesofthepronotum,serrulatehumeralmarginsoftheelytra,each
ofwhichbearsonlytwosetiferousdorsalpores,anteriorlytranslocatedmiddlesetof
marginalumbilicatepores,thefourthoneofwhichisequallydistant fromthethirdand
fifth,andtheslender and tubularaedeagusnotnarrowedat theapical lobeindorsal
view. Mostofthesecharacterstatesarealsouseful fordiscriminatingJiarlgxiaphaenops
fromCathaiaphaenops,with theexceptionof theserrulatehumeralmarginsand the
numberofsetiferousdorsalporesoftheelytra. Thelattergenusisalsodifferent from
the former in the tridentateright mandible, inwardly translocated first pore of the
margjna1umbilicateseries,andthebarrel-shapedpronotumwiththesideborderswidely
explanateandreflexedinthepostangularparts.
Oneof themost peculiar featuresofJiang)lliaphaenops is themodeof sexual
modificationof themaleprotarsi. Unlesscarefullyexaminedfromtheventralside, it
maybeconsideredtohaveonlyonemodifiedsegment,sinceonlythefirstprotarsomere
isdistinctly, thoughweakly,dilatedandinwardlyprotrudentat theapex. Thesecond
protarsomereisonlyslightlydilatedanddevoidofapico-interna1protrusion,sothatit
isnotmuchdifferent fromthethirdprotarsomere. However,thereareafewsmalladhe-
siveappendagesontheventralsideofthesecondprotarsomere,whichcanbedetected
only by closeexamination under highmagnification. It is difficult to determine at
presentwhetherthisisadegenerativeconditionoranunderdevelopedstate,butanyway
276 Shun-Ichi UleNoand Arthur K. CLARKE
suchastrangemodificationofthemaleprotarsiisquiteexceptionalintheTrechinaeand
hasneverbeenreporteduntilnowsofarasknowntothepresentauthors.
Jiang;x:1aphaenops1ongicepsS.UtNoetCLARKE,gen etsp nov
(Figs 4-6)
Length:5.40-6.25mm(fromapicalmarginofclypeustoapicesofelytra);5.85-
6.75mm (includingmandibles).
Forebodylongandnarrow,hindbodyelongatedobovatewithamplebasalpartand
relativelynarrowapicalpart,stronglyconvexondorsum. Colourreddish-brown,shiny;
elytraseeminglysub-opaquethoughthedormitselfisshiny.
Headelongatethough variabletosomeextent in lengthaccordingto individuals;
HL/HW 160-1.77 (M I68), HL/PL 1.01-1.11 (M 1.05); antennae long though
individuallyvariablein length,usually reachingapical tenthofelytrabutsometimes
reachingbarelyapical fourth,pedicelslightlymorethanahalfaslongasantennomere
3or three-seventhsaslongasantennomere5,whichisthelongest,antennomeres4-6
eachsixtimesormoreaslongaswide,antennomerel1slightlylongerthan10,aboutas
longas9,abouttwo-thirdsaslongas5,andabout fourtimesaslongaswide.
Pronotumelongatedbarrel-shaped,nearlyaslongasoralittleshorter thanhead,a
littlewiderthanthelatter,widestatabout four-seventhsfrombase;PW/HW120-1.23
(M I22),PW/PL0.73-0.75(M0.74) [PL/PW133-1.36(M I35)],PW/PA t32-
1.38 (M I36),PW/PB132-1.39 (M I36);sidesnearlystraightnear front angles,
feeblyarcuateposteriadtoante-basalsinuationataboutbasaleighth,andthenslightly
divergent (rarelysubpara11e1) towardshindangles;apexaboutaswideasbase,PB/PA
0.94-1.04(M1.00),thelatterslightlybisinuateandslightlyobliqueoneachsideinside
hindangle;dorsumconvex,withsculpturesasdescribedunder thegenus.
Elytramuchlargerthanforebody,elongatedobovatewithamplebasalpart,widest
ataboutbasalthirdoralittlebehindthatlevel,andmoregraduallynarrowedtowards
apicesthantowardsbases;EW/PW2.11-2.22(M2.19),EL/PL2.64-2.76(M2.71),
EL/EW166-1.70(M I68);shoulderswidelyroundedanddevoidofdistincthumeral
angles;prehumera1bordersmoderatelyobliqueandnearlystraightnearbasalpeduncle;
sidesmoderatelyarcuateat thehumeralparts,veryfeeblysoinapicaltwo-thirds,and
narrowly and conjointly rounded at apices without preapica1 emarginatjon; strjae
moderatelybutnotsharplyimpressedandindefinitelypunctateonthedisc,becoming
shallowerandsuperficialattheside,striael-4moreorlessdeepenedinbasalarea,striae
4-7irregular inapicalarea;stria3withtwostout dorsalsetaeaf t/4-3/7and1/2-5/9
frombase, respectively;preapica1setaalsostout,alittlelessthan twicemoredistant
fromapexthan fromsuture;anteriorapicalporeisolatedduetoobliterationofapical
stricto.
Legs long;mesotibiaabout three-fifthsas longaselytra,metatibiaabout three-
fourthsas longaselytra;tarsi longandthin,mesotarsusabout five-eighthsas longas
mesotibia,metatarsusaboutseven-tenthsaslongasmetatibia; tarsomere1obviously
