Cavernicolous Ground Beetles Research Articles

Two new cavernicolous species of Anillinus Casey (Carabidae, Trechinae, Anillini) from Texas with a revised key to Texas species

Two new species of blind cavernicolous ground beetles in the genus Anillinus Casey are described from Texas. Based on the structure of the male genitalia, Anillinus reddellisp. nov. (type locality: SW Bypass Cave, Williamson County, Texas) is closely related to A. forthoodensis Sokolov and Reddell from the neighboring Bell County. Based on the structure of the male genitalia, Anillinus bexarensissp. nov. (type locality: Up the Creek Cave, Bexar County, Texas) is closely related to A. weismanensis Sokolov and Kavanaugh from Hays and Bell Counties. Both new species are illustrated with images of the habitus, body parts, and male and female genitalia. Based on morphological data a new grouping of the Texas species is proposed and discussed.

Morphological Adaptation of Cave-Dwelling Ground Beetles in China Revealed by Geometric Morphometry (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini).

Cave-dwelling ground beetles in China represent the most impressive specific diversity and morphological adaptations of the cavernicolous ground beetles in the world, but they have not been systematically examined in quantitative terms. The present study focuses on the application of geometric morphological methods to address the morphological adaptations of the tribe Trechini, the most representative group in China. We have employed a geometric morphometry analysis of the head, pronotum, and elytra of 53 genera of Trechini, including 132 hypogean and 8 epigean species. Our results showed that the overall morphological variation of cave carabids has gradually specialized from an anophthalmic to semi-aphaenopsian to aphaenopsian type. There were extremely significant differences (p < 0.01) among four different adaptive types including aphaenopsian, semi-aphaenopsian, anophthalmic, and surface-dwelling Trechini when their adaptability to a cave environment was used as the basis for grouping. Furthermore, there were differences in the phenotypic tree of the head, pronotum, and elytra, and an integrated morphology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the analysis of the head, pronotum, and elytra of four different adaptive types of ground beetles in order to clarify the morphological adaptations of cavernicolous carabids to the cave environment.

Two remarkable new genera and species of cavernicolous ground beetles from Guizhou Province, southwestern China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae)

Summary Two new genera and two new species of troglobitic trechine beetles are described and illustrated: Casaleaphaenops liyunchuni n. gen., n. sp. from the limestone cave Hei Dong in the suburb of Zunyi City, northern Guizhou Province, and Panaphaenops guixicus n. gen., n. sp. from the cave Zimu Dong in Panzhou, western Guizhou. Casaleaphaenops n. gen. is remarkably modified, with a very elongated body and thin appendages, but pronotum short and markedly convex; in particular, each humeral angle of elytra extraordinarily protruding upwardly as a sharp spine, a character only known in Italian trechine Italaphaenops species though smaller and thinner. Panaphaenops n. gen. is also an aphaenopsian, remaining unknown for its phylogenetical position in Trechini though it is somewhat related to Aspidaphaenops Uéno, 2006 and Tianeotrechus Tian & Tang, 2016.

A contribution to the knowledge of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, southwestern China (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini, Platynini).

Two new genera and four new species of cave-adapted ground beetles are described from Sichuan Province, southwestern China. Uenoaphaenopsgen. nov. is established to place the trechine species Qianotrechus fani Uéno, 2003 occurring in the limestone cave Hua’er Dong, southeastern Sichuan (Luzhou: Gulin). Chu pheggomisetoidesgen. nov. & sp. nov., from the limestone cave Hanwang Dong, northeastern Sichuan (Guangyuan: Chaotian), is somewhat like the European cavernicolous trechine genus Pheggomisetes Knirsch, 1923, from Bulgaria and Serbia, in particular in the configurations of head and pronotum. Boreaphaenops liyuanisp. nov., also from Hanwang Dong, is the second representative of the genus and the first record in Sichuan. Agonotrechus sinotroglophilus Deuve, 1999, a troglophile, is reported from Sichuan for the first time. The other two new species belong to the platynine genus Jujiroa Uéno, 1952: J. uenoisp. nov. from the cave Banche Dong on the northern side of the Dadu River (Leshan: Shawan) and J. wangzhenisp. nov. from the cave Hua’er Dong, which is sympatric with Uenoaphaenops fani (Uéno, 2003) comb. nov. A distribution map for the localities of all abovementioned caves and a key to Jujiroa species known in Sichuan are provided.

New species and new record of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini and Platynini).

Two new species of cave-adapted ground beetles are described and illustrated from Sichuan Province, southwestern China: Jujiroa zhouchaoi sp. nov. from the calcareous conglomerate cave Shenxian Dong in Mt. Zhaogong (Dujiangyan, Chengdu) and Pterostichus (Huaius) hanwang sp. nov. from the limestone cave Hanwang Dong (Chaotian, Guangyuan). A new locality for Jujiroa deliciola Uéno and Kishimoto, 2001 is given. Keys to species of the genus Jujiroa Uéno, 1952 and the subgenus Huaius Tian and Huang, 2019 (in Tian et al. 2019) are also provided.

New cavernicolous ground beetles from Anhui Province, China (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini, Platynini).

A new genus and three new species of cave-adapted ground beetles are reported from the limestone cave Shenxian Dong in Huangshan Shi, southeastern Anhui Province, China. Shenoblemusgen. nov. is proposed to place the anophthalmic trechine species S. minusculussp. nov. This genus is characterized by the tiny but stout body, sub-moniliform antennae, serrated elytral margins near the base, and a wide distance between the fifth and sixth pores of the marginal umbilicate series on the elytra. In addition, two new species, Wanoblemus huangshanicussp. nov. (an anophthalmic trechine) and Jujiroa inexpectatasp. nov. (a microphthalmic platynine), are also described and illustrated from the same cave.

Occurrence of cavernicolous ground beetles in Anhui Province, eastern China (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae).

Two new species of anophthalmic ground beetles belonging to the subfamily Trechinae are described: Cimmeritodes (Zhecimmerites) parvus Tian & Li, sp. n. and Wanoblemus wui Tian & Fang, gen. n., sp. n. Both were discovered in the limestone caves of Anhui Province in eastern China. Cimmeritodes (Zhecimmerites) parvus was found in caves Ziwei Dong, Xianren Dong and Qingtai Dong, whereas Wanoblemus wui was discovered in cave Baiyun Dong. This is the first record of cavernicolous ground beetles in Anhui Province, eastern China.