Dyschiriodes (Eudyschirius) facchinii Bulirsch 2009, sp. nov.

Dyschiriodes (Eudyschirius) facchinii sp. nov.

(Figs. 5, 11, 17)

Type locality. Thailand, 3 km W of Ban Rai, 170 km NW of Bangkok.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘THAILAND / 3 km w. Ban Rai / 170 km nw Bangkok / xii.1991, leg. Thielen // Dyschirius / disjunctus / Andr. / det M. Baehr ’02 // Dyschiriodes / (Eudyschirius) / disjunctus?ab. / (Andr.) / det. D. Fedorenko, 2005’ (ZSM). PARATYPES: THAILAND: 1 ♀ with the same locality data as HT (PBPC); 1 ♀, ‘THAILAND, NAN prov. / Ban Huay Kon env. / 27.v.–10.vi.2002 / P. Průdek & M. Obořil leg.’ (PBCP).

Description. Habitus as in Fig. 5; HT 3.70 mm long, PTs 3.60 mm and 3.80 mm long. Fuliginous, anterior part of head and elytral base lighter; surface with green-bronze lustre; legs rusty red, antennae and mouth-parts slightly lighter.

Head. Anterior margin of clypeus with moderately sharp, distinctly protruded lateral lobes, straight between them, clypeofrontal suture deep, transverse; facial furrows deep, parallel in anterior half, strongly divergent posteriorly; distance between them about equal to eye length. Surface vaulted and smooth, with fine and sparse micropunctures. Eyes moderately large and convex. Antennae submoniliform.

Pronotum. Strongly convex, outline moderately and evenly rounded, distinctly attenuated anteriorly; in HT 0.99 times and in PTs 1.01 and 0.99 times as wide as long, in HT 1.45 times and in PTs 1.42 and 1.43 times as wide as head; widest in posterior fourth. Anterior angles blunt and rounded, posterior ones broadly rounded. Anterior transverse impression deep, without punctures and cross striae; median line superficial, very fine on disc; reflexed lateral margin strongly shortened, extended slightly below anterior setiferous puncture. Surface mirror-like, shiny, with very fine micropunctures.

Elytra. Strongly convex, ovate, in HT 1.58 times and in PTs 1.60 and 1.59 times as long as wide, in HT 1.26 times and in PT 1.22 and 1.25 times as wide as pronotum; humeri moderately protruded without humeral teeth; base moderately sloping; outline distinctly and regularly broadened on sides, broadest slightly behind midlength; suture indistinctly depressed at base. Base without basal border and tubercles; BSP large, indistinctly connected with first stria. Striae 1–7 moderately deep in basal three fifths (inner striae) to basal half (outer striae), striae 2–7 strongly weakened apically; densely and moderately roughly punctate in anterior half; punctation gradually disappearing latero-apically; stria 7 deeper just before apex, stria 8 much finer, consisting of 3–5 very fine punctures in second third; intervals moderately vaulted in basal half, flattened latero-apically. Three PHSP, two DSP (anterior one in the middle of interval 3, middle one near to stria 2, posterior one missing) and two ASP (in deep apical stria).

Protibia. Apical spine thin, slightly curved downwards but not inwards, slightly longer than apical spur; the latter slightly curved; distal marginal tooth small, blunt, proximal one indistinct.

Aedeagus. Length 0.84 mm in HT; from ventral view very characteristic and unique, very broad, with asymmetric and large bulges on both sides before apex and broad excision on both sides of apical lamella (Figs. 11, 17). Apical lamella very small, rounded, slightly narrowed apically (Fig. 17). Paramere unisetose, not figured.

Differential diagnosis. Dyschiriodes facchinii sp. nov. belongs to the D. gracilis group and subgroup (named D. lafertei group in FEDORENKO (1996, 1997b)). It can be distinguished from its sibling species D. (Eudyschirius) disjunctus (Andrewes, 1929), to date the only known species of this group from the Oriental Region, by strongly apically weakened elytral striae (at most slightly weakened in D. disjunctus), very different apex of the median lobe of the aedeagus (apical part ‘trefoil-like’ in D. disjunctus, with much larger and broader apical lamella) and slightly narrower pronotum (width of elytra/pronotum ratio equal to 1.22–1.26 in D. facchinii sp. nov. and 1.17–1.20 in D. disjunctus, pronotum width/length ratio equal to 0.99–1.01 in D. facchinii sp. nov. and 1.01–1.04 in D. disjunctus, and width of pronotum/ head ratio equal to 1.42–1.45 in D. facchinii sp. nov. and 1.48–1.52 in D. disjunctus) and narrower elytra (length/width ratio equal to 1.58–1.60 in D. facchinii sp. nov. and 1.54–1.59 in D. disjunctus).

Etymology. Patronymic, in honour of Sergio Facchini (Piacenza, Italy), specialist in Afrotropical Harpalinae and other Carabidae.

Distribution. Thailand.

Comment. I have seen and measured eight specimens of both species (three of D. facchinii sp. nov. and five of D. disjunctus), which is not sufficient to prove that the new species is indeed narrower than D. disjunctus. Due to the similarity of both species, D. Fedorenko (Moscow, Russia) and I treated this new species first as a form of D. disjunctus with obsolete striae at the elytral apex. However, the examination of the aedeagi of both taxa demonstrated that they are distinct species.