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LJUBLJANA, DECEMBER 2001 Vol. 9, No. 2: 123-127
A NATURAL HYBRID BETWEEN CARABUS (CRATOCARABUS) JAKOBSONI SEMENOV, 1908 AND CARABUS (CRATOCECHENUS) ELISABETHAE SEMENOV, 1908 (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
Dmitry OBYDOV
Timiryazev's State Museum of Biology, 123376, Malaya Gruzinskaya St. 15, Moscow, Russia.
Abstract - A natural hybrid between Carabus (Cratocarabus) jakobsoni Semenov, 1908 and Carabus (Cratocechenus) elisabethae Semenov, 1908 from Kazakhstan is described. It is the first described hybrid between the species of the subgenera Cratocarabus and Cratocechenus.
Key words: Coleoptera, Carabidae, Carabus, natural hybrid, Kazakhstan.
Izvleček - NARAVNI KRIŽANEC MED VRSTAMA CARABUS (CRATOCARABUS) JAKOBSONI SEMENOV, 1908, IN CARABUS (CRATOCECHENUS) ELISABETHAE SEMENOV, 1908 (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)
Opisan je naravni križanec med vrstama Carabus (Cratocarabus) jakobsoni Semenov, 1908, in Carabus (Cratocechenus) elisabethae Semenov, 1908, iz Kazah-stana. Je prvi znani primer križanja vrst iz podrodov Cratocarabus in Cratoceche-
Ključne besede: Coleoptera, Carabidae, Carabus, naravni križanec, Kazahstan.
Introduction
Many natural hybrids of different species of the genus Carabus have been described from Middle Asia. Usually natural hybrids are easily distinguished
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because these specimens are individuals among rich populations of the initial species and the morphology and coloration of hybrids are exactly intermediate between the parents. The majority of natural hybrids have been originally described as species, for example: C. karkarensis Kabak et Ovchinnikov, 1994 (?hyb. C. (Eothbax) valikhanovi X C. (Alipaster) pupulus)\ C. dissimulatus Deuve, 1991 (hyb. C. (Eotribax) valikhanovi X C. (Alipaster) pitpuliis); C. manap Bfezina et Kabak, 1993 (hyb. C. (Eotribax) eous X C. (Alipaster) pupulus)\ C. siniaevi Deuve, 1993 (hyb. C. (Eotribax) eous X C. (Alipaster) pupulus)\ C. wrzecionkoi Deuve, 1991 (hyb. C. (Eotribax) valikhanovi X C. (Cratocechenus) akinini puellus); C. niedli Gottwald, 1987 (hyb. C. (Cratocechenus) akinini louclai X C. (Cratocephalus) corrugis)-, C. kleinfeldorum Kabak et Putchkov, 1995 (?hyb. C. (Pantophyrtus) turcomanorum X C. (Cratocephalus) corrugis); C. evstigneevi Obydov, 1997 (?hyb. C. (Pantophyrtus) brachypedilus X C. (Cratocephalus) corrugis). A natural interspecific hybrid of C. (Pantophyrtus) turcomanorum orbitosus and C. (Cratocephalus) corrugis has also been described from Kirghiz Mt. Ridge, Kara-Balta (Obydov, 1998). One specimen of Carabus (male) with the label "Kirghizia, Borkoldoi Mts., Kara-Chonkur River valley", kept in the collection of the Biological Museum (Moscow) displays a series of intermediate characters between C. (Eotribax) eous and C. (Alipaster) pupulus and probably it is a natural interspecific hybrid between these two species.
Kryzhanovskij (1953) considered the subgenera mentioned above as sections of the subgenus Cratocephalus s. lat. These subgenera are morphologically closely related, the majority of species are sympatric and natural hybrids are not a rarity among the Middle Asian Carabus. For example, C. nieclli (hyb. C. (Cratocechenus) akinini louclai X C. (Cratocephalus) corrugis, is found relatively frequently in the eastern part of the Kirghiz Mt. Ridge, among dense populations of C. akinini louclai and C. corrugis.
Many nonexistent species actually are natural interspecific hybrids (see above). Carabus alajensis Semenov, 1896 has not been recollected since its description and probably is a natural hybrid between C. (Pantophyrtus) turcomanorum and C. (Deroplectes) stauclingeri.
Natural hybrids between species of the subgenera Cratocarabus and Cratocechenus were not known till now. The description of a natural hybrid between Carabus (Cratocarabus) jakobsoni Semenov, 1908 and Carabus (Cratocechenus) elisabethae Semenov, 1908 is given below.
Carabus (Cratocarabus) jakobsoni Semenov, 1908 X Carabus (Cratocechenus) elisabethae Semenov, 1908
Material: female, Kazakhstan, southern slopes of Zailiysky Mt. Ridge, B. Almaatin Lake env., 1. 6. 1998, leg. A. Klimenko (State Museum of Biology, Moscow). Description: Body length 15.4 mm (including mandibles), body width 6.0 mm. Body more stout and convex than in C. elisabethae but less than in C. jakobsoni.
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D. Obydov: A natural hybrid betweeiii^^i^iKifltofiiaw^lfc^l^^^	elisabethae Semenov, 1908
Figs 1-3: Carabus (general view): 1. C. (Cratocechenus) elisabethae', 2. C. (Cratocarabus) jakobsoni X C. (Cratocechenus) elisabethae interspecific hybrid; 3. C. (Cratocarabus) jakobsoni. All specimens from southern slopes of Zailiysky Mt. Ridge, B. Almaatin Lake environs.
Fig. 4: Head and pronotum of C.
(Cratocarabus) jakobsoni X C. (Cratocechenus) elisabethae interspecific hybrid.
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©Slovenian Entomological Society, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Acta entoiliologica, 9 (2), 2001
Head, pronotum and elytrae black without lustre as in C. jakobsonv, legs and four basal antennae joints reddish brown as in C. elisabethae and some specimens of C. jakobsonv, mandibles and palpi brownish black as in C. jakobsonv, antennae and ventral body surface brown.
Head thickened, but less than in C. jakobsonv, ratio width of pronotum/width of head 1.70; eyes moderately prominent. Mandibles shorter and broader than in C. elisabethae but longer and narrower than in C. jakobsoni, evenly curved; surface of mandibles smooth as in C. jakobsoni (in C. elisabethae surface of mandibles with sparse fine punctures). Frontal furrows relatively deep, inside smooth, not conjugated as in C. jakobsonv, frons, vertex and neck nearly smooth; laterally vertex and neck with few fine punctures. Labrum slightly wider than clypeus, moderately notched as in C. jakobsoni, with two lateral setae. Antennae protruding beyond the base of pronotum by three apical joints; palpi shorter than in C. elisabethae, but slightly longer than in C. jakobsoni, moderately dilated; penultimate joint of the maxillary palpi nearly equal to the last joint; penultimate joint of the labial palpi with two setae. Mentum tooth narrow and long as in C. elisabethae, much narrower and longer than in C. jakobsoni, longer than lateral lobes; submentum with two setiferous pores. Prothorax nearly cordiform as in C. elisabethae, but without marginal incisures; ratio width/length 1.63. Pronotum flattened, with dense fine punctuation and shallow wrinkles; median longitudinal line distinct; basal foveae shallow, inside with dense fine punctuation. Pronotal sculpture less rough than in C. jakobsoni and C. elisabethae. Lobes of hind angles triangularly protruding, slightly bent upward. Sides of pronotum narrowly margined and slightly bent upward posteriorly, lateral margin with two setae, one setae before middle and one setae near hind angle. Elytrae oval, moderately convex, but less convex than in C. jakobsonv, widest at about middle; shoulders slightly prominent, but not as rounded as in C. elisabethae-, sides of elytrae broadly margined. Ratio length/width 1.40; ratio width of elytra/width of pronotum 1.47. Elytral sculpture exactly intermediate between elytral sculpture of C. jakobsoni and C. elisabethae.
Abdominal sternites smooth, metepisternum with sparse fine punctures, not longer
than its width; sternal sulci absent.
Legs of normal length, not as long as in C. elisabethae.
References
Brezina, B., 1999: World Catalogue of the Genus Carabus L.- Pensoft Publishers, Sofia: 170 pp.
Deuve, Th., 1991: Contribution à la connaissance des Carabidae asiatiques. Descriptions de nouveaux taxons des genres Carabus et Cychrus (Coleoptera).-Entomologiste, 47: 311-325. Deuve, Th., 1993: Carabus nouveaux ou mal connus des montagnes de la China et l'Asie Centrale (Coleoptera, Carabidae).- Bull. Sci. Nat, N 79: 9-19.
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D. Obydov: A natural hybrid between Carabus (Cratocarabus) jakohsoni Semenov, 1908 and Carabus (Cratocechenus) elisabethae Semenov, 1908
Gottwald, J., 1987: Revision der Untergattung Cratocechenus der Gattung Carabus (Coleoptra, Carabidae).- Acta ent. bohemoslov., 84: 122-132.
Kabak, I., 1993: [New taxa of Carabids of the genus Carabus L. (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from north Tien Shan].- Entom. obozr., LXXII, 3: 597-600 [in Russian].
Kabak, I., 1994: [New and little known taxons of ground-beetles of the genus Carabus (L.) Thorns, from Semirechye].- Selevinia N 1: 15-25 [in Russian].
Kabak, I., Putchkov, A., 1995: Eine neue Carabus (Leptoplesius) - Art aus NordKirgisistan (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Carabini).- Ent. Zeitschr., 23: 464-467.
Kryzhanovskij, O.L., 1953: [Carabid beetles of the genus Carabus of the Middle Asia].- Identifications keys of the fauna of the USSR, 52: 134 pp. [in Russian].
Obydov, D., 1997: New taxa of the genus Carabus L. from Kazakhstan and Kirgizia (Coleoptera: Carabidae).- Acta entomologica slovenica, 5(2): 103-108.
Obydov, D., 1998: A new taxa of the genus Carabus L. from Asia (Coleoptera, Carabidae).- Lambillionea, XCVIII, 1: 231-240.
Semenov, A., 1896: Symbolae ad cognitionem generis Carabus (L.) A. Mor., I.-Horae Soc. Ent. Ross., 30: 193-229.
Semenov-Tian-Shansky, A., 1908: Coleoptera nova faunae dzungaro-tianshanicae.-Revue Russe d'Entom, N. 2: 115-125.
Received / Prejeto: 27. 2. 2001
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