Apteroloma belousovi Růžička & Pütz 2009, sp. nov.

(Figs. 5, 7, 9, 11)

Type locality. China, Sichuan province, Lunan Shan mts, NE of Dechang.

Type material. Hol ot ype: J, ‘ CH, S Sichuan, [province] N Lunan / Shan, NE of Dechang / W slope of Mt. ‘4282’ [ca. 27°27′ N, 102°15′ E] / 2400-2800 m, 29.04.2001 / Belousov & Korolev I. [leg.] [p] // Apteroloma davidis / (Fairmaire) / Nikolaev det. [p]’ (ZMAS). Par at ypes: 4 JJ 7 ♀♀, same data as holotype (2 JJ 5 ♀♀ ZMAS, 1 J 1 ♀ AFUA, 1 J 1 ♀ JRPC).

Diagnostic description. Measurements of holotype: TBL 5.6 mm, PMW/PML 1.55, PMW/ PBW 1.22, EL/EW 1.16, EW/PMW 1.54.

Body medium-sized, 5.4–5.6 mm (J) and 5.9–6.0 mm (♀) in length. Dorsum in mature specimens dark brown; antennae, mouthparts and legs uniformly ferruginous (Fig. 5). Dorsal surface shiny, with fine transverse microsculpture. Pronotum and elytra with scattered short erect setae.

Pronotum widest in middle; anterior margin weakly emarginate; lateral margins distinctly bordered; weakly explanate; sides flat, only moderately raised and weakly sinuate posteriorly (Fig. 5); base wide, without impressions. Disc with scattered fine punctures, lateral and posterior areas densely punctate.

Elytra broadly oval. Each elytron with nine regular striae, stria 3 with ca. 65–68 mediumsized punctures; interstriae flat; lateral margin smooth, without serration; epipleural keel narrow. Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Male. Aedeagus evenly rounded with short, straight apex in lateral view (Fig. 7); sides not broadened sub-apically, regularly tapering to slender tip in dorsal view (Fig. 9).

Female. Ventrite VIII truncate posteriorly, spiculum ventrale very narrow, truncate anterior margin and distinctly broadened latero-apical margin (Fig. 11). Ovipositor with transverse valvifer without setae; triangular, heavily sclerotized coxite bearing numerous setae; stylus modified into strongly curved, apically glabrous scraper (as in RŮŽIČKA et al. 2004: 117, Fig. 20).

Differential diagnosis. The new species is very similar in habitus (i.e., oval elytra and dark brown dorsum with paler, unicoloured appendages) to A. davidis (Fairmaire, 1891), A. jinfo Růžička, Schneider & Háva, 2004 and A. qinlingense Rougemont, 2001 (Fig. 5) but differs from them by the combination of the following characters: sides of pronotum only weakly sinuate posteriorly (as in A. davidis and A. jinfo; distinctly sinuate in A. qinlingense); elytra with medium-sized strial punctures (as in A. davidis; distinctly larger punctures in A. jinfo and A. qinlingense) and elytral interstriae anteriorly flat (as in A. davidis and A. qinlingense; distincly raised anteriorly in A. jinfo). All four species can be reliably identified using the features of male genitalia: aedeagus slender with a short apex, regularly tapering in dorsal view in A. belousovi sp. nov. (Figs. 7, 9); with a short apex, sub-apically broadened in dorsal view in A. davidis (RŮŽIČKA et al. 2004: 117, Figs. 2, 6); with an elongate apex and sinuate sides in A. jinfo (RŮŽIČKA et al. 2004: 117, Figs. 3, 7); and slender with an elongate apex, regularly tapering in dorsal view in A. qinlingense (RŮŽIČKA et al. 2004: 117, Figs. 1, 5). Female of A. belousovi sp. nov. differs in the shape of ventrite VIII, which is truncate posteriorly (Fig. 11), as in A. jinfo, but rounded posteriorly in A. davidis (RŮŽIČKA et al. 2004: 117, Fig. 9) and narrowly emarginate posteriorly in A. qinlingense (Fig. 13), and in the spiculum ventrale, which is distinctly broadened latero-apically (Fig. 11), as in A. davidis and A. qinlingense, but narrower and not broadened latero-apically in A. jinfo (RŮŽIČKA et al. 2004: 117, Fig. 10).

Etymology. Patronymic, named in honour of Igor Belousov (St. Petersburg, Russia), specialist in Carabidae and collector of the type series.

Bionomics. The type series was collected in gravel and small stones on banks of a rather large river (I. Belousov, pers. comm.).

Distribution. So far known only from the type locality in China: Sichuan province, situated close to the border with Yunnan province (Fig. 27).