Taxonomía, sistemática y biología de un nuevo Trechus (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini) hipogeo del karst cantábrico (Cantabria, España)

Abstract

Taxonomy, systematics and biology of a new hypogean Trechus (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini) from the Cantabrian Karst (Cantabria, Spain)
We describe a new species of Trechus Clairville, 1806. This species has troglobiomorphic traits, such as anophthalmy (only a small ocular scar with no pigmentation can be distinguished), integument depigmentation, and body gracefulness (studied by morphometric analysis). The most remarkable characteristic of this new species, however, is the aedeagus, which precludes its inclusion in any of the previously established ‘species groups’. The inner sac lacks sclerotized pieces, making Trechus udiensis n. sp. resemble another Cantabrian species, i.e. Trechus triamicorum Ortuño y Jiménez–Valverde, 2011. Nevertheless, these two species are easily distinguishable on the basis of other characters, especially the new species’ the glabrous integument of the elytra (similar to most species of Trechus) in opposition to the pubescent T. triamicorum. This new species inhabits the subterranean environment of Udías (Cantabria), where it has been found not only in natural spaces (Udías Cave) but also in artificial tunnels (Sel del Haya Mine).