Sensilla and Comparative Morphology of the Apical Segments of the Female Maxillary and Labial Palpi in the Genus Leptocarabus (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Sensilla on the female maxillary and labial palpi in the genus Leptocarabus are examined. In the semi-membranous area of the apical segment of the palpi, a total of 6 types of sensilla are distributed : peg-, cone- and dome-like sensilla basiconica, multiporous sensilla types 1 and 2, and sensilla campaniformia. No difference is found between the maxillary and labial palpi in the types of distributed sensilla. In basiconic sensilla, 3 or 4 subtypes are distinguished by the size or shape, and difference of distribution patterns of these subtypes is found among species, except between L. arboreus and L. semiopacus of the subgenus Adelocarabus. The other types, multiporous and campaniform sensilla, are present in common in all the species examined. Apical segments of the female maxillary and labial palpi are examined with regard to their shape difference, which is recognized interspecifically.