Ocypus (Pseudocypus) sericeomicans ( Bernhauer, 1931 )

Published, First, 2007, Contributions to the knowledge of the “ Staphylinus-complex ” (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) of China. Part XX. The genus Ocypus Leach, 1819, subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey, 1876. Section 1, Zootaxa 1421, pp. 1-72 : 17-18

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) sericeomicans ( Bernhauer, 1931)

( Figs. 51–56)

Staphylinus (Ocypus) sericeomicans Bernhauer, 1931 , 2.

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) sericeomicans ; Smetana, 2005b, 306.

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) sericeomicans ; Smetana & Davies, 2000, 45.

Type material was discussed in detail by Smetana (2005b, 307), who designated the lectotype. The lectotype is deposited in the Field Museum of Natural History , Chicago, Illinois .

Additional material studied. CHINA: Sichuan: Emei Shan, 3000 m, 29°32'N 103°21'E, 17.VII.1996, [C 64], A. Smetana, J. Farkač, P. Kabátek (2); same data, but 17.–19.VII.96, [C 66](13); Emei-Shan, 2100–2300 m, Thunder Cave , 9.–12.VII.95, W. Heinz (1). All specimens in ASC .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized species, with entirely testaceobrunneous legs, with pubescence of dorsal side of body, including abdominal tergites, uniformly piceous, and with the dorsal side of head, pronotum and elytra with faint, purplish, silky lustre.

Description. Entirely black, dull; head, pronotum and to a lesser extent elytra, with faint, purplish, silky lustre; maxillary and labial palpi dark brunneous, antennae piceous, with first three segments variably paler, rather reddish brunneous and with outer segments gradually becoming paler; legs entirely testaceobrunneous; pubescence of dorsal side of body, including abdominal tergites, uniformly piceous. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with rounded posterior angles, wider than long (ratio 1.23), eyes small and rather flat, tempora markedly longer than eyes from above (ratio 1.95), dorsal surface of head very finely, superficially punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures on disc distinctly larger than diameters of punctures, punctation gradually becoming slightly denser and coarser toward posterior and lateral margins, vague, narrow impunctate midline present on posterior half of head; interspaces between punctures with fine submeshed microsculpture. Dorsal side of neck with punctation similar to that on head, but somewhat denser. Antenna slender, moderately long, segment 3 slightly longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.15), segments 4 to 7 longer than wide, becoming gradually shorter, outer segments slightly longer than wide to about as long as wide, last segment shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum slightly longer than wide (ratio 1.11), almost parallelsided, narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards at about anterior third of pronotal length; disc with entire, narrow, impunctate midline; punctation, pubescence and microsculpture on interspaces between punctures similar to those on head. Scutellum finely punctate and setose, surface with very fine, rudimentary submeshed microsculpture. Elytra quite short, slightly depressed at base, somewhat dilated posteriad, at suture considerably (ratio 0. 42), at sides distinctly (ratio 0.80), shorter than pronotum at midline; punctation fine, moderately dense, finely asperate, interspaces between punctures with dense, relatively coarse submeshed microsculpture. Wings each reduced to minute, nonfunctional stump. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite lacking pale apical seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (in front of first visible tergite) entirely, moderately densely and finely punctate and pubescent; all tergites finely, moderately densely punctate, puctation somewhat sparser than that on elytra, gradually becoming sparser toward apex of abdomen; interspaces with microsculpture similar to that on elytra, but appreciably finer.

Male. Sternite 8 with rather wide and deep, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with sternite 9 rather short and wide, with long, tapered basal portion, vaguely sinuate apically ( Fig. 38). Tergite 10 wide, sparsely setose, only moderately narrowed toward apex, apex widely arcuate to subtruncate ( Fig. 39). Aedoeagus ( Figs. 40–43) in general elongate, narrow, shaped as in Fig. 40; median lobe with apical portion somewhat curved toward left, with rather acute triangular apex, on face adjacent to paramere, when paramere removed, with two indistinct lobes far below apex; paramere situated on median lobe markedly asymmetrically, shaped as in Figs. 40, 42, 43, apical portion markedly asymmetrical, with narrowly arcuate apex by far not reaching apex of median lobe; underside of paramere with moderately numerous sensory peg setae, situated on apical portion as shown in Figs. 42, 43, with two apical setae at each lateral margin close to apex and two to three similar setae on each side below them, in addition to several minute setae ( Fig. 43).

Female. Tergite 10 of genital segment as in Fig. 44, with arcuate apex, very sparsely setose, apical half strongly sclerotized.

Length 13. 0–17. 0 mm.

Geographical distribution. Ocypus sericeomicans is at present known only from Emei Shan in Sichuan. The locality "Kia-Ting" of the original specimens is now Leshan, a city close to Emei Shan. It is quite possible that those specimens actually came from Emei Shan, or its foothills.

Bionomics. The specimens bearing the code C 64 were taken in an old coniferous forest with undergrowth of rhododendrons and various bushes by sifting various forest floor debris. The specimens bearing the code C 66 were taken from pitfall traps set in a similar habitat.

Recognition and comments. Ocypus sericeomicans may be fairly easily recognized, together with the following species, by the faint but readily observable, purplish, silky lustre of the forebody, combined with the entirely testaceobrunneous legs. It differs from O. imurai by the male sexual characters, particularly by the different aedoeagus ( Figs. 40, 47).