Pseudophanias spinitarsis, Yin, Zi-Wei, Coulon, Georges & Bekchiev, Rostislav, 2015

Yin, Zi-Wei, Coulon, Georges & Bekchiev, Rostislav, 2015, A new species of Pseudophanias Raffray from a cave in central Nepal (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 4048 (3), pp. 446-450 : 447-449

Pseudophanias spinitarsis , new species ( Figs. 1–2 )

Type material (5 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀). Holotype: NEPAL: ♂, labeled ‘ Népal, 29.vii. (19)81, Pokhara, 900 m, Mahendra Gupha (cave), 28.271389°N, 83.979722°E, P. Beron’ ( NMNHS). Paratypes: NEPAL: 4 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, same data as the holotype ( NMNHS, MHNG).

Diagnosis. Body length over 3 mm, with elongate habitus and appendages; pronotal disc bearing a distinct conical spine; elytra trapezoidal, each elytron with a shallow and wide discal stria; metaventrite with two small triangular tubercles; tergite IV more than twice as long as tergite V. Male has antennomeres VIII and IX, protarsomeres II and III, mesotarsomeres II, and base of the profemora modified; symmetric aedeagus with median lobe greatly extended ventrally. Female has simple antennae, tarsomeres, and profemora.

Description. Male ( Fig. 1 A). Body length 3.12–3.20 mm. Integuments of dorsal surface without granulations, punctation not ocellate. Punctation of head strong, coarse, confluent at antennal tubercles, punctures well separated from each other, but close, becoming small towards eyes and cheeks; frontal rostrum bearing only few punctures, frons and vertex virtually impunctate. Punctation of pronotum strong laterally and especially at base, confluent, becoming fine and sparse on disk. Punctation of elytra fine and sparse. Pubescence long. Head elongate, HL 0.63–0.64 mm, HW 0.53–0.55 mm; frontal rostrum narrow, setose sub-antennal C-shaped sulci clearly seen in dorsal view; each eye composed of about 50 facets. Temples long, oblique, weakly rounded. Antennae long and slender, antennal club formed by apical four antennomeres; antennomeres each elongate, scape as long as antennomeres II–IV combined, antennomeres VIII angularly expanded laterally, IX triangularly expanded ( Fig. 2 A, 2B). Maxillary palpi ( Fig. 2 C) simple, palpomeres I minute, II (0.34 mm) elongate, slightly pedunculate at basal half, III (0.16 mm) widest at apex, IV (0.33 mm) lengthily fusiform. Pronotum ( Fig. 2 D) slightly wider than long, PL 0.61–0.64 mm, PW 0.56–0.58 mm, widest at near middle, constricted at apex, gradually narrowed from middle toward base, disc with strong, conical spine. Elytra trapezoidal, EL 0.88–0.89 mm, EW 1.16–1.20 mm, widest at posterior third; discal stria shallow and wide, extending to half of elytral length. Metaventrite impunctate, elevated, with two small triangular, dull tubercles surrounding shallow impression. All legs extremely elongate and slender; protibiae straight, slightly broadened at apex; mesotibiae (length: 1.04 mm) straight, slightly sinuated inwards at apical third; metatibiae (length: 1.26 mm) straight, slightly broadened at apex; protarsomere II and III ( Fig. 2 F, 2G), and mesotarsomere II ( Fig. 2 H) each spinose; profemora ( Fig. 2 E) concave at basal third, with bunch of thick setae. Abdomen broadest at tergite IV (first visible tergite), AL 1.00– 1.03 mm, AW 1.16–1.17 mm; tergite IV more than twice as long as next one (0.51 mm vs. 0.24 mm), lacking median carina; discal carinae short, but thick and conspicuous. Aedeagus ( Fig. 2 I, 2J) moderately sclerotized, symmetric in dorso-ventral view, length 0.65–0.66 mm; basal part strongly curved ventrally, parameres greatly extended basolaterally, each paramere bearing two preapical and two apical setae; median lobe strongly extended ventrally, composed of two elongate, weakly-sclerotized lateral lobes, and broad median plate which is demarcated by two parts, basal part narrowed at base and broadened apically, apical part nearly trapezoidal, broadly and deeply emarginate at apical margin.

Female ( Fig. 1 B). Generally similar to male, antennae and legs simple. Each eye composed of about 40 facets. Measurements: BL 3.11–3.36 mm, HL 0.66– 0.65 mm, HW 0.53– 0.52 mm, PL 0.63–0.64 mm, PW 0.57– 0.56 mm, EL 0.84–0.88 mm, EW 1.13–1.18 mm, AL 0.98–1.19 mm, AW 1.20– 1.17 mm.

Comparative notes. Adults of most known species of Pseudophanias have a relatively stout habitus, thus can be readily distinguished from the new species described here. Pseudophanias spinitarsis is most similar to the Sumatran P. elegans Raffray which also has a more or less elongate general form. These two species can be separated by the distinctly larger body size (> 3 mm in P. spinitarsis vs. 2 mm in P. elegans ), and relatively much longer scape of the new species.

Distribution. Central Nepal: Pokhara.

Ecology. All individuals were found in the deeper part of the cave (P. Beron pers. comm.), but the presence of welldeveloped eyes and hind wings reveals a modest hypogean adaptation in the new species.

Etymology. The epithet refers to the modified male pro- and mesotarsi of the new species.

Acknowledgments. The senior author thanks Giulio Cuccodoro and Ivan Löbl for their hospitality and logical support when the author visited the MHNG in 2012 and 2015. An anonymous reviewer is thanked for commenting on the manuscript. The present study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 31501874), and the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 15YF1408700).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of Pseudophanias spinitarsis. A. Male. B. Female. Scales: 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 2. Diagnostic features of male Pseudophanias spinitarsis. A, B. Antennomeres VIII – XI. C. Maxillary palpus. D. Pronotum, in lateral view. E. Profemur. F, G. Protarsus. H. Mesotarsus. I. Aedeagus, in lateral view. J. Same, in ventral view. Scales: A, B, D, E = 0.3 mm; F – H = 0.1 mm; C, I, J = 0.2 mm.