Pseudolathra lucabosmontis, Rougemont, 2015

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2015, New Oriental and Papuan Pseudolathra (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (2), pp. 1785-1799 : 1789-1790

Pseudolathra lucabosmontis nov.sp. ( Figs 6 fb, 6 s7, 6 s8, 6 al, 6av)

Material examined Holotype & 1 paratype: INDIA 39 Madras, Anaimalai H., Valparai 1100 m, 20-11-72, Besuchet Löbl Mussard [ MHNG]; 4 paratypes: INDIA N°18 Kerala, Cardamon H., 8-XI-72, entre Pambanar et Peerunade, 950 m., Besuchet Löbl Mussard [ MHNG, 1 paratype in CRO].

Description: Length: 8 mm; length of fore-body: 4 mm. Head and pronotum black, elytra black, the anterior third to half reddish, abdomen brown, the posterior margins of each tergite a little paler; mouthparts and antennae reddish-brown, legs testaceous. Fore-body: Fig. 6 . Head transverse (1.1 x 1.3 mm), the eyes large, longer than temples which are retracted in straight lines posteriorly, the postero-lateral angles well marked; surface bearing a pair of foveate punctures on anterior margin, three punctures on inner margins of eyes, a group of thee punctures adjacent to the anterior ocular puncture, a large puncture inside hind margins of eyes, three smaller ones in posterolateral area and a transverse row of punctures along middle part of posterior margin; in addition to these the head bears a scattering of fine micropunctures on frons and vertex, these punctures becoming dense in postero-lateral and occipital areas. Pronotum about as long as broad anteriorly (1.4 mm), the sides slightly retracted posteriorly, the posterolateral angles fairly well marked; discal series of 5 punctures and arcuate lateral series of 4 punctures, the anterior puncture of discal series larger than posterior punctures, a little exterior to the series, appearing to belong to the lateral rather than the discal series; rest of surface with a sparse scattering of micropunctures. Elytra as long as broad (1.6 mm) widest behind middle, with three series of punctures, the middle and outer series each with about 10 punctures; interstriae with very numerous small punctures which are however larger than those of the head and pronotum. Abdominal tergites covered in small punctures, denser and simple on anterior segments, becoming sparser and a little asperate on posterior tergites.

Male: sternite VII with a very shallow median emargination, the sides with a few black setae of varying lengths; emargination of sternite VIII extending to half the length of sternite, the fundus of emargination ogival ( Fig. 6s 8 ), less rounded than in most species; aedoeagus: Figs 6 al, 6av.

A very distinctive species owing to the combination of bicolorous elytra and double puncturation of the fore-body; the latter character makes it comparable to P. duplopunctata nov.sp., but the latter has a quite different facies, entirely black elytra, and its secondary, smaller punctures are much coarser and denser. For differences from the other large bicolorous species of the Nigerrimus group see description of P. sumatrensis , above.

Figures

Figs 5-6: Fore-body (fb), aedoeagus in lateral view (al), aedoeagus in ventral view (av), male sternite VII (s7), male sternite VIII of: 5: P. sumatrensis; 6: P. lucabosmontis

Figs 7-8: Fore-body (fb), aedoeagus in lateral view (al), aedoeagus in ventral view (av), male sternite VII (s7), male sternite VIII (s8) of: 7: P. ivani; 8: P. longicollis Fig. 7: P. ivani 7fb 7al 7av 7s7 Fig. 8: P. longicollis 8fb 8al 8av 8s8