Afropselaphus longispinosus, Brachat & Assing, 2021

Brachat, Volker & Assing, Volker, 2021, The Afropselaphus fauna of South Turkey and the Middle East (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 53 (2), pp. 545-568 : 561

Afropselaphus longispinosus nov.sp. ( Figs 17-19 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♁: "TR - Kahramanmaraş (45) NO Kadirli, 12, 5 km NO Andɪrɪn → Geben 1500 m 37°39'14,2N 36°26' 27,0E 3.V.2005 leg. Meybohm & Brachat / Afropselaphus longispinosus spec. nov. ♁ det. Brachat 2021 / Holotypus " (cBra). Paratypes: 2♁♁, 1♀: same data as holotype (cBra); 1♁: "TR - Kahramanmaraş (44) NO Kadirli 11 km NO Andɪrɪn → Geben, 1281 m 37°38'41,7N 36°25'51,0E 3.V.2005 leg. Meybohm & Brachat" (cBra); 1♁, 1♀: "TR - Kahramanmaraş (30) K.Maraş 51 km → Andɪrɪn; Başkonuş Yaylasɪ 1250 m; 23./ 24.IV.2009 N37°33'55,8'' E 36°33'37,6'' leg. Meybohm & Brachat" (cBra); 1♁: "TR - Kahramanmaraş (25) K.Maraş; 30 km W 1500 m; Başkonuş Yaylasɪ 28.IV.2004; N37°33'30'' E3 6 °35'12'' leg. Meybohm & Brachat" (cBra); 1♁: "TR - Kahramanmaraş (50) K.Maraş; 51 km W; 1250 m Başkonuş Yaylasɪ 5.V.2005 N37°33'56,2'' E36°33'36,8'' leg. Meybohm & Brachat" (cBra); 1♁: " N37°32'42 E36°26'52 (12) TR - Kahramanmaraş Andɪrɪn; 15 km SE; 810 m; 24.IV.2007 leg. Meybohm & Brachat" (cBra); 2♁♁, 2♀♀: "TR - Adana, N Osmaniye, Karatepe Nat. Park , 200 m, 37°17'12N, 36°14'22E Laurisilva, Q. suber, 28.12.2000 V. Assing " (cBra); 1♁, 1♀: "TR-ADANA N Osmaniye Karatepe Nat. Park 24.IV-1.V.2002 N37°17'12'' E36°14'22'' leg. Meybohm & Brachat" (cBra); 1♁, 1♀: "TR - Kahramanmaraş [8] 30 km SSW K.Maraş, Uzunsöğut , 660 m 37°23'43N, 36°48'06E, 20.III.2005, V. Assing " (cBra).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) alludes to the long internal spine of the aedeagus.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 1.65-1.85 mm. Other measurements (in mm): HL: 0.33-0.38; HW: 0.25-0.29; AL♁: 0.86-0.96; AL ♀: 0.83; PpL: 0.35-0.38 mm; PL: 0.29- 0.34; PW: 0.27-0.29; EL: 0.36-0.40; EW: 0.62-0.68; AedL: 0.36-0.38.

Head approximately 1.3 times as long as broad. Eyes composed of 5-7 ommatidia. Antennae slender; all antennomeres oblong in male; antennomeres IV-X sometimes as broad as long in female. Apical club of maxillary palpomere IV at least half as long as total length of palpomere IV. Pronotum weakly oblong, with a more or less distinct median ante-basal fovea.

♁: metaventrite more distinctly convex than in female; sternite IV with deep medio-basal impression extending beyond middle of sternite, lateral margins of this impression with a series of short setae; aedeagus ( Figs 17-19 ) apically curved ventrad; middle of apex produced in ventral view; internal structure of distinctive shape.

I n t r a s p e c i f i c v a r i a t i o n: The internal structure of the aedeagus is somewhat longer (0.23-0.26 mm) in the males from Karatepe (Osmaniye) ( Figs 18-19 ) and Uzunsöğut (Kahramanmaraş) than in the remaining males from Kahramanmaraş (0.18- 0.20 mm) ( Fig. 17 ). However, since (a) there is some variation also within populations, (b) the male from Uzunsöğut is intermediate between those from Karatepe and the remaining localities from Kahramanmaraş, and (c) no additional convincing differences were observed, this polyporphism is attributed to intra- rather than interspecific variation.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Afropselaphus longispinosus is reliably distinguished from other species of the A. clavigeroides group only by the shapes of the internal structures of the aedeagus.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Thetypematerialwascollected in several localities in Kahramanmaraş and Osmaniye provinces, central southern Turkey ( Map 1 ). The specimens were sifted from forest floor litter (oak, laurel, pine, etc.). The altitudes range from 200 to 1,500 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distribution of Afropselaphus muglanus (black triangle), A. pisidicus (white triangle), A. tenuispinosus (grey triangles), A. wolfi (black stars), A. frederici (white star), A. cilicicus (grey star), A. longispinosus (white circles), A. spoliatus (black circles), A. bispinosus (grey circles), A. clavigeroides (black diamonds), A. assmanni (white diamond), A. aequalis (black square), and A. meybohmi (white square).

Figs 17-22: Afropselaphus longispinosus nov.sp. (17-19) from Kahramanmaraş (17) and Osmaniye (18-19), A. adanicus nov.sp. (20), A. spoliatus nov.sp. (21), and A. latibasalis nov.sp. (22): aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.