Scaphobaeocera balkei, Ivan Löbl, 2017

Ivan Löbl, 2017, New species and records of Scaphobaeocera CSIKI from New Guinea (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae), Mitteilungen der Münchner Entomologischen Gesellschaft 107, pp. 33-41 : 35-36

Scaphobaeocera balkei sp. n.

( Figs 1-3 )

Type material. Holotype ♂: INDONESIA, Irian Jaya Nabire area, road Nabire-Ilaga ,03°29’517’’ S 135°43’ 913’’E, 750m NN X.1997, LEK, leg.M. BALKE ( NMEC) . Paratypes: 2 ♀♀, same data as the holotype ( NMEC, MHNG). Description. Length 1.54-1.62 mm, width 0.88-0.98 mm, dorsoventral diameter 0.96 mm. Head, pronotum and elytra dark brown or blackish. Elytra barely lighter near apices. Ventral side of thorax und abdomen dark reddish-brown. Femora fairly light reddish-brown, tibiae, tarsi and antennae almost yellowish. Length / width ratios of antennomeres as: III 11/10: IV 15/9: V 22/12: VI 15/12: VII 90/16: VIII 17/11: IX 85/14: X 77/16: XI 70/22 ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum very finely punctate, not microsculptured. Minute tip of scutellum exposed. Elytra iridescent, with parasutural striae, sutural striae deep, curved near base, discal punctation much coarser than pronotal punctation, microsculpture barely visible. Hypomera not microsculptured, smooth, lacking longitudinal stria. Middle area of metaventrite weakly convex, between mesocoxae with short, very fine median stria, smooth in middle, with dense and rather coarse punctation around smooth centre, many punctures larger than puncture intervals, pubescence very short. Lateral parts of metaventrite very finely punctate, not microsculptured. Submesocoxal areas about 0.02 mm, submesocoxal lines appearing impunctate. Metanepisterna about 0.07 mm wide, flat, not narrowed anteriad, impunctate, with straight suture reaching metepimera. Protibiae straight , mesotibiae and metatibiae slightly curved. Sternite 1 not microsculptured, very finely punctate, basal punctures coarse. Following sternites with strigulate microsculpture. Male : Protarsomeres 1 to 3 slightly widened, narrower than apices of protibiae. Aedeagus as in Figs 2, 3 , 0.48 mm long.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to its collector, Dr Michael BALKE, München.

Differential diagnosis. This species possesses conspicuous antennae, with antennomeres VII and IX to XI strongly elongate and bearing unusually long pubescence. Similar antennae are in two species only, S. zdenae LÖBL, 1992 from Nepal und S. escensa LÖBL, 2011 from the Philippines. The new species may be easily distinguished from S. zdenae by the pronotum and lateral parts of metaventrite lacking microsculpture, the pronotum not iridescent, the elytral punctation as on pronotum very fine, the narrower metanepisterna (0.10 mm wide in S. zdenae) and narrower submesocoxal areas. Scaphobaeocera balkei may be readily distinguished from S. escensa by the antennomere VIII longer than wide (it is as long as wide in S. escensa), the profemora lacking combs, the flagellum convolved and the internal sac of the aedeagus lacking basal sclerotized complex.

Figures

Figs 1-3. Scaphobaeocera balkei sp. n., holotype; 1. ‒ Antennomeres 2 to 11; 2, 3. ‒ Aedeagus, internal sac extruded, in dorsal and lateral views. Figs 4, 5. Scaphobaeocera gemina sp. n.; 4. ‒ Holotype, antennomeres 3 to 11; 5. ‒ Paratype, aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale = 0.1 mm.