Sunius rubriceps, Assing, 2011

Assing, V., 2011, The Sunius species of the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 43 (1), pp. 151-193 : 153-154

Sunius rubriceps nov.sp. ( Figs 1-5 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " Iran, Kerman Province, Bardsir-Baft: 10 km SE Qal-eh Askar ( Mt. Lalehzar ), 3360 m, N 29°26'01''N E 056°44'31''E, 22.05.2010, lg. Frisch & Serri / Holotypus Sunius rubriceps sp. n. det. V. Assing 2010 " ( MNHUB) . Paratypes: 1, 12: same data as holotype ( MNHUB, cAss) ; 1: " Iran, Kerman Province, 23 km SE Saghdar: Banestan ( Jebal Barez Mts ) 1930 m, N 28°49'37'' E 57°55'17'', 27.05.2010, leg. Frisch " ( MNHUB) ; 1: " Iran, Kerman Province, Baft - Jiroft : 9 km NE Hanza, 3120 m, N 29°21°42'' E 057°13'00'', 26.05.2010, lg. Frisch" ( MNHUB) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.2-4.3 mm. Coloration: head and pronotum bright reddish; elytra reddish-yellow to reddish; abdomen reddish brown with the posterior margins of segments III-VII and the apex reddish, occasionally uniformly reddish; legs yellowish; antennae pale reddish.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) weakly oblong, approximately 1.05 times as long as wide; punctation moderately coarse and moderately sparse; interstices without microsculpture, usually on average approximately as wide as diameter of punctures. Eyes usually at least slightly longer than half the length of postocular region, rarely only half as long as postocular region in dorsal view.

Pronotum approximately 1.1 times as long as wide and about 0.95 times as wide as head ( Fig. 1 ); punctation slightly finer and somewhat denser than that of head; midline rather broadly impunctate.

Elytra moderately long, approximately 0.85-0.90 times as long as pronotum, not distinctly widened posteriad; humeral angles marked ( Fig. 1 ); punctation dense, shallow, fine, and rather ill-defined. Hind wings apparently of reduced length.

Abdomen slightly wider than elytra; punctation fine and dense; interstices with microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with narrow palisade fringe.

: sternite VII with posterior margin weakly concave in the middle, on either side of middle with long setae directed diagonally postero-mediad ( Fig. 2 ); sternite VIII weakly oblong, posterior excision not very deep and broadly V-shaped ( Fig. 3 ); aedeagus approximately 0.38 mm long; ventral process apically obliquely hooked in lateral view and subapically distinctly dilated in ventral view; internal sac with long rod-like structure ( Figs 4-5 ).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet refers to the reddish head, one of the characters distinguishing this species from its closest relatives.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the male sexual characters, particularly the morphology of the aedeagus (internal sac with rod-like structure; ventral process apically obliquely truncate in lateral view and subapically with lateral processes in ventral view) S. rubriceps undoubtedly belongs to the S. adanensis species group (see ASSING 2008a). It is distinguished from all the species of this group by the reddish head (in other species darker than pronotum) and the morphology of the aedeagus. Among the species of the S. adanensis group, the aedeagus most resembles that of the widespread S. adanensis , but differs by the smaller size, the more slender shape (particularly of the ventral process), and the basally differently shaped internal rod-like structure. For illustrations of the aedeagi of the species of the S. adanensis group ( S. adanensis (LOKAY 1919) , S. akianus ASSING 2005 , S. falsus ASSING 2008 , S. khnzoriani (COIFFAIT 1970) , S. nurdaghensis ASSING 2001 , S. rastrifer ASSING 2001 ) see ASSING (2001, 2005a, 2008a).

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: The species is known from three localities in Kerman province, southern Iran, where the type material was collected at altitudes of 1930-3360 m.

Figures

Figs 1-5: Sunius rubriceps nov.sp.: (1) forebody; (2) male sternite VII; (3) male sternite VIII; (4-5) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 1: 0.5 mm; 2-3: 0.2 mm; 4-5: 0.1 mm.