Platyprosopus latitarsalis, Assing, 2019

Assing, Volker, 2019, Three new species of Platyprosopus from Thailand, Cambodia, and Sierra Leone, and additional records (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 707-715 : 708-709

Platyprosopus latitarsalis nov.sp. ( Figs 1-5 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype Ƌ: " THAILAND - Nan distr., Pha Khab vill., 19°05'N, 101°10'E, 560 m, V.1993, leg. Pacholátko / Holotypus Ƌ Platyprosopus latitarsalis sp. n. det. V. Assing 2019" (cAss). Paratype ♀: same data as holotype (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective composed of the Latin adjectives latus (broad) and tarsalis (of the tarsi). It alludes to the dilated metatarsomeres I and II, one of the characters distinguishing this species from the similar P. socius .

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 10.5-11.0 mm; length of forebody 5.8-6.0 mm. Coloration: head dark reddish-brown; pronotum reddish-brown; elytra reddish with the scutellum and adjacent portions of elytra infuscate; abdomen dark-brown with the posterior margins of tergites III-VI, the posterior portion of tergite VII, and segments VIII-X reddish; legs reddish-yellow; antennae reddish-yellow to reddish-brown.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) as long as broad or indistinctly oblong; lateral margins behind eyes subparallel in dorsal view; dorsal surface with very dense and moderately coarse macropunctation and dense interspersed micropunctation, in or along middle with glossy patch without macropunctation of variable size and shape. Eyes of moderate size, shorter than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna approximately 3.0 mm long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) oblong, 1.06-1.08 times as long as broad and 1.05-1.07 times as broad as head, broadest in anterior half; anterior margin straight; disc with a dorsal series on either side of middle, each composed of six large punctures; whole disc with dense micropunctation.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) 0.77 times as long as pronotum; punctation very dense and very fine, slightly asperate. Hind wings present. Metatarsomere I longer than the combined length of metatarsomeres II and III; metatarsomeres I and II dilated, distinctly broader than mesotarsomeres I and II.

Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra; punctation fine and very dense; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

Ƌ: sternite VIII with distinctly concave posterior margin; hemitergites IX and tergite X slender ( Fig. 2 ); apices of hemitergites IX spine-shaped and bent upwards ( Fig. 2 ); sternite IX ( Fig. 3 ) very slender, posterior margin convex in the middle; aedeagus ( Figs 4-5 ) 1.2 mm long; median lobe of aedeagus slender and apically acute both in lateral and in ventral view; parameres not reaching apex of median lobe, each with two apical setae.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The only other species recorded from the Oriental region with the dorsal series of the pronotum composed of six (or seven) punctures are P. socius ( Cambodia) and P. aequalis BERNHAUER & SCHUBERT, 1914 (North India; male unknown). Platyprosopus latitarsalis is distinguished from them as follows:

from P. socius by a slightly more robust body, the coloration of the antennae ( P. socius : apical five antennomeres paler than basal antennomeres), a less pronounced and less extensive glossy patch on the head, larger eyes, denser and more distinct micropunctation of the pronotum, longer metatarsi, dilated metatarsomeres I and II, and an aedeagus of completely different shape ( P. socius : ventral process much broader, shorter, and apically concave in ventral view);

from P. aequalis by a broader head of subquadrangular shape ( P. aequalis : head oblong and of suboval shape), the shape of the pronotum ( P. aequalis : pronotum broadest posteriorly), the absence of a median impunctate band on the pronotum, and longer and broader elytra.

For illustrations of P. socius and P. aequalis see BORDONI (2015).

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 type locality is situated in North Thailand at an altitude of 560 m. Additional data are not available.

Figures

Figs 1-5: Platyprosopus latitarsalis: (1) forebody; (2) male tergites IX-X; (3) male sternite IX; (4- 5) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-5: 0.5 mm.