Taxicera acuta, Assing, 2006

Assing, V., 2006, A new species of Taxicera and additional records of Himalayan Aleocharinae (Insecta: Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (2), pp. 1138-1142 : 1138-1142

Taxicera acuta sp.n. ( Figs 1-9 )

Holotype Ƌ: Nepal Annapurna Mts. , Sikles, 1900 m, 2.8.95, leg. J. Schmidt / DEI Ankauf J. Schmidt 1999 / Holotypus Ƌ Taxicera acuta sp.n. det. V. Assing 2006 ( DEI). Paratype Ƌ: same data as holotype (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 3.4-3.7 mm. Facies as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head blackish brown; pronotum dark brown; elytra yellowish to yellowish brown; abdomen blackish brown, with segments III-IV slightly paler brown; legs yellowish; antennae dark brown, with the basal 3 antennomeres paler.

Head distinctly transverse, approximately 1.35 times as wide as long (length measured from anterior margin of clypeus); puncturation coarse and very dense, anterior median area with or without very sparse punctures; dorsal surface without distinct microsculpture; eyes large and bulging, distinctly longer than postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ). Antenna with antennomere III slightly shorter and narrower than II; IV small and approximately twice as wide as long; V-X approximately 3 times as wide as long; XI slightly longer than the combined length of IX and X ( Fig. 3 ). Maxillary palpus with fourth joint rather long, more than 2/3 the length of third joint.

Pronotum approximately 1.15 times as wide as head and 1.35 times as wide as long; puncturation dense, rather coarse, but not very deep; microsculpture distinct, but surface with subdued shine ( Fig. 2 ).

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Elytra approximately 1.15 times as long and 1.3 times as wide as pronotum; puncturation fine and moderately dense, barely noticeable in the pronounced microsculpture ( Fig. 2 ). Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen with anterior halves of tergites almost impunctate; posterior halves of tergites with sparse and moderately fine puncturation; microsculpture distinct, but shallow, predominantly composed of transverse meshes on tergites III-IV and of isodiametric meshes on tergites V-VII.

Ƌ: head and pronotum deeply and extensively impressed ( Fig. 2 ); posterior margin of tergite VIII smooth, laterally with short dent ( Fig. 4 ); sternite VIII elongated posteriorly

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( Fig. 5 ), posterior margin truncate ( Fig. 6 ); median lobe of aedeagus with very acute ventral process ( Figs 7-9 ).

♀: unknown.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Lat., adj.) refers to the apically long and acute ventral process of the aedeagus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: From all its congeners, the new species is distinguished by the male primary and secondary sexual characters, especially by the apically long and acute ventral process of the aedeagus, as well as by the shape of the posterior margin of the male tergite VIII. Using the key in KAPP (2005), the species would key out together with T. deplanata (GRAVENHORST) . From this species, T. acuta is additionally distinguished particularly by the much coarser and denser puncturation, as well as the less pronounced microsculpture of the head and pronotum, and by the much deeper and more extensive impressions on head and pronotum (at least in the male). From the three Indian representatives, T. necrophila (CAMERON) , T. atra (CAMERON) , and T. tertiana (CAMERON) , it is separated by larger size. In addition, it is distinguished from T. necrophila by the presence of microsculpture on the pronotum and by the more extensive impression on the pronotum, from T. atra , of which only the female holotype has become known, by much paler coloration especially of the elytra, the more transverse head, the larger eyes, and the shorter antennomere II (in relation to I), and from T. tertiana by the less pronounced microsculpture of the forebody, the more transverse head, the larger eyes, and the unmodified antennomere III (in T. tertiana laterally compressed). For diagnoses and illustrations of the other Palaearctic and Indian representatives of the genus see CAMERON (1939) and KAPP (2005).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The type locality is situated in the Annapurna region in central Nepal. Additional bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Figs 1-9: Taxicera acuta sp.n.: (1) Ƌ habitus; (2) Ƌ forebody; (3) antenna; (4) Ƌ tergite VIII; (5) Ƌ sternite VIII; (6) posterior margin of Ƌ sternite VIII; (7-8) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (9) apical part of median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view. Scales: 1: 1.0 mm; 2: 0.5 mm; 3-9: 0.2 mm.