Quedius (Raphirus) chion, Smetana, 2011

Smetana, Aleš, 2011, Contributions to the knowledge of the Quediina of China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini). Part 41. Genus Quedius Stephens, 1829. Subgenus Raphirus Stephens, 1829. Section 9, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (1), pp. 145-156 : 152-154

Quedius (Raphirus) chion sp. nov.

( Figs. 20–25 )

Type locality. People’s Republic of China, Yunnan, Heishui, 35 km N Lijiang, 27°13′N 100°19′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J (ASC, to be deposited in Naturhistorisches Museum,Wien,Austria), ‘ CHINA, Yunnan prov. 1.-19. 7. 1992; HEISHUI 35 km N Lijiang 27°13′N 100°19′E lgt. S. Becvar’ . ALLOTYPE: ♀ (ASC), same data as holotype .

Description. Head black, pronotum and elytra dark brown in male, piceous-black in female, abdomen piceous-black, slightly iridescent; both maxillary and labial palpi, antennae and legs testaceous (somewhat darker in female), hind tibiae slightly darkened. Head rounded, wider than long (ratio 1.20); eyes very large and convex, tempora very short, considerably shorter than length of eyes seen from above (ratio 0.11); no additional setiferous punctures between anterior frontal punctures; posterior frontal puncture touching posteriomedian margin of eye, one puncture between it and posterior margin of head; temporal puncture absent; surface of head with fine, moderately dense microsculpture of transverse and oblique waves becoming submeshed on clypeus. Antenna moderately long, segments 2 and 3 subequal in length, segments 4–8 longer than wide, gradually becoming shorter, segments 9 and 10 about as long as wide, segment 11 as long as two preceding segments combined. Pronotum about as long as wide, widely rounded basally, slightly narrowed anteriad, evenly transversely convex; dorsal rows with three punctures; sublateral rows each with two punctures, with posterior puncture situated slightly after level of large lateral puncture; surface of pronotum with microsculpture of transverse waves similar to those on head. Scutellum with six or seven punctures on apical portion, surface with very fine, dense microsculpture of transverse waves. Elytra short, at suture markedly shorter (ratio 0.71), at sides shorter (ratio 0.89) than pronotum at midline; punctation fine, dense, transverse interspaces between punctures mostly smaller than diameters of punctures; pubescence piceous; surface between punctures without microsculpture. Wings apparently each reduced to nonfunctional stump. Abdomen with tergite 7 (fifth visible) without whitish apical seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (in front of first fully visible tergite) entirely, finely punctate and pubescent; punctation of tergites markedly finer than that on elytra, dense, becoming sparser toward posterior margin of each tergite and in general toward apex of abdomen; pubescence piceous; surface between punctures with excessively fine microsculpture of striae.

Male. First four segments of front tarsus dilated, subbilobed, each with tenent setae ventrally, segment two about as wide as apex of tibia, segment 4 narrower than preceding segments. Sternite 8 with three long setae on each side, apical margin with moderately wide, not deep, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination, small area before emargination flattened and smooth ( Fig. 20 ). Genital segment with tergite 10 narrow, evenly narrowed toward narrowly arcuate apex, setose as in Fig. 21 ; sternite 9 with rather long basal portion, apical portion arcuate apically, with two differentiated subapical setae, otherwise only sparingly setose ( Fig. 22 ), but see Comments. Aedoeagus ( Figs. 23, 24 ) narrow, elongate, medial lobe largely parallel-sided, except for apex entirely covered by paramere in ventral view, anteriorly narrowed into moderately long apical portion with subacute apex, on face adjacent to paramere with short medial carina below apex. Paramere narrow, elongate, largely parallel-sided, with narrowly arcuate apex not reaching apex of median lobe; four setae at apical margin, median setae markedly longer than lateral ones, two similar setae at each lateral margin below apex; sensory peg setae on underside of paramere numerous, forming two rather irregular longitudinal rows, as in Fig. 24 .

Female. First four segments of front tarsus simple, not dilated, without tenent setae ventrally. Tergite 10 of genital segment similar to that of Q. nujiang sp. nov., but with more numerous setae on apical portion ( Fig. 25 ).

Length 4.8- 5.0 mm.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Greek noun χιων, -ονος (snow) in apposition, referring to the occurrence of this species in a very high mountain range.

Bionomics. No details are known about the collecting circumstances of this species.

Geographical distribution. Quedius chion sp. nov. is at present known only from the type locality in Yulong Xue Shan in Yunnan. It is likely endemic to that mountain range.

Recognition and comments. Quedius chion sp. nov. is characterized, in addition to the shape of the aedoeagus, by the sexually dimorphic coloration of the pronotum and elytra (but this has to be confirmed on larger material), and by the entirely punctate and pubescent abdominal tergite 2.

The setation of sternite 9 of male genital segment and tergite 10 of female genital segment is largely missing, except for apical portions. Only present setae are shown in Figs. 22 and 25 .

The holotype is missing segments 6 to 11 of left antenna and segments 5 to 11 of right antenna. The allotype is missing the last segment of right antenna.

Figures

Figs 14- 25. 14. Quedius angustiarum sp. nov., tergite 10 of female genital segment. 15–19 – Quedius oros sp. nov. 15 – apical portion of male sternite 8; 16 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 17– sternite 9 of male genital segment; 18 – aedoeagus, ventral view; 19 – apical portion of underside of paramere with sensory peg setae. 20–25 – Quedius chion sp. nov. 20 – apical portion of male sternite 8; 21 – tergite 10 of male genital segment; 22 – sternite 9 of male genital segment; 23 – aedoeagus, ventral view; 24 – apical portion of underside of paramere with sensory peg setae; 25 – tergite 10 of female genital segment.