Euconnus (s. str.) mimicus, Jałoszyński, 2023

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2023, Two new species of the Euconnus taiwanus group from Zhejiang, China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5343 (3), pp. 296-300 : 299-300

Euconnus (s. str.) mimicus sp. n.

( Figs 2 , 7–10 )

Type material studied. Holotype ( CHINA): ♁, two labels: “CHINA: Zhejiang Prov. / Lin’an County, 400m / West Tianmu Shan N. R. / 18. v. 1996. J. Cooter ” [white, printed], “ EUCONNUS (s str.) / mimicus m. / P. Jałoszyński 2023 / HOLOTYPUS” [red, printed] ( MHNG).

Diagnosis. Antennal club trimerous with antennomere 9 distinctly narrower than 10; males lacking secondary sexual characters; aedeagus with minute elongate subtriangular median apical process flanked by broad sublateral projections with subtriangular apices.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 2 ) elongate, strongly convex; pigmentation dark brown, appendages indistinctly lighter except for clearly lighter tarsi and maxillary palps; body covered with setae distinctly lighter than cuticle; BL 1.31 mm.

Head much narrower than pronotum, broadest at eyes, HL 0.30 mm, HW 0.23 mm; tempora in dorsal view nearly 3 times as long as eyes, behind eyes strongly and evenly converging posteriorly, posterior margin of vertex strongly rounded and short, distinctly bulging posterodorsally. Eyes moderately large and weakly convex, in lateral view weakly oval. Frons and vertex with unremarkable, fine punctures, glossy; setae sparse, short and suberect, tempora and posterior margin of vertex with dense thick bristles. Antennae short and compact, AnL 0.43 mm, scape and pedicel each distinctly elongate, antennomeres 3‒10 each strongly transverse, 9 only slightly broader than 8 and much narrower than 10, 10 about twice as broad as long, 11 slightly longer than 9 and 10 combined, indistinctly elongate.

Pronotum subconical, broadest slightly behind middle; PL 0.34 mm, PW 0.30 mm. Pronotal base with inner pair of distinct, circular pits connected by faint transverse groove; sublateral carinae indistinct. Punctures and setae on disc similar to those on frons and vertex; sides of pronotum with dense thick bristles.

Elytra together oval, broadest slightly in front of middle; EL 0.68 mm, EW 0.53 mm, EI 1.29; humeral calli small, elongate, each mesally demarcated by short elongate impression; elytral apices separately rounded. Punctures indistinct, superficial and unremarkable; setae sparse and suberect.

Legs slender, unmodified, all tibiae slightly curved inwards.

Aedeagus ( Figs 7–10 ) moderately elongate, walls of median lobe weakly sclerotized, endophallic structures strongly sclerotized, AeL 0.28 mm; median lobe in ventral view broadest in sub-basal region, dorsal apical plate in ventral view minute, elongate subtriangular, flanked by elongate rod like projections with subtriangular apices; endophallic structures symmetrical, with strongly elongate paired lateral sclerites and unpaired vesicular proximal median complex with cordiform component at its base. Parameres narrow and long, exceeding apex of median lobe, in ventral view distally curved mesad, each with 5 long apical and subapical setae.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. SE China (Zhejiang Province).

Etymology. The Latin adjective mimicus comes from the Ancient Greek ΜΙΜΙΚoς (mimikos, “belonging to mimes”), from ΜΙΜΟς (mimos, “imitator, actor”), and refers to the external similarity between this species and E. bibaculoides .

Remarks. Euconnus mimicus sp. n. is externally strikingly similar to E. bibaculoides sp. n.; see Remarks for the latter species.

Figures

FIGURES 1‒2. Dorsal habitus of holotype males. Euconnus bibaculoides sp. n. (1), E. mimicus sp. n. (2).

FIGURES 3‒10. Aedeagus in ventral (3, 5, 7, 9) and lateral (4, 6, 8, 10) views. Euconnus bibaculoides sp. n. (3‒6), E. mimicus sp. n. (7‒10).