Sunius calatravae ASSING , 2008

Assing, Volker, 2008, Four new species and additional records of Palaearctic Sunius, with two new synonymies (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (2), pp. 455-470 : 459-464

Sunius calatravae ASSING, 2008

Material examined:

Spain: 4 exs., Ciudad Real, Pozuelo de Calatrava , leg. Fuente ( NHMW, cAss) .

Sunius tronqueti sp. n.

( Figs 1-9 , Map 1 )

Type material:

Holotype ♂: " Espagne, Almeria, Sierra Nevada, Chullo verst. N-O., sous les pierres, 2100/2550, M. Tronquet, 17/04/2000 / Holotypus ♂ Sunius tronqueti sp. n. det. V. Assing 2008 " (cAss) . Paratypes: 18 exs.: same data as holotype (cTro, cAss) ; 8 exs.: " Espagne, Almeria Sierra Nevada , laguna Seca, sous les pierres, 2250 m, M. Tronquet, 19/04/2000 " (cTro, cAss) .

Description:

Small species, 2.4-2.8 mm. Forebody as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: forebody uniformly dark-yellowish; abdomen reddish-brown to dark brown, usually with the apex more or less distinctly paler; legs and antennae yellowish.

Head approximately as wide as long, weakly to distinctly dilated posteriad; punctation coarse and sparse; microsculpture absent; eyes less than 1/3 the length of postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 1 ).

Pronotum slightly narrower than head and weakly oblong; punctation as coarse as that of head, but denser ( Fig. 1 ); microsculpture absent.

Elytra approximately as wide, and at suture approximately 0.75 times as long as pronotum; punctation much finer than that of pronotum, dense, and somewhat ill-defined. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen approximately 1.1 times as wide as elytra, widest at segment VI; punctation fine and moderately dense; interstices with shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

♂: sternite VII with weakly concave posterior margin, pubescence unmodified; sternite VIII posteriorly with rather deep and relatively narrow incision, otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 2 ); aedeagus shaped as in Figs 3-6 ; ventral process distinctly longer than basal part of aedeagus; internal sac with a series of stout sclerotised spines ( Figs 7-9 ).

Etymology:

The species is dedicated to Marc Tronquet, a most enthusiastic student of the staphylinid fauna of the Eastern Pyrenees and a gifted photographer, who collected the type material.

Comparative notes:

Using the key in ASSING (2008), this species would key out at couplet 82 together with the highly similar S. nevadensis (COIFFAIT) . From this species, S. tronqueti is distinguished by paler average coloration and the uniformly yellowish forebody ( S. nevadensis : head usually slightly darker than pronotum; abdomen dark brown to blackish-brown, with the apex not distinctly paler), by the narrower and deeper posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, by the more strongly curved ventral process of the aedeagus, the shorter apex of the ventral process, as well as by the shape of the internal structures of the aedeagus (a longer series of stouter spines). For illustrations of S. nevadensis see ASSING (2008).

Comment:

The type material was previously identified as S. nevadensis ( ASSING 2008) . Only when comparing the material of S. filabresicus (see below) with specimens from the Sierra Nevada did I become aware of the fact that the Sierra Nevada is apparently inhabited by two locally endemic Sunius species , S. nevadensis in the western and S. tronqueti in the eastern parts of the Sierra Nevada.

Distribution and bionomics:

The known distribution is confined to the northeastern slope of Chullo mountain and the adjacent Laguna Seca, to the east of the Puerto de la Ragua in the eastern Sierra Nevada ( Map 1 ). The type specimens were collected under stones at altitudes between 2100 and 2550 m.

Sunius filabresicus sp. n.

( Figs 10-19 , Map 1 )

Type material:

Holotype ♂: E- Andalucía [15], Sierra de los Filabres , S Serón, 1800 m, grassland, 37°15'44N, 02°30'30W, 19.III.2008, V. Assing / Holotypus ♂ Sunius filabresicus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2008 (cAss). Paratypes: 8 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss, cSch, OÖLL) .

Description:

2.6-3.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 10 . Coloration: forebody uniformly dark yellowish to reddishyellow; abdomen reddish-brown to dark brown, usually with the apex more or less distinctly paler; legs and antennae yellowish.

Head approximately as wide as long, weakly dilated posteriad; punctation coarse and sparse; microsculpture absent; eyes approximately 1/3 the length of postocular region in dorsal view or slightly larger ( Fig. 11 ).

Pronotum slightly narrower than head and weakly oblong; punctation as coarse as that of head, but denser ( Fig. 11 ); microsculpture absent.

Elytra approximately as wide, and at suture 0.70-0.75 times as long, as pronotum; punctation much finer than that of pronotum, dense, and somewhat ill-defined. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen approximately 1.1 times as wide as elytra, widest at segment VI ( Fig. 10 ); punctation fine and moderately dense; interstices with shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

♂: sternite VII with a weakly concave posterior margin, pubescence unmodified ( Fig. 12 ); sternite VIII posteriorly with moderately deep and rather broadly concave incision, otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 13 ); aedeagus shaped as in Figs 14-16 ; ventral process rather short, approximately as long as basal part; internal sac with a long series of long and slender sclerotised spines ( Figs 17-18 ).

Etymology:

The name (adjective) derives from the name of the mountain range where the type locality is situated and where the species is probably endemic.

Comparative notes:

From the highly similar S. tronqueti , S. filabresicus is distinguished by slightly larger eyes, the broader and less deep posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, the more slender (in ventral view) and shorter ventral process of the aedeagus, as well as by the different position and shape (longer, more slender) of the spines in the internal sac. From S. nevadensis , it is separated by the paler average coloration, the slightly larger eyes, the more slender (in ventral view) and shorter ventral process of the aedeagus, and by the different position and shape of the internal structures of the aedeagus. For illustrations of S. nevadensis and to distinguish it from other Western Palaearctic Sunius species see the key in ASSING (2008).

Distribution and bionomics:

As can be inferred from the restricted distributions of closely related congeners from the southern Mediterranean and by the reductions of eye size, wings, and pigmentation, the species is probably endemic to the Sierra de los Filabres ( Map 1 ). The type specimens were collected under stones in a pasture and on a grassy slope at an altitude of 1800 m ( Fig. 19 ).

Sunius gadoricus sp. n.

( Figs 20-28 , 40 , Map 1 )

Type material:

Holotype ♂: E - Andalucía [11], W Almeria, Sierra de Gádor , 1720 m, 36°55'20N, 02°47'53W, 17.III.2008, C. Andújar & V. Assing / Holotypus ♂ Sunius gadoricus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2008 (cAss). Paratypes: 8 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss) ; 3 ♀♀: E - Andalucía [10], W Almeria, Sierra de Gádor , 1510 m, 36°56'45N, 02°46'56W, 17.III.2008, C. Andújar & V. Assing (cAss) ; 5 ♂♂, 11 ♀♀: E - Andalucía [14], W Almeria, Sierra de Gádor , 2220 m, 36°54'15N, 02°49'37W, 18.III.2008, C. Andújar & V. Assing (cAss, cSch, OÖLL) .

Description:

2.7-3.4 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 20 . Coloration: forebody uniformly dark-yellowish; abdomen yellowish-brown to brown, usually weakly contrasting with forebody; legs and antennae yellowish.

Head 1.02-1.14 times as long as wide, not distinctly dilated posteriad; punctation coarse and sparse; microsculpture absent; eyes approximately 1/3 the length of postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 21 ).

Pronotum slightly narrower than head and weakly oblong; punctation as coarse as that of head, but denser ( Fig. 21 ); microsculpture absent.

Elytra approximately as wide and at suture approximately 0.75-0.80 times as long as pronotum; punctation much finer than that of pronotum, dense, and somewhat ill-defined. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen approximately 1.15 times as wide as elytra, widest at segment VI ( Fig. 20 ); punctation fine and moderately dense; interstices with barely noticeable microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

♂: sternite VII with weakly concave, almost truncate posterior margin, pubescence unmodified ( Fig. 22 ); sternite VIII posteriorly with rather shallow incision, otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 23 ); aedeagus shaped as in Figs 24-26 ; ventral process short, stout, and distinctly curved in lateral view; internal sac with a series of stout sclerotised spines ( Figs 27-28 ).

Etymology:

The name (adjective) is derived from the name of the mountain where the species is probably endemic.

Comparative notes:

Using the key in ASSING (2008), S. gadoricus would key out at couplet 82 together with S. nevadensis . Sunius gadoricus is distinguished from S. nevadensis by its paler average coloration (especially of the abdomen), the slightly larger eyes, the shallower posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, the much stouter ventral process (in ventral view) of the aedeagus, as well as by the different shape of the internal structures of the aedeagus. From S. tronqueti and S. filabresicus , it is reliably distinguished only by the shallow posterior excision of the male sternite VIII and by the morphology of the aedeagus (shape of ventral process and of internal structures). For illustrations of S. nevadensis and to distinguish it from other congeners see ASSING (2008).

Distribution and bionomics:

The known distribution is confined to the Sierra de Gádor, a mountain range to the south of the Sierra Nevada ( Map 1 ). The type specimens were collected under stones on grassland, on sparsely vegetated northern slopes, and near the edge of a snowfield ( Fig. 40 ) at altitudes of 1510-2220 m.

Figures

Map 1: The distribution of Sunius gadoricus sp. n. (filled circles), S. nevadensis (COIFFAIT) (open circle), S. tronqueti sp. n. (filled square), and S. filabresicus sp. n. (open square) in southern Spain.

Figs 1-9: Sunius tronqueti sp. n.: forebody (1); male sternite VIII (2); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (3-6); internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view (7-9). Scale bars: 1: 0.5 mm; 2-9: 0.1 mm.

Figs 10-18: Sunius filabresicus sp. n.: habitus (10); forebody (11); male sternite VII (12); male sternite VIII (13); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (14-16); internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view (17-18). Scale bars: 10: 1.0 mm; 11: 0.5 mm; 12-18: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 19: Type locality of Sunius filabresicus sp. n.

Figs 20-28: Sunius gadoricus sp. n.: habitus (20); forebody (21); male sternite VII (22); male sternite VIII (23); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (24-26); internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view (27-28). Scale bars: 20: 1.0 mm; 21: 0.5 mm; 22-28: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 40: Locality where 16 type specimens of Sunius gadoricus sp. n. were found (altitude: 2220 m). The mountain range in the background is the Sierra Nevada.