Pheidologitonetes biplicatus, Assing, 2019

Assing, Volker, 2019, On the Lomechusini fauna of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions. XXVI. New species, a new synonymy, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 69 (1), pp. 33-70 : 62-63

Pheidologitonetes biplicatus spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:77CC7252-1567-4522-A89E-9B0D5E1C486A

(Figs 64–67,153–154)

Type material: Holotype: “ CHINA: Yunnan [CH07- 18], Baoshan Pref., mountain range 22 km S Tengchong , 1750 m, 24°49'29"N, 98°29'27"E, second. forest, litter, dead wood sifted, 2.VI.2007, M. Schülke / Holotypus Pheidologitonetes biplicatus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2018” ( MNB).

Etymology: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) alludes to the pair of pronounced laminae at the base of the ventral process of the aedeagus.

Description: Body length 4.0 mm; length of forebody 1.7 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 64. Coloration: head darkbrown; pronotum reddish-brown; elytra brown with the anterior margins reddish; abdomen reddish-yellow; legs yellow; antennae pale-reddish; maxillary palpi yellow.

Head (Fig. 65) transverse, 1.25 times as broad as long; median portion of dorsal surface shallowly impressed; punctation moderately sparse and extremely fine, visible only at high magnification (100 x); interstices glossy despite distinct microreticulation. Eyes large and strongly convex, longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna (Fig. 66) elongate and slender, 2.0 mm long; antennomeres IV–V approximately twice as long as broad, VI–X gradually and slightly decreasing in length and decreasingly oblong, X approximately 1.5 times as long as broad, XI nearly three times as long as broad and approximately as long as the combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum (Fig. 65) 1.12 times as broad as long and approximately as broad as head, broadest at anterior angles; lateral margins sinuate in dorsal view; posterior angles marked; disc with conspicuous microreticulation and matt. Elytra (Fig. 65) slightly shorter than pronotum; punctation fine and sparse; interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed. Legs slender; metatarsomere I nearly as long as the combined length of II–IV.

Abdomen (Fig. 67) narrower than elytra; tergites III–V without distinct anterior impressions; tergites III–IV with a median pair of setiferous punctures and with few setiferous punctures at posterior margin and laterally, otherwise impunctate; tergite V–VI with a lateral setiferous puncture on either side and with six setiferous punctures at posterior margin, otherwise impunctate; tergite VII with coarse non-setiferous punctation in posterior half, impunctate in anterior half, posterior margin with palisade fringe; tergite VIII with dense and distinct granulose non-setiferous punctation, posterior margin with eight crenulae.

: median lobe of aedeagus 0.55 mm long and shaped as in Figs 153–154 , at base of ventral process with a pair of pronounced laminae.

Comparative notes: This species is distinguished from its congeners P. setifer CAMERON, 1939 (South India), P. adesi ( PACE, 1998) ( Hong Kong), and P. bursatus ASSING, 2017 (South India) by the shape of the aedeagus, sparser and finer punctation of the elytra, and more slender antennae. For illustrations of P. setifer , P. bursatus , and P. adesi see ASSING (2017a) and PACE (1998), respectively.

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in West Yunnan, China. The holotype was sifted from litter in a secondary forest at an altitude of 1750 m.

Figures

Figs 145–165:Drusilla spiniventris(145–147), D. breviuter(148–152), Pheidologitonetes biplicatus (153–154), Zyras conlectus (155– 157), Z. hetzeli (158–159), Z. reductus(160–162), andZ. shavrini(163–165): male tergite VIII (145, 148); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (146–147, 149–150, 153–156, 158–161, 163–164); female tergite VIII (151); spermatheca (152); paramere (157, 162, 165). Scale bars: 145–151, 153–165: 0.2 mm; 152: 0.1 mm.