Cephennodes (Cephennodes) furcatus, Jałoszyński, 2017

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2017, Ant-like stone beetles on the roof of the world. Cephenniini of Nepal and Bhutan (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4349 (1), pp. 1-120 : 101-104

Cephennodes (Cephennodes) furcatus sp. n.

( Figs 275–281 )

Type material. Holotype: NEPAL (Dolakha District): ♂, one label: "613 NEPAL: Dolakha Distr. / S slope of Khare Khola / 2100m, 2.VI.2000 / leg.W.SCHAWALLER" [white, printed] ( SMNS) . Paratypes (53 exx): 1 ♂, 7 ♀♀, " NEPAL, Sankhua Sabah [sic!] Distr., / Arun Valley, Chichila , 1900–2000 m / Quercus forest , bushes near / village, 18–20 June 1988 / leg. J. Martens & W. Schawaller " [white, printed] ; 3 ♀♀, " NEPAL, Sankhua Sabah [sic!] Distr., / Arun Valley, Chichila , 1900–2000 m / 18–20 June 1988 / leg. J. Martens & W. Schawaller " [white, printed] ; 2 ♀♀, " NEPAL, Taplejung Distr., / Yamputhin , 1650–1800 m, / 26.IV.–1.V.1988, / leg. J. Martens & W. Schawaller " [white, printed] ; 3 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, " NEPAL (Prov. Bagmati) / Chaubas , 2600 m / 5.IV.81 / Löbl & Smetana" [white, printed] ; 6 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Forêt S Mangsingma / 2200 m, 11.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana " [white, printed] ; 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Forêt S. Mangsingma / 2200–2600 m, 11–13.IV. / Löbl - Smetana 1984" [white, printed] ; 2 ♀♀, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Forêt S. Mangsingma / 2300 m, 13.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana " [white, printed] ; 1 ♀, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Forêt S. Mangsingma / 2250 m, 12.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana " [white, printed] ; 1 ♀, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / 2 km E. Mangsingma / 1900 m, 19.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana " [white, printed] ; 6♀♀, "E. NEPAL: KOSI / Chichila s/ Ahale / 2200 m, 4.IV.84 / Löbl - Smetana " [white, printed] ; 1 ♂, " NEPAL, Dhaulagiri Himal / S slope, N Banduk vill. / 1900–2300m, 28°27'22''N, / 83°35'13''E to 28°28'07''N / 83°35'10''E, 06.V.2009 / leg. J. Schmidt " [white, printed] (paratypes in SMNS, MHNG, NME and cPJ).

Diagnosis. Male: metaventral intermetacoxal process strongly modified, forming long bifurcate structure with arms curved ventrally and each bearing several ventral bristles; median area of metaventrite matte but impunctate, anterolaterally and posterolaterally demarcated by carinae and forming rhomboidal flat or slightly impressed plate; intermesocoxal region with inversely heart-shaped plate densely covered with setae. Female: metaventral intermetacoxal process slightly modified, with posterolateral corners forming short subtriangular spines projecting posteriorly (variable in shape, from straight to slightly curved mesally); median area of metaventrite convex and densely punctate, not demarcated by carinae; intermesocoxal area similar to that of male but less hairy.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 275–276 ) moderately dark brown, moderately stout, with shallow but distinct constriction between pronotum and elytra, moderately convex, covered with light brown setae; BL 1.55–1.80 mm (mean 1.70 mm).

Head subtrapezoidal, HL 0.23–0.28 mm (mean 0.25 mm), HW 0.39–0.43 mm (mean 0.40 mm); vertex and frons confluent, evenly convex; supraantennal tubercles small and weakly elevated; eyes large and strongly convex, coarsely faceted. Punctures on vertex and frons small but deep and with sharp margins, densely and nearly evenly distributed, separated by spaces 1.2–1.5 × as wide as diameters of punctures; setae short, sparse, suberect. Antennae relatively long and slender, with loosely assembled antennomeres, AnL 0.83–1.00 mm (mean 0.94 mm), pentamerous club moderately distinctly delimited and longer than half AnL; antennomere I 1.8 × as long as broad; II distinctly narrower and slightly shorter than I, 1.8 × as long as broad; III–VI subequal in length and width, each distinctly narrower than II and 1.2–1.3 × as long as broad; VII distinctly broader and much longer than VI, nearly twice as long as broad; VIII much shorter and slightly narrower than VII, 1.3 × as long as broad; IX distinctly larger than VIII, 1.3 × as long as broad; X distinctly larger than IX, 1.4 × as long as broad; XI much broader than X, distinctly longer than IX–X together, about 2.7 × as long as broad.

Pronotum in dorsal view subtrapezoidal, equally broad from base to anterior third, PL 0.50–0.60 mm (mean 0.56 mm), PW 0.73–0.80 mm (mean 0.77 mm); anterior margin distinctly arcuate; lateral margins not serrate, strongly rounded in anterior third, then straight and parallel; hind corners right-angled; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; lateral carinae very narrow, fused with lateral margins; antebasal pits small, shallow and diffuse, each located closer to posterior than to lateral pronotal margin. Punctures on disc similar to those on frons and vertex, those on median area separated by spaces 0.5–1 × as wide as diameters of punctures; setae moderately short, dense, suberect.

Elytra stout, oval, broadest between middle and anterior third, EL 0.83–0.95 mm (mean 0.89 mm), EW 0.78– 0.88 mm (mean 0.83 mm), EI 1.03–1.12. Humeral calli weakly elevated; subhumeral lines equal to about 0.3 EL, each developed as a very narrow, weakly elevated but sharp carina; basal pit on each elytron small, elytral base lacking basal impression; apices of elytra rounded together. Punctures and setae similar to those on pronotum. Hind wings present, long.

Mesoventrite ( Figs 276–278 ) modified; mesoventral intercoxal process heart-shaped and covered with dense setae.

Metaventrite ( Figs 276–278 ) strongly modified, with large, sharply delimited and flattened median rhomboidal area with matte surface; sides of ventrite convex, without postmesocoxal impressions, covered with dense, small punctures; metaventral intercoxal process strongly enlarged and bifurcate, each arm with long, curved setae and bristles directed ventrally and anteriorly, median longitudinal line of process deepened and sharply defined as narrow groove.

Abdomen and legs unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs 279–280 ) of modified latus form, AeL 0.28 mm, median lobe in ventral view nearly symmetrical, with broadly emarginate, truncate apex; apical group of projections asymmetrical, with apical hooklike projection weakly curved dorsally; parameres thick, strongly curved, each with very thick and strongly curved subapical seta.

Female. Dorsally indistinguishable from male, clearly differs in ventral structures: heart-shaped plate between mesocoxae smaller and less hairy than that in male; metaventral intermetacoxal process only slightly modified, with posterolateral corners forming spines projecting posteriorly, spines are variable in length and shape, from straight to slightly curved mesally, 2–3 × as long as broad; median area of metaventrite convex, densely punctate and not demarcated by carinae; BL 1.63–1.75 mm (mean 1.68 mm); HL 0.20–0.25 mm (mean 0.23 mm), HW 0.31–0.43 mm (mean 0.40 mm), AnL 0.88–0.95 mm (mean 0.92 mm); PL 0.55–0.60 mm (mean 0.57 mm), PW 0.75–0.83 mm (mean 0.79 mm); EL 0.88–0.93 mm (mean 0.88 mm), EW 0.80–0.88 mm (mean 0.85 mm), EI 1.00– 1.06.

Distribution ( Fig. 281 ). Broadly distributed from central to eastern Nepal.

Etymology. The name furcatus refers to the unusually modified metaventral process in males.

Remarks. The male meso- and metaventral structures of C. furcatus are unique; no other species of Cephenniini (or any other Scydmaeninae ) with similarly modified metaventral intercoxal process are known.

Figures

FIGURE 281. Distribution of Cephennodes (s. str.) furcatus sp. n.

FIGURES 275 – 280. Cephennodes (s. str.) furcatus sp. n., male Dorsal (275) and lateral (276) habitus, pterothorax in lateroventral (277) and ventral (278) views, aedeagus in ventral (279) and lateral (280) views.