Habrocerus indicus ASSING & WUNDERLE

Assing, Volker, 2008, A revision of the Habrocerinae of the world. IV. A new species of Habrocerus from China and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (1), pp. 135-144 : 141-142

Habrocerus indicus ASSING & WUNDERLE

Additional material examined:

Nepal: 2 exs., Annapurna South Himal , SE Narcheng, left river side of Bele Khola, 28°31'N, 83°42'E, 2300 m, 25.-26.V.2001, leg. Hirthe (cHir, cAss) .

The known distribution of Habrocerus indicus is confined to northern India and Nepal ( ASSING & WUNDERLE 1995, 1996).

Habrocerus splendens sp. n.

( Figs 1-11 , Map 1 )

Type material:

Holotype : " China: Yunnan [CH07-17], Baoshan Pref., mountain range 25 km S Tengchong , 1900 m, 24°48'28"N, 98°32'03"E, dev. primery [sic] decid. forest, litter, fungi sifted, 2.VI.2007, M. Schülke / Holotypus  Habrocerus splendens sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" (cAss). Paratypes: 1 : " 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 " (cSch); 1 , 1 : " 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, leg. A. Pütz " (cPüt, cAss) .

Description:

3.4-3.7 mm. External morphology as in H. capillaricornis , except as follows:

Antennae with antennomeres I-II pale brown to dark brown and III-XI pale yellowish. Pronotum conspicuously glossy, without trace of microsculpture even near the margins ( Fig. 1 ). Abdomen with relatively sparse fine puncturation and with very shallow, barely noticeable microsculpture ( Fig. 2 ).

: tergite and sternite VII large, with broadly and weakly convex posterior margins ( Figs 3-4 ); sternite VIII posteriorly with deep and proximally U-shaped excision; appendices of pleurites VIII each with one long seta ( Fig. 5 ); sclerites of segment IX as in Fig. 6 ; internal sac of aedeagus with longer row of numerous strongly sclerotised structures and with additional row of 8 slender spines ( Fig. 7 ).

: tergite and sternite VII distinctly smaller than in ; posterior margin of tergite VII acute, that of sternite VII strongly convex ( Figs 8-9 ); segment VIII as in Fig. 10 .

Comparative notes:

Based on the morphology of the primary and secondary sexual characters, the species refers to the H. capillaricornis species group, whose original distribution is confined to the Palaearctic region. From all other species of this group, H. splendens is distinguished by the sparser puncturation and the less distinct microsculpture of the abdomen, as well as by the distinctive internal structures of the internal sac and by the secondary sexual characters (shapes of male sternite VIII, as well as of female tergite and sternite VII). For illustrations of the sexual characters of other species of the H. capillaricornis group see ASSING & WUNDERLE (1995). The only other Habrocerus species that was previously known from China is H. schuelkei ASSING & WUNDERLE, 1996 from Shaanxi. This species, however, refers to the H. schwarzi species group and is characterised by sexual characters of completely different morphology; for illustrations see ASSING & WUNDERLE (1996).

Etymology:

The name (Latin, present participle of splendere) refers to the glossy appearance of the species.

Distribution and bionomics:

The type specimens were collected in two localities to the south of Tengchong ( China: Yunnan province) by sifting the leaf litter of deciduous forests at altitudes of 1750 and 1900 m. The abdomen of a dissected female paratype contained a conspicuous structure of unknown identity ( Fig. 11 ) .

Figures

Map 1: Known distribution of the genus Habrocerus in China: Habrocerus splendens sp. n. (filled circles) and H. schuelkei ASSING & WUNDERLE (open circle).

Figs 1-11: Habrocerus splendens sp. n.: forebody (1); abdominal segments III-VI (2); male tergite VII (3); male sternite VII (4); male segments VIII-IX (5); sclerites of male segment IX (6); internal sac of aedeagus (7); female tergite VII (8); female sternite VII (9); female segment VIII (10); unidentified structure in female abdomen (11). Scale bars: 1-2: 1.0 mm; 3-6, 8-11: 0.5 mm; 7: 0.2 mm.