Sunius discretus, Assing & A, 2008

Assing, V. & A, North, 2008, A revision of the Sunius species of the Western Palaearctic region and Middle Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 5-135 : 86-88

4.49. Sunius discretus nov.sp. ( Figs. 110-116 , Map 18 )

Hypomedon tuniseus : COIFFAIT (1973: 117); partim. Map 19: Distributions of species of the S. seminiger group in Morocco: Sunius gourvesi (COIFFAIT) (filled circle), S. atlasicus (COIFFAIT) (open circles), S. montanellus (BORDONI) (open square), S. fultus ASSING (large filled square), and S. hastatus ASSING (small filled square).

Holotype 3: " Tunis, Le Kef / O. Leonhard / Medon seminiger Fairm. / Holotypus 3 Sunius discretus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" ( DEI) . Paratypes: 2 exs.: " Tunis, Le Kef / O. Leonhard " ( DEI, cAss) ; 1 ex.: " Tunisia [8], 15 km N Le Kef, 36°15'09N, 8°34'29E, 410 m, roadside, under stones, 27.XII.2004, V. Assing " (cAss) ; 3 exs.: " Tunis, Le Kef " ( DEI, cAss) ; 3 exs.: " Le Kef, Tunis " ( SMNS, cAss) ; 1 ex.: " Tunis, Le Kef, 1912, Winkler [?]" ( SMNS) ; 5 exs.: "T. Le Kef, 3-1934, Dr. Normand " (cTro) ; 3 exs.: "T. Le Kef, 2-1937, Dr. Normand " (cTro) ; 4 exs., " Le Kef, Dr. Normand " ( MHNG, cAss) ; 3 exs.: " Tun. Le Kef, 11-41, R. Demoflys " (cTro, cAss) ; 3 exs.: " Ain Drah. , Tunisie " ( MHNG, cAss) ; 13: " Tunisie, Le Kef, Dr. Normand / Paratype [of Hypomedon tuniseus ]" ( MNHNP) .

D e s c r i p t i o n: External morphology as in S. tuniseus ; distinguished only by the male sexual characters:

3: sternite VIII similar to that of S. tuniseus , with shallow posterior excision and pubescent tubercle ( Fig. 116 ); aedeagus with apex of ventral process less slender in lateral view; internal sac with a distinctive row of rather long and distinctly sclerotised spines ( Figs 110-115 ).

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective: distinguished, separate) refers to the fact that this species was previously confounded with S. tuniseus .

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The species is distinguished from S. tuniseus , its most similar congener in Tunisia, especially by the morphology of the ventral process of the aedeagus (stouter and shorter apex) and by the shorter spines in the internal sac. From S. bihamatus , the only other small micropterous representative of the genus known from Tunisia, it is readily separated by the paler average coloration of the forebody, the shallower posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, the presence of a tubercle on the male sternite VIII (in S. bihamatus unmodified), and the completely different morphology of the aedeagus. For illustrations of the male primary and secondary sexual characters of S. bihamatus see ASSING (2005b).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The type specimens were collected in Le Kef and Aïn Draham, northwestern Tunisia ( Map 18 ), in Februar, March, November, and December.

Figures

Map 18: Distributions of species of the S. seminiger group in Tunisia: Sunius tuniseus (COIFFAIT) (filled circles), S. bihamatus ASSING (open circles), and S. discretus nov.sp. (squares).

Figs 110-116: Sunius discretus nov.sp.: (110-112) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (113- 115) internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view; (116) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 110-112, 116: 0.1 mm; 113-115: 0.05 mm.