Afropselaphus euboicus Davranoglou, Hlaváč & Baňař, 2023

Davranoglou, Leonidas-Romanos, Baňař, Petr, Kakiopoulos, George, Balázs, Attila, Avtzis, Dimitrios N. & Hlaváč, Peter, 2023, Three new species of Afropselaphus Jeannel, 1950 (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Greece and a redescription of Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940), Zootaxa 5351 (5), pp. 559-570 : 565-567

Afropselaphus euboicus Davranoglou, Hlaváč & Baňař , sp. n.

( Figs 2C – 6C , 7E, F )

Material studied. Holotype,♁: GREECE,with one label “GREECE,Euboea, Steni, 38°35’18.45”N 23°50’52.38”E, 508 m, 21.x.2018, Platanus sifting litter, L. Davranoglou lgt.” [white, printed] ( NMPC). Paratypes, 3 ♁♁, 4 ♀♀, 2 exx, same data as for holotype ( MMBC, PCPH). Other specimens. 1 ♁, 2 ♀♀: Greece, Euboea, Stropones, Castanea forest leaf litter, 6.v.2017, G. Kakiopoulos lgt.; 1 ♁: Greece, Euboea, Glyfada, evergreen Quercus forest leaf-litter, 400 m, 19.iii.2017, G. Kakiopoulos lgt. ( PCGK).

Diagnosis. Head 1.5 times longer than wide, scape 2.3 times longer than wide, tergite 1 (IV) 1.4 times broader than long, sternite 2 (IV) 2.3 times wider than long; metaventrite of male produced into acute spine ( Fig. 6C ); central spine of internal sac of aedeagus with a membranous branch that overlays second hook-like branch ( Fig. 7E, F ); second spine of aedeagus simple, located on top of membrane bearing small number of denticles ( Fig. 7E, F ).

Description. Body length 1.8 mm. Coloration largely reddish-brown, maxillary palpi and legs lighter, posterior margin of elytra much darker, almost black ( Fig. 2C ). Pilosity of body sparse; head, legs, and antennae covered by sparse, adjacent golden setae; elytra with few rows of setae, which are denser on elytral marginal line; with row of setae on distal margin of elytra; proximal margin of tergite II with very dense pilosity ( Fig. 2C ), remaining segment largely glabrous.

Head 1.5 times longer than wide, each eye composed of 9 ommatidia ( Figs. 3C , 4C ); median gular ridge distinctly protruding distally, with subtriangular apex that is almost touching gular surface ( Fig. 4C ); antennae 0.97 mm long; scape cylindrical, 2.3 times longer than wide, and twice longer than pedicel; pedicel about as long as wide; pedicel and antennomeres 3–8 rounded, subequal in length; antennomeres 9–10 about 1.6 times longer than length of each antennomere 3–8; terminal antennomere (11) about 0.75 times as long as 9–10 combined, and 1.3 times longer than wide ( Fig. 5C ). Maxillary palpomere 1 shortest, 2–3 times longer than 1; 3 extremely short and rounded; palpomere 4 1.6 times longer than 2, apex club-shaped.

Pronotum 0.29 mm wide, smooth, about 1.2 times longer than wide; slightly constricted proximally and distally, broadest medially; about 0.8 of length of head; lacking median sulcus and carinae, median antebasal and lateral foveae absent; procoxal fovea and prothoracic-mesothoracic junction with dense tuft of setae. Metaventrite produced into acute, conical spine ( Fig. 6C ).

Elytra about 1.7 times broader than long, and 1.7 times longer than pronotum; elytral surface smooth, lacking striae or distinct punctures; elytra with one basal fovea, and one sutural fovea.

Abdomen about as broad as elytra; tergite 1 (IV) (excluding paratergites) 1.4 times wider than long; sternite 2 (IV) about 2.3 times wider than long.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 7E, F ) with central spine of internal sac of aedeagus with membranous branch that overlays a second hook-like branch; second spine of aedeagus simple, located on top of denticle-bearing membrane.

Measurements of holotype (in mm)—W = width, L = length. Body, L—1.77; head, L—0.42, W—0.27; antenna, L—0.97; scapus, L—0.17, W—0.07; pedicel, L—0.09, W—0.06; antennomere III, L—0.07; antennomere IV, L—0.06; antennomere V, L—0.06; antennomere VI, L—0.06; antennomere VII, L—0.06; antennomere VIII, L—0.06; antennomere IX, L—0.1; antennomere X, L—0.1; antennomere XI, L—0.15, W—0.11; maxillary palpomere I, L—0.09; maxillary palpomere II, L—0.26; maxillary palpomere III, L—0.05; maxillary palpomere IV, L—0.44; pronotum, L—0.35, W—0.29; elytra, L—0.6, W—0.35; tergite IV, L—0.44, W—0.75; tergite IV (excluding paratergites) W—0.61; ventrite IV, L—0.37, W—0.87.

Female. Similar to male, but with a smooth metaventrite.

Etymology. The new species was named after the island of Euboea, where it appears to be endemic.

Habitat. Specimens were collected in dense leaf-litter accumulations from a range of broadleaf deciduous forests ( Fig. 8C ).

Distribution. Greece (so far endemic to the island of Euboea, on Mt Dirfis and its environs).

Remarks. The sclerites of the internal sac of aedeagus of A. euboicus sp. n. are characteristic to this species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus photos of examined species of Pselaphini.A) A. taygetensis sp. n.; B) A. tymficus sp. n.; C) A. euboicus sp. n.; D) Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940). Scale bars correspond to 250 um.

FIGURE 3. Scanning electron microscopy image of dorsal view of head in the examined Pselaphini.A) A. taygetensis sp. n.; B) A. tymficus sp. n.; C) A. euboicus sp. n.; D) Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940). Scale bars correspond to 100 um.

FIGURE 4. Scanning electron microscopy image of lateral view of head in the examined Pselaphini.A) A. taygetensis sp. n.; B) A. tymficus sp. n.; C) A. euboicus sp. n.; D) Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940). Scale bars correspond to 100 um.

FIGURE 5. Scanning electron microscopy image of antenna in the examined Pselaphini.A) A. taygetensis sp. n.; B) A. tymficus sp. n.; C) A. euboicus sp. n.; D) Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940). Scale bars correspond to 200 um.

FIGURE 6. Lateral view of metaventrite in the examined Pselaphini, using scanning electron microscopy.A) A. taygetensis sp. n.; B) A. tymficus sp. n.; C) A. euboicus sp. n.; D) Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940). Scale bars correspond to 100 um.

FIGURE 7. Photomicrographs showing the dorsal aedeagal surface of the examined Pselaphini. A) A. taygetensis sp. n.; B) same, schematic; C) A. tymficus sp. n.; D) same, schematic; E) A. euboicus sp. n.; F) same, schematic; G) Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940); F) same, schematic. Blue dashed lines indicate membranous structures. All scale bars correspond to 200 um.

FIGURE 8. Habitat photos of examined species. A) Type locality of A. taygetensis sp. n. in Kastoreion; B) type locality of A. tymficus sp. n.; in Mt Tymfi; C) leaf litter where A. euboicus sp. n. was collected from in Mt Dirfis, the type locality; D) habitat in Mt Vitsi, where Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940) was collected from.