Sunius brevispinosus, Assing, 2005

Assing, Volker, 2005, On the Turkish species of Sunius. VI. New micropterous species from central southern Anatolia and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 55 (2), pp. 289-298 : 291-293

Sunius brevispinosus sp. n. ( Figs. 1-8 , 14 , Map 2 )

Type material:

Holotype : TR – Kahramanmaraş [31], 25 km SW K. Maraş, Yesilyöre, 600 m, 37°27'18N, 36°46'45E, 27.III.2005, V. Assing / Holotypus  Sunius brevispinosus sp. n. det. V. Assing 2005 (cAss) . Paratypes: 1, 4: same data as holotype (cAss); 2, 1: TR – Kahramanmaraş [2], 25 km SW K. Maraş, Yesilyöre , 600 m, 37°27'18N, 36°46'45E, 18.III.2005, V. Assing (cAss); 2, 3 : same data, but leg. Wunderle (cWun); 2, 1: TR – Kahramanmaraş [1], 20 km SW K. Maraş, Hopurlu env., 560 m, 37°28'21N, 36°48'45E, 18.III.2005, V. Assing (cAss); 4, 2 : same data, but leg. Wunderle (cWun); 1: TR – Kahramanmaraş, 14 km SW Türkoğlu , 37°21'06N, 36°44'22E, 850 m, 19.IV.2005 [52], Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) .

Description:

Small species, 2.8-3.3 mm (abdomen extended). Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Forebody uniformly reddish yellow, head not darker than pronotum; abdomen of similar colour as forebody or darker; legs and antennae testaceous.

Head weakly oblong, approximately 1.1 times as long as wide (length measured from anterior margin of clypeus; puncturation coarse and well-defined, in central dorsal area sparse, in lateral areas denser; microsculpture absent; eyes small, weakly projecting from lateral outline of head, postocular region in dorsal view approximately 3 times as long as eyes ( Fig. 2 ).

Pronotum approximately 0.95 times as wide as head and 1.15 times as long as wide; microsculpture absent; puncturation variable, usually similar to that of head, though somewhat denser.

Elytra approximately as wide as and at suture about 0.65-0.70 times as long as pronotum; puncturation less well-defined than that of pronotum ( Fig. 2 ); microsculpture indistinct. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen about 1.1 times as wide as elytra, widest at segments VI-VII; puncturation very fine and moderately dense; microsculpture very shallow on tergites III-VI, somewhat more distinct on posterior tergites; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

: sternite VII not distinctly modified ( Fig. 8 ); sternite VIII unmodified, except for the posterior incision; aedeagus of similar general morphology as in the species of the S. tuberiventris group, internal sac with a series of relatively short sclerotised spines ( Figs. 3-7 ).

Etymology: The name (Lat., adj.: with short spines) refers to the shape of the spines in the internal sac of the aedeagus, which distinguishes this species from other highly similar congeners.

Comment:

The internal structures in the aedeagus of the single male collected in the locality southwest of Türkoğlu (19.IV.2005) are slightly longer than those in the males from the other localities. This difference is here attributed to intraspecific variation.

Comparative notes and phylogenetics:

Sunius brevispinosus belongs to a species group which, in the Eastern Mediterranean, comprises S. amanensis ASSING from the southern Nur Dağları (Antakya), S. hypogaeus (FAUVEL) from Israel, S. renouardi (COIFFAIT) from Lebanon, and the two following new species. This species group is characterised by small body size, reduced pigmentation (coloration yellowish to reddish yellow), small eyes, reduced hind wings, a male sternite VII without conspicuous modifications, an unmodified male sternite VIII (except posterior incision), and by the synapomorphic presence of a row of sclerotised spines in the internal sac of the aedeagus. From the other species of this species group, S. brevispinosus is reliably separated only by the distinctive shape of the spines in the aedeagus. In S. amanensis and the two following new species, these spines are longer, more numerous, and, except for S. amanensis , more strongly bent. The aedeagus of S. amanensis is figured by ASSING (2005b), those of S. renouardi and S. hypogaeus by COIFFAIT (1984).

Distribution and bionomics:

The type localities are situated in the area to the southwest of Kahramanmaraş, central southern Anatolia. The types were collected by sifting the roots of grass and herbs in the shade of shrubs and trees on slopes with oak and juniper at altitudes of 560-850 m. The locality near Hopurlu is shown in Fig. 14 .

Figures

Map 2: Distributions of Sunius brevispinosus sp. n. (filled circles), S. longispinosus sp. n. (open circles), and S. pauli sp. n. (square).

Figs. 1-13: Sunius brevispinosus sp. n. (1-8) and S. longispinosus sp. n. (9-13): habitus (1); forebody (2); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (3-7, 9-11);  sternite VII (8, 12);  sternite VIII (13). Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2: 0.5 mm; 8, 12-13: 0.2 mm; 3-7, 9-11: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 14: Type locality of Sunius brevipennis sp. n. (photo by P. WUNDERLE).