Batrisodes (Babnormodes) spretoides Ferro and Carlton

Ferro, Michael L. & Carlton, Christopher E., 2014, Two new species of Batrisodes Reitter (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from eastern North America, Insecta Mundi 2014 (380), pp. 1-21 : 6-7

Batrisodes (Babnormodes) spretoides Ferro and Carlton

Figures 22–31 ; Map 2

Holotype, male: * Gt.Smoky Mts. Nat.Pk. nr. Cades Cove Blount Co., Tenn. 8. VI.60 Alt. c1700’ under rock / W. Suter & J. Wagner Collectors / male symbol / [blue triangle] / Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Orlando Park Pselaphidae Collection / TYPE [red paper]. Deposited in FMNH.

Description: Holotype, male. Head 0.34 mm long (apex of clypeus to cervix); pronotum 0.34 mm long (dorsal, base to apex); elytra 0.56 mm (base to apex, along suture); abdomen 0.60 mm long; total 1.84 mm. Holotype reddish-brown with paler palpi and legs. Pubescence elongate, semi-appressed, flavous ( Fig. 22 ).

Head ( Fig. 24–26 ) elongate with prominent subreniform eyes of about 40 facets; supraocular carina absent; lateral vertexal carina extending from temporal angles anteriorly, becoming obsolete at level of vertexal foveae; median vertexal carina faint, extending from apical pronotal margin to level of cervical sulcus, obsolete apically; vertexal foveae deep, nude; circumambient sulci indistinct, extending apically to margin of facial declivity; vertex with broad tumulus bordered laterally by circumambient sulci; interfoveal integument shining and subimpunctate, clothed with a few long erect setae; vertexfront short, shallowly declivous, lighter than rest of head, integument granular with dense short setae; frontal margin overhanging, covering antennal insertions, with pair of large blunt lateral projections mesad of the antennae, and two smaller medial projections separated by a medial cleft; face excavate between antennal acetabulae, excavation setose; clypeus with low, wide, medial projection; labrum transverse, apical margin concave.

Antennae ( Fig. 22–26 ) 11-segmented; segment I large, globose ventrally; segment II elongate; segment III obconical; segments IV–VIII similar, becoming transverse; segment IX abruptly wider than VIII; segment X wider than eleventh, globular from above, with small fovea/large pore at apex; segment XI with truncate base, pubescent, dorsal face slightly flattened, basal ridge of the segment without spines or teeth. Antennal segment lengths 0.12, 0.07, 0.06, 0.05, 0.05, 0.04, 0.04, 0.04, 0.08, 0.10, 0.20 mm.

Pronotum ( Fig. 23, 24 ) arcuate, greatest width at apical three fifths; medial antebasal fovea and lateral antebasal foveae well developed, pubescent; medial sulcus and lateral sulci obsolete; longitudinal carinae short, poorly developed with distinct basal spine.

Elytra ( Fig. 23 ) with humeral angle produced, evenly covered in widely separated semiappressed pubescence; subhumeral fovea distinct, with humeral sulcus extending to elytral apex; three basal elytral foveae present, deep, nude; sutural stria entire.

Thorax. Metasternum medially flattened, the flattened area weakly longitudinally sulcate, the sulcus deepened apically into a fovea between the mesial angles of the metathoracic coxae. Metathoracic wings present.

Abdomen as for supertribe ( Chandler 2001), with five visible tergites (IV–VIII) and six ventrites (III–VIII), visible ventrites 1–2 (III–IV) fused; sixth ventrite (6, VIII) with transverse median extension.

Legs ( Fig. 22, 27 , 28 ). Prothoracic legs slightly flattened, primary tarsal claw not bifid. Mesothoracic trochanter with posterior tooth ( Fig. 28 ); mesotibia with short apical spur and dense setae on apical one third ( Fig. 28 ); mesotarsi abnormal ( Fig. 27 , 28 ). Metathoracic legs with the tibia bearing a long apical tuft of setae.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 29 ) parallel-sided, flat, with apical one-third smoothly bent 90 degrees ventrad, with acuminate tip; 0.24 mm long.

Female ( Fig. 30, 31 ) similar to male, except eyes smaller, with ~25 facets; face entirely declivous, without transverse impressions or excavations; clypeus flat, covered in fine, dense setae, distinctly margined; antennae unmodified; mesothoracic tarsi normal.

Female specimens included as paratypes are based on association with males from the series collected by Suter and Wagner.

Paratypes (n=24). UNITED STATES: TENNESSEE: Blount County: *Gt.Smoky Mts.Nat.Pk. nr. Cades Cove Blount Co., Tenn. 8.VI.60 Alt. c1700’ under rock / W. Suter & J. Wagner Collectors / male symbol [blue paper] / Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Orlando Park Pselaphidae Collection / PARATYPE [red paper] (FMNH) (7M, 1M slide). *Same data with additional metallic gold square below label bearing male symbol (FMNH) (1M). *Same data but with female symbol on blue paper rather than male (FMNH) (5F). *GRSM 26044 ACC 980 / Gt.Smoky Mts.Nat.Pk. nr. Cades Cove Blount Co., Tenn. 8.VI.60 Alt. c1700’ under rock / W. Suter & J. Wagner Collectors / male symbol [blue paper] / PARATYPE [red paper] / Batrisodes (Babnormodes) spretoides Park / LSAM 0056952 (1M). *Same data but with female symbol on blue paper rather than male / LSAM 0056857 (1F). * TENNESSEE: Blount Co. GSMNP, Cades Cove ~ 1mi N Methodist Church 35°36’41”N 83°48’59”W 610 m. Forest litter 18 July 2003. A.Tishechkin / LSAM0014971 (1M). *USA TN BlountCo RichMtRd@IndianGraveTr 36°37.36’N [sic. 35°] 83°48.78’W J&TADCornell Wash ex. soil decid. woods 2754’ [no date]/ Ex. J.F.Cornell Collection / LSAM 0235275 (1M). Cocke County: * TENNESSEE: Cocke Co., GSMNP, Foothills Pwy., 1 st outlook E Cosby. Ravine leaf litter Berlese. 21 Jul 2003 P.E.Skelley / LSAM 0096203 (1F). *Same data, LSAM 0096204 (1M). *Same data, LSAM 0096205 (1F). Sevier County: *USA: TN: Sevier Co. GSMNP Sugarlands QW N35°39.826’ 2 April 2007 W83°31.509’ SN3 CWD5 3 of 3 –M Ferro / LSAM 0148221 (1M). *USA: TN: Sevier Co. GSMNP Greenbrier N35° 430147’ 1-8 July 2007 W83°23.349’ FIT 1of3 – Original M Ferro / LSAM 0169452 (1M). * TENNESSEE: Sevier Co. GSMNP, W Old Settlers Trhd. 35°42.46’N 83°22.9’W Forest litter. 6 Oct 2005 D.Chouljenko, M.Gimmel & A.Heppermann / LSAM 0091908 (1M).

Geographical Distribution. Batrisodes spretoides is only known from Blount, Cocke, and Sevier counties in Tennessee. All known specimens have been collected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Specimens were collected between 520 and 840 m elevation.

Comments. Batrisodes spretoides most closely resembles B. spretus LeConte. The shape of the frontal margin, with two pairs of lateral and medial blunt projections as opposed to a single pair of medial conoidal tubercles, and the presence of a posterior tooth on the mesothoracic trochanter of B. spretoides will serve to distinguish it from B. spretus .

Park (1965) described the species Batriasymmodes suteri Park based on 34 specimens collected by Walter R. Suter and John A. Wagner on 8 June 1960 from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove, Blount County, Tennessee “in leaf mold, under bark of floor logs, and beneath rocks.” The label information matches that of the type series of B. spretoides and presumably both species were collected during the same collection event. Batrisodes spretoides adults have been collected during April – October. Specimens have been collected from under rocks, sifted from decay class 5 coarse woody debris (see Ferro et al. 2012a), with a flight intercept trap (see Ferro et al. 2012b), and from forest litter using a Berlese funnel and soil washing. One teratological specimen, designated with a metallic gold square label, had antennomeres IX and X of the right antenna partially fused for approximately half their circumference.

Etymology. Batrisodes spretoides , first collected in June 1960, was recognized by Orlando Park as an undescribed species, but he never described it. He segregated the type series, designated a holotype and paratypes, and added a manuscript name. Park’s (1960) last work involving eastern Batrisodes was published in July 1960 (based on a presentation from December 1959) within the journal The American Midland Naturalist as part of a symposium series: Speciation and Raciation in Cavernicoles. The manuscript name has never appeared in print and is an available name used here following O. Park’s original preference. The name is an allusion to the species B. spretus , which this new species closely resembles.

Figures

Figures 22–27. Batrisodes spretoides. 22) Holotype male, habitus. 23) Paratype, male, SEM micrograph, habitus, lateral. 24) Paratype, male, SEM micrograph, head and antennae, three quarter view. 25) Paratype, male, SEM micrograph, head, dorsal. 26) Paratype, male, SEM micrograph, head, three quarter view. 27) Paratype, male, SEM micrograph, mesotarsus.

Figures 28–29. Batrisodes spretoides. 28) Male mesothoracic leg: a = mesothoracic trochanter with posterior tooth; b = dense setal patch on mesotibia (other setae not shown); c = “abnormal” mesotarsus. Bar = 0.4 mm. 29) Aedeagus. Bar = 0.1 mm.

Figures 30–31. Batrisodes spretoides female, SEM micrograph. 30) Habitus. 31) Head three quarter view.