Thaumastocephalus marsici Hlaváč, Bregović & Jalžić, 2019

Hlaváč, Peter, Bregović, Petra & Jalžić, Branko, 2019, Endogean and cavernicolous Coleoptera of the Balkans. XVIII. Strong radiation in caves of the Central Dinarides: seven new species of Thaumastocephalus Poggi et al., 2001 (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Zootaxa 4559 (1), pp. 90-110 : 92-93

Thaumastocephalus marsici Hlaváč, Bregović & Jalžić , sp. n.

( Figs 3 , 17 )

Etymology. This species is named after the local guide to the cave Boro Maršić and village Maršići located near the type locality.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE: Ƌ: CROATIA: Vrgorac , Maršići , Stilja , Jama pod Gažnovcem (cave), 18.IX.2016, A. Kirin & P. Bregović lgt. (CNHM). PARATYPES (1♂, 3♀): same data as holotype ( CNHM, CPH) .

Description. Body shiny ( Fig. 17 ), reddish-brown, covered with dense, uneven setae, with long setae on posterior part of elytra, setae lacking on disc of elytra and on disc of first ventrite; legs, antennae and maxillary palpi slightly lighter, length 1.92 mm, maximum width of elytra 0.68 mm. Head 1.28 times as long as wide, 0.75 times narrower than pronotum, rostrum 2.33 times as wide as long. Antennae about 0.84 mm long, scape 2.64 times as long as pedicel, antennomere III slightly longer than IV, antennomeres IV–VII of same length, VIII slightly shorter than VII and as long as IX, antennomere X about as long as VII, terminal antennomere 3.33 times as long as X, relative length of antennomeres: 1.00 / 0.38 / 0.30 / 0.24 / 0.24 / 0.24 / 0.24 / 0.22 / 0.22 / 0.24 / 0.81. Pronotum 1.13 times as long as wide. Elytra 1.25 times as wide as long and 1.33 times as long as pronotum. Abdomen 1.17 times as long as elytra. Legs long, protibiae slightly modified, slightly depressed in apical half, median spine minuscule, mesotibiae simple, metatibiae simple. Aedeagus ( Fig. 3 ) 0.58 mm long, with basal bulb as long as apical part, right paramere more robust than left, left paramere with four, right with three preapical setae, internal sac with large asymmetric, bifurcate structure, dorsal diaphragm present.

Sexual dimorphism. Females lacking modification on protibiae.

Differential diagnosis. T. marsici is readily separated from all other known species of the genus by: 1) protibiae at most with minuscule tooth, 2) body length under 2 mm, 3) terminal antennomere short, less than 4 times as long as antennomere X, 4) elytra long, more than 1.3 times as long as pronotum, and 5) long rostrum that is about 2.3 times as wide as long.

Distribution and habitat. T. marsici is known only from the cave Jama pod Gažnovcem (synonym Špilja pod Gažnovcem) ( Figs 16, 18 ), situated at 510 m a.s.l. near village Maršići ( Fig. 30 , green circle). The cave is small, it consists of one chamber that is 45 m long and 3.5 m deep. The air temperature measured in the cave on 18th September 2016 was 11.6 °C and the relative humidity was 99.2 %. The cave is the type locality for Diplopoda— Typhloiulus opisthonodus Antić, 2018 (see Antić et al. 2018) and Pseudoscorpiones— Neobisium curcici Dimitrijević, 2016 ( Dimitrijević & Rađa 2016). The study of Antić et al. (2018) reports an especially rich Diplopoda fauna fot this cave— Typhloglomeris sp., Apfelbeckia insculpta (L. Koch, 1867) , Dyocerasoma biokovense Mršić, 1986 , Macrochaetosoma troglomontanum Absolon & Lang, 1933 ( Antić et al. 2016), Brachydesmus lapadensis Verhoeff, 1897 , B. lobifer Verhoeff, 1897 , B. subterraneus Heller, 1858 , Metonomastus albus (Verhoeff, 1901) , and Stosatea iadrense (Pregl, 1883) , as well as the following fauna: Coleoptera— Bryaxis scapularis (Reitter, 1881) , Phaneropella lesinae (Reitter, 1881) , Speonesiotes sp. and Neotrechus sp.; Hemiptera— Trirhacus cf. biokovensis Dlabola, 1971 ; and Opiliones— Cyphopthalmus sp. we have also found Tychobythinus sp. (det. P. Hlaváč) in the cave.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Distribution map of the species of the genus Thaumastocephalus mentioned in this work.

FIGURES 1–4. 1—Thaumatocephalus bilandzijae sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.1 mm); 2—Thaumatocephalus kirini sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.2 mm); 3—Thaumatocephalus marsici sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.2 mm); 4—Thaumatocephalus rujnicensis sp. n., aedeagus, dorsal view (scale: 0.1 mm).

FIGURES 16–18. 16—entrance to Jama pod Gažnovcem (cave), type locality (photo Petra Bregović); 17—Thaumatocephalus marsici sp. n., habitus in situ (photo Petra Kutleša); 18—topographical map of the type locality (the finding place of the T. marsici sp. n. is marked with red dots).