Leptomastax cretica MEYBOHM, 2019

Assing, Volker, Brachat, Volker & Meybohm, Heinrich, 2019, Monograph of the Staphylinidae of Crete (Greece). Part II. Descriptions of new species (Insecta: Coleoptera), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 69 (2), pp. 239-289 : 277-278

Leptomastax cretica MEYBOHM spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:444B05D8-E8CB-4F7F-A9A5-1695EB36C08A

( Figs 147–149 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: “ N35°19' E23°54' GR Westkreta Omalos 1150–1480 m Meybohm 13.3.2001 / Leptomastax cretica m. Meybohm 2018 det./ Holotypus” ( cMey) . Paratypes: Lassithi : 1 ♂: “GR – Crete [12a], NW Dikti Oros, Limnakaro, 35°08'16"N, 25°28'52"E 1140m,under s tones, 28.III.2012, V.Assing ”; 1♀:“ N35°05' E025°32' GR Kreta Dikti-Geb. Selakano 850 m Meybohm 18.4.2000 ”; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀: same data, but 9.3.2001; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀: “ N35°07'02 E25°37'55 GR Lassithi (8) Kroustas sw 800 m 12.3.2018 l. Brachat & Meybohm”. Rethimnon: 16 exs.: “ 30.3.1973 Kreta Ida-Geb. b. Anogia Fülscher & Meybohm ” ; 13 exs.: “ 26.3.1976 Kreta Anogia Ida-Geb. Fülscher & Meybohm ” ; 3 exs.: “26.3.[19]86 Kreta Ida Gbg. Nida-Ebene leg. H. Meybohm ” ; 7 exs.: “27.3.[19]86 Kreta Ida Gbg. Umg. Anogia leg. H. Meybohm ”; 1♂, 1 ♀: “ Kreta / Bez. Rethymnon Umg. Anogia , 25.5.1980 leg. Brachat ”; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 1 ex.: “GR-Kreta Bez. Rethimnon Anogia / Ideon Antron 25.– 27.5.1980 leg. Brachat (‚ Leptomastax bisetosa Reitt. C. Castellini det. 1993‘)” ; 4 exs.: Ida Mts., Nida-plateau ca. 0.5 km N Analipsis, 1420 m, 35°12'56N 24°49'52E, 21.10.2006 M. Schülke ( MNB) ; 2 exs.: “GR Kreta Psiloritis, Niddha 1550 m, St reu N-Hang 10.10. [19]91 Wunderle” ; 4 exs.: “GR – Crete [26], Psiloritis Nida Plateau, 1520 m, SW Anogia, sifted 35°12'10"N, 24°53'24"E, 16.IV.2014, V. Assing ”; 1♂: “GR – Crete [33], S An ogia, Psiloritis , 35°15'59"N, 24°53'57"E 1090 m, under stones, 5.IV.2012, V. Assing ”. Chania: 8 exs.: “20.3.[19]73 West-Kreta Samaria-Tal, DrFülscher Meybohm ” ; 5 exs.: same data, but “21.–22.3.[19]73”; 1 ♀: “24.3.[19]86 Westkreta Samaria-Schlucht leg. H. Meybohm ” ; 2 exs.: “17.3.[19]76 West-Kreta Omalos-Hochebene DrFülscher Meybohm ”; 1 ♂: “GR-Kreta Bez.Chania Omalos Hochfläche 21.– 22.5.1980 leg Brachat (‘ Leptomastax bisetosa Reitt. C. Castellini det. 1993‘)” ; 20 exs.: “ 24.3.1986 WestKreta Omalos-Hochfläche leg. H. Meybohm ”; 4 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀: “ N35°19' E23°54' GR Westkreta Omalos 1150– 1480 m Meybohm 13.3.2001 ”; 1 ♂: “ N35°18' E023°55' GR Westkreta Omalos Gingilos 1500 m Meybohm 20.4.2000 ”; 2 ♀♀: “N35°19' 23°51' GR Westkreta Omalos-West 1100 m Meybohm 14.3.2001 ”; 1 ♀: “GR – Westkreta (16) N35°19'10 E23°54'46 Omalos 1110 m 16.3.2018 l. Brachat & Meybohm ”; 2 ♂♂: same data, but “(16a) 18.3.2018 ”; 1 ♂: “ N35°19'10 E23°54'46 GR Westkreta (16) Omalos 1110 m; 16.3.2018 leg. Meybohm & Brachat ”; 1 ♀: “ N35°19'23 E23°51'59 GR Westkreta (17) Omalos 1100 m 17.3.2018 l. Brachat & Meybohm ” ; 1 ex.: “17.3.[19]76 West-Kreta Umg. Kandanos DrFülscher Meybohm ”; 2 ♂♂: “GR – Crete [14], 950 m, 19 km SSW Kissamos, 35°18'27"N, 23°36'42"E, u. stones, 30.XII.2013, leg. V. Assing ”; 1 ♀: “ N35°21'56 E23°37'16, GR Westkreta Louchi, 550 m 20.3.2019, Brachat & Meybohm (13)”; 1 ♀: “ N35°19'07 E23°54'46, GR Kreta 1080 m, Omalos E 23.3.2019, Brachat & Meybohm (17)”; 2 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀: “ N35°19'07 E23°54'46, GR Kreta 1080 m, Omalos E 25.3.2019, Brachat & Meybohm (20)”. All paratypes deposited in cMey, except where noted otherwise.

Etymology: The specific epithet indicates that the species is endemic to Crete.

Note: The description fully applies only to material from Psiloritis and Lefka Ori. Specimens from Dikti Oros constantly differ from those from Psiloritis and Lefka Ori by smaller body size, shorter antennae with antennomere III 1.5 times as long as broad, and by apically more broadly rounded elytra.

Description: Body length 1.73–1.83 mm. Body bright reddish-brown. Width of head including the flat eyes 0.39–0.43 mm, length 0.23–0.24 mm; eyes large, with about 14 ommatidia; subocular setiferous punctures and setae absent; postocular region in dorsal view smoothly convexly tapering. Antenna 0.96–1.04 mm long, antennomeres III about 1.8 times as long as broad, IV–X about as broad as long, VIII weakly transverse. Length of mandibles 0.33 mm (length measured from the apex to the outer part of the base). Labial palpus ( Fig. 147 ) short, apical palpomere about 3 times as long as broad, setae of penultimate palpomere short.

Pronotum 0.46–0.50 mm long and 0.39–0.43 mm broad, basally with two mostly distinct foveolae.

Elytra oval, apically narrowly rounded, dorsally not flattened, 1.05–1.09 mm long and 0.60–0.63 mm broad, with internal basal setae; striae I–III decreasing in depth from stria I to stria III and decreasingly distinct towards posterior portion of elytra, striae IV and V weakly indicated by few punctures and confined to anterior portion; metaventrite with weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism, sparsely and finely punctate, and with pubescence directed posteriad.

♂: metaventrite in postero-median portion with shallow impression, this impression in the middle with longitudinal elevation; aedeagus ( Figs 148–149 ) 0.26 mm long and 0.09 mm broad.

♀: metaventrite flat, unmodified.

Comparative notes and comment: The original description of L. bisetosa REITTER, 1884 is based on a unique specimen from Corfu. CASTELLINI (1996) designated a neotype from Corfu and attributed material from Crete to the same species, describing and illustrating not only similarities, but also pronounced differences particularly in body size, in the morphology of the head, and in the internal structures of the aedeagus, which he interpreted as intraspecific variation. Additional differences not mentioned in this article concern the basal foveolae of the pronotum, as well as the shapes of the labial palpi and of the metaventrite. In L. bisetosa , the labial palpi are long with the apical palpomere conically acute and approximately 8 times as long as broad at base ( Fig. 151 ). The pronotum lacks basal foveolae. The metaventrite is smooth, with few punctures near the metacoxae at most and without pubescence. The male metaventrite is conspicuously modified, with a pronounced impression with a median keel in posterior half, anterior to this impression with a keel-shaped elevation forming an angle at the anterior margin of the posterior impression. The female metaventrite has a smooth (not keel-shaped) median elevation. In view of the pronounced and constant differences between L. bisetosa and the populations from Crete, the latter undoubtedly represent a distinct species.

Aside from L. cretica , basal foveolae of the pronotum are present also in some species from Turkey, whereas they are absent in species with more western distributions.

Distribution and natural history: See section on L. thriptica .

Figures

Figs 143–155: Stenichnus creticus (143), S. hummleri (144), S. basimpressus (145), S. aegialioides (146), Leptomastax cretica (147–149), L. thriptica (150), L. bisetosa (151), Afropselaphus doernfeldae (152), A. assingi (153), A. diktianus (154), and A. thripticus (155): aedeagus in lateral and dorsal view (143–145, 148–150, 152–155); male profemur (146); labium (147, 151). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.