Tychus chanianus BRACHAT, 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 : 286-287

Tychus chanianus BRACHAT spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:85D07E45-AEE2-4D13-9C26-18B353D1AD15

( Fig. 168 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: “ GR-Westkreta (25), N35°22'26 E23°49'54, Prases w 490 m, 20.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat / Tychus chanianus spec. nov. ♂, det. Brachat 2.2019 / Holotypus” ( cBra) . Paratypes (all in cBra): 1♂: same data as holotype; 1♂: “ N35°22' E023°50', GR Westkreta, Prases 550 m, Meybohm 14.3.2001 ” .

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from Chania, the prefecture where the type specimens were found.

Description: Body length 1.4 mm. Body reddish-brown with slightly paler legs and yellowish palpi, glossy, smooth, with sparse and short pubescence, and with few longer setae.

Head as long as broad (length and width 0.26 mm), with narrow median sulcus between the distinct antennal tubercles; frons with two minute lateral teeth and at the level of the anterior margin of the eyes with two small intraocular foveae. Eyes large, composed of 15–18 ommatidia, and projecting from lateral contours of head. Maxillary palpomere IV 0.9 mm long and 0.5 mm wide.

Pronotum broader than long (length 0.29 mm; width 0.32 mm), distinctly broader than head and broadest slightly behind middle; baso-lateral foveae distinct and deep.

Elytra 1.3 times as broad as long and with weakly marked humeral angles, each with two basal foveae; discal series extending to middle of elytra. Hind wings present.

Abdominal tergite IV 0.15 mm long, with a pair of short keels, area between these keels approximately two-fifths as wide as breadth of tergite, weakly impressed, pubescent, and with a pair of baso-lateral foveae.

♂: antenna compact, 0.68–0.70 mm long, with large three-jointed club (length 0.28 mm); scapus 1.25 times as long as broad; pedicel narrower and of oval shape; antennomeres III slightly narrower than II and weakly oblong, IV narrower than III and orbicular, V slightly broader than IV and orbicular, VI smaller than V and weakly transverse, VII longer and broader than VI, VIII short and strongly transverse, IX and X transverse and longer, and XI of ovoid shape, 1.3 times as long as broad, and as long as the combined length of VIII–X; legs slender with weakly dilated femora; mesotrochanter with distinct spine at posterior margin; mesotibia with minute subapical spine; metaventrite posteriorly with distinct median impression; abdominal sternite IV with a pair of minute keels furnished with dense setae; aedeagus ( Fig. 168 ) 0.29 mm long.

♀: unknown.

Intraspecific variation: In one of the paratypes (collected at 550 m), the left paramere is straight, whereas it is curved in the other two males.

Comparative notes: Tychus chanianus is most closely allied to T. lagrecai SABELLA, 2002 from Central Crete and belongs to the T. dalmatinus species group. It is distinguished from T. lagrecai by slightly smaller size ( T. lagrecai : body length 1.45–1.65 mm) and by an additional spine in the apical third of the dorsal apophysis of the aedeagus.

Distribution and natural history: The known distribution is confined to two localities in the environs of Prases, West Crete. The specimens were sifted from litter on stony soil at altitudes of 490 and 550 m.

Figures

Figs 156–173: Amauronyx chanianus (156), A. occidens (157),A. askifouicus (158), Bryaxismeybohmianus (159–161), Bythinus creticus (162–163), Euplectus assingi(164),Faronus meybohmi (165), F.lefkamontium (166),F.albimontium(167),Tychus chanianus (168), and Sepedophilus creticus (169–173): aedeagus in dorsal and ventral view (156–158, 160, 163–168, 172); antennomeres I–II (159); internal structures of aedeagus (161); maxillary palpomere IV (162); habitus (169); male sternite VIII (170); male tergites IX–X (171); apical portion of aedeagus (173). Scale bars: 169: 1.0 mm; 170–172: 0.2 mm; 156–161, 163–168, 173: 0.1 mm; 162 without scale.