Bryaxis meybohmianus 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 : 282-283

Bryaxis meybohmianus BRACHAT spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FE6B56D3-E7A1-4F55-9587-ABC42768A1AC

( Figs 159–161 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: “GR-Kreta, Bez. Chania , Samaria-Schlucht , 28.3.1983, leg Brachat /Dörnfeld / Bryaxis meybohmianus spec. nov. ♂ det. Brachat 2.2019 / Holotypus” ( cBra) . Paratypes (all cBra): 3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀: same data as holotype; 2 ♂♂: “GR-Kreta, Bez. Chania, Omalos–Samaria, 20.5.1980, leg Brachat ”; 1 ♂: “ 24.3.86 Westkreta , Samaria-Schlucht , leg. H. Meybohm ” (cBra); 1 ♂: “ N35°19' E023°54', GR Westkreta Omalos, 1150– 1480 m, 13.3.2001 Meybohm”; 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀: same data, but 14.3.2001; 3 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀: “ N35°19'10 E23°54'46, GR Westkreta (16), Omalos 1110 m, 16.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 2 ♂♂: same data, but 18.3.2018; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: “ N35°19'28 E23°53 "06, GR Westkreta (18), Omalos 1060 m, 17.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 4 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀: “ N35°22'26 E23°49'54, GR Westkreta (25), Prases w 490 m, 20.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 2 ♂♂: “ N35°23'54 E23°57'34, GR Westkreta (23), Meskla Zouvra 230 m, 19.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀: “ N35°21'31 E23°49'29, GR Westkreta (30), Prases 10 km w Omalos 760 m, 22.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 1 ♀: “ N35°25'07 E23°50'54, GR Westkreta (32), Nteres 210 m, 23.3.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 1 ♂: “ N35°24'33 E23°50'55, GR Westkreta (34), Nteres 280 m, 23.03.2018, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 3 ♀♀: “GR – Crete [7], SW Chania, Mavros stream valley, 35°24'10"N, 23°53'53"E, 290 m, 18.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [10], SW Chania, Mavros stream valley, 35°24'10"N, 23°53'53"E, 290 m, 24.XII.2018, V. Assing ”; 12 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀: “GR – Crete [14], S Kissamos, Aikirgianis, 35°25'45"N, 23°40'36"E, 290 m, soil washing, 19.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [23], SW Chania, SW Prases, 35°21'45"N, 23°48'59"E, 800 m, soil washing, 20.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [24], SW Chania, SW Prases, 35°21'32"N, 23°49'28"E, 740 m, soil washing, 20.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [25], SW Chania, SW Prases, 35°21'43"N, 23°49'24"E, 640 m, soil washing, 20.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♂, 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [31], S Kissamos, NE Elos, 35°22'04"N, 23°38'19"E, 460 m, soil washing, 21.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [38], SW Chania, S Nteres, 35°24'15"N, 23°50'58"E, 330 m, soil washing, 22.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [46], SW Chania, N Nteres, 35°27'40"N, 23°50'19"E, 170 m, soil washing, 24.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♂: “GR – Crete [49], N Kandanos, Floris, 35°22'56"N, 23°44'00"E, 590 m, soil washing, 25.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [50], E Kandanos, Anisaraki, 35°19'53"N, 23°45'34"E, 560 m, soil washing, 25.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 1 ♂: “GR – Crete [51], SE Kandanos, 35°19'18"N, 23°45'41"E, 690 m, old oak tree, soil washing, 25.III.2018, V. Assing ”; 3 ♀♀: “ N35°21'56 E23°37'16, GR Westkreta (13), Louchi 550 m, 20.III.2019, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀: “ N35°24'01 E23°51'01, GR Westkreta (19), S Nteres 340 m, 24.III.2019, leg. Meybohm & Brachat”; 1 ♀: “ N35°19'22 E23°53'33, GR Westkreta (21), 1050 m, S Omalos, 25.III.2019, leg. Meybohm & Brachat” .

Etymology: This species is dedicated to my friend and colleague Heinrich Meybohm.

Description: Body length 1.50–1.65 mm. Coloration: body reddish-brown, glossy. Pubescence rather sparse, yellowish, and suberect, with scattered longer setae.

Head weakly transverse, approximately 1.1 times as broad as long; vertex with median keel, this keel interrupted anteriorly and forming an acute tooth-like process; frontal lobe 0.16 mm broad; temples rounded. Eyes small, composed of 4–10 ommatidia. Antenna relatively short, 0.64–0.65 mm long; antennomeres III distinctly, IV weakly oblong, V–VII approximately as long as broad, VIII weakly transverse, IX and X distinctly transverse, and XI larger, nearly twice as long as broad. Maxillary palpomeres II and III with few tubercles, palpomere IV large, weakly petiolate, approximately three times as long as broad.

Pronotum 1.1 times as broad as long, 1.2 times as long, and as broad as head, broadest in anterior third; between posterior margin and ante-basal sulcus with more or less distinct punctation and with median keel, this keel reaching slightly beyond ante-basal sulcus.

Elytra 1.15 times as broad as long, with weakly marked humeral angle; punctation fine and sparse, towards posterior margin more distinct and denser. Hind wings completely reduced. Legs slender with slightly dilated femora.

♂: scapus strongly dilated, approximately 1.3 times as long as broad, with a tubercle on the inner face; pedicel weakly oblong, inner face with fine and narrow keel ( Fig. 159 ); ventral aspect of head with transverse gular impression of semicircular shape, its anterior margin medially triangularly elevated (well visible in lateral view); metaventrite in postero-median portion weakly concave, slightly impressed posteriorly; tergite VIII with posterior margin weakly bent upwards; pro- and metafemora of variable shape, slightly to strongly dilated; protibia with a more or less distinct excision in apical third; metatibia with a distinct inner apical spine; aedeagus ( Figs 160–161 ) 0.44– 0.49 mm long, with 3–5 sclerotized spines in internal sac.

♀: scapus twice as long as broad; pedicel cylindrical, slightly narrower and distinctly shorter than scapus; metaventrite in postero-median portion flattened; legs unmodified.

Intraspecific variation: One of the type males has conspicuously dilated femora, distinctly dilated and flatted metatibiae with a deep emargination in the apical third.

Comparative notes: The similarly modified male scapus suggests that Bryaxis meybohmianus is closely allied to B. anatolicus (SAULCY, 1878) from Turkey and the Greek island Samos. It is distinguished, however, by the lateral keel on the pedicel and by the clearly different aedeagus. Aside from some unidentified females, the only other congener known from Crete is B. bulbifer (REICHENBACH, 1816) , from which the new spccies differs by paler coloration, smaller eyes, and by the shapes of the male scapus, the male pedicel, and the aedeagus.

Distribution and natural history: This species is endemic to West Crete. Numerous specimens were sifted from litter in various types of forest and shrub habitats. The remainder was collected by washing soil, mostly from close to very old trees. The altitudes range from 170 to 1110 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.