Tachyusa hammondi Pa, 2006

Pa ṡnik, Grzegorz, 2006, A revision of the World species of the genus Tachyusa Erichson, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 1146, pp. 1-152 : 116-118

Tachyusa hammondi Pa ś nik, sp. n. ( Figs. 118–119)

Type material. Holotype: ♂: N. China, Heilungkiang , Harbin, 24.V.1966, P. M. Hammond ( BMNH) ; Paratypes: ♂: same data as holotype ( ISEA) ; 2♂♂: labelled as the holotype except: 21.V.1966 ( BMNH) .

Description. Body. Length 3.2–3.5 mm, convex, parallel­sided, glossy; body colour pitchy brown to black; two basal tergites light brown, legs yellow, antennae brown with antennomeres 1–3 red.

Head circular in outline, convex, glossy, narrower than pronotum, widest across eyes; eyes relatively small, moderately protruding from lateral contours of head, length of each seen from above shorter than postocular region; surface of head without microsculpture; puncturation fine and dense; pubescence short and moderately dense, directed inward. Antennae short, clearly increasing in width apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, antennomeres 4–8 longer than wide, antennomeres 9–10 quadrate, antennomere 11 nearly conical.

Pronotum quadrate, moderately convex, glossy, widest in apical third, lateral sides rounded in front, gradually narrowed in straight line to rounded hind angles; before base with moderately small and shallow transverse impression, broadly and shallowly impressed medially; surface without microsculpture; puncturation fine, dense and asperate; pubescence at midline directed posteriorly.

Elytra subquadrate, slightly wider than pronotum, lateral sides arcuate, at suture slightly shorter than pronotal length at midline; surface lacking microsculpture; puncturation fine, dense and asperate.

Abdomen parallel­sided, bases of tergites 3–5 each with deep transverse impression, impressions with 7–8 longitudinal ridges, tergal puncturation fine and moderately dense, punctures moderately small and well visible, surface without microsculpture; pubescence moderately short and moderately dense, semirecumbent.

Male. Aedeagus as in Figs. 118–119.

Female unknown.

Remarks. Externally, Tachyusa hammondi is similar to T. coarctata , but may be readily separated from that species by the smaller eyes, the pronotum broadly impressed medially with rounded hind angles, the antennomeres 2 and 3 subequal in length, the shorter elytra and by the shape of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Peter Hammond (London), a specialist in Staphylinidae , who collected the new species.

Distribution. The new species is known so far only from China.