Centrophthalmus scanticola, Hlaváč & Baňař, 2014

Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2014, A review of the Pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 121-132 : 130-131

Centrophthalmus scanticola sp. nov.

( Figs 14–15 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC): (p) ‘ YEMEN, SOCOTRA, Al Haghier Mts. [sifting], Scant Mt. env., 1450 m, 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, 12-13.xi.2010, P. Hlaváč’ . PARATYPES: 2 JJ, 4 ♀♀: same data as holotype ( NMPC, PHCP) ; 2 spec.: ‘ YEMEN:Socotra Isl., Hagher Mts. , Wadi Madar, 18.vi.2012, 1170 m, montane shrubland with Cephalocroton socotranus / SOCOTRA expedition 2012, J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niebodová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC) .

Description. Body shiny, dark reddish-brown, maxillary palpi, antennae and legs slightly lighter, length: 2.00– 2.10 mm, width about 0.80 mm, rather uniformly covered with long pubescence that is longer on humeral part of elytra and sides of posterior half of pronotum; median antebasal fovea of pronotum with bunch of long setae.

Head strongly triangular, about 1.30 times as wide as long; surface with uneven tubercles, with prominent frontal rostrum; antennal tubercles short and prominent, very close, separated by thin frontal sulcus; frontal fovea circular, much larger than small puncture-like, vertexal foveae; temples very strongly convergent posteriorly, with long and sharp spine projecting laterad; eyes prominent, composed of 7–9 facets; maxillary palpi large, palpomere II pedunculate, slightly longer than III, which is triangular and enlarged apicad, palpomere IV located in internal angle of palpomere III, palpomere III slightly more than twice as long as IV, apical pseudosegment acute, about three times shorter than palpomere IV; antennae about 1.00– 1.05 mm long, scape three times as long as pedicel, pedicel as long as antennomere III, both 1.50 times as long as IV, antennomeres I–VII elongate except VI which is smallest and quadrate, VIII slightly longer than VII and about as long as wide, antennomeres IX and X transverse and modified, with lateral projection, IX slightly longer than X and about 1.50 times as wide as long, X twice as wide as long, terminal antennomere slightly more than 3 times as long as X and about as long as pedicel.

Pronotum about 1.15–1.20 times as wide as long and about 1.20 times as long as head, evenly covered with large tubercles, with large setose median and lateral foveae.

Venter shiny, posterior part of prosternum with dense, long setae, mesoventrite and metaventrite with about same median length, metaventral setose fovea present, metaventrite slightly convex, terminating in metaventral notch, procoxae contiguous, meso- and metacoxae separated, first (sternite III) and second (IV) abdominal ventrites with long, golden, dense setae, third ventrite (V) about as long as previous two together, with normal pubescence but lacking long, golden, dense setae.

Elytra about 1.70–1.80 times as wide as long, evenly covered with distinct tubercles.

Abdomen large, about 1.60–1.70 times as long as elytra and about 1.15 times wider than elytra, widest at posterior part of first (IV) visible tergite, second (V) visible tergite about 1.75 times as long as first (IV) tergite, both similarly tuberculate, paratergites IV–VI welldeveloped.

Legs with protibiae strongly curved at middle.

Aedeagus as in Figs 14–15 .

Sexual dimorphism. Female slightly larger than male; antennomeres IX and X simple, lacking lateral projection.

Differential diagnosis. Centrophthalmus Schmidt-Göbel, 1838 is a large genus with 132 described species and 3 subspecies mainly distributed in tropical Africa (66 species) and the Oriental Region (30 species). The closest regions to the island of Socotra are the Arabian Peninsula (6 species) and East Africa (19 species), both being relatively species-poor (A. F. NEWTON & P. HLAVÁČ, unpublished data), although some other undescribed species from both regions are in the collection of the senior author. Centrophthalmus scanticola sp. nov. can be easily recognized from them by 1) having surface of head, pronotum, elytra as well as first two visible tergites with rough tubercles; 2) protibiae strongly curved at middle; 3) second (V) visible tergite about 1.75 times as long as first (IV) tergite; and 4) by the structure of aedeagus. Etymology. The specific epithet meaning ‘inhabiting Scant’ is derived from the type locality, Mt. Scant , the highest peak of the Al Hagher Mts. and of Socotra Island .

Collection circumstances. All specimens of the new species were collected by sifting leaflitter under various trees and bushes at altitudes 1170–1450 m, on the top of Hagher Mts.

Figures

Figs 12–15. 12–13 – Ctenisomorphus major major (Raffray, 1877). 12 – aedeagus, dorsal aspect; 13 – aedeagus, lateral aspect. 14–15 – Centrophthalmus scanticola sp. nov. 14 – aedeagus, dorsal aspect; 15 – aedeagus, lateral aspect. Scale bars in mm.