Mimosticus pseudosharpi Brunke et Solodovnikov

Brunke, Adam & Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2014, Male secondary sexual characters resolve taxonomic uncertainty: five new species and a review of the formerly monotypic rove beetle genus Mimosticus Sharp (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Zootaxa 3893 (1) : -

Mimosticus pseudosharpi Brunke et Solodovnikov sp.n.

( Fig. 4 E, 6E, 7E, 9F, 10A (map))

Type material. Holotype [point-mounted, terminalia and aedeagus dissected and attached to the specimen in a plastic genitalia vial with glycerin]: male, “ BOLIVIA: La Paz 9.4 km E Chulumani, Apa Apa Ecol. Reserve, 2110 m, 16°20'98'' S; 67°30'28'' W, 19–21.I.2001, J.S. Ashe, R.S. Hanley ex. flight intercept trap BOL 1AH01036/ [ SEMC barcode label]/ Mimosticus spp. Det: J.S. Ashe, 2002/ Holotype Mimosticus pseudosharpi sp. n. Brunke et Solodovnikov des. 2014 [red label]” ( SEMC).

Paratypes: Venezuela: 1 male, “ Venezuela 1858 Moritz/ viridipennis det. Bernh. var.??/ coeruleipennis Brnh. Typ [not a type, nomen nudum]” ( FMNH); Caracas: 1 male, “ Venezuela Caracas/ viridipennis Shrp. Det. Bernhauer ” ( NHMW); Aragua: 1 male, Rancho Grande, Racenis, leg. Marcuzzi [although labeled by Scheerpeltz as a type of Mimosticus marcuzzii , it is not a type, but nomen nudum] ( NHMW); Lara: 1 male, Sanaré, 17.4 km SE Yacambú N.P., 1510 m, 9°42'26'' S; 69°34'34'' W, 16–18.V.1998, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, R. Hanley, flight intercept trap ( SEMC). Peru: Junín: 1 male, Pampa Hermosa Lodge, 22 km N San Ramón, 16°59'3''S; 75°25'5''W, 1320 m, 24–27.XI.2007, D. Brzoska, flight intercept trap ( ZMUC). Bolivia: La Paz: 1 male, 1 female, Chulumani, 9.2 km E of, 2200 m, 16°20'59'' S; 67°30'18'' W, 19–21.I.2001, flight intercept trap, J.S. Ashe, R.S. Hanley ( SEMC, ZMUC); 2 females, Chulumani, Apa Apa Ecol. Reserve, 2110 m, 16°20'98'' S; 67°30'28'' W, 19–21.I.2001, flight intercept trap, J.S. Ashe, R.S. Hanley ( SEMC); 1 female, Chulumani, Apa Apa Ecol. Reserve, 2100–2400 m, 16°20'99'' S; 67°30'30'' W, 19.I.2001, on fungusy log, J.S. Ashe, R.S. Hanley; Cochabamba: 2 males, 1 female, Cochabamba, 109 km E Yungas (Cochabamba—Villa Tunari road, 1480 m, 17°8'50'' S; 65°42'29'' W, 1–6.II.1999, F. Genier, flight intercept trap ( SEMC, UTCI, ZMUC).

Description. Measurements: HL 1.1–1.2; HW 1.2–1.3; PL 1.6–1.7; PW 2.0–2.2; EL 2.2–2.4; EW 2.4–2.5. Total body length 11–12 mm.

Black, with distinct golden iridescence on head and pronotum; elytra metallic bluish purple; abdomen strongly iridescent. Apical antennomeres sometimes slightly paler than other antennomeres: brownish.

Head in dorsal view with nuchal ridge distinct laterally. Eyes moderately large, in dorsal view 2.3–2.6 times as long as tempora, the latter about as half as long as an eye. Antennae as in Fig. 2 D, with relatively long antennomeres: antennomere 4 about 2.6–3.0 times as long as wide.

Pronotum slightly wider than long.

Elytra slightly wider and longer than pronotum.

Male: tergite VIII broadly rounded at apex; sternite VIII with broadly rounded apical margin, without apical notch ( Fig. 4 E); sternite IX with relatively long and narrow basal stalk, stalk as long or longer than apical portion ( Fig. 6 E); tergite X with clusters of medium sized macrosetae and with distinct notch on the apical margin ( Fig. 7 E). Aedeagus with strongly developed, narrow, non-emarginate copulatory sclerite in internal sac ( Fig. 9 F) but otherwise very similar to that of M. aeneipennis : paramere dilated apically ( Fig. 8 F), without sensory peg setae-like structures; internal sac with strongly sclerotized, densely packed, spine-like structures that are grouped in fields that differ in their size and degree of sclerotization.

Comparison. Mimosticus pseudosharpi can be easily distinguished from M. viridipennis and M. tenuiformis by the nuchal ridge that is visible in dorsal view. From M. aeneipennis it can be distinguished externally by the larger eyes, bluish-purple elytra and more slender antennomeres 7–10. Among males of the sharpi species complex, M. pseudosharpi can be distinguished by the broadly rounded apical margin of tergite and sternite VIII, the stalk-like basal portion of sternite IX that is nearly as long to equally as long as the apical half, narrow tergite X that is distinctly notched apically, and the well-developed, elongate and non-emarginate copulatory sclerite of the internal sac of the aedeagus.

Distribution and bionomics. Mimosticus pseudosharpi is currently known from only several widely separated localities in Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia but is probably broadly distributed in the Andes. Specimens were collected in montane forests at elevations ranging from 1300–2400 m. Most of these were collected in flight intercept traps; one was collected from a fungusy log.

Etymology. The species epithet refers the similarity of this species with M. sharpi , a species from which it differs only by male sexual characters.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Antennomeres 4 – 11: Mimosticus viridipennis, Sharp (A), M. tenuiformis Brunke and Solodovnikov (B), M. aeneipennis Brunke and Solodovnikov (C) and M. sharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (D). Ventral forebody of M. tenuiformis (E). Mesotrochanter and mesofemur of M. tenuiformis (F). Hindwing of M. aeneipennis, vein MP 4 fused to CuA (G). Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Male sternite VIII of Mimosticus viridipennis, Sharp (A), M. tenuiformis Brunke and Solodovnikov (B), M. aeneipennis Brunke and Solodovnikov (C), M. sharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (D), M. pseudosharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (E) and M. latens Brunke and Solodovnikov (F). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 6. Male sternite IX of Mimosticus viridipennis, Sharp (A), M. tenuiformis Brunke and Solodovnikov (B), M. aeneipennis Brunke and Solodovnikov (C), M. sharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (D), M. pseudosharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (E) and M. latens Brunke and Solodovnikov (F). Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 7. Male tergite X of Mimosticus viridipennis, Sharp (A), M. tenuiformis Brunke and Solodovnikov (B), M. aeneipennis Brunke and Solodovnikov (C), M. sharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (D), M. pseudosharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (E) and M. latens Brunke and Solodovnikov (F). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Aedeagus of Mimosticus viridipennis Sharp (A – D), M. tenuiformis Brunke and Solodovnikov (E) and M. sharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (F). Parameral view (A – B, E – F), lateral view (C – D). Internal sac not everted (A, C, E, F), internal sac everted (B, D). Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Abparameral view of median lobe of the aedeagus, showing internal sac in situ: Mimosticus viridipennis, Sharp (A), M. tenuiformis Brunke and Solodovnikov (B), M. aeneipennis Brunke and Solodovnikov (C), M. sharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (D). Copulatory sclerite of internal sac of M. sharpi (E), M. pseudosharpi Brunke and Solodovnikov (F) and M. latens Brunke and Solodovnikov (G). Scale bars = 0.2 mm. a—ventral apex of paramere showing peg setae-like structures, b—copulatory sclerite, arrow—apical margin of copulatory sclerite.