Rugilus (Rugilus) schmidti, Assing, 2014

Assing, V., 2014, A revision of Palaearctic and Oriental Rugilus. IV. Three new species from Nepal and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 449-459 : 453-455

Rugilus (Rugilus) schmidti nov.sp.

( Figs 8-14 )

Type material: Holotype: " NEPAL, Manaslu Mts. , Dudh Pokhari Lekh, upper Dordi Khola Valley , 15.-17.IV.2003, 2600- 2300 m NN, leg. J. Schmidt / Holotypus Rugilus schmidti sp.n., det. V. Assing 2013" ( NME) . Paratypes: 12, 29: same data as holotype ( NME, cAss) ; 2, 1: " NEPAL, Manaslu Mts., Dudh Pokhari Lekh , upper Phulinagiri Madi , 19.-21.IV.2003, 2500 m NN, leg. J. Schmidt ( NME, cAss); 1: " NEPAL, Manaslu Mts., Dudh Pokhari Lekh , upper Deorali Danda, 19.IV.2003, 3200 m NN, leg. J. Schmidt " ( cAss) .

Etymology: The species is dedicated to Joachim Schmidt, who, through his frequent field trips to various regions of Nepal, significantly contributed to the knowledge of the staphylinid fauna of the Himalaya and who collected all the type specimens of this species.

Description: Body length 4.8-5.8 mm; length of forebody 2.7-3.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 8 . Coloration: body blackish; forebody with or without weak bronze hue; legs and antennae reddish.

Head ( Fig. 9 ) approximately 1.05 times as broad as long, broadest across eyes; margins behind eyes smoothly curving towards posterior constriction in dorsal view, posterior angles usually obsolete; punctation moderately coarse, umbilicate, partly longitudinally confluent, and very dense; interstices reduced to very narrow ridges. Eyes large and strongly convex, approximately 0.8-0.9 times as long as distance from posterior margin of eyes to posterior constriction. Anterior margin of labrum with two pronounced, basally fused teeth on either side of the narrow median incision.

Pronotum ( Fig. 9 ) approximately 1.15 times as long as broad and approximately 0.70- 0.75 times as wide as head; midline with impunctate, glossy band in posterior half; punctation similar to that of head, or slightly coarser.

Elytra ( Fig. 9 ) short, 0.75-0.80 times as long as pronotum; humeral angles practically obsolete; punctation dense; interstices glossy. Hind wings completely reduced. Metatarsomere I slender, at least as long as the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen approximately 1.15 times as broad as elytra; tergites III-VI with shallow impressions anteriorly, these impressions with moderately coarse and rather dense punctation; punctation of remaining tergal surfaces fine and moderately dense; interstices with shallow traces of microsculpture at most; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

: sternite VII ( Fig. 10 ) strongly transverse and with unmodified pubescence, posterior margin more or less truncate; sternite VIII ( Fig. 11 ) distinctly transverse, posterior excision broadly V-shaped, 0.20-0.25 times as deep as length of sternite; aedeagus (Figs 12-14) 0.75-0.80 mm long; ventral process of distinctive, but slightly variable shape.

Comparative notes: Based on the similar external and male sexual characters, R. schmidti is most closely related to R. manasluensis ASSING 2012 , which too is endemic to the Manaslu range. It differs from R. manasluensis by the denser pubescence of the male sternite VII, the less strongly transverse male sternite VII, the less broad posterior excision of the male sternite VIII, and by the different shape of the apex of the ventral process of the aedeagus in lateral view. For illustrations of R. manasluensis see ASSING (2012a).

Distribution and natural history: The species was found in three localities in the Dudh Pokhari Lekh in the Manaslu range, Central Nepal, at altitudes of 2500-3200 m.

Figures

Figs 8-14: Rugilus schmidti nov.sp.: (8) habitus; (9) forebody; (10) male sternite VII; (11) male sternite VIII; (12-14) aedeagus in lateral view (12: Dordi Khola; 13: Deorali Danda; 14: Phulinagiri Madi). Scale bars: 8-9: 1.0 mm; 10-11: 0.5 mm; 12-14: 0.2 mm.