Scaphisoma strigipenne, Löbl, 2023

Löbl, Ivan, 2023, New species and records of Scaphidiinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from mainland China and Taiwan, Vernate 42, pp. 135-142 : 139-140

Scaphisoma strigipenne sp. nov.

Holotype female, CHINA: Guangxi trail Longsheng Hot Spring - Dashankou , ca. 25°53.4’N 110°12.5E, 400-490 m, 11-14.iv.2013, M. Fikáček, J. Hájek & J. Růžička lgt. MF10 / sifting leaf litter accumulated at bases of rocks and leaf litter of secondary evergreen forest on steep slope [sifting sample 10] ( NMPC).

Description. Length 1.78 mm, width 1.13 mm. Head, body, femora and tibiae light ochraceous, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Length/width ratios of antennomeres: III 16/8: IV 29/7: V 35/7: VI 42/7: VII 52/15: VIII 47/10: IX 53/12: X 52/12: XI 54/13. Pronotum lacking microsculpture, with lateral margins slightly arcuate; lateral margin carina exposed in dorsal view, impunctate; discal punctation rather dense and fine, visible at 20 times magnification, puncture diameters mostly about two to three times as large as puncture diameters. Tip of scutellum exposed. Elytron dull, with strigulate microsculpture; weakly narrowing apicad, with lateral margin arcuate, lateral margin carina visible in dorsal view, impunctate; apical margin weakly rounded, lacking distinct crenulation; inner apical angle situated in level of outer angle; sutural margin not raised; sutural stria moderately deep, parallel to suture, starting at side of pronotal lobe, not extending along base; adsutural area flat, ca. 0.06 mm wide shortly posteriad of scutellar tip, with single row if extremely fine punctures; discal punctation somewhat finer than pronotal punctation, rather dense, with puncture intervals mostly about three to four times as large as puncture diameters. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomeron smooth. Mesanepisternum extremely finely and sparsely punctate. Mesoventrite very finely and densely punctate, with coarse punctures along lateral margins. Mesepimeron about 3 times as long as wide and as long as interval between its tip and mesocoxa. Metaventrite lacking microsculpture, slightly convex in middle, lacking impressions, with punctation fine and dense on apicomedian area, distinct at 30 times magnification, with punctures at least as large as puncture intervals, becoming sparse and very fine anteriad and laterad; antecoxal puncture rows absent; submesocoxal areas nearly 0.03 mm long, about as long as sixth of shortest interval between its margin and metacoxa; submesocoxal lines convex, with few fine punctures. Metanepisternum lacking microsculpture, convex, strongly narrowing anteriad, suture impressed, oblique, rounded at posterior angle. Tibiae straight. Exposed tergites and ventrites sparsely, very finely punctate and with strigulate microsculpture evanescent on basolateral areas of ventrite I. Pygidium not notched, with apical margin broadly concave. Ventrite I with submetacoxal areas 0.09 mm long, nearly as long as half of shortest interval between its margin and apical margin of ventrite, with punctulate microsculpture; submetacoxal lines subtriangular, with convex outer section and oblique inner section, and few fine punctures.

Etymology. The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning strigulate elytra.

Comments. This species may be readily distinguished from S. pecki and S. strigatum by the elytra lacking basal striae. It resembles S. strigatum in the strigulate pattern of elytral microsculpture and by the abdominal microsculpture. It differs from the latter by its much smaller body and the antennomeres X and XI nearly equally long.