Scydmaenus (Corbulifer) super, Jałoszyński, 2018

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2018, ' Monster Scydmaenus' of Australia: revision of subgenus Corbulifer Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4472 (3), pp. 505-531 : 527-528

Scydmaenus (Corbulifer) super sp. n.

( Figs 51–54 , 65 , 70 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ( AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND): ♂, two labels: "NE. Qld 2.5km N Mt. / Lewis via Julatten / 3 Nov 1983 / D.Yeates & G.Thompson " [white, printed], " QM Berlesate No. 610 / 16.34S 145.16E / Rainforest 1040m / Sieved litter" [white, printed] (QM) . PARATYPES (56 exx.): QUEENSLAND: 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, same data as for holotype; 4 ♂♂, 5 ♀♀, " AUST:NQ: Upper / Whyanbeel Creek / 5 Sept 1992 / G.B. Monteith " [white, printed], "QM BERLESATE NO.859 / 16°23' x 145°17' / Altitude 1150m / Rainforest, litter" [white, printed]; 7 ♂♂, "Mossman Bluff Track, / 5-10km W Mossman,N.Qld. / 1-17 Jan 1989 / Monteith,Thompson&ANZSES / Site 8, 1180m,flt.intercept" [white, printed]; 8 ♂♂, 21 ♀♀, " AUST:QLD:NE: 2.5km N / Mt. Lewis via Julatten / 9Sept1981 / G.Monteith D.Cook " [white, printed], " Q.M. Berlesate No. 281 / 145.16'E. 16.34'S / Rainforest 1000m / Sieved litter" [white, printed]; 2 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, "NE QLD Devils Thumb / area 10km NW Mossman / 9 Oct 1982 / Monteith, Yeates & Thompson " [white, printed], " QM Berlesate No. 457 / 16.34S 145.17E / Rainforest , 1150m / Sieved litter" [white, printed] (paratypes in QM and cPJ).

Diagnosis. Male elytra modified: subapical region of each elytron flattened and with a small circular convexity, flattened areas covered with short flattened setae and dense tiny pores, and convexities bearing a group of long and dense setae; male metatibia gradually and weakly broadened, only as broad as metafemur, broadest near distal third, mesal tibial margin weakly concave in proximal third and indistinctly concave near distal third, lateral (external) tibial margin convex (weakly in proximal half and strongly so in distal half), dorsolateral glandular 'pocket' absent; aedeagus slender, in dorsal view equally broad near base and near apex, apical portion rounded; apical projections very long and bent dorsoproximad at a sharp angle.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 51 ) strongly convex, dark reddish to chestnut brown, covered with setae slightly lighter than cuticle; BL 2.15–2.35 mm (mean 2.28 mm).

Head broadest at small eyes, HL 0.43–0.45 mm (mean 0.44 mm), HW 0.45–0.50 mm (mean 0.47 mm); tempora in lateral view about twice as long as eyes, distinctly convergent posterad and posteriorly bent mesad at an obtuse angle. Punctures on frons and vertex very fine and shallow, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect. Antennae slender, AnL 1.18–1.25 mm (mean 1.23 mm), antennomeres I–VI each strongly elongate, VII and VIII each distinctly transverse, IX and X much larger than VIII, each slightly transverse, XI about as long as IX–X combined, about 1.8 × as long as broad.

Pronotum rounded, broadest slightly behind anterior third; PL 0.63–0.70 mm (mean 0.67 mm), PW 0.58–0.65 mm (mean 0.61 mm). Antebasal pits indistinct. Punctures on pronotal disc very fine and shallow, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect.

Elytra oval, broadest in front of middle; EL 1.10–1.23 mm (mean 1.16 mm), EW 0.90–1.03 mm (mean 0.97 mm), EI 1.18–1.23; apices separately rounded; subapical region of each elytron ( Fig. 52 ) flattened, the flattened area with a small circular convexity close to the elytral suture, modified region covered with short flattened setae and dense tiny pores, except for the convexity, which bears a group of long and dense setae. Punctures on remaining elytral surface small and shallow but dense and relatively distinct; setae much longer and denser than those on pronotum, strongly erect.

Metatibia ( Fig. 65 ) in dorsal view gradually and weakly broadened, broadest near distal third, mesal tibial margin weakly concave in proximal third and indistinctly concave near distal third, lateral (external) tibial margin convex (weakly in proximal half and strongly so in distal half), dorsolateral glandular 'pocket' absent.

Aedeagus ( Figs 53–54 ) relatively slender; AeL 0.65 mm; in dorsal view median lobe equally broad near base and in subapical region, shallowly and broadly constricted in between, gradually and weakly narrowing distad to form a conspicuously short and rounded apical portion, with apical projections conspicuously long and strongly bent dorsoproximad at a sharp angle.

Female. Similar to male, but with unmodified metatibiae and elytra, eyes about as large as those in male. BL 2.25–2.38 mm (mean 2.32 mm); HL 0.43–0.48 mm (mean 0.45 mm), HW 0.45–0.50 mm (mean 0.47 mm), AnL 1.25–1.28 mm (mean 1.25 mm); PL 0.68–0.70 mm (mean 0.68 mm), PW 0.60–0.65 mm (mean 0.62 mm); EL 1.15–1.23 mm (mean 1.20 mm), EW 0.95–1.05 mm (mean 1.00 mm), EI 1.15–1.23.

Distribution. Queensland; north-eastern coast of Australia ( Fig. 70 ).

Etymology. One of many meanings of the Latin adjective super is 'extravagant'; males of this species have most extravagant sexual dimorphic features among all members of Corbulifer .

Remarks. Males of Scydmaenus super are most conspicuous of all species of Corbulifer ; this is the only species of this subgenus with males bearing not only metatibial, but also elytral modifications.

Figures

FIGURE 70. Distribution of Corbulifer species.

FIGURES 51–54. Scydmaenus (Corbulifer) super sp. n. Habitus of male (51), elytral apex of male (52), aedeagus in dorsal (53) and lateral (54) views.

FIGURES 55–65. Male metatibia in dorsal view. Scydmaenus tamborinensis Franz (55), S. monstrosetibialis sp. n. (56), S. bellenderanus sp. n. (57), S. pseudorobustus Franz (58), S. kiwarrakianus sp. n. (59), S. gushi sp. n. (60), S. gibraltar sp. n. (61), S. eungellanus sp. n., specimen from Mount William (62) and from Peases Lookout (63), S. fishermontanus sp. n. (64), S. super sp. n. (65).