Veraphis dabashana, Jałoszyński, 2024

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2024, Two new Veraphis species in China (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 5507 (1), pp. 194-200 : 198-199

Veraphis dabashana sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 7–10 , 11 )

Type material. Holotype: CHINA (Shaanxi /Sichuan): ♂, three labels: “CHINA: Border Shaanxi - / Sichuan ( Daba Shan ), pass 20 km / SSE Zhenping , 1700-1800 m / 31 ° 44’ N, 109 ° 35’ E, 12. VII. / 2001, leg. M. Schülke [C01-07C]” [white, printed], “mixed forest, / small creek valley, / moss, bark (sifted) [C01-07C]” [white, printed], “ VERAPHIS / dabashana m. / P. Jałoszyński, 2024 / HOLOTYPUS” [red, printed] ( MNHB).

Diagnosis. Body ~ 1.3 mm in length; males with unmodified trochanters, with slightly convex, not impressed metaventrite; aedeagus in ventral view with symmetrical apical region, including symmetrical endophallus with large inversely cordiform median structure, in lateral view median lobe curved on entire length, with deep indentation in subapical region of ventral wall.

Description. BL 1.30 mm. Body of male ( Fig. 2 ) flat, slender, light brown, covered with yellowish vestiture.

Head broadest at large, moderately convex eyes, HL 0.20 mm, HW 0.25 mm; vertex with pair of small posteromedian pits, each prolonged by shallow longitudinal groove extending anteriorly to posteromesal margin of weakly elevated supraantennal tubercle; area between grooves distinctly flattened and impressed in relation to convex sides of vertex and frons. Punctures on head dorsum fine, inconspicuous; setae short, sparse and suberect. Antennae slender, with distinctly demarcated trimerous clubs, AnL 0.60 mm, antennomeres 1 and 2 each strongly elongate, 3 indistinctly transverse, 4 and 5 each slightly elongate, 6 and 7 each about as long as broad, 8 distinctly shorter than 7, distinctly transverse, 9 nearly as long as wide, 10 distinctly transverse, 11 much longer than 10, about as long as broad.

Pronotum broadest near middle; PL 0.35 mm, PW 0.36 mm, anterior margin broadly and evenly rounded; lateral margins strongly rounded in anterior third, weakly convex at middle and slightly converging towards nearly rightangled hind corners; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate. Pronotal base with shallow transverse median pit and one pair of distinct lateral pits. Punctures on pronotal disc fine and inconspicuous, shallow and with diffuse margins; setae short and sparse, suberect.

Elytra together oval, broadest slightly anterior to middle; EL 0.75 mm, EW 0.48 mm, EI 1.58; humeral calli well-marked, elongate. Elytral disc covered with punctures slightly more distinct than those on pronotum but still superficial and inconspicuous, setae similar to those on pronotum. Hind wings well developed, about twice as long as elytra.

Legs moderately long and slender; protrochanters unmodified, protibiae lacking fin-like projections.

Metaventrite lacking median impression, weakly convex.

Aedeagus ( Figs 7–10 ) strongly elongate and symmetrical; AeL 0.28 mm; in ventral view median lobe broadened near distal third and slightly constricted in subapical region, then again broadened, apical margin slightly concave, in lateral view median lobe curved on entire length, with deep indentation in subapical region of ventral wall. Endophallus symmetrical, in ventral view with large inversely cordiform median structure. Parameres slender, exceeding half length of median lobe, each with three short apical and subapical setae.

Female. Not known.

Distribution. Daba Mountains in CE China ( Fig. 11 ).

Etymology. After Dabashan mountain range in China.

Remarks. Among Chinese species, the aedeagus of V. dabashana in ventral view is most similar to that of V. qinghaiensis , although the latter species has a distinctly asymmetircal endophallus, and the median lobe in lateral view is almost straight in the distal 2/3 ( Fig. 11 ). Outside China, the aedeagus of V. dabashana is somewhat similar to that of the V. japonicus species group, but it does not have a subtrapezoidal apex, and the male metaventrite is not impressed.

Veraphis dabashana occurs at the lowest altitude of all so far recorded Chinese species. The holotype was collected at 1700‒1800 m, whereas all remaining species occur at 2200‒4300 m.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Distribution of nominal species of Veraphis in China, with comparison of their aedeagi in ventral view (based on Google Maps). Veraphis calcarifer Jałoszyński (a), V. qinghaiensis Jałoszyński (b), V. gansuana Jałoszyński (c), V. assingi Jałoszyński (d), V. modesta Jałoszyński (e), V. spinosa Jałoszyński (f), V. shaanxiana Jałoszyński (g), and V. dabashana Jałoszyński (h).

FIGURES 1–2. Habitus of holotype males. Veraphis shaanxiana sp. nov. (1) and Veraphis dabashana sp. nov. (2).

FIGURES 3–10. Aedeagus in ventral (3, 5, 7, 9) and lateral (4, 6, 8, 10) views. Veraphis shaanxiana sp. nov. (3‒6) and Veraphis dabashana sp. nov. (7‒10).