Habrocerus wunderlei, Assing, 2015

Assing, Volker, 2015, A revision of the Habrocerinae of the world. VI. The first records of the subfamily from Vietnam (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (2), pp. 1209-1216 : 1210-1213

Habrocerus wunderlei nov.sp. ( Figs 1-12 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: "N-Vietnam - pass 8 km NW Sa Pa, 22°21'10''N, 103°46'01''E, 2010 m, second. forest, 12.VIII.2013, Wunderle [7b+2] / Holotypus 3 Habrocerus wunderlei sp.n. det. V. Assing 2015" (cAss) . Paratypes: 1♀ [teneral]: same data a holotype (cWun) ; 1♀: "N-Vietnam - 6 km NW Sa Pa , 22°21'39''N, 103°47'19''E, 1810 m, pasture margin, 7.VIII.2013, Wunderle [8+2]" (cWun) ; 2♀♀: "N-Vietnam - pass 8 km NW Sa Pa, 22°21'13''N, 103°46'01''E, 2030 m, forest margin, 9.VIII.2013, V. Assing [10+2]" (cAss) .

E t y m o l o g y: This species is dedicated to my long-time field companion Paul Wunderle (Mönchengladbach), who collected the holotype.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.5-4.2 mm; length of forebody 1.8-2.1 mm. Coloration: body black; legs dark-yellowish; antennae and maxillary palpi blackish.

Whole forebody with shallow, but distinct microsculpture composed of transverse striae ( Figs 2-3 ). Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) 1.35-1.40 times as broad as long and approximately 1.5 times as broad as head; lateral margins each with three long black setae: one in anterior angle, one in posterior angle, and one approximately in the middle. Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) 0.88- 0.95 times as long as pronotum. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen with very dense and fine punctation, with short fine pubescence, and with very dense and fine transverse microsculpture ( Fig. 4 ); posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

3: tergite VII ( Fig. 7 ) and sternite VII ( Fig. 8 ) with convex posterior margins; sternite VIII ( Fig. 5 ) asymmetric; appendices of pleurites VIII long and slender, each with seven setae ( Fig. 5 ); sclerites of segment IX distinctly asymmetric and of different lengths ( Fig. 9 ); aedeagus ( Fig. 6 ) with two series of numerous spines of different lengths and with three additional spines.

♀: tergite VIII ( Fig. 10 ) posteriorly with a pair of long spine-shaped processes; sternite VIII ( Fig. 11 ) with posterior margin acutely projecting in the middle.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the external (position of the antero-lateral setae of the pronotum; pronotum with pronounced microsculpture) and the modifications of the male sexual characters (genital sclerites asymmetric; anterior margin of sternite VIII anteriorly without median emargination and antero-laterally with distinct processes; appendices of pleurites VIII with more than two setae), H. wunderlei belongs to the H. schwarzi group. For characters constituting this group and a key distinguishing it from other species groups see ASSING & WUNDERLE (1995). The new species is distinguished from all the species of the H. schwarzi group by the shapes of the male genital sclerites, by the internal structures of the aedeagus, and by the conspicuous modifications of the female tergite and sternite VIII. Note, however, that the female secondary sexual characters of H. schuelkei ASSING & WUNDERLE, 1996 and H. schillhammeri ASSING & WUNDERLE, 1995 are unknown. Regarding the male sexual characters, H. wunderlei is most similar to H. schuelkei , whose known distribution is still confined to the type locality in the Chinese province Shaanxi, but differs by the more numerous long setae at the posterior margin of the male tergite VII, the distinctly longer and more slender appendices of pleurites VIII, the longer, more slender, and less strongly asymmetric male sternite VIII, and by the internal structures of the aedeagus (individual spines of the two series more numerous, longer, more slender, and less strongly sclerotized; presence of three additional spines; absence of an additional V-shaped structure). For illustrations of H. schuelkei and other species of the H. schwarzi group see ASSING & WUNDERLE (1995, 1996).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The type material was collected in three close localities near a pass to the northwest of Sa Pa, Lao Cai region, North Vietnam. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter, roots, and debris at margins of secondary deciduous forests and among bushes at the margin of a pasture at altitudes of 1810-2030 m. The type locality is shown in Fig. 12 . One of the paratypes is teneral.

Figures

Figs 1-6: Habrocerus wunderlei nov.sp.: (1) forebody of holotype; (2) median portion of pronotum; (3) sutural portion of left elytron; (4) median portion of tergite VI; (5) male sternite VIII and pleurites VIII in ventral view; (6) aedeagus in squeeze preparation. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-3, 5-6: 0.2 mm; 4: 0.1 mm.

Figs 7-11: Habrocerus wunderlei nov.sp.: (7) male tergite VII; (8) male sternite VII; (9) male segment IX in lateral view; (10) female tergite VIII; (11) female sternite VIII. Scale bars: 7-8, 10-11: 0.5 mm; 9: 0.2 mm.

Fig. 12: Type locality of Habrocerus wunderlei. Photo: Paul Wunderle.