Medon meybohmi, Assing, 2007

Assing, V., 2007, A revision of Western Palaearctic Medon. VI. A new species from Turkey and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (2), pp. 791-797 : 795

Medon meybohmi nov.sp. ( Figs 1-7 )

H o l o t y p e: N37°40'39, E35°51'07 (13) TR Adana, Kozan-Feke, 775 m, 27 km von Kozan, Brachat & Meybohm, 25.4.2007 / Holotypus Medon meybohmi sp.n. det. V. Assing 2007 (cAss). P a r a t y p e s: 1, 2: same data as holotype (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 4.2-5.0 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: Head blackish; pronotum dark brown to blackish brown, with the anterior angles indistinctly paler; elytra reddish brown to dark brown; abdomen dark brown to blackish brown, with the apex reddish brown; legs and antennae dark rufous.

Head weakly oblong; puncturation extremely dense, coarse, areolate, and partly confluent and coriaceous, especially in median dorsal area; interstices reduced to very narrow ridges; eyes moderately small, weakly projecting from contours of head, less than half the length of postocular region in dorsal view; interstices mostly reduced to very narrow ridges ( Fig. 2 ).

Pronotum approximately 1.05 times as wide as long and about 0.95 times as wide as head; puncturation on the whole similar to head, but slightly coarser, less dense, more confluent and coriaceous, and less well-defined ( Fig. 2 ).

Elytra 1.05-1.10 times as long and approximately 1.2 times as wide as pronotum ( Fig. 1 ); puncturation rather fine and dense; interstices shiny, without microsculpture. Legs, antennae, and abdomen of similar morphology as in other species of the M. fusculus group.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra, widest at segments V-VI; puncturation fine and dense; interstices with shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with fine palisade fringe.

: posterior excavation of sternite VII deep and of indistinctly trapezoid, almost semicircular shape, on either side of middle with a cluster of few long thin setae and with a lateral comb of approximately 8 palisade setae ( Fig. 3 ); posterior excision of sternite VIII deep and of semicircular shape ( Fig. 4 ); aedeagus with apex of distinctive shape, apex in lateral view thin and bent dorsad ( Figs 5-7 ).

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the male primary and secondary sexual characters, the new species belongs to the M. fusculus group. From other representatives of this group, M. meybohmi is distinguished especially by the shape of the aedeagus, from most species also by the conspicuous puncturation of head and pronotum. For illustrations of the male primary and secondary sexual characters of other species of the M. fusculus group see ASSING (2004a, 2005, 2006, 2007b).

E t y m o l o g y: The species is dedicated to Heinrich Meybohm (Grosshansdorf), specialist of Scydmaenidae , who has collected the type specimens not only of this species, but also those of numerous other staphylinid novelties.

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 locality is situated some 25 km north of Kozan, Adana province, central southern Anatolia, at an altitude of 775 m. The fact that this species has not been discovered before, although the northern parts of Adana and adjacent regions have been visited by several coleopterists, partly repeatedly, suggests that the species has a restricted distribution and is either rare or inhabits a cryptic habitat. According to MEYBOHM (pers. comm.), the type specimens were collected by sifting litter of deciduous trees and Rubus in a creek valley.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Medon meybohmi nov.sp.: (1) habitus; (2) head and pronotum; (3) male sternite VII; (4) male sternite VIII; (5-6) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (7) apical part of aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 1: 1.0 mm; 2-4: 0.5 mm; 5-7: 0.2 mm.