Neosclerus nigerrimus ( KRAATZ , 1859)

Assing, Volker, 2011, A revision of the genus Neosclerus C (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 6 (1), pp. 89-148 : 132-133

Neosclerus nigerrimus ( KRAATZ, 1859) ; comb. n. ( Figs 157-161)

Lithocharis nigerrima KRAATZ, 1859: 141 f.

Medon ( Lithocharis )) nigerrimus: BERNHAUER & SCHUBERT (1912: 242) .

Lobochilus nigerrimus: CAMERON (1931: 124) .

Type material:

Lectotype : " Ceylon / coll. Kraatz / Syntypus / coll. DEI Müncheberg / Lectotypus  Lithocharis nigerrima Kraatz , desig. V. Assing 2009 / Neosclerus nigerrimus (Kraatz) , det. V. Assing 2009" ( SDEI) . Paralectotypes: 2 , 1  [ somewhat teneral; 1  without aedeagus]: same data as lectotype ( SDEI) .

Comment:

The original description is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from " Ceylan " ( KRAATZ 1859). Four syntypes, three males (two of them somewhat teneral) and a female, were located in the collections of the SDEI. The mature male is designated as the lectotype .

Redescription:

Body length 2.7-3.2 mm. Coloration of mature specimens: body blackish, with the elytra and the abdominal apex indistinctly paler; legs and antennae brown.

Head across eyes approximately 1.15 times as wide as long; postocular region moderately short, approximately as long as width of antennomere I ( Fig. 157); punctation coarse, moderately sparse in anterior half and very sparse in posterior half of dorsal surface; interstices without microsculpture and glossy; antenna not distinctive.

Pronotum approximately as long as wide or indistinctly oblong, approximately 0.85 times as wide as head ( Fig. 157); punctation coarse and not very dense; midline broadly impunctate; interstices without microsculpture and glossy.

Elytra moderately long, 0.94-0.97 times as long and 1.10-1.15 times as wide as pronotum; humeral angles marked ( Fig. 157); punctation moderately coarse and moderately dense. Hind wings present.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra; punctation moderately fine, rather dense on anterior tergites and very sparse on posterior tergites; interstices with shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: sternite VII unmodified ( Fig. 158); sternite VIII with broadly V-shaped and not very deep posterior excision, its depth approximately 1/6-1/5 the length of sternite, otherwise unmodified ( Fig. 159); aedeagus of distinctive morphology ( Figs 160-161).

Comparative notes:

This species is readily distinguished from all its congeners particularly by the shape of the aedeagus, from most species also by the unmodified male sternite VII.

Distribution and bionomics:

Confirmed records of this species are known only from Sri Lanka. In view of the more or less restricted distributions and external similarity of NeosclerusNeosclerus species, as well as of the fact that the male sexual characters of this species were previously unknown, the record from Sikkim by BISWAS (2003: 265) appears highly doubtful and is most likely based on a misidentification. Bionomic data are not available.