Domene (Macromene) aqiang Z. Peng

Zhao, Mei-Jun, 2017, New data on the genus Domene (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) of mainland China, Zootaxa 4329 (5), pp. 449-462 : 450-451

Domene (Macromene) aqiang Z. Peng and L.-Z. Li, new species

( Fig. 1 )

Type material (1 ♂). Holotype ♂: “ China: Guangdong Prov., Ruyuan, Nanling, Shikengkong , 24°55'33''N, 112°59'29''E, 1820 m 30.V.2015, Peng, Tu & Zhou leg.” ( SNUC) .

Description. Measurements (in mm) and ratios: BL 9.17, FL 5.23, HL 1.39, HW 1.30, AnL 3.35, NW 0.46, PL 1.57, PW 1.18, EL 1.48, EW 1.44, TiL 1.39, TaL 1.20, AW 1.31, AL 1.42, HL/HW 1.07, HW/PW 1.10, HL/PL 0.89, NW/HW 0.35, PL/PW 1.33, EL/PL 0.94.

Habitus as in Fig. 1A . Body black with distinctly paler abdominal apex; legs light brown, with the profemora and the apical halves of the meso- and metafemora dark brown; antennae dark brown to light brown.

Head ( Fig. 1B ) distinctly oblong, widest behind eyes; punctation rather fine, distinctly umbilicate, and very dense, surface rather matt. All antennomeres longer than broad; antennomeres IV–X of equal length; antennomere I 1.5 times, II 0.8 times, III 1.2 times, XI 1.2 times as long as IV. Maxillary palpus very slender, preapical joint 3.3 times as long as broad.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1C ) slender, widest anteriorly and weakly tapering posteriad; lateral margins weakly convex in dorsal view; punctation similar to that of head; midline with short and very narrow rudiment of a glossy line posteriorly.

Elytra ( Fig. 1D ) without distinct longitudinal ridges; macropunctation coarse, irregular; interstices with irregular micropunctation. Hind wings present. Protarsomeres I–IV moderately dilated.

Abdomen with very fine and dense punctation on tergites III–VIII; posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex; interstices with very shallow microreticulation; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

Male. Sternites III–VI unmodified; sternite VII ( Fig. 1E ) strongly transverse, with pronounced median impression posteriorly, this impression with numerous strongly modified, short and stout black setae, posterior margin broadly and deeply concave; sternite VIII ( Fig. 1F ) moderately transverse, with pronounced oblong postero-median impression, in lateral and anterior portions of this impression and on either side of the posterior excision with numerous strongly modified, short black setae; posterior excision somewhat V-shaped; aedeagus as in Figs 1G–H , ventral process long and apically acute; dorsal plate with long and distinctly sclerotized apical portion, and with weakly sclerotized and short basal portion; internal sac with dark membranous apical structures and with a small basal sclerite.

Female. Unknown.

Comparative notes. Based on the similar chaetotaxy and shape of the male sternites VII–VIII and the similar structure of the aedeagus, D. aqiang belongs to the D. malaisei species group and is most similar to D. praefigens Assing, 2015 . It is distinguished from other species of the group by the more modified setae in the postero-median impression of the male sternite VIII and the longer ventral process of the aedeagus, from D. praefigens also by the somewhat smaller body size, the shorter antenna and the more slender pronotum. For illustrations of the species of the D. malaisei group see Assing (2015) and Feldmann et al. (2014).

Distribution and natural history. The type locality is situated in Nanling to the northwest of Ruyuan, northern Guangdong. The specimens were sifted from leaf litter in bamboo forests at an altitude of 1820 m.

Etymology. The species is named for Jun-Qiang Xu (nickname “Aqiang”), who supported us on our field trips.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Domene aqiang. A, habitus; B, head; C, pronotum; D, elytra; E, male sternite VII; F, male sternite VIII; G, aedeagus in lateral view; H, aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: A 2.0 mm, B – H 0.5 mm.