Leptusa (Drepanoleptusa) helambuica, Assing, 2009

Assing, V., 2009, Two new species and subspecies of Leptusa from Nepal and Montenegro (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (1), pp. 453-458 : 455-457

Leptusa (Drepanoleptusa) helambuica nov.sp. ( Figs 10-20 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype Ƌ: " Nepal Helambu , Gopte near Tharepati, 85°28'E, 28°03'N, 3250 m, 6.9.97, lg. Fabrizi & Ahrens / Holotypus Ƌ Leptusa helambuica sp.n. det. V. Assing 2008" ( NME).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 3.1 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head and pronotum blackish; elytra blackish-brown, near suture and near posterior margin somewhat paler brownish; abdomen brown, with segments V-VI and anterior part of segment VII blackish; legs reddish-brown; antennae with antennomeres I-III reddish-yellow, IV-X gradually more infuscate, X blackish-brown, and XI reddish-brown.

Head of subcircular shape, weakly transverse; punctures dense and large, but very shallow; interstices very narrow, much narrower than punctures, and with distinct microsculpture ( Fig. 11 ). Eyes large ( Fig. 12 ), distinctly longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antennae of moderate length, apically moderately incrassate, antennomere X approximately 1.5 times as wide as long.

Pronotum 1.3 times as wide as long and 1.3 times as wide as head, maximal width in anterior half; lateral margins weakly sinuate in posterior half (dorsal view); punctation and microsculpture similar to those of head ( Fig. 11 ).

Elytra approximately 1.25 times as wide and at suture 1.1 times as long as pronotum; humeral angles pronounced; punctation coarse (much more so than that of pronotum) and dense ( Fig. 11 ); interstices without microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed. Legs slender; metatarsomere I longer than II, but shorter than the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen approximately 0.8 times as wide as elytra, segments III-VI subparallel; tergites III-V with pronounced, tergite VI with very shallow anterior impressions, these impressions with very coarse and dense punctation; remainder of tergal surfaces with much finer and sparser punctation ( Fig. 13 ); interstices without evident microsculpture and glossy; posterior margin of tergite VII with pronounced palisade fringe.

Ƌ: tergite VII with long median keel ( Fig. 13 ); posterior margin of tergite VIII concave, not serrate ( Fig. 14 ); sternite VII unmodified; sternite VIII broadly convex posteriorly ( Fig. 15 ); median lobe of aedeagus with characteristic internal structures ( Figs 16-19 ); apical lobe of paramere as in Fig. 20 .

♀: unknown.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (adjective) is derived from the region where the type locality is situated.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Leptusa helambuica is distinguished from all its Himalayan congeners especially by the distinctive morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus. The shape of the latter is somewhat similar to that of L. manasluensis ASSING from the Manaslu range, which, however, has a distinctly smaller and more slender body, much smaller eyes (approximately half as long as postocular region), shorter elytra (at suture distinctly shorter than pronotum), a less transverse pronotum (1.2 times as wide as long and 1.2 times as wide as head), a pronounced anterior impression on tergite VI (approximately as deep as that of tergite V), no median keel on the male tergite VII, and a median lobe of the aedeagus with completely different internal structures. For illustrations of the male sexual characters of L. manasluensis and of the other nine species of the subgenus Drepanoleptusa PACE known from Nepal see ASSING (2002) and PACE (1989), respectively.

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 in the Langtang National Park to the north of Kathmandu, central Nepal. The holotype was collected at an altitude of 3240 m ; additional bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Figs 10-22: Leptusa helambuica nov.sp. (10-20), L. abdominalis abdominalis (MOTSCHULSKY) (21), and L. abdominalis bosnica EPPELSHEIM (22): (10) habitus; (11) forebody; (12) head in lateral view; (13) male abdomen; (14) male tergite VIII; (15) male sternite VIII; (16, 21-22) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (17) apical portion of median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (18-19) apex of median lobe in lateral and in ventral view; (20) apical lobe of paramere. Scale bars: 10: 1.0 mm; 11-13: 0.5 mm; 14-17, 21-22: 0.2 mm; 18-20: 0.1 mm.

Figs 1-9: Leptusa abdominalis mikii nov.ssp.: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) male tergite VIII; (4) male sternite VIII; (5) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (6) apical portion of median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (7) female tergite VIII; (8) female sternite VIII; (9) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1: 0.5 mm; 2-8: 0.2 mm; 9: 0.1 mm.