Ocypus (Pseudocypus) nigriculminis, He & Zhou, 2017

He, Liang & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2017, Taxonomy of the subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) and eight new species from China, Zootaxa 4339 (1), pp. 1-77 : 28-31

7. Ocypus (Pseudocypus) nigriculminis sp. nov.

(Figs. 7-1, 7-2)

Type locality: CHINA, Sichuan Province, Baoxing County, Guobayan.

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Sichuan Province: Baoxing County, Guobayan , 3340 m, alpine rhododendron forest, pitfall traps, 1–4.VII.2001, coll. Xiaodong Yu & Hongzhang Zhou (IZ-CAS) . Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan Province: 19 males, 3 females, same data as holotype (IZ-CAS) ; 1 male, Baoxing County, Guobayan , 2880 m, fir forest, pitfall traps, 1–4.VII.2001, coll. Xiaodong Yu & Hongzhang Zhou (IZ-CAS) ; 2 males, Baoxing County, Guobayan , 3200 m, alpine rhododendron forest, pitfall traps, 20.VII.2001, coll. Jinxiong Yang (IZ-CAS).

Measurements. Body length: 17.2–19.5 mm. CL: 0.63; EL: 2.42; ELS: 1.09; EW: 2.82; HL: 2.43; HW: 2.83; PO: 1.21; PL: 3.08; PW: 2.84.

Description. Medium sized species. Body relatively slender, black, elytra slightly paler; maxillary and labial palpi brunneous; antennae dark brunneous; legs brunneous; protibia and protarsus covered with dense brownish pubescence; pubescence of dorsal side of head and pronotum brownish black, and that of elytra and abdominal tergites almost the same.

Head of rounded quadrangular shape, large and wide, with curved lateral sides, wider than long (ratio 1.16). Eyes small and slightly protruding, considerably shorter than tempora (ratio 0.52) in dorsal view. Punctation and pubescence on dorsal surface of head relatively dense and fine, puncture intervals about the same as or smaller than diameters of punctures; punctation gradually becoming sparser toward clypeus; impunctate midline vaguely present on posterior half of head. Gular sutures distinctly separated, and gular dilated both anteriad and posteriad. Antenna moderately long, segment 3 longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.21), segments 4 to 8 distinctly longer than wide, segment 9 and 10 vaguely longer than wide, segment 11 longer than segment 10. Pronotum vaguely longer than wide (ratio 1.08), becoming gradually wider toward basal part, with widely rounded posterior angles; narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards at anterior third of pronotal length; disc with entire and distinct impunctate midline; punctation and pubescence on disc sparser than that on dorsal surface of head, puncture intervals distinctly larger than diameters of punctures. Pronotal hypomeron asetose. Scutellum finely punctate and setose on entire surface. Elytra short and narrow, distinctly depressed at base, slightly dilated posteriad, anterior side distinctly narrower than pronotum; elytral length shorter than pronotum along midline, with a ratio of 0.35 along suture and a ratio of 0.78 along sides; elytral punctation much finer and denser than that on disk of head, combined with very fine and dense microsculpture. Wings markedly reduced. Abdominal tergite 2 densely and finely punctate and pubescent on entire surface; all visible abdominal tergites very densely and finely punctate and pubescent; pubescence on visible tergites 4 and 5 denser, longer and slightly brighter than that on other visible tergites; no yellowish tomentose pubescence present on visible tergites 4 and 5.

Male. Sternite 8 with deep and obtusely triangular medioapical emargination (Fig. 7-2 J). Sternite 9 wide, with shallow apical emargination, tapered basal portion located centrally, relatively short (Fig. 7-2 H). Tergite 10 elongate, with widely rounded apex, sparsely setose (Fig. 7-2 A). Aedeagus distinctly bended in middle portion in lateral view, shaped as in Figs. 7-1 B, C, 7-2 B–D.

Female. Second gonocoxite relatively robust, shaped as in Figs. 7-1 E, 7- 2 I. Tergite 10 of female relatively narrow, almost evenly narrowed toward rounded apex, sparsely setose (Fig. 7-2 E).

Distribution. Ocypus nigriculminis sp. nov. is at present known only from type locality in central Sichuan Province.

Notes. Ocypus nigriculminis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other similar-sized species by its wide pronotum, uniquely shaped aedeagus and centrally located basal portion of sternite 9.

Etymology. The specific epithet, nigriculminis , is from Latin words " niger " (dark, black colored, to indicate the special color of the body) and " culmen " (culminis, tip, top).