Chinecallicerus transversus, Assing, 2018

Assing, Volker, 2018, Six new species of Chinecallicerus from China, with a new synonymy (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Geostibini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 47-63 : 59-60

Chinecallicerus transversus nov.sp. ( Figs 16 , 20-23 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♀: " CHINA: N-Sichuan, Minshan Mts, Baima pass, 3000 m, 5.-20.VII.2005 [collector not specified] / Holotypus ♀ Chinecallicerus transversus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2018" (cAss). Paratype ♀: same data as holotype (cAss) .

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) alludes to the distinctly transverse head and pronotum.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 6.7-7.6 mm; length of forebody 2.9-3.0 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 20 . Coloration: forebody blackish with the postero-sutural portions of the elytra slightly paler, more or less distinctly and more or less extensively pitchy-reddish; abdomen blackish, with the posterior margins of tergites III-VI indistinctly and very narrowly, those of tergites VII-VIII more distinctly and more broadly dark-reddish; legs brown with dark-yellowish tarsi; antennae and maxillary palpi dark-brown to blackishbrown.

Head ( Fig. 21 ) distinctly transverse, approximately 1.2 times as broad as long; punctation dense and fine, but distinct; interstices with distinct microreticulation. Eyes distinctly convex and protruding from lateral contours of head, 0.7-0.8 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 22 ) long and slender, approximately 2.4 mm long; antennomeres IV-X all distinctly oblong.

Pronotum ( Fig. 21 ) distinctly transverse and large in relation to head, approximately 1.15 times as broad as long and nearly 1.3 times as broad as head, broadest slightly anterior to middle; disc very weakly convex in cross-section; punctation dense and rather fine, slightly more distinct than that of head; microsculpture practically obsolete.

Elytra ( Fig. 21 ) large, approximately as long as pronotum; punctation very dense and slightly asperate; interstices with microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen ( Fig. 23 ) narrower than elytra; tergites III-VI with pronounced anterior impressions; punctation moderately fine and dense, only slightly sparser on tergite VII than on anterior tergites; anterior impressions of tergites III-VI with sparse and very fine punctation; fine transverse microsculpture present in places, but nearly obsolete, visible

only at high magnification (100 x); posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

♂: unknown.

♀: posterior margin of tergite VIII distinctly concave in the middle ; posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly and distinctly concave in the middle; spermatheca ( Fig. 16 ) with long and slender distal portion.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: This species is distinguished from all its congeners by a distinctly transverse head, a large, transverse, and weakly convex (cross-section) pronotum, long and slender antennae, the presence of a pronounced anterior impression on the abdominal tergite VI (unique), the distinct concavity in the middle of the posterior margin of tergite VIII, and by the shape of the spermatheca.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The type locality is situated in Min Shan, North Sichuan ( Map 1 ). The type specimens were sifted at an altitude of 3000 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Chinecallicerus species in China: C. wrasei (black diamond); C. schuelkei (white circle); C. laevigatus and C. serratus (both black circle); C. subater (white diamond); C. reticulatus (black star); C. pinnatus (black triangle); C. grandicollis (grey star); C. carinatus (white triangle); C. orbiculatus (white star); C. transversus (black square); C. granulosissimus (white square); C. trituberculatus (grey triangle).

Figs 7-16: Chinecallicerus orbiculatus (7-12), C. granulosissimus (13-15), and C. transversus (16): habitus (7); forebody (8); head in lateral view (9); antenna (10); abdomen (11); spermatheca (12, 15-16); tergite IV (13); postero-median portion of tergite IV (14). Scale bars: 7-8, 10-11: 1.0 mm; 9, 13: 0.5 mm; 12, 14-16: 0.1 mm.

Figs 17-23: Chinecallicerus granulosissimus (17-19) and C. transversus (20-23): habitus (17, 20); forebody (18, 21); anterior portion of abdomen (19); antenna (22); abdomen (23). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.