Medon manasluensis, Assing, 2010

Assing, V., 2010, A revision of Palaearctic Medon. VIII. A new species from Nepal and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (1), pp. 489-498 : 495-497

Medon manasluensis nov.sp. ( Figs 8-14 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " Nepal, Manaslu Mts., SE slope, W Gupchi Danda, 2500- 2800 m, 19./ 20.V.2006, leg. J. Schmidt, 28°08'59"N, 84°46'06"E / Holotypus Medon manasluensis sp.n. det. V. Assing 2009 " (NME). Paratypes: 1, 1: same data as holotype (NME, cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.0-4.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 8 . Coloration: body blackish, with indistinctly paler elytra and brownish abdominal apex; legs and antennae brown.

Head weakly transverse, across eyes approximately 1.05 times as wide as long; punctation very dense and rather coarse; interstices very narrow, much narrower than diameter of punctures, without microsculpture; eyes distinctly bulging and rather large, approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 9 ). Antenna with antennomere III approximately as long as II; X very weakly transverse.

Pronotum approximately as wide as long and as wide as head, weakly tapering posteriad ( Fig. 9 ); punctation very dense and rather coarse; midline narrowly impunctate at least in posterior 1/2-2/3; interstices much narrower than diameter of punctures and without microsculpture.

Elytra short, 0.70-0.75 times as long, and at posterior margin slightly wider than pronotum, weakly widened posteriad; humeral angles weakly pronounced; punctation fine, dense, and shallow ( Fig. 9 ). Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra; punctation very fine and dense; interstices with shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

: posterior margin of sternite VII produced in the middle, in the middle of this projection shallowly V-shaped, margin of this V-shaped excision with few blackish setae on either side ( Figs 10-11 ); posterior margin of sternite VIII with moderately deep excision, its depth approximately 1/4 the length of sternite ( Fig. 12 ); aedeagus as in Figs 13-14 , apex in ventral view weakly concave.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: With one exception ( M. deharvengi ), the new species is separated from all other congeners known from Nepal by the short elytra, the reduced hind wings, and the absence of a palisade fringe at the posterior margin of the abdominal tergite VII alone. Based on the extremely similar external appearance, as well as on the derived male sexual characters (shape and chaetotaxy of the male sternite VII, shape of aedeagus), M. manasluensis is closely related to, and quite possibly the adelphotaxon of M. deharvengi , a hypothesis also supported by the fact that the Manaslu range is adjacent to the Annapurna range. The eyes are slightly smaller (somewhat shorter than postocular region) in M. deharvengi than in M. manasluensis , but otherwise both species are reliably distinguished only based on the male sexual characters. In M. deharvengi , the male ster- nite VII is more strongly produced in the middle, this projection is more deeply and more narrowly incised in the middle, and the blackish setae are stouter, longer, and situated nearer to the apex. Also, the aedeagus is apically distinctly bifid in ventral view. For illustrations of the male sexual characters of M. deharvengi see Figs 3-7.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) is derived from the name of the mountain range where the type locality is situated.

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 on the southeastern slope of the Manaslu range, in the north of central Nepal ( Map 1 ). The type specimens were collected at an altitude of 2500-2800 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Medon deharvengi COIFFAIT (open circles) and M. manasluensis nov.sp. (filled circle) in Nepal. The territory of Nepal is highlighted to facilitate recognition.

Figs 8-14: Medon manasluensis nov.sp.: (8) habitus; (9) forebody; (10) male sternite VII; (11) medio-apical portion of male sternite VII; (12) male sternite VIII; (13-14) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 8-9: 1.0 mm; 10-14: 0.2 mm.

Figs 1-7: Medon deharvengi COIFFAIT: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) male sternite VII; (4) medioapical portion of male sternite VII; (5) male sternite VIII; (6-7) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 1-2: 1.0 mm; 3-7: 0.2 mm.