Pseudophanias leigong Y.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Yin, 2023

Zhang, Yong-Qin & Yin, Zi-Wei, 2023, The genus Pseudophanias Raffray (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae) from Nanling Priority Area for Biodiversity Conservation, China, ZooKeys 1179, pp. 231-241 : 231

Pseudophanias leigong Y.-Q. Zhang, Z.-W. Yin sp. nov.

Figs 2 , 4B Chinese common name: 雷公隐须蚁甲

Type material

(1 ex.). Holotype: China: ♂: 'China: Guizhou, Leishan, Leigong Mt, Xiannütang., 26°22'22.11"N, 108°11'52.12"E, 1550 m, 3.v.2021, Tang, Peng, Cai, Song leg. ( 贵州雷公县雷公山仙女塘)’ (SNUC).

Diagnosis.

Male. Body moderately elongate, length 2.0 mm. Vertex coarsely punctate, with punctiform vertexal and frontal fovea. Antennomeres 9-11 enlarged, successively larger, much wider than other antennomeres, 10 ventrally protruding on apical margin, 11 hemispherical, truncate at base. Pronotum with smooth disc, coarsely punctate at basal part. Legs simple. Tergite 1 (IV) more than 2.5 times as long as 2 (V), lacking discal carinae. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view strongly curved, at middle greatly projected ventrally, and markedly enlarged at apex; parameres each with two long setae at apex. Female. Unknown.

Description.

Male. Body (Fig. 2A ) length 2.0 mm; color reddish-brown, tarsi and mouthparts lighter. Dorsal surface finely punctate, covered with dense pubescence.

Head (Fig. 2B ) approximately as long as wide, length 0.46 mm, width across eyes 0.45 mm, sub-hexagonal; vertex coarsely punctate, with narrowly separated, punctiform foveae (dorsal tentorial pits); tempora much longer than eyes, moderately convergent posteriorly; frons longitudinally and shallowly impressed at middle, with punctiform frontal fovea, rostrum approximately half as wide as head; clypeus sharply descending, with anterior margin moderately carinate and raised, setose C-shaped sulci surrounding antennal insertions clearly visible in dorsal view. Eyes weakly prominent, each composed of approximately 18 ommatidia. Maxillary palpi symmetric, palpomere 1 minute, 2 elongate, curved, lengthily pedunculate in basal 2/3, 3 short, sub-trapezoidal, widest at apex, 4 fusiform, widest before base. Antenna elongate, length 0.92 mm; club formed by enlarged apical three antennomeres 9-11 (Fig. 2C ); antennomere 1 thick and elongate, subcylindrical, 2-8 each sub-moniliform, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 distinctly transverse, 6 and 7 subquadrate, 8 shortest, 9 much larger than 8, 10 much wider and longer than 9, angularly protruding ventrally on apical margin, 11 suboval, largest, truncate at base.

Pronotum (Fig. 2B ) much wider than long, length 0.43 mm, width 0.45 mm, widest at middle; lateral margins rounded, convergent anteriorly and posteriorly; anterior margin slightly and smoothly curved, posterior margin evenly convex posteriorly; disc moderately convex, finely punctate, with tiny, asetose median and lateral antebasal foveae, basal collar roughly punctate. Prosternum at middle with anterior part slightly longer than coxal part, with small, broadly separated lateral procoxal foveae; hypomera fused with sternum, smooth; margin of coxal cavity non-carinate.

Elytra much wider than long, length 0.48 mm, width 0.84 mm; roundly trapezoidal, dorsal surface with long pubescence; each elytron with two large, asetose, basal foveae; discal striae shallow and wide, extending from outer basal foveae to apical 5.4/10 of elytral length. Humeral denticles absent, humeri almost flat, lacking subhumeral foveae or marginal striae; posterolateral margins shortly oblique. Metathoracic wings absent.

Mesoventrite short, laterally fused with metaventrite; median mesoventral foveae widely separated, originating from shared setose, transverse opening, large lateral mesoventral foveae unforked internally, with short, apically roundly truncate mesoventral process. Metaventrite (Fig. 4B ) strongly convex, area anterior to posterior margin roundly impressed at middle; posterior margin at middle roundly and moderately deeply emarginate.

All legs elongate and slender; femora coarsely punctate; each tarsus with one major and one reduced setiform pretarsal claw.

Legs elongate; femora coarsely punctate; each tarsus with one major and one reduced setiform pretarsal claw.

Abdomen widest at lateral margins of tergite 1 (IV), length 0.67 mm, width 0.83 mm. Tergite 1 longest, more than 2.5 × as long as 2 (V), with broad, setose basal sulcus and pair of basolateral foveae, lacking discal carinae; tergites 2-4 (V-VII) each lacking basal sulcus or fovea, 2 and 3 successively shorter, 4 distinctly longer than 2 and 3; tergite 5 (VIII) semicircular, transverse, posterior margin evenly rounded. Sternite 2 (IV) at middle approximately as long as 3-5 (V-VII) combined, with densely setose basal sulcus and pair of basolateral foveae at lateral ends of sulcus, 3-5 each short at middle, lacking sulcus or fovea at base, 6 (VIII) transverse, posterior margin slightly convex at middle.

Aedeagus (Fig. 2D, E ) 0.46 mm in length, well sclerotized, dorso-ventrally slightly asymmetric; median lobe strongly curved in lateral view, at middle greatly extended ventrally to form elongate projection, apex markedly enlarged, globular in lateral view; parameres elongate, each with two long apical setae.

Female. Unknown.

Comparative notes.

The male of this species is externally similar to those of P. furcilobus and P. mulun , both described here, but can be readily separated by the different antennal modification, i.e., only antennomeres 9-11 enlarged in P. leigong sp. nov. vs. antennomeres 6-11 enlarged in the latter two species, and the configuration of the aedeagus.

Distribution.

Southwestern China: Guizhou.

Etymology.

The named is taken from Leigong Mountain, the type locality of the new species.

Figures

Figure 2. Habitus and morphological details of Pseudophanias leigong sp. nov., male A dorsal habitus B head and pronotum C antennal club D, E aedeagus, ventral (D), and lateral (E). Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A); 0.3 mm (B, C); 0.2 mm (D, E).

Figure 4. Male metaventrite A Pseudophanias furcilobus B P. leigong C P. mulun. Scale bars: 0.3 mm.