Myrmedonota lewisi Maruyama & Klimaszewski

Maruyama, Munetoshi, Patrick, Brian & Klimaszewski, Jan, 2008, First record of the genus Myrmedonota Cameron (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from North America, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 1716, pp. 35-43 : 40-42

Myrmedonota lewisi Maruyama & Klimaszewski , sp. nov.

Figs. 2 , 13 –21

Type series. Holotype, ɗ, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Indiana: Clark County, Burns Hollow, ca 2 mi E Borden, 30 VII 2006, J. Lewis ( LFC). Paratypes. 2 ɗɗ, 8 ΨΨ, 1 sex?, same data as holotype ( LFC, CNC, FMNH, cMM).

Etymology. Named in honour of Jerry Lewis, the collector of the original series.

Diagnosis. This species is closely similar to M. aidani in facies and body size but may be easily distinguished by the basically blackish brown body color, the character states of the genital organs, especially the narrower dorsal bridge of the median lobe of the aedeagus and the V-shaped spermatheca. This species can easily be separated from the other known species of Myrmedonota by having 5 macrosetae along the lateral margin of the pronotum.

Description. Body slender and subparallel ( Fig. 2 ). Blackish brown in ground color; head, 1st to 3rd segments of antennae, shoulders and posterior margins of elytra yellowish brown. Head ( Fig. 1 ) widest at eyes; surface finely reticulated, moderately covered with setae; setae moderately long, as long as those on pronotum and elytra; length of eyes 0.38–0.40 times as long as head width. Mentum ( Fig. 13 ) trapezoidal, with basal margin shallowly emarginated. Labium ( Fig. 14 ) with about 15 medial pseudopores. Antennae ( Fig. 2 ) shorter than head, pronotum and elytra combined; 1st segment much shorter than 2nd and 3rd combined; 2nd segment about 0.8 times as long as 3rd; 3rd segment about 0.7 times as long as 1st; 4th to 10th segments almost as long as wide except for stem of each segment; 11th segment conical, longer than 1st. Pronotum ( Fig. 2 ) subelliptical, 1.54–1.60 times as wide as long, widest just after anterior margin; surface finely punctured, finely reticulated among punctures, densely covered with setae, with 5 long macrosetae along anterior to lateral margins; lengths of macrosetae almost same. Scutellum with surface smooth, moderately covered with short setae. Elytra ( Fig. 2 ) widened apicad; surface finely punctured, finely reticulated among punctures, densely covered with setae, with 3 distinct macrosetae laterally. Legs short; hind tibia 0.72–0.75 times as long as elytral width. Abdomen subparallel-sided, slightly narrower than elytra, widest around 4th and 5th segments; surface smooth; 3rd to 7th tergites almost glabrous, but with a row of setae and macrosetae along posterior margins; 8th tergite (Figs. 15, 19) with 5 macrosetae; 9th tergite with 4 macrosetae; 10th tergite with posterior margin slightly emarginate, with 4 macrosetae.

Male: Eighth abdominal tergite (Fig. 15) with posterior margin emarginate, its emarginate apex crenate, and protruded laterally; 8th sternite (Fig. 16) with posterior margin rounded, with 7 macrosetae; 9th sternite with posterior margin truncated. Aedeagus (Figs. 17, 18) somewhat tear-shaped in parameral view; apical lobe gently curved paramerally in lateral view, pointed at apex in lateral and parameral views; basal ridge convex.

Female: Eighth abdominal tergite (Fig. 19) with posterior margin almost truncate; 8th sternite (Fig. 20) with 7 macrosetae; sensory setae of 8th sternite generalised, almost the same as the other setae in shape. Spermatheca (Fig. 21) curved once.

Measurements. BL, ca. 2.3–2.6; FBL, ca. 1.0–1.1; HW, 0.48–0.50; EL, 0.175–0.181; AL, 0.88–0.99; PL, 0.35–0.40; PW, 0.56–0.61; ELW, 0.68–0.76; HTL, 0.51–0.56.

Comments. This species, as well as the previous species, are keyed out in first couplet of the key ( Kistner, 2003) in having 5 macrosetae along the lateral margin of the pronotum.

Bionomics. All the specimens were attracted to paint thinner set in a cave.

FIGURES 15–21. Terminalia of Myrmedonota lewisi . 15: male 8th tergite; 16: male 8th sternite; 17: median lobe of aedeagus, lateral view; 18: median lobe of aedeagus, parameral view; 19: female 8th tergite; 20 female 8th sternite; 21: spermatheca.

Figures

FIGURES 1, 2. Habitus of Myrmedonota spp. 1: M. aidani; 2: M. lewisi, teminal segements 9 - 10 removed and not shown.

FIGURES 13, 14. Mouthparts of Myrmedonota lewisi. 13: mentum; 14: labium.