Nepallaphus, Löbl & Kodada, 2021

Löbl, Ivan & Kodada, Ján, 2021, On the Himalayan Pselaphini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Biodiversität und Naturausstattung im Himalaya VII, Erfurt: Naturkundemuseum, pp. 349-368 : 358

Nepallaphus n. gen.

Type species Nepallaphus ekam n. sp. Gender masculine.

Etymology. The epithet is derived from Nepal, combined with “laphus”, a meaningless part of the generic name Pselaphus .

Description. Length 1.70-1.90 mm. Pubescence short, appressed and sparse, excepted on middle of metaventrite, and for patches of white squamous setae covering venter of head posterior gular mound, most of proventrite and mesoventrite, apices of elytra, apical margin of metaventrite and bases of tergite Iand ventrite II. Head narrow, elongate, with frontal rostrum prominent, antennaltubercles smooth, postantennal notches absent. Frontal ridges extended to level of eye mid-length. Mesal sulcus glabrous, narrow, parallel-sided or somewhat widened apically, extended onto vertical part of frontoclypeus, lacking setose patch between antennal tubercles. Anterior margin of frontal rostrum notched in dorsal view. Vertex abruptly raised. Vertexal foveae setose, in globous pocket, oblique, situated at level of posterior eye margin. Eyes small, prominent, anterior eyes margins about at head-mid-length. Temple rounded. Genae reticulate, explanate. Gular-mandibular carinae conspicuous, forming prominent lateroventral margin of anterior part of head. Antennae 11-segmented, antennomeres Iand II reticulate, club 3-segmented, weekly formed, segment XI asymmetrical. Maxillary palpi elongate, segment Inarrow, cylindrical, bent, segment II long, pedunculate, about 3 times as long as segment I, longer than half of head length, with peduncle much longer than enlarged apical part, slightly swollen at base, segment III short, subtriangular, long about as wide, segment IV pedunculate, bent, lacking sensory area and without apical notch and lateral sulcus, basal part of peduncle glabrous, apical part of peduncle and enlarged apical part appearing reticulate, densely, very finely studded, with short, bent setae. Gula strongly swollen, gular lacking striae. Gular foveae narrowly separated, obscured by setose patch. Pronotum evenly convex, rounded laterally, widest about at mid-point, with distinct antebasal lateral foveae, punctiform antebasal median fovea, without antebasal sulcus, basal area glabrous. Elytra short, strongly widened apically, not impressed basally, basal margin not raised, with three basal foveae, middle basal fovea oblique, antebasal fovea lacking, discal carinae close to adsutural carinae or absent. Hind wings atrophied. Proventrite with setose patch reaching nearly lateral margins, obscuring foveae. Mesoventrite covered by setose patch; foveae obscured. Metaventrite asetose. Legs without spines Femora clavate, reticulate. Tibiae thickened apically. Third tarsomeres subcylindrical, narrower and longer than second tarsomeres. Abdomen with tergite Imuch longer than rest of tergites combined, convex, widened apically, with rounded lateral margins, deep basal sulcus and large basolateral and mediobasal foveae obscured by rows of flat setae; apical margins of tergites broadly rounded. Ventrite II with deep basal sulcus obscured by rows of flat setae. Aedeagus symmetrical, median lobe sub-oval, with strongly sclerotized ventral process, parameres asetose, weakly sclerotized. Basal bulb delimited apicodorsally by transverse sclerotizedband, with conspicuous dorsal vesicle below window in bulb’s dorsal sclerotization, attached by muscles to ventral side of bulb; internal sac with two narrow admesal rods.

Comments. Members of this genus resembles Pselaphus Herbst, 1791 , as redefined by BESUCHET (1999).

Adults of Nepallaphus have maxillary palpomeres IV pedunculate, densely setose, lacking a sensory area in the apical notch and lateral sulcus. They share these characters with the type species of Pselaphus , P. heisei Herbst, 1791 , and with numerous other species currently placed in Pselaphus . They also share with Pselaphus the frontal sulcus lackinga setose patch between the antennal tubercles. Nevertheless, some members of Pselaphus , suchas P. kubischteki (Reitter, 1891) and P. lomnickii (Reitter, 1901) , differ markedly in palpal characters, P. kubischteki also differs in possessing extended setose patches covering the temples, basolateral areas of pronotum and bases of elytra (pers. observation). Thus, there is an obvious need to revisit the genus. However, Nepallaphus is clearly distinguished from Pselaphus by the pronotum and elytra possessing antebasal and basal foveae, respectively. In addition, the new genus also differs in possessing microtuberculate palpomeres IV, while the palpomeres IV bear prominent tubercles in Pselaphus heisei and in many other species currently considered members of Pselaphus . The basal bulb of the aedeagus clearly separates Nepallaphus from Pselaphus based on the presence a dorsal vesicle.