Ascaphium longlingense He, Tang & Li

He, Wen-Jia, Tang, Liang & Li, Li-Zhen, 2008, New data on the genus Ascaphium Lewis (Coleoptera, staphylinidae, Scaphidiinae) of China, Zootaxa 1923, pp. 62-68 : 64

Ascaphium longlingense He, Tang & Li , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 4–6 , 10 )

Type material. Holotype: CHINA: Yunnan Prov.: ɗ, 24.83671°N, 98.76185°E, Xiaoheishan, Longling Co., Longjiang, 28.V.2005, alt. 2067 m, LIANG H. B. & GUO K. J. leg. (IOZ). Paratypes: 6ΨΨ, same data as the holotype (IOZ (3ΨΨ), SHNU (3ΨΨ)).

Description. BL 5.8–6.5 mm.

Body black with apical portions of exposed abdominal segments a little lighter. Palpi light brown. Antennal segments 1–6 and 11 reddish brown, 7–10 darker, especially apically. Tibiae and tarsi reddish brown.

Frons at narrowest point between eyes 0.49–0.54 mm; punctures on vertex sparse and relatively small, near neck dense and coarse. Puncture intervals on vertex about twice as large as puncture diameter, puncture intervals near neck about half of puncture diameter. Neck dorsally with irregular microsculpture and few punctures.

Antennae moderately long, segment 5 about 3 times as long as wide; 6 about 2.4 times as long as wide; club stout; segment 7 1.3 times as long as wide; 8 about 1.4 times as long as wide; segments 9 and 10 of equal size, 1.5 times as long as wide, both slightly wider than segments 7 and 8; segment 11 about 1.6 times as long at wide.

Pronotum at base about 2.2 mm wide; lateral edges oblique in basal half, arcuate in apical half; antebasal puncure row impressed laterally; more or less interrupted and not impressed at middle, consisiting of fairly coarse punctures. Discal punctation very fine.

Elytra slightly impressed laterally in apical fifth. Each elytron with six almost straight discal puncture rows ( Fig. 10 ) situated in relatively narrow and deep striae: first row distinctly separated from basal row and ending a little before apical forth; second row separated from basal row, starting distinctly before the first row and ending at about same level; third row joined with basal row and at base curved interiad, ending at about apical fifth; fourth row similar to third but ending a little before apical fifth; fifth row starting behind humeral protuberance and ending a little before forth row; sixth row very short, consisting of two to three coarse punctures and starting a little after fifth row and ending distinctly before middle of elytron. Punctation fine, both between discal striae and in posterior portion of disc.

Metaventrite near posterior margin with two median striae short, distant from each other and slightly diverging posteriorly.

Protibiae slightly inflexed, meso- and metatibiae slightly sinuate.

First to fourth exposed abdominal sternites finely punctate without microsculpture; fifth sternite with irregular microsculpture.

Male sexual characters. Aedeagus ( Figs. 4, 5 ) 1.79 mm long. Median lobe in ventral view slightly wider apically; basal process large, prominent. Internal sac with two groups of symmetrical sclerites, basal and apical ( Fig. 6 ).

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Remarks. Ascaphium longlingense resembles A. irregulare Löbl, 1999 from Yunnan, but can be easily distinguished by its punctated and microsculptured neck, the distinct pattern of discal puncture rows on elytra and the shape of the aedeagus.

Etymology. The species name is derived from “Longling”, its type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Habitus of Ascaphium. 1 — A. longlingense sp. nov.; 2 — A. ingentis sp. nov.; 3 — A. alticola Löbl. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURES 4 – 9. Details of aedeagus of Ascaphium longlingense sp. nov. (4 – 6) and A. alticola Löbl (7 – 9). 4, 7 — aedeagus, lateral view; 5, 8 — aedeagus, dorsal view; 6, 9 — sclerites of internal sac. Scale bars 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 10 – 12. Elytral puncture rows of Ascaphium. 10 — A. longlingense sp. nov.; 11 — A. ingentis sp. nov.; 12 — A. alticola Löbl. Scale bars 0.5 mm.