Neuraphes (Neuraphes)

Zhou, De-Yao & Li, Li-Zhen, 2016, Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Neuraphes Thomson (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) in China, Zootaxa 4097 (3), pp. 409-415 : 414-415

Neuraphes (Neuraphes) sp.

( Fig. 3 )

Material examined. 1 ♀, labeled ‘ China: Heilongjiang Prov., Huma County (Offiθ), Hongwei Town (* ffiffi), Alt. 580m, 15-VII-2009, Li L.Z. & Liu T. T. leg.’.

Description. Body ( Fig. 3 ) small, BL 1.56 mm; HL 0.23 mm; HW 0.27 mm, vertex with pair of distinct pits located behind supraantennal tubercles; AnL 0.71 mm, relative lengths of antennomeres: 1.0: 1.0: 0.5: 0.5: 0.6: 0.6: 0.7: 0.7: 0.8: 0.8: 1.4; PL 0.41 mm; PW 0.37 mm; EL 0.91 mm; EW 0.64 mm; EI 1.42.

Remarks. This is the first Neuraphes known to occur in the Far East of China. Previously only N. (Pararaphes) niponensis Franz, 1976 ( Japan: Hokkaido) and N. (Neuraphes) pudibundus Kurbatov, 1988 ( Russia: Amur Oblast) were described from the Asian Far East, and the genus was also reported to occur in North Korea, basing on a single female ( Jałoszyński 2004). However, the presence of a pair of moderately deep pits on the vertex and the body size (1.56 mm vs. 1.2 mm in N.pudibundus ) demonstrate that the Chinese specimen may represent a new species. However, this cannot be confirmed until associated males are discovered.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Habitus of Neuraphes species. N. shu, male (1); N. xilingensis, male (2); N. sp., female (3). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.