Scaphobaeocera furva, Löbl, 2020

Löbl, Ivan, 2020, Four new Taiwanese species of Scaphobaeocera CSIKI (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scaphidiinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 52 (1), pp. 327-335 : 328-329

Scaphobaeocera furva nov.sp. ( Figs 1-4 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: TAIWAN Taipei Co. Yangmingshan Mts slopes E of Shamao S. Vít, 24.X.2007 400m, rotten bole ( MHNG) . Paratype ♂: TAIWAN Hsinchu Co. Jienshih Twnsh. env . 1800 m Km 48/Road no 60 ; 25.iii.2008 Hsingkuang trib. vill., leg. S. Vít Forest litter ( MHNG) .

Description: Length 1.20-1.35 mm, width 0.65-0.73 mm, dorsoventral diameter 0.69-0.73 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra and ventral side of thorax dark brown to black, elytra lighter near apices. Abdomen dark brown, with apical segments ochraceous. Appendages ochraceous. Length/width ratios of antennomeres as: III 14/6: IV 20/6: V 27/6: VI 20/7: VII 27/8: VIII 13/9: IX 28/12: X 26/14: XI 38/12. Pronotum very finely punctate, not microsculptured. Tip of scutellum exposed. Elytra not iridescent, with parasutural striae, sutural striae deep, curved at base, discal punctation about as fine as pronotal punctation, microsculpture hardly visible. Hypomera not microsculptured, smooth, lacking longitudinal stria. Middle area of metaventrite hardly convex, entirely densely, distinctly punctate, with punctures to part about as large as puncture intervals; pubescence very short, median stria and median impression absent. Lateral parts of metaventrite very finely and sparsely punctate, not microsculptured. Submesocoxal areas about 0.03 mm, submesocoxal lines appearing impunctate. Metanepisterna about 0.02- 0.03 mm wide, flat, slightly narrowed posteriad, impunctate, with slightly concave suture reaching metepimera. Tibiae straight. Ventrite 1 not microsculptured, very finely punctate, basal punctures distinct, not elongate. Following sternites with strigulate microsculpture.

Male characters: Protarsomeres 1 to 3 strongly widened, wide almost as apices of protibiae. Aedeagus ( Figs 1-4 ) 0.40-0.46 mm long. Median lobe with narrow basal bulb, apical process asymmetrical, moderately inflexed, much shorter than basal bulb, concave ventral side and tip acute in lateral view, blunt in dorsal view. Articular process not prominent. Parameres symmetrical, straight, reaching level of tip of median lobe, almost evenly broad in dorsal view, strongly widened dorso-apically in lateral view. Internal sac with narrow, convoluted flagellum forming three complete loops, moderately widened at proximal end.

Differential diagnosis: The key given below provides means to distinguish this new species from its Taiwanese congeners. The aedeagal characters suggest relationships with S. sunadai HOSHINA & SUGAYA, 2003 from the Ryukyus, S. glabra LÖBL, 2018 from Yunnan, and S. gracilis LÖBL, 1981 and S. variabilis LÖBL, 1981 from Japan. Scaphobaeocera sunadai may be readily distinguished from S. furva by the parameres gradually widened apically, the apical process of the median lobe strongly inflexed, near apex almost perpendicular to the axis of aedeagus (lateral view) and the flagellum forming a single complete loop. The apical process of the median lobe is much shorter and has blunt apex in S. glabra . This species differs in external characters drastically by its strongly elongate antennomeres XI. The S. gracilis and S. variabilis described from Japan have the pronotum and elytra microsculptured and iridescent, unlike those in S. furva . In addition, the parameres are narrower and only near apices widened in S. gracilis , and the oblique proximal section of the flagellum is much shorter and hardly widened in S. variabilis .

Etymology: The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning dark.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Scaphobaeocera, aedeagi; (1, 2) S. furva nov.sp., in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (3, 4) Ditto, flagellum in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.05 mm; (5, 6) S. insinuata nov.sp., in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (7) Ditto, flagellum in lateral view, scale = 0.05 mm.