Leptusa (Yunnaleptusa) cultellata, Assing, 2008

Assing, V., 2008, Seven new species and additional records of Palaearctic Leptusa, primarily from Yunnan, China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 251-273 : 258

Leptusa (Yunnaleptusa) cultellata nov.sp. ( Figs 11-20 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 6: China: Yunnan [ CH 07-28], Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gaoligong Shan, side valley 19 km NW Liuku, 25°59'02"N, 98°42'23"E, 2730 m, devast. prim. for., litter sifted, 9.VI.2007, M. Schülke / Holotypus 6 Leptusa cultellata sp.n. det. V. Assing 2007 (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 2.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 11 . Coloration: head reddish brown; pronotum reddish; elytra brown, with the humeral angles and the posterior margins reddish; abdomen reddish, with segment VI and the anterior half of segment VII blackish; legs and antennomeres I-III and XI pale reddish; antennomeres IV-X dark brown.

Head approximately 1.15 times as wide as long; puncturation sparse and extremely fine, barely noticeable even at higher magnification; microsculpture indistinct. Eyes weakly projecting from lateral contours of head, approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 12 ). Antennae ( Fig. 13 ) distinctly incrassate apically; antennomere IV approximately as long as wide; V-X of increasing width and increasingly transverse; X more than twice as wide as long.

Pronotum strongly transverse, approximately 1.35 times as wide as long and 1.30 times as wide as head; maximal width appoximately in the middle; posterior angles rounded, weakly marked; puncturation moderately dense and fine, but distinct (much more so than that of head); microsculpture extremely shallow, barely noticeable ( Fig. 12 ).

Elytra slightly (approximately 1.05 ✕) wider than and at suture almost as long as pronotum; humeral angles marked; puncturation moderately dense, weakly granulose, and fine; microsculpture extremely shallow, almost obsolete ( Fig. 12 ). Hind wings apparently reduced. Metatarsomere I only slightly longer than II.

Abdomen approximately as wide as elytra, maximal width at segment V; segments III-V with moderately deep anterior impressions; segment VI without anterior impression; puncturation very fine and rather sparse; microsculpture shallow, more distinct on posterior than on anterior tergites; posterior margin of tergite VII with narrow rudiment of a palisade fringe ( Fig. 14 ).

6: tergite VII unmodified; tergite VIII very shallowly concave in the middle ( Fig. 15 ); sternite VIII moderately projecting posteriad in the middle ( Fig. 16 ); median lobe of aedeagus of distinctive morphology, strongly curved in lateral view; apex of ventral process apically distinctly compressed, forming a sharp edge ( Figs 17-18 ); paramere as in Figs 19-20 .

♀: unknown.

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective: shaped like a small knife) refers to the shape of the apex of the ventral process of the aedeagus.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: See description of the subgenus and the key to species above.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The species is known only from one locality to the northwest of Liuku, western Yunnan province, China ( Map 1 ). The holotype was sifted from the leaf litter of a degraded primary forest at an altitude of 2730 m.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of the species of the subgenus Yunnaleptusa in China: L. curvata ASSING (filled circles), L. recta ASSING (open circle), L. parvibulbata nov.sp. (filled square), and L. cultellata nov.sp. (open square).

Figs 11-20: Leptusa cultellata nov.sp.: (11) habitus; (12) forebody; (13) antenna; (14) abdominal segments III-VII; (15) male tergite VIII; (16) male sternite VIII; (17-18) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (19) paramere; (20) apical lobe of paramere. Scale bars: 11: 0.5 mm; 12-16: 0.2 mm; 17-19: 0.1 mm; 20: 0.05 mm.