Cephennium chanianum ASSING, 2019

Assing, Volker, Brachat, Volker & Meybohm, Heinrich, 2019, Monograph of the Staphylinidae of Crete (Greece). Part II. Descriptions of new species (Insecta: Coleoptera), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 69 (2), pp. 239-289 : 271-273

Cephennium chanianum ASSING spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0C990A58-8107-4B07-87D5-FE0541CD444

( Figs 127–129 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: “GR – Crete [17], S Kissamos , NE Sirikari , 35°24'44"N, 23°38'36"E 500 m, soil washing, 19.III.2018, V. Assing / Holotypus ♂ Cephennium chanianum sp. n. det. V. Assing 2018” ( cAss). Paratypes: 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [14], S Kissamos, Aikirgianis, 35°25'45"N, 23°40'36"E, 290 m, soil washing, 19.III.2018, V. Assing ” (cAss); 1 ♀: “GR – Crete [20], S Kissamos, W Sirikari, 35°24'32"N, 23°37'37"E, 500 m, soil washing, 19.III.2018, V. Assing” (cAss); 1 ♂: “GR – Crete [25], SW Chania, SW Prases, 35°21'43"N, 23°49'24"E, 640 m, soil washing, 20.III.2018, V. Assing” (cAss); 1♀: “GR – Crete [7], SW Chania, Mavros stream valley, 35°24'10"N, 23°53'53"E, 290 m, 18.III.2018, V. Assing” (cAss); 1 ♀: “ N35°21'31 E23°49'29, GR Westkreta (30) Prases, 10 km w Omalos 760 m, Brachat & Meybohm 22.3.2018 ” (cMey); 1 ♂: “ N35°23'54 E23°54'38, GR Westkreta 440 m, Karanos W 21.3.2019, Brachat & Meybohm (14)” (cMey).

Etymology: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from Chania, the name of the prefecture (comprising West Crete) where this species was collected.

Description:Body length 1.05–1.15 mm; wid th of pronotum 0.38–0.40 mm; width of elytra 0.44 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 127 . Coloration: body pale-reddish; legs and antennae yellow; maxillary palpi pale-yellow. Eyes completely absent. Head, pronotum, and elytra without microsculpture. Pubescence sparse, long, suberect, and whitish, directed predominantly posteriad on head and elytra, diagonally postero-mediad on most of pronotum, and transversely mediad at posterior margin of pronotum. Punctation of head extremely fine, barely noticeable at a magnification of 150 x, that of pronotum very fine, but visible, and that of elytra fine, slightly more distinct than that of pronotum. Tibiae without evident sexual dimorphism, club-shaped, dilated in distal two-thirds, pro- and mesotibiae more so than metatibiae; meso- and metatibae flattened on internal side (i.e., side facing the body). Antenna 0.5 mm long, with distinct club formed by the large antennomeres IX–XI; antennomere VIII much smaller than antennomere IX, but only slightly smaller than antennomere VII; antennomere XI approximately 1.5 times as long as broad. Pronotum transverse, approximately 1.15 times as broad as long, rather strongly dilated in anterior half. Elytra with somewhat obtuse antero-lateral process and with a distinct humeral fold.

♂: aedeagus 0.33–0.35 mm long; ventral process strongly bisinuate and apically acute in lateral view; internal sac with massive and strongly sclerotized spines ( Figs 128–129 ).

Comparative notes: Cephennium chanianum is distinguished from other Cretan species not only by the shape and internal structures of the aedeagus, but also by larger body size and a differently shaped pronotum (anteriorly more strongly dilated).

Distribution and natural history: The known distribution of C. chanianum ranges from the region to the southwest of Kissamos to the region to the southwest of Chania in West Crete. The altitudes range from 290 to 760 m. Four specimens were found in stream valleys with old Platanus orientalis , one in a pasture with old chestnut trees. With one exception, all the specimens were collected by soil-washing.

Figures

Figs 127–142: Cephennium chanianum (127–129), Euconnus zakrius (130), Stenichnus brachati (131–133), S. orientalis (134–136), S. aegialioides (137–138), S. aegialius (139–140), and S. godarti (141–142): habitus (127, 134); aedeagus in lateral, ventral, and dorsal view (128–130, 132, 136–137, 139, 141); male abdomen in ventral view (131, 135); spermatheca (133, 138, 140, 142). Scale bars: 127, 134: 0.5 mm; 131, 135: 0.2 mm; 128–130, 132–133, 136–142: 0.1 mm.