Witteia Maruyama & von Beeren

Maruyama, Munetoshi, von Beeren, Christoph & Hashim, Rosli, 2010, Aleocharine rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) associated with Leptogenys Roger, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) I. Review of three genera associated with L. distinguenda (Emery, 1887) and L. mutabilis (Smith, 1861), ZooKeys 59, pp. 47-60 : 51-52

Witteia Maruyama & von Beeren gen. n. Figs 718

Type species.

Witteia dentilabrum sp. n.

Etymology.

Dedicated to Dr. Volker Witte for his contribution to the biology of Leptogenys ants and their symbionts. Gender, feminine.

Diagnosis.

This genus is similar to Maschwitzia Kistner, 1989 in body shape and punctation of body surface, but may easily be distinguished from it by the labrum being strongly sclerotized and with a pair of spines; the inner margins of the mandibles emarginate at middle; the lateral projections of the labial apodeme curved apically; the extremely large eyes; the longer antennae; and the longer legs.

Description.

Body (Fig. 7) elongate, flattened; surface of fore body (Fig. 8) weakly rugose, reticulated, somewhat matte.

Head (Figs 7-8) transverse, with eyes extremely large, somewhat shorter than head, with a round depression above; clypeus truncate apically. Labrum (Figs 8-9) strongly sclerotized, with a pair of projections laterally (Figs 9: arrow). Mandibles asymmetrical, strongly curved, each apex acutely pointed; inner margin of left mandible (Fig. 10) shallowly emarginate; that of right (Fig. 11) rather largely emarginated. Mentum (Fig. 12) trapezoidal, with several thick setae, with sparse pseudopores. Labium (Fig. 13) broad; prementum with a setal pore and 2 real pores near base, with several pseudopores around inner ridges; apodeme without median projection, with lateral projection curved apically; ligula long, each lobe with a large setulum and three small setula; labial palpus with segment I long and apically dilated; segment II half as long as I; segment III thin, parallel-sided, slightly shorter than II.

Pronotum (Figs 7-8) with disc well margined, slightly convex, with a narrow longitudinal groove medially and a pair of depressions postero-laterally. Mesocoxal cavity well margined; process of metaventrite narrow, pointed at apex.

Elytra (Fig. 7) apically widened, laterally with a pair of rather high carinae, that are slightly curved inwards.

Legs (Fig. 7) very long, thin; femora slightly narrowed apically near apex; tibiae somewhat widened around middle to basal 1/3, their bases constricted; tibiae very thin, filiform.

Abdomen (Fig. 7) fusiform, flattened, widest around apex of segment III; surface smooth, sparsely punctured, shining. Median lobe of aedeagus (Figs 16-17) with long and narrow apical part, with a small projection near base of apical part (Fig. 16: arrow). Paramere with apical lobe slightly widened apically.