Astenus (Eurysunius) kociani, Assing, 2015

Assing, Volker, 2015, A new myrmecophilous species of Eurysunius from Turkey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (2), pp. 1113-1118 : 1114-1117

Astenus (Eurysunius) kociani nov.sp. ( Figs 1-12 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype Ƌ: "Turcia cent., Gümüskent, 20.IV.1992, Kapler lgt., 5/1992 / Holotypus Ƌ Astenus kociani sp.n. det. V. Assing 2015" (author´s collection).

E t y m o l o g y: The species is dedicated to Matúš Kocian (Prague), specialist of Tachyporinae , also in appreciation of the generous gift of the holotype.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 4.6 mm; length of forebody 2.2 mm. Coloration: head and pronotum blackish; elytra dark yellowish-brown, with the region near the scutellum infuscate; abdomen blackish, with the posterior margins of segments VI-VIII reddishbrown; legs with the femora blackish-brown, the tibiae brown, and the tarsi pale-brown; antennae reddish-brown, with antennomeres III-IX somewhat darker brown.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) transverse, 1.18 times as broad as long; lateral margins behind eyes subparallel; median dorsal portion noticeably elevated; punctation umbilicate and very dense, but shallow ( Fig. 2 ). Eyes moderately small, nearly as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna ( Fig. 3 ) 1.15 mm long; antennomeres IV-X distinctly oblong.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) 1.2 times as broad as long and approximately as broad as head, posteriorly with oblong median impression; lateral margins in posterior two-thirds weakly concave in dorsal view, each with three long black setae, one in anterior angle, one at anterior third, and one in posterior angle, these setae approximately three-fourths as long as lateral margins; punctation seemingly (at lower magnifications) non-umbilicate, with the glossy interstices as broad as, or slightly broader than the punctures, at higher magnification with a network of microstriae ( Fig. 4 ).

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) approximately 0.65 times as long as pronotum; punctation distinctly granulose and moderately dense ( Fig. 9 ). Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen slightly broader than elytra and with very glossy interstices; punctation of tergites III-V very dense and somewhat granulose, that of tergites VI-VII less dense and not distinctly granulose ( Fig. 10 ); posterior margin of tergite VII with very narrow rudiment of a palisade fringe ( Fig. 10 ).

Ƌ: sternite VIII shaped as in Fig. 11 , posterior incision in the middle very narrow and acute ( Fig. 12 ); aedeagus 0.7 mm long and shaped as in Figs 5-8.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The new species differs from all other myrmecophilous Eurysunius species recorded from Turkey, except A. sexsetosus ASSING, 2002 from Kayseri, by the presence of three (rather than two) long setae on either of the lateral margins of the pronotum. Based on the similarly derived punctation of the pronotum (seemingly non-umbilicate, interstices with network of microstriae) and the similarly derived chaetotaxy of the pronotum (lateral margins each with three long setae), A. kociani is evidently closely related to A. sexsetosus , from which it is distinguished by the darker legs and antennae ( A. sexsetosus : yellowish brown), the shape of the head ( A. sexsetosus : head broader than pronotum and lateral margins diverging behind eyes), the smaller eyes ( A. sexsetosus : eyes distinctly shorter than postocular region), and by the shape of the aedeagus ( A. sexsetosus : more strongly curved in lateral view, stouter and apically less acute in ventral view). For illustrations of A. sexsetosus and other myrmecophilous Eurysunius species see ASSING (2002, 2007, 2010, 2011), for photographs of the doubtful A. sandiklicus and four other recently described species from western Anatolia see ANLAŞ (2014, 2015).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The type locality is situated in Nevşehir province in central Anatolia. The holotype was collected from the nest of an unidentified Tetramorium species, as can be inferred from the Tetramorium worker glued next to the holotype.

Figures

Figs 1-8: Astenus kociani nov.sp.: (1) forebody; (2) median dorsal portion of head; (3) antenna; (4) postero-median portion of pronotum; (5-6) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (7-8) apical portion of ventral process of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 1: 0.5 mm; 3, 5-6: 0.2 mm; 2, 4, 7-8: 0.1 mm.

Figs 9-12: Astenus kociani nov.sp.: (9) left elytron; (10) median portion of abdominal tergites VI- VII; (11) male sternite VIII; (12) postero-median portion of male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 10-11: 0.2 mm; 9, 12: 0.1 mm.