Domene (Lathromene) lusitanica, Reboleira & Gonçalves & Oromí, 2011

Reboleira, A. S. P. S., Gonçalves, F. & Oromí, P., 2011, On the Iberian endemic subgenus Lathromene Koch (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae Paederinae): description of the first hypogean Domene Fauvel, 1872 from Portugal, Zootaxa 2780 (1), pp. 48-56 : 50-52

Domene (Lathromene) lusitanica new species Reboleira & Oromí

( Figs 2–6 and 7e )

Holotype: ♂, Portugal, Serra de Sicó , Gruta da Cerâmica, 28.XI.2009, S. Reboleira leg, deposited at PO . Paratypes: 1 ♂, same data as the holotype, deposited at PO ; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, Serra de Sicó , Gruta da Cerâmica, 21.III.2010, S. Reboleira leg., deposited at SR ; 3 ♂, Serra de Sicó , Gruta da Cerâmica, 27.XII.2010, S. Reboleira leg, deposited at SR .

Description. Microphtalmous, wingless, reddish brown and elongate body (fig. 2). Total body length: 9–9.48 mm (a contracted specimen 7.56 mm).

Head (fig. 3): subquadrate/orbicular (1.15 times longer than wide), wider than pronotum; length 1.2–1.3 mm, width 1.02–1.14 mm; eyes reduced in size and pigmentation, without ommatidia; long and thin seta inserted in a supraocular, small semicircular depression (fig. 3a); two dark spots in the vertex indicating the insertions of the dorsal arms of the tentorium; gular sutures well defined, converging towards neck; neck distinct; head with dorsal punctuation well defined, similar to that of pronotum, but distinctly finer than that of elytra; antennae filiform, 2.7 mm long, directed backwards and reaching base of pronotum; all antennomeres longer than wide, the 1 st longest of all; 3 rd antennomere 1.5 times, 11 th antennomere 1.3 times, longer than the remaining subequal antennomeres; labrum deeply emarginate with large setae at the margin; mandibles symmetrical with two distinct teeth in its inner edge ( Fig. 3b ); maxillary palpus with four segments, second and third subequal, apical segment reduced and conical; internal lobe of maxilla with tufts of setae; labium with bilobed glossae, framed by densely hairy paraglossae; labial palpus with three segments, the second being the largest and the last one the thinnest.

Pronotum: length 1.20–1.30 mm, width 0.94–0.98 mm; as long as the head and 1.3x longer than wide; anterior angles weak, posterior angles marked but rounded; with a slight groove at the posterior third; basal margin well defined; evenly distributed punctuation except for a smooth midline in its anterior part.

Elytra: 1.00– 1.10 mm long, maximum width 0.42–0.43 mm; 2.5x longer than wide, approximately 1.5x shorter than head or pronotum; flat in dorsal view; lateral sides of elytra parallel; with coarse, rugose and confluent punctation. Wingless.

Abdomen: Maximum width at sternite VII (the 5 th visible); tergites with confluent punctuation and microsculpture composed of transverse meshes in the intersegmental membrane. Male: sternite VIII with a glabrous anterior strip with microsculpture as in figure 4, and the posterior margin with a relatively broad U-shaped incision, surrounded by a small glabrous area; genital segment in ventral view as in figure 5a. Female: with a large glabrous area in the centre of the genital segment in dorsal view; ventral view as in figure 5b.

Legs: elongate, forelegs with antennal cleaning organ composed by two complementary scooped-out structures located on the femur and tibia.

Aedeagus (fig. 6): with fused lateral lobes (fig. 6c); ellipse-shaped in dorsal view, presenting a v-shaped scletotized blade covering the upper part and the apical edge of the aedeagus ( Fig. 6b ); a well sclerotized ventral blade, with a pointed apex, not exceeding the edge of the aedeagus; median lobe with two internal small finger-like structures and internal sac with two plates of scales (fig. 6a,b).

Etymology. The specific epithet is related to the distribution of the species, which is located in the Lusitanic biospeleological district in the centre of Portugal.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus of Domene lusitanica n. sp. Reboleira & Oromí. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Head of Domene lusitanica n. sp. Reboleira & Oromí. a) detail of the reduced eye and chaetotaxy in lateral view; b) detail of mouthparts and gular suture in ventral view. Scale: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 4. Male sternite VIII in ventral view, with detailed microsculpture of the glabrous anterior part. Scale: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 6. Aedeagus of Domene lusitanica n. sp. a) lateral view; b) dorsal view; c) ventral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus outlines of the subgenus Lathromene, in lateral and ventral views. a) D. bergidi; b) D. cantabrica; c) D. gridelliana; d) D. gallaeciana; e) D. lusitanica n. sp.; f) D. caurelensis; g) D. subiasi; and h) D. scopaeella. (Adapted from Coiffait 1982; Feldmann & Hernando 2005 and Outerelo 2000).