Geostiba (Sibiota) meronica, Assing, 2014

Assing, V., 2014, On the Staphylinidae of Israel II, with a revision of some species of Dinusa SAULCY (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (2), pp. 1179-1210 : 1194-1195

Geostiba (Sibiota) meronica nov.sp. ( Figs 63-69 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: "IL (4), Upper Galilee , Mt. Meron, Peak Trail, 1130 m, N 32°59'36'' E 35°24'52'', 17.III.2011, leg. Hetzel / Holotypus Geostiba meronica sp. n. det. V. Assing 2014" (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from the name of the mountain where the species is probably endemic.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.3 mm; length of forebody 0.9 mm. Coloration of whole body yellowish.

Head ( Fig. 63 ) with extremely fine, barely noticeable punctation and with shallow microsculpture. Eyes reduced to minute rudiments (similar in size to base of antennomere III in cross-section) without ommatidia and without pigmentation. Antenna distinctly incrassate; antennomeres IV-X strongly transverse and of gradually increasing width; X nearly three times as broad as long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 63 ) approximately 1.1 times as broad as long and 1.1 times as broad as head; punctation and microsculpture ( Fig. 64 ) similar to those of head.

Elytra ( Figs 63, 65 ) approximately 0.55 times as long as pronotum. Hind wings completely reduced.

Abdomen ( Fig. 66 ) distinctly broader than elytra; punctation extremely fine, barely noticeable; microsculpture very shallow; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

: elytra with distinct sutural carinae reaching neither scutellar apex nor posterior margin of elytra ( Figs 63, 65 ); tergite VII in posterior third with moderately pronounced pair of parallel carinae ( Figs 66-67 ); tergite VIII in posterior third with pair of rather weakly pronounced parallel carinae and with convex posterior margin ( Figs 66-67 ); sternite VIII with moderately convex posterior margin; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 68-69 ) 0.27 mm long.

: unknown.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Based on the similarly modified male elytra and male tergites VII-VIII, G. meronica is most closely allied to, and most likely the adelphotaxon of, the similar and geographically close G. loebliana PACE, 1984 from Mt. Hermon, from which it differs by the more transverse pronotum, the less pronounced and shorter sutural carinae of the male elytra, the less pronounced and more distinctly parallel carinae of the male tergites VII and VIII, as well as by the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus (ventral process less strongly curved in lateral view and apically more gradually narrowed in ventral view). For illustrations of G. loebliana see PACE (1984).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Geostiba meronica is most likely endemic to Mount Meron, which is separated from Mount Hermon, where G. loebliana is endemic, by the Hula valley. The holotype was collected at an altitude of 1130 m.

Figures

Figs 63-69: Geostiba meronica nov.sp.: (63) male forebody; (64) median portion of pronotum; (65) male elytra; (66) male abdomen; (67) male abdominal segments VII-VIII; (68-69) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 63, 66: 0.5 mm; 65, 67: 0.2 mm; 64, 68-69: 0.1 mm.