Leptusa (Drepanoleptusa) puetzi, Assing, 2008

Assing, V., 2008, Seven new species and additional records of Palaearctic Leptusa, primarily from Yunnan, China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 251-273 : 255-256

Leptusa (Drepanoleptusa) puetzi nov.sp. ( Figs 63-71 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 6: China: Yunnan [ CH 07-28], Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref., Gaoligong Shan, side valley 19 km NW Liuku, 25°59'02"N, 98°42'23"E, 2730 m, devast. prim. forest, litter sifted, 9.VI.2007, leg. A. Pütz / Holotypus 6 Leptusa puetzi sp.n. det. V. Assing 2007 (cAss).

D e s c r i p t i o n: 3.2 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 63 . Coloration: head dark brown with anterior part paler; pronotum dark brown with paler margins; elytra reddish brown; abdomen dark brown, with posterior margins of segments somewhat paler; legs and antennae yellowish brown.

Head approximately as wide as long; puncturation dense and shallow, interstices distinctly narrower than diameter of punctures and with distinct microsculpture. Eyes approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 64 ). Antennae ( Fig. 66 ) distinctly incrassate apically; antennomere IV approximately as long as wide; V-X of increasing width and increasingly transverse; X strongly transverse, approximately twice as wide as long. Maxillary palpi with preapical palpomeres approximately 2.5 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.21 times as wide as long and 1.25 times as wide as head; maximal width in anterior half; posterior angles marked; lateral margins in posterior half weakly concave in dorsal view; puncturation very dense and ill-defined; microsculpture shallow ( Fig. 64 ).

Elytra approximately as long as pronotum; humeral angles pronounced; posterior margins strongly sinuate near posterior angles; puncturation coarse (much more so than that of pronotum), dense, and somewhat granulose ( Fig. 64 ); microsculpture indistinct. Hind wings apparently fully developed. Legs slender; metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen with segments III-VI subparallel; segments III-V with pronounced anterior impressions, segment VI with shallow impression; anterior impressions of segments III- VI with conspicuously coarse and dense puncturation; remainder of tergal surfaces of segments III-VI with rather fine and moderately sparse puncturation; puncturation of tergite VII slightly granulose; tergites III-V without, tergites VI-VII with very shallow microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe ( Fig. 65 ).

6: tergites VII and VIII with pronounced median keel ( Figs 65, 67 ); posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly concave in the middle ( Fig. 67 ); sternite VII unmodified; sternite VIII broadly convex posteriorly ( Fig. 68 ); median lobe of aedeagus slender ( Figs 69-70 ); apical lobe of paramere as in Fig. 71 .

♀: unknown. E t y m o l o g y: The species is dedicated to Andreas Pütz, specialist of Byrrhidae , who collected the holotype.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Leptusa puetzi is distinguished from all its congeners especially by the distinctive morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus. The species is attributed to Drepanoleptusa PACE especially based on the morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus, which is rather similar to that of L. sichuanensis and L. stimulans . From the latter, which was collected in the same locality, the species is additionally distinguished by smaller size, paler coloration, different morphology of the antennae, completely different puncturation of the whole body, the completely different shape and chaetotaxy of the apical lobe of the paramere, and the different male secondary sexual characters. For illustrations of other Drepanoleptusa species known from China see PACE (1997, 1999, 2001) and ASSING (2002, 2006).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Thetypelocalityisidenticaltothatof L. stimulans (see above). The holotype was sifted from the leaf litter of a degraded primary forest at an altitude of 2730 m.

Figures

Figs 63-71: Leptusa puetzi nov.sp.: (63) habitus; (64) forebody; (65) abdominal segments III-VII; (66) antenna; (67) male tergite VIII; (68) male sternite VIII; (69) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (70) apical part of median lobe in ventral view; (71) apical lobe of paramere. Scale bars: 63:L 1.0 mm; 64-65: 0.5 mm; 66-68: 0.2 mm; 69-71: 0.1 mm.