Lomechusoides zerchei Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař, 2023

Jászay, Tomáš, Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the myrmecophilous genus Lomechusoides Tottenham, 1939 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Part II. The revision of the strumosus species group, Zootaxa 5343 (6), pp. 539-593 : 589-590

Lomechusoides zerchei Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař sp. nov.

Figs 147–153

Etymology. Named after the well-known German entomologist, specialist on the Staphylinidae and the collector of the type material, Dr. Lothar Zerche.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE, 1 ♁: RUSSIA: (p) Russia: Primorsky kray, Anisimovka (=Kangaus), Krinichnaya Mt. , 70 km /(p) E Vladivostok, 43.07 N 132.41 E, 500 m, 08.VI.1993, leg. L. Zerche / red label (p) HOLOTYPE ♁ Lomechusoides zerchei sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( DEI) . PARATYPES, 8♁♁ 19 ♀♀: RUSSIA: (p) Russia: Primorsky kray, Anisimovka (=Kangaus), Krinichnaya Mt. , 70 km /(p) E Vladivostok, 43.07 N 132.41 E, 500 m, 08.VI.1993, leg. L. Zerche ( DEI-18 , BMHN-2, NMPC-2 , PCPB-5 ). All paratypes are bearing printed red label: (p) PARATYPE ♁ or ♀ Lomechusoides zerchei sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021.

Description. Body light reddish-brown ( Fig. 147 ) except anterior part of frontal median impression, clypeus, labrum, basal margin of visible tergites II–VII, basal margin of visible sternites III–VII, metaventrite except anterior margin of its metaventral process and narrow posterior margin of metaventrite, episternal and epimeral sclerites brown.

Head rectangular, slightly longer than wide, ratio HW/HL: ♁ 0.92, ♀ 0,82, with deep, wide, V-shaped frontal median impression, which is unevenly microsculptured, lacking visible puncturation, glossy; disc of head microsculptured, and finely punctate, dull; length of eyes 0.22x of length of head; eyes protuberant, temples behind eyes concave posteriorly. Antennae long, scape ♁ 1.65x, ♀ 1.53x as long as wide and ♁ 2.40x, ♀ 2.30x as long as pedicel, pedicel ♁ 1.00x, ♀ 0.95x, antennomere III: ♁ 1.45x, ♀ 1.42x, IV: ♁ 1.13x, ♀ 1.13x as long as wide, antennomeres V–VIII oval elongate, terminal anrennomere slender and acute, ♁ 1.29x, ♀ 1.34x as long as scape, relative length of antennomeres from base to apex: ♁: 24: 10: 16: 13: 16: 16: 15: 16: 15: 15: 31; ♀: 23: 10: 15: 13: 15: 16: 15: 16: 15: 16: 31.

Pronotum ( Fig. 148 ) trapezoidal, ratio PW/PL: 1.68, with concave anterior margin, anterior corners obtuse, first third of lateral margins broadly rounded, median third straight and divergent posteriad, posterior third rounded just before basal corners, narrowed; basal corners obtuse, bearing shallow microsculptured lateral impressions, pronotal disc slightly unevenly microsculptured and unevenly punctate, sparsely punctate in anterolateral and posterolateral parts of pronotum, tubercles well-defined; median line well-defined; in lateral view lateral margins in posterior half thin with well-defined, sharp edge and curved posteriad; maximal pronotal width just before posterior corners, here wider than width of elytra at humeri; pronotum with macrosetae, anterior margin with about four, lateral margins about five–six macrosetae.

Anterior and lateral margins of metaventral process ( Fig. 151 ) concave, anterior part with transverse line, lacking lateral lines, posterior part in median line lacking lentil-like impression, metaventral process microsculptured and sparsely punctate; metaventral disc with divergent straight lines on sides of median line posteriad, metaventrite unevenly microsculptured, densely punctate with long setae exceeding margin of adjacent puncture.

Elytra finely and sparsely punctate, 0.91x as long as pronotum, ratio EW/EL: 2.05, with about six–seven macrosetae in anterior part, humeral part with one–two macrosetae, distance between punctures on disc two to three times superior larger to diameter of puncture.

Abdomen with visible tergites II–IV finely punctate and setaceous on posterior margins, anterior part with very fine punturation, visible tergite V with very fine and sparse puncturation, slightly more densely punctate in lateral parts, visible tergites VI–VII sparse, with slightly larger punctures in lateral parts, visible tergites II–VII with sparse puncturation on whole surface and slightly more densely punctate with larger punctures in lateral parts, visible tergites II–VII unevenly microsculptured.

Aedeagus ( Figs 149–150 ) with robust median lobe, transversal crest with visible tubercle, apical lobe tube-like, apical part longer and sharp, with scattered pseudopores, apex drop-shaped, ventral side convex in lateral view, lateral sides of apical lobe convergent apically in ventral view. Apical lobe of parameres at apex convergent ( Fig. 152 ), hook-shaped and bent backwards, apex with about four setae and scattered pseudopores, dorsal sides with about six–ten pseudopores with minute microsetae.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 153 ) with apical part 1.15x as long as basal part, 1.09x (on widest part) wider than basal extended part and 2.88x as long as wide, apical part subparallel and curved, apex rounded.

Measurements. (♁, Holotype): TL 6.00 mm; FB 2.90 mm; HL 0.90 mm; HW 0.87 mm; antennal length 3.15 mm; PL 1.15 mm; PW 1.93 mm; EL 1.05mm; EW 2.15 mm; FTL 1.20 mm; MTL 1.40 mm; HTL 1.85 mm. (♀, Paratype): TL 6.25 mm; FB 3.05 mm; HL 1.10 mm; HW 0.90 mm; antennal length 3.00 mm; PL 1.15 mm; PW 1.93 mm; EL 1.10 mm; EW 2.10 mm; FTL 1.15 mm; MTL 1.40 mm; HTL 1.65 mm.

Differential diagnosis. L. zerchei is separated from all other species of the L. strumosus complex by obtuse posterior corners of the pronotum, by the maximal pronotal width which is wider than the width of elytra at humeri, and by the pronotal width in posterior corners which is equal to the width of elytra at humeri. From L. folgaricus , L. primoricus , L. strumosus and L. wellenii , it differs by the trapezoidal shape of the pronotum. From L. dlabolai , L. dudkorum , L. fallax , L. reitteri , L. richteri , L. rossii , L. siculus and L. teres it differs by the presence of the sharp edge on lateral margins of the pronotum in the lateral view. From L. dlabolai and L. reitteri it differs by the larger size and the bicoloured body. From L. penicillatus it differs by shorter antennomeres and from L. sibiricus and L. zeyai by the presence of humeral mascrosetae on elytra.

Host ant. Formica sp.

Distribution. Russia (Primorsky territory).

Figures

FIGURES 147–153. Lomechusoides zerchei sp. nov. 147, male paratype, dorsal habitus; 148–152, male holotype, (locality: Russia: Primorsky territory,Anisimovka). 148, pronotum in dorsal view (L: 1.45 mm, W: 1.93 mm); 149, aedeagus, lateral view; 150, aedeagus, ventral view; 151, metaventral process; 152, apex of paramere; 153, female paratype, spermatheca. Scale bars in mm.