Porocallus cicatricatus, Assing, 2015

Assing, Volker, 2015, A revision of Porocallus SHARP. IV. A new species from China and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 257-262 : 259-261

Porocallus cicatricatus nov.sp. ( Figs 5-10 , Map 1)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♀: " CHINA: Yunnan, S Gejiu, 1860 m, 23°17'14''N, 103°08'41''E, grassy slope with shrubs near road, litter, soil, and moss sifted, 21.VIII.2014, leg. M. Schülke [CH14-17] / Holotypus ♀ Porocallus cicatricatus sp. n., det. V. Assing 2015" (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet (Latin, past participle of the verb cicatricare: scarred) alludes to the conspicuously matt median band on the vertex.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Small species; body length 4.2 mm; length of forebody 2.0 mm. Coloration: body blackish, with the posterior margins of the elytra broadly yellowish, particularly at the postero-lateral angles; legs dark-yellowish; antennae brown.

Head ( Fig. 5 ) 1.18 times as broad as long, broadest across eyes; punctation extremely dense and umbilicate; midline distinctly and rather broadly impunctate and with pronounced microsculpture ( Fig. 6 ); interstices reduced to very narrow ridges; surface nearly matt. Eyes large and moderately bulging, approximately as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction in dorsal view. Antenna short, 1.3 mm long, and shaped as in Fig. 7 .

Pronotum ( Fig. 5 ), 1.23 times as broad as long and 1.2 times as broad as head, broadest approximately in the middle; lateral margins distinctly convex in dorsal view; posterior angles obtusely marked; punctation ( Fig. 8 ) similar to that of head.

Elytra ( Fig. 5 ) 0.93 times as long as pronotum; punctation coarser than that of head and pronotum, but with more glossy interstices, particularly in posterior portion ( Fig. 9 ). Hind wings present. Metatarsomere I longer than the combined length of II-IV.

Abdomen narrower than elytra; tergites III-V with deep, coarsely punctate anterior impressions, tergite VI without distinct impression but anteriorly coarsely punctate; remainder of tergal surfaces with rather sparse and moderately fine punctation; interstices without microsculpture and glossy; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

3: unknown.

♀: spermatheca 0.45 mm long and shaped as in Fig. 10.

C o m m e n t: Although the male sexual characters are unknown, a description of this species seems justified in view of the numerous characters distinguishing it from all other Porocallus species.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Porocallus cicatricatus differs from its congeners by its small body size, the conspicuous sculpture along the dorsal midline of the head (if this is not a teratology), the short and not very massive antenna, the more glossy forebody, and by the coloration of the elytra. For illustrations of other Porocallus species see ASSING (2001, 1007, 2012) and PACE (1992, 2012).

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 near Gejiu in southeastern Yunnan, China, not far from the border with Vietnam (Map 1). The slightly teneral holotype was sifted from litter, moss, and soil beneath bushes on a grassy slope at an altitude of 1860 m.

Figures

Figs 1-10: Porocallus wrasei from Wuliang Shan (1), Ailao Shan (3), and Dawei Shan (2, 4), and P. cicatricatus nov.sp. (5-10): median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (1-2); spermatheca (3-4, 10)); forebody (5); postero-median portion of head (6); antenna (7); median portion of pronotum (9); postero-lateral portion of elytra (9). Scale bars: 5, 7: 0.5 mm; 1-4, 10: 0.2 mm; 6, 8-9: 0.1 mm.