Quedius (Microsaurus) apfeli, Assing, 2007

Assing, Volker, 2007, Two new species and additional records of " small " - eyed Quedius from the Eastern Mediterranean (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (2), pp. 335-345 : 342-344

Quedius (Microsaurus) apfeli sp. n. ( Figs 20-28 )

Type material:

Holotype : "W Zypern 2004, Umg. Statos-Agios Fotios, Obstwiese/Hang, leg. W. Apfel 30.IV. / Holotypus  Quedius apfeli sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" (cAss) . Paratypes: 1  [slightly teneral]: " Cyprus - Troodos-Geb.; Cedar Valley -> Tripylos, 1000-1360 m, 23.IV.95, Sprick & Bauer " (cAss); 1 : " West Zypern 2004, Paphos Forest , 16 km südlich von Pomos, Bachtal , leg. W. Apfel, 25.IV." (cApf); 3  , 1 : " Cyprus, Nicosia dist., Pafos Forest , Cedar Valley , 34°59'23"N, 32°41'20"E, 1410 m, 13. VI .2004, leg. M. Homburg " (cSch, cAss, NHMD) .

Description:

Measurements (in mm) and ratios (range, arithmetic mean; n=7): HL: 0.93-1.23, 1.10; HW: 1.09-1.53, 1.37 (), 1.23-1.25, 1.24 (); PW: 1.44-1.90, 1.72; PL: 1.32-1.67, 1.55; EL:0.95-1.21,1.12;TiL:1.09-1.42,1.27;TaL:0.90-1.25,1.10;ML:0.90-0.97,0.94;TL:8.5-10.5,9.4; HW/HL: 1.18-1.32, 1.25 (), 1.13-1.15, 1.14 (); PW/HW: 1.23-1.32, 1.26 (), 1.33-1.38, 1.36 (); PL/PW: 0.88-0.92, 0.90; EL/PL: 0.70-0.75, 0.72; TiL/TaL: 1.09-1.21, 1.16.

External characters ( Figs 20-24 ) as in Q. cruentus (OLIVIER,, 1795), distinguished only as follows: Coloration of whole body blackish (similar to Q. nigrocaeruleus )), except for the dark brown tarsi and external faces of the tibiae. Micropuncturation of pronotum slightly more distinct. Abdomen with more pronounced puncturation.

: posterior margin of sternite VIII as in Q. cruentus with rather shallow broadly concave excision; aedeagus with median lobe somewhat asymmetric, subapically not dentate (best seen in lateral view), and slightly less dilated subapically in ventral view ( Figs 25-26 ); paramere apically narrowly convex and with 4-5 peg setae ( Figs 27-28 ).

Comparative notes:

From the similarly coloured Q. nigrocaeruleus , Q. apfeliapfeli is readily distinguished by the shorter antennae with more strongly transverse preapical antennomeres, the slightly larger eyes, the absence of an additional puncture near the temporal puncture on the head, the much sparser puncturation of the postero-lateral parts of the head, the more slender tarsi, and by the different morphology of the aedeagus. In external and in the male sexual characters the new species is most similar to Q. cruentus , a highly variable species (especially in coloration). However, in numerous specimens examined from Central Europe, Italy, and Greece, at least the antennal base and the posterior margins of the posterior abdominal segments are reddish (even in dark-coloured specimens), the median lobe of the aedeagus is always distinctly dentate subapically, and the paramere is apically weakly to distinctly concave (not convex) and has 6-12 peg setae. Also, interspecific aedeagal character divergence is not pronounced in some other species allied to Q. cruentus either, e. g. Q. aetolicus . These findings suggest that the material from Cyprus represents a distinct species rather than a morphological variation of Q. cruentus .

Etymology: The species is dedicated to Wolfgang Apfel, Eisenach, who collected the holotype, the first mature male that became available for examination.

Distribution and bionomics:

The species is currently known only from Cyprus. The holotype was collected in an orchard, a female paratype in a stream valley. The male paratype collected in April is slightly teneral, suggesting that pre-imaginal development takes place during winter .

Figures

Figs 20-28: Quedius apfeliapfeli sp. n.:  habitus (20);  forebody (21);  forebody (22); head in lateral view (23); antenna (24); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (25-26); paramere (27); apex of paramere (28). Scale bars: 20-24: 1.0 mm; 25-27: 0.5 mm; 28: 0.1 mm.