Ocypus (Pseudocypus) pelias, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Contributions to the knowledge of the “ Staphylinus-complex ” (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) of China. Part XX. The genus Ocypus Leach, 1819, subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey, 1876. Section 1, Zootaxa 1421, pp. 1-72 : 48-49

Ocypus (Pseudocypus) pelias sp. nov.

( Figs. 199–202)

Type material. Holotype (male): CHINA: Sichuan: “CHINA (W Sichuan) (13), Daxue Shan, Hailuogou Glacier Park (Gongga Shan) Camp 1, 2100 m 29.36N 102.04E 27./28./31.V.’97 Wrase”/” Sammlung M. Schülke Berlin ” (green label) ( MSC).

Paratypes: CHINA: Sichuan: Luding Co., Moxi env. 22.5.– 10.6.1993 DR. Vlad. Beneš legit., ♂ ( ASC); Sichuan occ. Emei Shan, 10.7.1993, Leshan Co. , 1500 m, Dr. M. Häckel legit, ♂ ( MDC) .

Diagnosis. A medium-seized species with dark legs, moderately microsetose pronotal hypomeron, with the visible abdominal tergites 4 and 5 each with extensive patches of golden-yellowish tomentose pubescence, and with a characteristically shaped aedoeagus.

Description. Piceous-black to black, moderately dull, apex of abdomen indistinctly paler; maxillary and labial palpi testaceobrunneous; antennae piceous, with bases of first three segments paler, becoming gradually paler toward apex; legs brownish-piceous with slightly paler front tarsi; pubescence of dorsal side of body piceous-black to black, brownish-piceous on abdominal tergites, visible abdominal tergites 4 and 5 each with extensive spot of golden-yellowish tomentose pubescence. Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with rounded posterior angles, wider than long (ratio 1.23), eyes small and rather flat, tempora considerably longer than eyes from above (ratio 2.22), dorsal surface of head finely and densely punctate and pubescent, interspaces between punctures on disc about as large as diameters of punctures, punctation gradually becoming slightly denser and coarser toward posterior and lateral margins; no impunctate midline; interspaces between punctures with relatively coarse submeshed microsculpture. Gular sutures contiguous; postgenae sparsely punctate, interspaces between punctures near gular sutures much larger than diameters of punctures. Dorsal side of neck with punctation similar to that on head. Antenna moderately long, segment 3 longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.30), segments 4 to 8 longer than wide, becoming gradually shorter, segments 9 and 10 about as long as wide, last segment shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum vaguely longer than wide (ratio 1.12), almost parallelsided, narrow marginal groove disappearing downwards at about anterior third of pronotal length; disc with entire, but very narrow and inconspicuous, impunctate midline; punctation on disc about same as that on disc of head, pubescence and microsculpture on interspaces between punctures similar to that on head. Pronotal hypomeron moderately microsetose. Scutellum finely punctate and setose on entire surface, surface with very fine, rudimentary submeshed microsculpture. Elytra short, only slightly depressed at base, vaguely dilated posteriad, at suture considerably (ratio 0. 56), at sides distinctly (ratio 0.75) shorter than pronotum at midline; punctation fine and dense, difficult to observe among dense granulose microsculpture. Wings each reduced to minute, nonfunctional stump. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite lacking pale api- cal seam of palisade setae; tergite 2 (in front of first visible tergite) entirely, very densely and finely punctate and pubescent; all tergites evenly, very finely and densely punctate, puctation gradually becoming slightly sparser on visible tergites 6 and 7; interspaces with very fine, dense microsculpture of irregular, short striae.

Male. Sternite 8 with moderately wide, shallow, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination. Genital segment with sternite 9 elongate, subparallelsided, with short basal portion, apical portion with apex distinctly, almost semicircularly emarginate ( Fig. 199). Tergite 10 evenly narrowed toward broadly arcuate apex, with rather fine setae at and near apical margin, otherwise with sparse, short setae. Aedoeagus very large, of quite characteristic shape ( Figs. 200–202); median lobe rather evenly dilated anteriad toward apical portion of characteristic shape with widely rounded apical margin; paramere situated on median lobe slightly asymmetrically, long, very large, covering most of median lobe, right margin slightly curled invard, apical portion slightly asymmetrical with very wide apical margin distinctly not reaching apex of median lobe; sensory peg setae on underside of paramere quite numerous, situated as in Fig. 202; apical setae minute, situated at apical margin ( Fig. 202).

Female. Unknown.

Length 16.0–17.0 mm.

Bionomics. Nothing is known about the collection circumstances of the specimens of the original series.

Geographical distribution. Ocypus pelias is at present known from the lower elevations of the Gongga Shan and Emei Shan in Sichuan.

Recognition and comments. Ocypus pelias may be easily recognized by the characters given in the diagnosis, particularly by the quite characteristically shaped aedoeagus. It may resemble (mainly due to the character state of the patches of the golden-yellow tomentose pubescence on the visible tergites 4 and 5) larger specimens of O. neocles , but the latter species differs by the entirely differently shaped aedoeagus, in addition to the geographical isolation ( O. neocles occurs in Qinling Shan in Shaanxi).

Two specimens of the original series were originally mounted with the abdomens very extended. The lenghth given above is adjusted to reflect this condition.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the name of Pelias, -ae, m., the king of Thessaly, son of Neptunus and the nymph Tyro , in apposition.