Ocychinus schneideri SMETANA

Smetana, A., 2014, Contributions to the knowledge of the " Staphylinus-complex " of China. Part 26. The genus Ocychinus S 2003, section 4. Two new species of Ocychinus, one of them the first representative of the genus in the Himalaya (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Staphylinini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 649-654 : 650-653

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.10272820
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A38B72-6006-D460-26C7-FEDAFE3C20A7
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Ocychinus schneideri SMETANA
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Ocychinus schneideri SMETANA View in CoL nov.sp. ( Figs. 1, 3 View Figs 1-4 , 5 View Figs 5, 6 )

T y p e l o c a l i t y: Eastern Nepal, Kanchenjunga Himal, Ghunsa village, 27°40’N 87°56’E, 3376 m.

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype, female: "E-Nepal 6- 10.7.2000 Kanchenjunga Himal Mts. GHUNSA vill. 3376 m 27°40’N 87°56’E [GPS] env. Jan Schneider leg.". In the Smetana collection, Ottawa, Canada (to be eventually deposited in the Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Genève, Switzerland. GoogleMaps

D i a g n o s i s. At present, there are three species of Ocychinus with dull blue or purplish-blue elytra: O. yeti , O. tibetanus SMETANA 2003 and O. capitalis SMETANA 2003 . They all have black appendages. Ocychinus schneideri differs from all of them by having rufotestaceous legs ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1-4 ).

D e s c r i p t i o n. Black, fore body shiny, elytra dull dark blue, tergite 10 of genital segment brunneous; maxillary and labial palpi, mouthparts and labrum testaceous, first three antennal segments brunneous, rest of antenna brunneopiceous; legs rufotestaceous ( Fig. 5 View Figs 5, 6 ). Head of rounded quadrangular shape, with entirely rounded posterior angles, vaguely dilated posteriad, wider than long (ratio 1.22); eyes small, flat, tempora considerably longer than eyes from above (ratio 1.90); dorsal surface of head ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1-4 ) very finely, moderately densely punctate, interspace between punctures mostly markedly larger than diameters of punctures, bearing extremely fine micropunctulae, tempora each with numerous coarse punctures extending anteriad along medial margin of each eye and with some fine punctures, each bearing short seta; dorsal surface of head with extremely fine, rudimentary microsculpture becoming coarser along posterior margin of head and particularly on tempora; dorsal surface of neck with sparse fine punctures and rudimentary microsculpture. Antenna relatively short, segment 3 vaguely longer than segment 2 (ratio 1.12), segment 4 slightly longer than wide, following segments becoming gradually shorter with segments 8 and 9 about as long as wide, last segment slightly shorter than two preceding segments combined. Pronotum about as long as wide with obtusely rounded base, slightly narrowed anteriad, narrow marginal groove disappearing downward at about anterior third of pronotal length; disc of pronotum with traces of impunctate midline; punctation similar to that on head, but slightly finer, disc with rudimentary microsculpture similar to that on head, gradually disappearing laterad. Scutellum sparingly punctate and pubescent, with fine, dense microsculpture. Elytra short, vaguely widened posteriad, at suture markedly shorter (ratio 0.68), at sides shorter (ratio 0.84) than pronotum at midline; punctation very fine and moderately dense, interspaces between punctures mostly distinctly larger than diameters of punctures; surface of elytra appearing quite dull due to dense, granulose microsculpture; pubescence piceous. Wings apparently reduced to nonfunctional stumps. Abdomen with fifth visible tergite without pale apical seam of palisade fringe; tergite 2 (in front of first fully visible tergite) with row of setiferous punctures along posterior margin; all abdominal tergites with punctation and pubescence similar to those on elytra, gradually becoming sparser toward apex of abdomen; interspaces between punctures with fine and dense submeshed microsculpture.

F e m a l e. Tergite 10 of genital segment as in Fig. 1 View Figs 1-4 .

Male unknown.

Length 13.00 mm. G e o g r a p h i c a l d i s t r i b u t i o n. Ocychinus schneideri is at present known only from the type locality in the Kanchenjunga area in eastern Nepal.

B i o n o m i c s. Nothing is known about the collecting circumstances of the holotype.

C o m m e n t s. Several specimens of Quedius (Microsaurus) davidkrali HROMÁDKA 2003 were collected together with the holotype.

E t y m o l o g y. Patronymic; the species is dedicated to the accomplished coleopterist and my friend Jan Schneider of Prague, Czech Republic, in fond memories of our entomological adventures in China.