Sphaeromacrops yunnanensis Tang & Cheng, 2020

Tang, Liang & Cheng, Zhi-Fei, 2020, Sphaeromacrops Schillhammer new to China with description of a new species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Zootaxa 4779 (2), pp. 297-300 : 298-300

Sphaeromacrops yunnanensis Tang & Cheng sp. n.

( Figs. 1–6 )

Type material. Holotype. China: Yunnan: ♂, glued on a card with labels as follows: “ China, Yunnan Prov. , Xi- shuangbanna, Nabanhe A. R., Guomenshan, 26. IV.2009, Meng leg.” “ Holotype / Sphaeromacrops yunnanensis / Tang & Cheng” [red handwritten label] ( SHNU) . Paratypes. 1♂ 1♀, same data as for the holotype ( SHNU) ; 2♂♂, Xishuangbanna, Nabanhe A. R., 18.VI.2009, Meng leg. ( SHNU, NWM) .

Description. Body black, forebody with dark olive- green metallic lustre; antennal segments I–III reddish, segment IV reddish with base narrowly yellowish, segment V blackish with base narrowly yellowish, segment VI reddish to blackish with base narrowly yellowish, segment VII with base narrowly yellowish and remaining portion varying from black to white, segments VIII–XI white, sometimes the apical portion of the terminal segment may be darker; legs reddish; basisternum reddish; shoulders and deflexed portion of elytra reddish; abdominal segments with posterior margins and paratergites reddish.

Measurements of male: BL: 11.2–11.4 mm, FL: 5.9–6.3 mm. HL: 1.72–1.81 mm, HW: 1.97–2.08 mm, EYL: 0.77–0.81 mm, TL: 0.72–0.74 mm, PL: 1.63–1.85 mm, PW: 1.38–1.47 mm, EL: 2.40–2.55 mm, EW: 2.25–2.40 mm. HW/HL: 1.11–1.16, TL/EYL: 0.91–0.93, PL/PW: 1.17–1.26, EL/EW: 1.06–1.07.

Measurements of female: BL: 12.5 mm, FL: 7.0 mm. HL: 1.93 mm, HW: 2.32 mm, EYL: 0.89 mm, TL: 0.77 mm, PL: 1.89 mm, PW: 1.66 mm, EL: 2.84 mm, EW: 2.68 mm. HW/HL: 1.21, TL/EYL: 0.87, PL/PW: 1.14, EL/ EW: 1.06.

Head subquadrate, tempora slightly narrowed behind eyes; eyes strongly and spherically prominent; portion between eyes with punctation longitudinally confluent, interstices narrow and smooth, forming long rugae and an indistinct midline, two admedian impunctate patches at level of half-length of eyes; posterior half of head with punctures more or less regular and very dense, those near the posterior margin of head transversely confluent, interstices reduced to sharp ridges; pubescence of head fine, brownish with some modified silvery setae on vertex; antennal segment I distinctly longer than segment III, segment IV distinctly oblong, segments V and VI slightly longer than segment IV, segments VII–IX slightly wider than segment VI, segment X slightly shorter than segment IX, segment XI slightly longer than segment IX.

Pronotum with punctation and interstices similar to those of posterior portion of head, pair of admedian impunctate patches very indistinct, as wide as diameter of punctures, posterior medial impunctate patch well developed, anterior half with scattered punctures and posterior half smooth; pubescence mostly brownish with some grouped white setae forming several indistinct tomentose patches; scutellum densely punctate, posterior half with cluster of dark setae.

Elytra with punctation and interstices similar to those of pronotum, though punctures are slightly smaller in average and interstices near posterior margin distinctly larger; pubescence mostly brownish with some grouped white setae forming several tomentose patches.

Abdominal tergites III–V with pair of slightly divergent accessory basal lines; tergite VIII with posterior margin hardly emarginated at middle; tergites III, IV and VIII covered with white fur-like pubescence, tergite V with pair of dark tomentose dots at middle surrounded with white fur-like pubescence, tergite VI with dark heart-shaped tomentose patch at middle decorated with some white setae along its lateral sides, tergite VII with white tomentose patch at middle, not reaching the lateral sides of tergite, middle of posterior margin of this patch connected to dark longitudinal tomentose patch, styli covered with white fur-like pubescence on dorsal surface.

Front legs with tarsomere V slightly longer than tarsomeres IV and III combined.

Male. Sternite VIII emarginated at middle of posterior margin, sternite IX ( Fig. 3 ) emarginated at middle of posterior margin. Aedeagus ( Figs. 4, 5 ) slender, median lobe with apical portion slightly asymmetrical; paramere as long as median lobe, bent to left side in ventral view, apical portion ( Fig. 6 ) truncated and bearing two groups of peg setae along the inside of the lateral margin.

Female. Sternite VIII with posterior margin broadly rounded.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Remarks. The new species can be easily distinguished from other species by the posterior margin of abdominal tergite VIII without distinct emargination at middle. It can also be distinguished from S. antennalis ( Cameron, 1932) and S. nepalensis Schillhammer, 2001 by the much smaller body size, and from S. strigosifrons Schillhammer, 2001 , S. varicornis ( Coiffait, 1977) and S. gracilis Schillhammer, 2001 by the indistinct admedian patches of the pronotum.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from “ Yunnan ”, the type locality of the species.

Figures

FIGURES 1, 2. Habitus of Sphaeromacrops yunnanensis. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 3–6. Male sexual characters of Sphaeromacrops yunnanensis. 3 Sternite IX; 4 aedeagus in ventral view; 5 aedeagus in lateral view; 6 apical portion of paramere. Scale bars: 0.25mm.