Elacatophora euconnoides, Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2015

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2015, A new species and synonymy in Elacatophora (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 3915 (1), pp. 143-146 : 144-145

Elacatophora euconnoides sp. n.

( Figs. 1–4 )

Type material. Holotype: WEST MALAYSIA (Pahang State): ♂, two labels: " MALAYSIA, Cameron / Highlands, Tanah Rata, # 11 / 22 II 1998 / G. O'Reilly" [white, printed]; " Elacatophora / euconnoides m. / det. P. Jałoszyński, '14 / HOLOTYPUS " [red, printed] ( MNHW). Paratype: 1 ♂, same data as holotype (cPJ).

Diagnosis. BL <1.2 mm; pronotal antebasal transverse groove uninterrupted in middle, not deepened at each end and laterally not connected with very small and nearly circular lateral pits; antennomere V much broader than IV and antennomere XI slightly broader than X and only indistinctly longer than broad; aedeagus in ventral view with two basal bunches of lightly sclerotized and short needle-like structures, median lobe abruptly narrowing distally in subapical region.

Description. BL 1.18 mm. Body of male ( Figs. 1–2 ) elongate, with slightly flattened dorsum of pronotum and elytra; brown, with slightly lighter setae.

Head broadest at large, strongly convex and coarsely faceted eyes, HL 0.23 mm, HW 0.23 mm; vertex and frons convex; supraantennal tubercles not marked. Punctures on head dorsum fine and inconspicuous; anterior portion of frons, entire vertex and tempora with sparse thick bristles directed dorsoposteriorly or posteriorly. Antennae slender and with indistinctly delimited club composed of antennomeres VI–XI, AnL 0.58 mm, antennomeres I–II strongly elongate, III–V about as long as broad, VI–X transverse, XI only slightly broader than X and slightly longer than broad.

Pronotum subconical, broadest at base; PL 0.28 mm, PW 0.29 mm; anterior and lateral margins nearly straight; posterior margin shallowly bisinuate; pronotal base with distinct and entire transverse groove not deepening at each end and separated from lateral pair of very small and nearly circular pits. Punctures on pronotal disc fine and inconspicuous; disc with long and sparse suberect setae, sides with thick erect bristles.

Elytra oval, broadest near middle; EL 0.68 mm, EW 0.53 mm, EI 1.29; humeral calli weakly developed; suture at each side in anterior third with narrow impression. Punctures on elytra as inconspicuous as those on pronotum; setae short, sparse, suberect. Hind wings well developed.

Legs moderately long and slender, unmodified.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 3–4 ) in ventral view approximately drop-shaped; AeL 0.13 mm; median lobe with distinctly demarcated subtrapezoidal apical part with rounded apex; internal armature lightly sclerotized, with two indistinct bunches of elongate sclerites located in basal half of median lobe; parameres short and slender, each with one apical seta.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Peninsular Malaysia, Pahang.

Etymology. The name euconnoides was chosen to underline similarity of this otherwise unremarkable species to the genus Euconnus .

Remarks. Elacatophora euconnoides is the smallest known species of this genus, and unique in unusually broad occipital constriction and slender antennae. The general appearance of this species, especially in the dorsal view, resembles rather members of Euconnus , especially a ' Napochus -like' group of subgenera. All other species of Elacatophora have a distinctly narrower occipital constriction, and most also have a strongly enlarged, usually short and suboval antennomere XI, often with oblique base. Only E. dissimilis has the antennomere XI elongate and indistinctly broader than X. Elacatophora euconnoides can easily be confused with Euconnus and it is possible that this and similar species can be found in museum collections misplaced among unidentified Euconnus . When specimens are viewed in lateral aspect it becomes clear that they cannot belong to Euconnus ―the head is characteristically highest at antennal insertions, the frons steeply declines toward the mouthparts, and the vertex gradually declines toward the occipital constriction ( Fig. 2 ). Such a head structure is characteristic of Elacatophora and not known in Euconnus (at least not in species with subconical pronotum). Also the single basal fovea on each elytron (two in Euconnus ) and the lightly sclerotized and dorsally curved aedeagus are typical of Elacatophora .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Elacatophora euconnoides sp. n., habitus of holotype male in dorsal view (1) and paratype male in lateral view (2); aedeagus in ventral (3) and lateral (4) views.