Oedichirus novahibernicus, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, New Papuan Oedichirus (Staphylinidae, Paederinae, Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 435-446 : 439-440

Oedichirus novahibernicus nov.sp. (Figs 6)

♀ Holotype: PAPUA NEW GUINEA, New Ireland prov., New Ireland bor., 5 km SW Fangalawa, Tesi , 100 m, 0253’22"S 15109’46"E, Kulturland, 11.III.2000, leg. Weigel [ CRO].

D e s c r i p t i o n: length: 8 mm; length of fore-body: 3.4; length of head: 0.85; breadth of head: 1.05; length of antenna: 2.15; length of pronotum: 1.25; breadth of pronotum: 1; length of elytron: 1.5; breadth of elytra: 1.45. Body deep black, shiny, mouthparts, antennae and legs testaceous. Dorsal surfaces glossy, devoid of microsculpture except on keels of anterior margins of abdominal tergites and almost imperceptibly on tergites VI-VIII where it consists of very fine but dense micropunctures. Pubescence long, pale, erect. Habitus: Fig. 6h.

Head strongly transverse; post-ocular carina salient, forming a dentiform angle behind posterior margin of eye; puncturation sparse, consisting of a few scattered small simple punctures around antennal tubercles, a pair of umbilicate punctures on frons, another pair at level of anterior margins of eyes, a few small ocular punctures, and six other punctures nearer base, besides three punctures on either side in groove of post-ocular border, leaving the vertex impunctate. Lateral margins of pronotum faintly bordered in anterior half, the border consisting of a bead; basal half of disc with a pair of arcuate series of five punctures each, two pairs of punctures before this, preceded by a pair of more widely spaced punctures, numerous punctures along anterior and lateral margins, the areas between discal series and lateral margins impunctate. Elytra broad, with well marked humeral angles, the sides dilated behind these to widest point about 2♀ 3 rds the distance from anterior margin; puncturation of disc arranged in three series, a juxtasutural series of ca. 8 punctures, and two discal series of 5-6 punctures, with other punctures along anterior half of lateral margins. Puncturation of abdominal tergites arranged in three discrete transverse rows behind anterior row of keels on each tergite.

Female: sternite IX: Fig. 6vp, the vulvar plate very large and deep, its posterior rim densely microsculptate.

This is the first Oedichirus recorded from New Ireland. It is very similar to O. lawrencei nov.sp. from the Solomon Islands in colour, general appearance and puncturation, differing principally in its slightly lesser size, relatively shorter pronotum and smaller and more densely punctate elytra. In O. lawrencei the middle two punctures of the last row of abdominal tergites are larger than the lateral punctures, whereas in O. novahibernicus they are of approximately equal size. The arrangement of punctures in transverse rows on the abdomen sets it apart from all species known from mainland New Guinea except the bicolorous O. novaguinea .