Espeson hermani, Irmler, 2012

Irmler, U., 2012, The Neotropical species of the genera Pseudespeson L, 1994 and Espeson S, 1882 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Osoriinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 62 (2), pp. 331-360 : 340-341

Espeson hermani n. sp. ( Figs 11 a-e, 17F)

Type material:

Holotype, male: French Guiana: Eaux Claires , N of Saül, (3°39.44'N, 53°13.17'W), 160 m elevation, in litter, male, X-5-1995, leg. L. Herman ( AMNH).

Paratypes: Costa Rica: Puntarenas, 6.5 km W Rincon (83°31'W, 8°41'N), Fundacion Neotropica , litter near stream # 2531, female, 25.3.1991, leg. L. Herman ; Heredia, La Selva, Biol. Station, nr. Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui , male # 2109, 18.2.1985, leg. L. Herman ( AMNH, UIC) .

Diagnosis:

E. hermani is one of the darker reddish Neotropical Espeson species. Among these species, it is conspicuous by the slightly lighter red elytra and the longitudinal impression in the anterior half of the pronotum. In the male, the species can be easily identified by the central spine at abdominal tergite VIII, the large triangular shape of the transparent lobe of the paramera, and the short apical part of the central lobe of the aedeagus.

Description:

Length: 2.0 mm. Colour: reddish; pronotum and elytra lighter red than head and abdomen; legs yellow.

Head: 0.25 mm long, 0.35 mm wide; eyes large and prominent; nearly four times longer than short temples; labrum more or less triangular with short acute apex; setiferous punctation dense and deep; distance between punctures less than half as wide as diameter of punctures; a wide midline impunctate; surface with extremely weak remains of microsculpture between punctures; midline without microsculpture and more or less polished.

Antennae distinctly longer than head and pronotum combined; 2 nd antennomere more or less globular; conical 3 rd antennomere slightly longer than 2 nd; 4 th to 5 th antennomeres more or less quadrate; 6 th slightly wider than long; following antennomeres slightly increasing in width and wider than long except smaller 8th antennomere.

Pronotum: 0.30 mm long, 0.35 mm wide; with sides rounded in anterior 2/3rd and emargination

in posterior 1/3 rd; fine lateral margin visible in anterior half in dorsal aspect; setiferous punctation similar as on head; distance between punctures irregular; laterad on average half as wide as diameter of punctures; impunctate midline in anterior half and there with longitudinal impression; surface with weak remains of microsculpture; midline without microsculpture; shiny; at posterior edge a transverse band with coriaceous ground-sculpture.

Elytra: 0.45 mm long, 0.50 mm wide; with sides smoothly rounded and with emargination at both anterior and posterior edge; setiferous punctation distinctly wider than on pronotum; distance between punctures on average as wide as diameter of punctures; a sparse micro-punctation between normal punctures.

Abdomen finely and sparsely punctate; density of setiferous punctation decreasing posteriad; on tergites II to V transverse impressions with coriaceous ground sculpture; tergite VIII of male deeply emarginate at posterior edge; emargination divided by acute spine; a stripe of fine longitudinal striae at posterior emargination.

Aedeagus with short straight apical part and two times longer basal part; paramera slightly longer than central lobe and with large more or less triangular transparent plate; diameter of transparent plate more than half as long as length of paramera.

Etymology:

The specific name refers to its collector Lee Herman.

Figures

Figs 9-11: Espeson moratus (9), E. nevermanni (10); E. hermani (11); a: fore body, b: antenna, c: aedeagus, d: abdominal tergite VIII of male (scale bar: a, b: 0.5 mm, c–e: 0.1 mm).