Rugilus (Rugilus) nitipennis, Assing, 2013

Assing, V., 2013, A revision of Palaearctic and Oriental Rugilus. III. Five new species from the Palaearctic region and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 45 (1), pp. 171-190 : 181-183

Rugilus (Rugilus) nitipennis nov.sp.

( Figs 13-17 )

Type material: Holotype ♂: " China: N-Yunnan, Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pr. Gongshan Co. Gaoligong Shan , valley at 3000-3050 m, 27°47.90'N, 98°30.19'E, 21.VI.2005 A. Smetana [C169] / Holotypus ♂ Rugilus nitipennis sp.n., det. V. Assing 2012" ( cSme) . Paratypes: 1♂, 1♀: same data as holotype ( cSme, cAss).

Etymology: The specific epithet (Latin, adjective) refers to the conspicuously glossy elytra.

Description: Body length 5.8-6.2 mm; length of forebody 3.6-3.8 mm. Coloration: body black; legs black, with slightly paler tarsi; antennae bicoloured, reddish with blackish antennomere I.

Head ( Fig. 13 ) approximately as broad as long, broadest across eyes; margins behind eyes smoothly curving towards posterior constriction in dorsal view, posterior angles obsolete; dorsal surface somewhat uneven, median dorsal portion noticeably elevated, anterior to this elevation more or less extensively transversely impressed; punctation dense, coarse, and areolate, largely confluent in various directions, except for median dorsal portion; interstices mostly reduced to narrow ridges; surface almost matt, only in median dorsal portion with weak shine. Eyes large and bulging, approximately 0.6-0.7 times as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction. Anterior margin of labrum with two pronounced separate teeth on either side of median incision.

Pronotum ( Fig. 13 ) 1.10-1.15 times as long as broad and approximately 0.8 times as wide as head; midline somewhat elevated and shiny in posterior two thirds, on either side of this elevation with longitudinal impressions; punctation similar to that of head, but on average slightly coarser.

Elytra ( Fig. 13 ) conspicuously long and large, approximately 1.25 times as long and 1.5 times as broad as pronotum; punctation extremely fine and sparse; whole surface conspicuously glossy. Hind wings apparently fully developed. Metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II and III.

Abdomen distinctly narrower than elytra; tergites III-VI with distinct impressions anteriorly, these impressions with coarse punctation; punctation of remaining tergal surfaces fine and moderately dense; interstices with very shallow microsculpture on tergites III-VI and slightly more distinct microsculpture on tergite VII; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

♂: sternite VII ( Fig. 14 ) moderately transverse and with broadly and distinctly concave posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 15 ) with rather deep, broadly V-shaped posterior excision; aedeagus ( Figs 16-17 ) 0.9 mm long; apical portion of ventral process rather thin both in lateral and in ventral view, almost straight and apically weakly hooked in lateral view, and asymmetric in ventral view.

Comparative notes:In the key in ASSING (2012a), R. nitipennis would key out at couplet 27, together with R. glabripennis ASSING 2012 from northern Yunnan. It is distinguished from this species by numerous characters, particularly the much darker legs ( R. glabripennis : legs reddish with infuscate femoral apices), the distinctly less coarse and less confluent punctation of the head, the more shiny and more uneven surface of the head, the presence of a median shiny elevation on the pronotum ( R. glabripennis : whole pronotum with coarse and very dense puncation, without impunctate band and without median elevation), the even longer and more shiny elytra, the more finely and less densely punctate, as well as more shiny abdomen, and by the completely different male sexual characters. For illustrations of R. glabripennis see ASSING (2012a).

Distribution and natural history:The type locality is situated in the Gaoligong Shan in the northwest of Yunnan province, China, not far from the border with Myanmar. The specimens were collected at an altitude of approximately 3000 m.

Figures

Figs 13-22: Rugilus nitipennis nov.sp. (13-17) and R. confluens ASSING (18-22; 18: holotype from Sichuan, Qionglai Shan; 19: Sichuan, Jiajin Shan; 20, 22: Sichuan, environs of Songpan; 21: Gansu, Qinling Shan): (13) forebody; (14) male sternite VII; (15) male sternite VIII; (16, 18-22) aedeagus in lateral view; (17) aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 13: 1.0 mm; 14-15: 0.5 mm; 16-22: 0.2 mm.