Geostiba (Sipalotricha) jordanica, Assing, 2016

Assing, Volker, 2016, A revision of Geostiba of the West Palaearctic region. XXII. Two new species from Jordan and the Caucasus, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (1), pp. 221-228 : 225-227

Geostiba (Sipalotricha) jordanica nov.sp. ( Figs 8-13 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype 3: "N 32°26'18 E 35°45'37, Jordan Irbid, Zubia 840- 600 m (4), lg. Meybohm 22.2.2014 / Holotypus 3 Geostiba jordanica sp. n. det. V. Assing 2016" (cAss) . Paratypes: 333: "N 32°22'46 E 35°45'50, Jordan Irbid 1050 m (6), Ajlun Forest Reserve, Meybohm 23.2.2014 " (cAss); 233, 1♀: "N 32°26'12 N 35°44'33 [sic; recte: E35°44'33], Jordan Irbid 840 m, Zubia Umg. Cave (12), lg. Meybohm , 2.3.2015 " (cAss) .

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is derived from Jordan, where this species was discovered and where it is currently the sole representative of the genus.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 2.2-2.6 mm; length of forebody 0.9-1.1 mm. Coloration: head and pronotum yellowish-red to pale-brown; elytra yellowish-red; abdomen yellowish-red to pale-brown, with the anterior portion of segment VI weakly infuscate; legs yellowish; antennae reddish-yellow.

Head ( Fig. 8 ) approximately as long as broad; punctation extremely fine, barely noticeable; interstices with very shallow, barely noticeable microsculpture. Eyes ( Fig. 9 ) small, not protruding from lateral contours of head, composed of few ommatidia with pigmentation, approximately one-fifth as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna approximately 0.7 mm long; antennomere IV strongly transverse, approximately twice as broad as long; antennomeres V-X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse; X approximately three times as broad as long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 9 ) weakly transverse, approximately 1.1 times as broad as long and 1.1 times as broad as head; punctation and microsculpture similar to those of head.

Elytra ( Fig. 9 ) approximately 0.6 times as long as pronotum; punctation moderately sparse and fine, though more distinct than that of pronotum. Hind wings absent.

Abdomen as broad as elytra; punctation fine and sparse; interstices with shallow, but distinct microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII convex, in the middle truncate or indistinctly concave.

3: posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly and weakly convex; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 10-11 ) 0.24 mm long, with pronounced crista apicalis and crista proximalis; paramere ( Fig. 12 ) 0.32 mm long and with slender apical lobe.

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly and weakly convex; spermatheca shaped as in Fig. 13.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: The geographically closest representative of the subgenus Sipalotricha is Geostiba libanensis PACE, 1983 from Lebanon. Geostiba jordanica is distinguished from this species above all by the primary sexual characters. In G. libanensis , the ventral process of the aedeagus is stouter and not distinctly curved in lateral view, the crista apicalis is shorter, the crista proximalis is of different shape, and both the distal and the proximal portions of the spermathecal capsule are longer and more slender. For illustrations of G. libanensis see PACE (1983: figures 164-169).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Geostiba jordanica is currently known only from three geographically close localities in Irbid, Jordan. It is first representative of the genus to be recorded from Jordan ( ASSING 2009). The specimens were collected by sifting litter in Quercus calliprinos forests and in shrubland with Quercus calliprinos (MEYBOHM pers. comm.) at altitudes between 600 and 1050 m.

Figures

Figs 8-13: Geostiba jordanica nov.sp.: (8) habitus; (9) head in lateral view; (10-11) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (12) paramere; (13) spermatheca. Scale bars: 8: 1.0 mm; 9- 13: 0.1 mm.