Pomphopsilla similis, Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2016

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2016, Four new species of Pomphopsilla Jałoszyński and a new record of Cephennodes glabella Castellini in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 4098 (3), pp. 593-600 : 598

Pomphopsilla similis sp. n.

( Figs 5 , 15–16)

Type material. Holotype: Democratic Republic of the Congo (Oriental Prov.): ♂, two labels: " DR CONGO, Oriental Prov. / Ituri region, Ituri riverbank / area, near Camp "Kelebo", / dense sec. forest, 29.iii-5.iv.2015 / yellow pan, leg. A. GUMOVSKY" [white, printed], " POMPHOPSILLA / similis m. / P. Jałoszyński, '16 / HOLOTYPUS' [red, printed] ( SIZK).

Diagnosis. Aedeagus slender, with oval diaphragm; dorsal apical projection in ventral view concealed under conspicuous median apical plate, which is elongate, lightly pigmented and inversely subtriangular; apex of ventral aedeagal wall not defined; endophallus lacking needle-like sclerites, median tubular structure in subapical region with bell-shaped and unevenly sclerotized central complex.

Description. This species ( Fig. 5 ) is externally nearly identical to P. pygmaea , only differences and measurements are given here.

BL 0.85 mm. HL 0.10 mm, HW 0.20 mm, AnL 0.38 mm, antennomeres III–IV subquadrate, V–VIII each elongate, IX about as long as broad. PL 0.25 mm, PW 0.33 mm; EL 0.50 mm, EW 0.40 mm, EI 1.25.

Aedeagus (Figs 15–16) relatively slender, pear-shaped, AeL 0.19 mm; median lobe in ventral view with oval diaphragm in basal region; apex of ventral wall undefined, apex of dorsal wall in ventral view hidden behind large, inversely subtriangular median plate; endophallus with median tubular structure in subapical region flanked by irregularly sclerotized components together forming bell-shaped central complex; parameres slender, their apices nearly reaching apex of dorsal aedeagal wall, each with two long apical setae.

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. North-eastern part of DR Congo.

Etymology. The specific epithet similis refers to the similarity of this species to P. soror and P. pseudosoror .

Remarks. Pomphopsilla similis has the aedeagus similar to those of P. s o ro r and P. pseudosoror . The median lobe in all three species is relatively slender and its apical region has the median plate, in ventral view located in front of the apex of dorsal aedeagal wall. In P. similis , however, the diaphragm is not circular, but distinctly oval, the median plate has a different shape (its distal margin is not weakly rounded but broadly subtriangular), and the central endophallic complex is broader and rapidly narrowing distally.

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 8. Dorsal habitus of males (3 – 7) and head of male in dorsal view (8). Pomphopsilla pygmaea sp. n. (3); P. pseudosoror sp. n. (4); P. similis sp. n. (5); P. gumovskyi sp. n. (6); Cephennodes glabella Castellini (7 – 8).