Ochthephilus ritae, Makranczy, 2014

Makranczy, György, 2014, Revision of the genus Ochthephilus Mulsant & Rey, 1856 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Oxytelinae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 121 (4), pp. 457-694 : 634-636

Ochthephilus ritae sp. nov. Figs 472-475, 481

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE (3): “ INDIA: Uttarakhand: 10km NE Govind Ghat [Gobindghat] (road to Ghangaria), Bhuinder Ganga river (30.687° N, 079.589° E), 11-12.VI.2011, leg. A. Shavrin, under large stones near the river” ( MHNG) . – PARATYPES (23): same data as holotype (coll. Shavrin, 13, 2, HNHM, 13, 1♀, SDEI, 1, CNCI, 1, NHMW, 1, NKME, 1, BMNH, 1, AMNH, 1, FMNH, 1, SMNS, 1, USNM, 1, SEMC, 1, ISNB, 1, MNHP, 1). – “ NEPAL: E-Nepal, Rolwaling Himal, Rolwaling Tal, Nyimare , 3300m [27°54'N, 86°22'E], 19.V.2000, leg. A. Kleeberg [cloud forest; sifting leaf litter under wood, wet mosses]” (coll. Kleeberg, 13, HNHM, 13). – “E-Nepal, Rolwaling Himal, Rolwaling Ufer, zw. Simigaon u. Nyimare, 2700m, [*+27.90/+86.28*], 17.V.2000, leg. A. Kleeberg [cloud forest; sifting leaf litter at a small creek shore]” (coll. Kleeberg, 1♀, HNHM, 1♀). – “ Nepal , Himal., Annapurna Mts. , NE Pokhara, Madi Khola Tal , Hogokh [ Hog goth], 1900m, [*+28.42/+84.11*], 4.V.1996, leg. Schmidt & Jäger” ( SMTD, 13). – “ CHINA: SICHUAN: Gongga Shan, Hailuogou Glaciar Park, Camp no. 3, 2600-3200m [29°35'00"N, 102°02'20"E], 16-18.VII.2006, leg. T. Tichý ” (coll. Schülke, 13) .

DESCRIPTION: Habitus as in Fig. 481. Measurements (n=10): HW = 0.64 (0.59- 0.70); TW = 0.59 (0.55-0.65); PW = 0.74 (0.68-0.82); SW = 1.00 (0.92-1.07); AW = 1.05 (0.98-1.13); HL = 0.51 (0.48-0.57); EL = 0.21 (0.20-0.22); TL = 0.12 (0.10-0.14); PL = 0.60 (0.54-0.67); SL = 1.16 (1.06-1.29); SC = 1.05 (0.95-1.17); FB = 2.38 (2.19- 2.67); BL = 4.26 (3.60-4.69) mm. Whole body very dark brown, head darkest, almost black, elytra sometimes very slightly lighter but still dark brown, scutellar area to shoulders black. Antennae, mouthparts and legs dark brown, antenna blackish, tarsi and both ends of tibiae occasionally somewhat lighter. Body with greasy lustre due to rather fine and shallow punctation on head and pronotum, but distinct coriaceous microsculpture on interspaces everywhere; elytral punctation fine, shallow but rather dense. Pubescence on elytra short, medium strong and regularly spaced, in contrast with somewhat less conspicuous setation of head and pronotum: with rather fine and dense setae. Abdominal tergites with setae just as strong as elytral ones but much longer, especially at apices of tergites and adjacent to laterosternites. Head anteriad eyes and near inner posterior margin of eye with stronger and much longer bristles, as well as pronotal margin; at middle of tibiae with darker bristles. Elytral apex without conspicuous setae. Last tarsomere with a few setae only.

Forebody. Antenna as in Fig. 481. Clypeus almost impunctate (colliculate microsculptured), trapezoid, corners rounded, anterior edge gently arched; separated by impressed transversal line (frontoclypeal suture) across a shinier area. Supraantennal prominences well developed, feebly separated from clypeus/vertex by impressions. Vertex with oblique impressions in middle almost joining in V-shape. Temples slightly bulging, evenly curved, barely longer than half of eye length. Neck separated by an impressed transversal groove, microsculpture much stronger than on head, with transverse cells, no setation. Pronotum with a narrow marginal bead, getting inconspicuous anteriorly with pronotal corners strongly curved in ventral direction. Posterior pronotal angles well-formed, just slightly obtuse-angled, sides in posterior 1/2 insignificantly concave. 'Anchor' fully formed, longitudinal midline as a slightly elevated, impunctate, weakly microsculptured line, parallel to this line two gentle, semi-longitudinal elongate elevations in anterior half of disc. In corners of anchor feeble, oblique impressions directed outwards, in middle at sides of midline two smaller impressions. Elytra slightly broadening posteriorly, sutural corners narrowly

FIGS 481-482 Habitus of Ochthephilus species. O. ritae sp. n. (481), O. tichomirovae sp. n. (482).

rounded; apical sides slightly oblique and in inner halves more or less straight. Elytral surface rather even with two shallow, very elongate impressions behind scutellum. Head with fine coriaceous/colliculate microsculpture, fading on elevated parts, stronger in impressions, on pronotum microsculpture slightly stronger and more even. Punctation on head fine and moderately dense, more so on posterior part and sides, on pronotum more evenly spaced, average interspaces much larger than puncture diameters; elytral punctation more even and regularly spaced, average interspaces (with indistinct coriaceous microsculpture) slightly larger than puncture diameters, punctures discrete.

Abdomen. Compared to forebody, abdomen with much more sparse, finer, less distinct punctation, microsculpture on tergal apices fine coriaceous with moderately transverse cells. Tergite VII posterior margin with palisade fringe broadened in middle with more coarse spiniform processes. Tergite VIII basal edge evenly arched, without concavity in middle of basal sclerotized band; apical edge with sinuate (protruding) corners, and broad, moderately deep emargination in between. Sternite VIII with rounded apical corners, apex in males shallowly concave laterally, gently sinuate in middle; in females slightly more sinuate (convex) in middle. Tergite X unmodified, apex very slightly wider in males than in females. Aedeagus as in Fig. 472, paramere from side view as in Fig. 473. Female ringstructures as in Figs 474-475.

ETYMOLOGY: This species is named after Rita Földesi, who had a lot of sympathy towards me during my first attempt to wrap this project up (and ever since).

COMPARATIVE NOTES: From the most closely related species, O. tichomirovae , it is virtually indistinguishable externally (Figs 481, 482), but can be separated by examination of the genitalia (details in the key). Another large black species is O. szarukani , with a slightly different pronotal shape (in dorsal view marginal bead can be seen at anterior corners), and a somewhat shorter antenna (articles 9-10 usually not elongate, often very slightly transverse), this latter feature is shared with O. kleebergi , but the latter species (Fig. 509) has pronotal shape like O. ritae and O. tichomirovae . From the other black species outside the O. monticola complex, O. zerchei , it is distinguishable by size.

DISTRIBUTION: Currently known from N-India, Nepal and the Chinese province of Sichuan.

BIONOMICS: Specimens were collected from under large stones at a riverbank, sifting leaf litter (under wood) at a small creek shore, also from wet mosses.