Philomyceta biwenxuani, Tang, 2019

Tang, Liang, 2019, On the genus Philomyceta of China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 59 (1), pp. 133-137 : 134

Philomyceta biwenxuani sp. nov.

( Figs 3, 4 , 11–14 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: CHINA: XIZANG: ♁, glued on a card with labels as follows:“ China:Xizang A. R., Motuo County, Hanmi , alt. 2100 m, 30.vii.2011, Wen-Xuan Bi leg.” “ Holotype / Philomyceta biwenxuani / Tang” [red handwritten label] ( SHNU). PARATYPES. 1 ♀, Motuo County, 80 K, alt. 2100 m, 24.vii.2011, Wen-Xuan Bi leg. ( SHNU); 1 ♀, Motuo County, Hanmi, alt. 2100 m, 12.–31.vii.2013,Wen-Xuan Bi leg.( SHNU); 1 ♀, Motuo County, 80 K, alt. 2100 m, 18.vii.2014, Wen-Xuan Bi leg. ( SHNU); 1 ♀, Motuo County, near 80 K, 29°41′09″N 95°30′10″E, alt. 2330 m, mixed leaf litter, sifted, 9.vii.2016, Cheng, Peng & Shen leg. ( SHNU).

Description. Measurements of male: BL: 11.2 mm, FL: 6.6 mm. HL: 1.78 mm, HW: 2.20 mm, EYL: 0.58 mm, TL: 0.97 mm, PL: 2.03 mm, PW: 1.75 mm, EL: 2.78 mm, EW: 2.75 mm. HW/HL: 1.23, TL/EYL: 1.67, PL/PW: 1.16, EL/EW: 1.01.

Measurements of female: BL: 10.2–11.9 mm, FL: 6.2– 6.6 mm. HL: 1.61–1.75 mm, HW: 1.97–2.06 mm, EYL: 0.56–0.58 mm, TL: 0.83–0.89 mm, PL: 1.95–2.06 mm, PW: 1.70–1.75 mm, EL: 2.70–2.89 mm, EW: 2.56–2.75 mm. HW/HL: 1.17–1.22, TL/EYL: 1.43–1.52, PL/PW: 1.15–1.18, EL/EW: 1.02–1.05.

Head and pronotum black, elytra black with blue metallic tint, apical margin of elytra well delimited yellow: narrowly near suture and more broadly laterally; abdomen with segments III–VI black, segment VII black with apical portion broadly yellow, remaining segments yellow except apical half of styli and apical third of valvifers blackish; antennae with segments I–VII black, basal 2/5 of segment II reddish, segments VIII–XI creamy white; legs blackish, tarsomeres, especially front tarsomeres, reddish brown.

Head slightly trapezoid, tempora weakly narrowed behind eyes; head very densely and coarsely punctate except impressed anterior portion of clypeus narrowly impunctate, interstices partially reticulated, mostly very narrow and ridge-like except those along the midline of apical half of head, which may be more or less wider, sometimes (in two specimens) vertex with a distinct smooth area; pubescence brownish; antennae with segments IV–VIII markedly oblong, segments IX and X about as long as wide; pronotum widest at about level of large antero-lateral seta; surface with dense and coarse punctation similar to that on head, near base with a small impunctate spot; elytra along sides distinctly longer than pronotum, with depression distinct at base and along scutellum, indistinct along suture; elytral punctation very dense and confluent, interstices reticulated and ridge-like; pubescence yellow, long and dense along suture, posterior elytral margin and posterior margin of basal impression; abdominal tergites III–VI with basal transverse depression, tergites III–V with pair of oblique basal accessory lines; punctation of abdominal tergites III–VI coarse at base, gradually becoming finer toward apical margin, portion laterobasad of oblique accessory lines impunctate except for a few larger punctures, abdominal tergites VII and VIII with punctures similar in size, interstices smooth.

Male. Protarsomeres I–IV broader than those of female; sternite VII with patch of long yellow setae on median portion and posterior margin broadly emarginate at middle; sternite VIII with posterior margin emarginate at middle; aedeagus ( Figs 11, 12 ) with median lobe and paramere slightly asymmetrical, paramere ( Fig. 13 ) shorter than median lobe, slender and slightly bent to left side in ventral view.

Female. Tergite X ( Fig. 14 ) with slightly asymmetrical projection at middle of posterior margin.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Mr. Wenxuan Bi who collected some specimens of the new species.

Distribution. China (Xizang: Motuo County).

Remarks. The new species is similar to P. taungmae Schillhammer, 2018 from Myanmar, but can be distinguished from it by antennal segments VIII–XI being creamy white (segments IX–XI creamy white in P. taungmae ), abdominal tergite VI without a pair of oblique basal accessory lines, and abdominal segment VIII being entirely yellow (apical third blackish in P. taungmae ). In appearance, it is also similar to two Indian species: P. affinis Cameron, 1944 and P. caeruleipennis Cameron, 1944 and four Nepalese species: P. kleebergi Schillhammer, 2012 , P. schawalleri Schillhammer, 2012 , P. spoerrii Schillhammer, 2012 and P. kucerai Schillhammer, 2014 , but can be distinguished from them by the well delimited yellow apical margin of the elytra; from P. caeruleipennis , P. kleebergi , P. kucerai and P. spoerrii also by abdominal tergite VI without a pair of oblique basal accessory lines; from P.affinis also by the smaller eyes with TL/EYL larger than 1.4 (less than 1.3 in P.affinis ); and from P. caeruleipennis also by the black legs (reddish in P. caeruleipennis ).

Figures

Figs 1–6. Habitus of species of Philomyceta. 1, 2 – P. asperipennis Schillhammer, 2012 (female, Gongshan County); 3, 4 – P. biwenxuani sp. nov. (male, holotype, Xizang, Motuo County); 5, 6 – Philomyceta sp. (female, Xizang, Nielamu County). Scale bars: 2 mm.

Figs 7–14. Sexual characters. 7–10 – Philomyceta asperipennis Schillhammer, 2012 (7–9 – ♁, Baoshan City; 10 – ♀, Gongshan County). 11–14 – P. biwenxuani sp. nov. (11–13 – ♁, holotype; 14 – ♀, paratype); 7, 11 – aedeagus in lateral view; 8, 12 – aedeagus in ventral view; 9, 13 – apical portion of paramere; 10, 14 – female abdominal tergite X. Scale bars: 0.25 mm.