Pseudocalea discolor, Assing, 2007

Assing, V., 2007, A new species of Pseudocalea LUZE from Afghanistan (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (1), pp. 11-14 : 11-14

Pseudocalea discolor nov.sp. ( Figs 1-9 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype Ƌ: Afghanistan / A 212 / Typus Aleochara laeviventris O. Scheerpeltz [manuscript name] / ex coll. Scheerpeltz / Holotypus Ƌ Pseudocalea discolor sp.n. det. V. Assing 2007 (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien). Paratype ♀: same data as holotype (coll. Assing).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Measurements (in mm) and ratios (holotype, paratype): length of antennae: 1.40, 1.46; head length from anterior margin of clypeus to posterior margin of head (HL): 0.69, 0.72; head width (HW): 0.62, 0.60; length of pronotum (PL): 0.72, 0.74; width of pronotum (PW): 0.80, 0.77; length of elytra at suture from apex of scutellum to posterior margin (EL): 0.63, 0.71; combined width of elytra (EW): 1.12, 1.13; width of abdomen at segment III (AW): 0.98, 1.03; length of metatibia (TiL): 0.95, 0.98; length of metatarsus (TaL): 0.72, 0.74; length of median lobe of aedeagus from apex of ventral process to base: 0.57, -; total length: 5.9, 5.6; HL/HW: 1.12, 1.20; PW/HW: 1.29, 1.28; PW/PL: 1.10, 1.04; EL/PL: 0.88, 0.96; EW/PW: 1.40, 1.47; AW/EW: 0.88, 0.91; TiL/TaL: 1.31, 1.33.

Coloration: head blackish brown to blackish; pronotum pale reddish to brown with reddish lateral and posterior margins; elytra reddish yellow; abdomen dark brown to blackish, with the lateral and posterior tergal margins more or less extensively reddish (in paratype almost all of segments III-V reddish); legs yellowish to yellowish brown; antennae pale reddish to reddish brown.

Head distinctly oblong (see measurements and ratio HL/HW); puncturation fine and moderately sparse, interstices 2-3 times as wide as diameter of punctures; microsculpture of integument very shallow, barely noticeable; eyes large, approximately as long as postocular region. Maxillary palpus with palpomere III distinctly dilated apically, approximately 2.5 times as long as wide. Ligula short and broad ( Fig. 4 ). Antenna slender; antennomeres I-III of subequal length; IV approximately as long as wide; V-X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse; X approximately 1.5 times as wide as long; XI as long as the combined length of IX-X or nearly so ( Fig. 3 ).

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) weakly transverse and slightly wider than head (see ratios PW/PL and PW/HW); posterior angles weakly marked, but noticeable; puncturation less fine and distinctly denser than that of head, interstices approximately as wide as diameter of punctures; pubescence moderately long and semi-erect.

Elytra distinctly wider and at suture slightly shorter than pronotum; posterior margin distinctly sinuate near posterior angles; puncturation coarser than that of pronotum, interstices approximately as wide as diameter of punctures ( Fig. 1 ). Hind wings fully developed. Legs slender (see measurements and ratio TiL/TaL); metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II-IV.

Abdomen distinctly narrower than elytra (see ratio AW/EW), widest at base, gradually tapering posteriad; tergites III-VI anteriorly with deep transverse impunctate impressions, that of tergite VI almost as deep as those of tergites III-V; puncturation of remain-der of tergal surfaces III-VIII very fine and sparse ( Fig. 2 ); tergites III-VII without, tergite VIII with very shallow microsculpture; surface of abdomen glossy; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII distinctly convex in both sexes.

Ƌ: posterior margin of sternite VIII acutely pointed in the middle; median lobe of aedea-gus as in Figs 5-7 ; paramere as in Fig. 8 .

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex; spermatheca with long and almost straight duct ( Fig. 9 ).

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Lat., adj.) refers to the colourful appearance of the species.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: From all other species of the genus, P. discolor is separated by the morphology of the primary sexual characters. The only similarly coloured species is P. korbi (BERNHAUER) from Turkey, which is distinctly smaller (ca. 3.8 mm), has a transverse antennomere IV, and granulosely punctured elytra.

In order to account for the new species, the key to the species of Pseudocalea in ASSING (in press) is modified as follows:

2. Smaller (approximately 3.7 mm) and paler species; pronotum, elytra, antennae, margins of abdominal terga, and abdominal apex ferrugineous, head and remainder of abdomen slightly darker; antennae shorter, with a transverse antennomere IV; elytra with distinctly granulose puncturation. Median lobe of aedeagus as in ASSING (2002: Figs 115–116). – Turkey (locality not specified) .............................. P. korbi (BERNHAUER)

- mostly larger and darker species; antennomere IV at least as long as wide; elytral puncturation not granulose. Genitalia different.................................................................2a

2a. Distinctly bicoloured species, with at least the antennae, the elytra, and the posterior margins of the abdominal segments bright reddish to reddish yellow; eyes larger, approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view or nearly so; anterior impressions of abdominal tergites III-VI deeper, that of tergite VI almost as deep as that of tergites III-V. Median lobe of aedeagus as in Figs 5-7 . Spermatheca as in Fig. 9 . Afghanistan............................................................................................. P. discolor nov.sp.

- Body at most indistinctly bicoloured; antennae at least partly infuscate; elytra at least pale brown, usually darker; eyes distinctly shorter than postocular region in dorsal view; anterior impressions of abdominal tergites III-VI less deep, that of tergite VI distinctly shallower than those of tergites III-V. Genitalia different...................................3

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Thelabelsattached to the type specimens indicate that they were collected in Afghanistan, without specification of the exact locality. Additional bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Figs 1-9: Pseudocalea discolor nov.sp.: (1) forebody; (2) abdomen; (3) antenna; (4) labium; (5-6) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (7) apical part of internal structures of median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (8) paramere; (9) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1-2: 1.0 mm; 3: 0.5 mm; 5-8: 0.2 mm; 4, 9: 0.1 mm.