Baeocera hypomeralis, Löbl & Ch-, 2012

Löbl, Ivan, 2012, On the Scaphisomatini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) of the Philippines, III: the genus Baeocera Erichson, Revue suisse de Zoologie 119 (3), pp. 351-383 : 363-364

Baeocera hypomeralis sp. nov. Figs 27-30

HOLOTYPE: Ƌ, LUZON, Lagunas Prov. , Mt. Banahaw above Kinabuhayan, Cristalino trail, 600-700m, 24.XI.95, I. Löbl, forest litter ( MHNG).

PARATYPES: 4 ♀, with the same data as the holotype ( MHNG) . – 1 ♀, same data but 500m, litter, degraded rainforest ( MHNG) . – 1 ♀, LUZON, Lagunas Prov., Mt. Banahaw 1 km from Kinabuhayan 600m, 26.XI.95, I. Löbl, litter, degraded rainforest ( MHNG) . – 1 ♀, with the same data but near school. – 2 Ƌ , 1 ♀, with same data as holotype but 600-700m, trail to Cristalino, leg. J. Kodada and B. Rygová ( MHNG) . – 1 ♀, Lagunas Prov., Mt. Banahaw 1 km from Kinabuhayan 600m, 26.XI.95, leg. J. Kodada and B. Rygová ( MHNG) . – 1 Ƌ, LEYTE, Visca N Baybay cultiv. land, 3.3.1991, leg. W. Schawaller & al. ( SMNS) . – 7 Ƌ, 14 ♀, MINDANAO, Davao Prov., 25 km W of New Batan , 1200m, 20-22.V.1996, leg. Bolm ( SMNS, MHNG) .

DESCRIPTION: Length 1.40-1.70 mm, width 0.98-1.20 mm. Body fairly strongly convex, dark reddish-brown, pronotum usually slightly darker than elytra, abdomen, femora and tibiae slightly lighter than elytra, tarsi and antennomeres I and II light reddish-brown, antennomeres III to XI light, yellowish. Eyes large. Length ratio of antennomeres as: III 14: IV 14: V 15: VI 14: VII 17: VIII 14: IX 18: X 17: XI 19. Antennomeres III to VI narrow, evenly narrow, each about 6 to 7 times as long as wide; VII distinctly wider than VI, about 5 times as long as wide; VIII somewhat narrower than VII, almost 5 times as long as wide; IX to XI wider than VII, XI about 4 times as long as wide. Pronotum and elytra lacking microsculpture, pubescence indistinct at 50 times magnification. Lateral contours of pronotum and elytra almost continuously rounded. Pronotum with lateral margin carina concealed in dorsal view, punctation fine and dense. Hypomeron with fairly coarse punctures on lower area of its posterior half, appearing impunctate on remaining surface. Tip of scutellum exposed. Elytra moderately narrowing apically, with lateral margin carina visible near base in dorsal view, lateral margins almost evenly arcuate, sutural striae deep, curved basally to form shallow basal striae reaching sides and joined with lateral striae. Basal halves of elytra coarsely punctate, most puncture diameters somewhat smaller than puncture intervals. Adsutural areas of elytra flat, in basal halves with very dense and fairly coarse punctures. Apical third to half of elytra very finely punctate. Hind wing not reduced. Mesepimeron about twice as long as interval between its tip and mesocoxa, and about 3 times as long as wide. Metaventrite flattened in middle, impunctate on small central area, with rather coarse and dense punctures on remainder of median surface, conspicuously coarsely punctate laterally, in particular near anterior margins. Metacoxal process flat, punctate. Submesocoxal lines parallel, with coarse, not elongate marginal punctures. Submesocoxal areas 0.03 mm long. Metanepisternum very narrow, its margin indicated by impressed puncture row. Metepimeron impressed and flat along inner margin. Abdominal ventrite 1 lacking obvious microsculpture, with basal punctures coarse and somewhat elongate, not rugulose; remaining punctation very fine. Following ventrites very finely punctate, with barely visible punctulate microsculpture. Protibiae and mesotibiae barely curved, metatibiae straight.

Male characters: Protarsomeres barely widened. Aedeagus as in Figs 27-30,

0.38-0.43 mm long, moderately sclerotized.

HABITAT: Forest floor litter, mainly moist leaves, found in evergreen, degraded forests.

DISTRIBUTION: Philippines, Luzon, Leyte, Mindanao.

ETYMOLOGY: The species epithet refers to the prothoracic hypomera.

COMMENTS: This species may be easily separated from its Philippine congeners by the presence of distinct hypomeral punctures. Other species of the group possessing distinctly punctate hypomera are B. cribrata Löbl, 1992 , B. puncticollis Löbl, 1977 , and B. microptera Löbl, 1986 , known from Pakistan, northern India and Nepal, and an undescribed species from Thailand (see Löbl, 1990, 1997). Baeocera hypomeralis may by easily distinguished from these species by the entire basal striae of the elytra. Baeocera puncticollis and the Thai species differ conspicuously by the comparatively coarse pronotal punctation, and B. cribrata and B. puncticollis differ by strongly shortened sutural striae. In addition, B. cribrata has the entire hypomera coarsely punctate, and B. microptera has also the mesanepisterna distinctly punctate.