Oedichirus novacaledonicus, Rougemont, 2018

Rougemont, Guillaume de, 2018, The genus Oedichirus in New Caledonia (Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 537-586 : 559

Oedichirus novacaledonicus nov.sp. (Figs 4)

Material studied: ♂ Holotype: Nouvelle Calédonie , m 1270, M. Humboldt presso sorgento, 15.II.2006, P.M. Giachino leg. ♀ HOLOTYPE Oedichirus novacaledonicus Des. 2016 G. de Rougemont [ SMNS] ; 1♂ paratype: NEW CALEDONIA 11134, 21º53’S x 166º25’E, Mt Humboldt , refuge, 5 Nov 2002, G. Monteith, pyrethrum, trees, 1350 m ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus novacaledonicus des. 2015 G. de Rougemont [ QM] ; 1♂ paratype: NEW CALEDONIA 11954, 20º24’S x 164º32’E. 730m, Mandjelia , 1 km SW. 5 Jan 2005, G. Monteith, pyreth. on rough palms ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus novacaledonicus des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ CRO] ; 1♂ & 1♀ paratypes: NEW CALEDONIA 8645, 21º45’S x 166º09’E, 1300m, Ningua Res. , nr summit, 13 Nov 2001, pyreth. trees &logs, C. Burwell, G. Monteith ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus novacaledonicus des. 20017 G. de Rougemont [ QM] ; 1♀ paratype: NEW CALEDONIA 11098, 21º53’S x 166º25’E, 5-7 Nov2002, dung trap, Monteith & Burwell, 1600m ♀ PARATYPE Oedichirus novacaledonicus des. 2017 G. de Rougemont [ QM] .

Additional material: 1♂: NOUVELLE-CALEDONIE, Province-Sud, Bouloupari, Mont Do, 08-22.xi.2007 ♀ 21º45.212S – 166º00.011E, 1022 m, Flight intercept Trap, T. Théry leg. ♀ Oedichirus novacaledonicus n. sp. det. 2017 G. de Rougemont [CTP].

Description: length: 10.5-11.5 mm; length of fore-body: 4.4; length of head: 1.2; breadth of head: 1.37; length of antenna: 3.2; length of pronotum: 1.7; breadth of pronotum: 1.4; length of elytron: 1.35; breadth of elytra: 1.5. Body black, appendages testaceous, knees narrowly infuscate. Head, pronotum and elytra shiny, with faint but visible micro-reticulation, abdominal tergites with dense transverse microstriae. Pubescence erect, of medium length, sparse on fore-body, denser on abdomen. Habitus: Fig. 4h.

Head moderately transverse; eyes large and protruberant, shorter than temples; temples strongly retracted in a feeble curve to neck; groove of post-ocular border broad and deep, well removed from lateral margin, evanescent posteriad, the carina obsolete; puncturation very sparse, the punctures small, irregularly scattered, frons impunctate. Pronotum moderately elongate, behind anterior angles broader than head, the sides convergent in almost straight lines to broadly rounded base; lateral margins entirely but very bluntly, inconspicuously bordered; puncturation sparse, with a discernible pair of irregular longitudinal series of 7-8 punctures each enclosing a few smaller punctures and with some scattered larger punctures between the series and the lateral margins. Elytra a little broader than their total length, the humeri completely obsolete, widest at about middle, the sides slightly convergent in posterior half; puncturation sparse, consisting of a juxtasutural series of 5 punctures and irregularly scattered punctures on disc and sides. Keels and grooves of bases of abdominal tergites obsolescent; puncturation of tergites fairly dense, irregular, consisting of punctures of varying sizes.

Male: abdominal sternite VIII: Fig. 4s8; aedoeagus: Fig. 4arl, Plate AEA.

Female: sternite IX: Fig. 4vp.

Close to and very similar in facies and puncturation to O. oceanicus nov.sp., from which it differs by the more feeble microsculpture of the head, infuscate knees and the securiform shape of the apex of the ventral process of the median lobe.