Megalostria crassiventris, Assing, 2007

Assing, V., 2007, A new species of Megalogastria BERNHAUER from Israel (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Aleocharini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (1), pp. 39-43 : 40-42

Megalostria crassiventris nov.sp. ( Figs 1-12 , Map 1 )

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: " Israel: Lehavim [31°22'N, 34°49'E], 25.III.2005, O. Shelev, V. Chikatunov / Holotypus Megalogastria crassiventris sp. n. det. V. Assing 2007" ( TAU) . Paratypes: 2 exs., same data as holotype ; 3 exs.: " Israel: Adullam [31°39'N, 34°58'E], 3.IV.2003, U. Columbus, T. Levanony / Atheta oriaria (Kraatz, 1857) det. V. Chikatunov " ; 1 ex., "4232. Israel: Nahal Sansan [31°42'N, 35°01'E], 22.iii.2002, Y. Mandelik, V. Chikatunov / Acrotona gregaria [sic] Det. V. Chikatunov " (paratypes in TAU, cAss, cFel) .

E t y m o l o g y: The name (Latin, adjective) refers to the conspicuously broad abdomen.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Measurements (in mm) and ratios (range, arithmetic mean; n=7): AL: 0.76-1.07, 0.94; HL: 0.47-0.53, 0.49; HW: 0.43-0.48, 0.47; PW: 0.59-0.69, 0.67; PL: 0.45-0.54, 0.52; EL: 0.25-0.32, 0.30; EW: 0.69-0.83, 0.79; AW: 0.83-0.97, 0.90; TiL: 0.57-0.68, 0.63; TaL: 0.42-0.50, 0.47; ML: 0.47-0.50; TL: 2.7-3.4, 3.2; HL/HW: 1.03-1.11, 1.06; PW/HW: 1.37-1.48, 1.43; PW/PL: 1.28-1.34, 1.30; EL/PL: 0.55-0.60, 0.58; EW/PW: 1.16-1.20, 1.18; AW/EW: 1.09-1.20, 1.14; TiL/TaL: 1.27-1.36, 1.33.

Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head reddish to blackish brown; pronotum and elytra bright reddish; abdomen bicoloured, with segments III-IV reddish and the remainder black; legs and antennae reddish to reddish yellow.

Head weakly oblong (see measurements and ratio HL/HW); puncturation sparse and very fine; interstices usually without microsculpture, sometimes with faint traces of microsculpture ( Fig. 2 ); eyes relatively small ( Fig. 3 ), distinctly shorter than postocular region in dorsal view, and weakly projecting from lateral contours of head; palpomere III of maxillary palpus relatively large, almost 3 times as long as wide. Antenna with antennomere IV approximately as long as wide; V weakly transverse; V-X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse; X approximately twice as wide as long; XI approximately as long as the combined length of IX-X ( Fig. 4 ).

Pronotum distinctly transverse and much wider than head (see ratios PW/PL and PW/HW), maximal width approximately in the middle; posterior angles rounded ( Fig. 2 ); puncturation moderately dense and much more distinct than that of head; interstices without microsculpture and shiny, on average wider than diameter of punctures; pubescence short and depressed; pronotal hypomera not visible in lateral view.

Elytra remarkably short (see ratio EL/PL), widened posteriorly, and at posterior margin distinctly wider than pronotum (see ratio EW/PW); puncturation granulose, coarser and denser than that of pronotum ( Fig. 2 ); interstices without microsculpture; posterior margin near posterior angles obliquely truncate, not sinuate. Hind wings reduced. Metatarsomere I approximately as long as the combined length of II-IV or nearly so.

Abdomen conspicuously large, distinctly wider than elytra ( Fig. 1 ), and widest at segment V ( Fig. 5 ); tergites III-IV with shallow, tergite V with very shallow anterior impression; puncturation dense and distinct; interstices without microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with very narrow rudiment of a palisade fringe; posterior margin of tergite VIII truncate to weakly concave in both sexes ( Fig. 6 ).

: posterior margin of sternite VIII weakly pointed in the middle; median lobe of aedeagus as in Figs 7-9 ; apical lobe of paramere as in Fig. 10 .

: posterior margin of sternite VIII convex ( Fig. 11 ); spermatheca with short duct ( Fig. 12 ).

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Megalogastria crassiventris is readily distinguished from the two other species of the genus by the distinctly larger abdomen, the shorter elytra, as well as by the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus (see also the key below).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The species is currently known from three localities in central Israel ( Map 1 ), suggesting that it occurs in dry habitats. The type specimens were collected in March and April. Additional bionomic data are not available.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Megalogastria cingulata (filled circles), M. crassiventris (open circles), and M. alata (squares) in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Figs 1-12: Megalogastria crassiventris nov.sp.: (1) habitus; (2) forebody; (3) head in lateral view; (4) antenna; (5) abdomen; (6) posterior margin of male tergite VIII; (7-8) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (9) apical part of median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; (10) apical lobe of paramere; (11) female sternite VIII; (12) spermatheca. Scale bars: 1-2, 5: 1.0 mm; 3-4, 11: 0.2 mm; 6-10, 12: 0.1 mm.