Anthobiomorphus alesi, Shavrin, 2022

Shavrin, Alexey V., 2022, A new species of the genus Anthobiomorphus Shavrin & Smetana, 2020 from Nepal (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini), Zootaxa 5128 (4), pp. 597-600 : 597-598

Anthobiomorphus alesi sp. n.

( Figs. 1–4 )

Type material examined: Holotype m# [left apical antennomere missing; a plastic plate with aedeagus in Canada balsam was pinned under the card with the beetle; abdominal tergite VIII, sternite VIII, and the apical segment are glued to the same card under the specimen]: ‘E. NEPAL: KOSI | Val. Induwa Kola | 2000 m, 14.IV.[19]84 | [I.] Löbl – [A.] Smetana’ <printed>, ‘HOLOTYPE | Anthobiomorphus | alesi sp. n. | Shavrin A.V. des. 2022’ <red, printed> ( MHNG).

Description. Measurements: length of head (from base of labrum to neck constriction along head midline): 0.35; maximum width of head including eyes: 0.69; length of antenna: 1.68; ocular length (longitudinal): 0.20; length of pronotum: 0.62; maximum width of pronotum: 1.02; sutural length of elytra (length of elytra from apex of scutellum to posterior margin of sutural angle): 1.60; maximum width of elytra: 1.36; maximum width of abdomen: 1.00; length of metatibia (holotype): 0.85; length of metatarsus (holotype): 0.31 (combined length of metatarsomeres 1–4: 0.16; length of metatarsomere 5: 0.15); length of aedeagus (from base of the median lobe to apex of parameres): 0.50; total length (from anterior margin of clypeus to apex of abdomen): 3.20.

Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Body and antennomeres 3–11 brown (head slightly darker); mouthparts, antennomeres 1–2, lateral portions of pronotum and legs yellow. Forebody without microsculpture except for clypeus with indistinct, fine, transverse microreticulation and neck with fine isodiametric meshes; abdomen with indistinct transverse microsculpture.

Head transverse, about twice as broad as long; middle portion slightly elevated; latero-apical impressions narrow and moderately deep; anteocellar foveae (grooves in front of ocelli) deep and moderately long, somewhat parallel-sided, reaching level of middle length of strongly convex eyes; anterior portion between antennal insertion and anterior margin of eye distinctly concave. Punctation very sparse and irregular, finer in middle, denser, and larger and deeper on infraorbital ridges. Ocelli situated at level of postocular ridges, distance between ocelli about twice the distance between ocellus and posterior margin of eye. Maxilla as in Fig. 2 ; apical maxillary palpomere distinctly more than twice as long as penultimate palpomere; galea divided into two narrow lobes. Antennae reaching apical third of elytra when reclined; basal antennomere long, more than three times as long as broad, antennomere 2 distinctly narrower and shorter than basal antennomere, 3 slightly longer than 2, 4–7 slightly broader than 3, 8 slightly shorter than 7, 9–10 slightly shorter and broader than 8, apical antennomere about 1.3 times as long as preapical antennomere, from apical third gradually narrowed toward subacute apex.

Pronotum convex in middle, 1.6 times as broad as long, 1.4 times as broad as head, from about middle more narrowed posteriad than anteriad toward subacute anterior angles; apical angles widely rounded, slightly protruded anteriad; apical margin widely rounded, about as broad as rounded posterior margin; lateral edges with irregular crenulation, with two distinct protrusions anterior to sharply narrowed laterobasal margins; middle portion convex, with wide and deep semicircular impression in mediobasal third. Punctation irregular, large and deep, moderately dense, with wide impunctate portion in mediobasal third. Visible part of scutellum without punctures.

Elytra 1.6 times as long as broad, distinctly broadened posteriad, reaching apical margin of abdominal tergite V, with widely rounded apical marings. Punctation larger and deeper than that in pronotum, denser and finer on parascutellar area and along suture, on each elytron forming six very vague and tangled longitudinal rows of punctures. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen distinctly narrower than elytra, with a pair of small and oval tomentose wing-folding patches in middle of tergite V, with narrow palisade fringe on inner margin of abdominal tergite VII.

Male. Apical margins of abdominal tergite VIII and sternite VIII slightly sinuate. Aedeagus with wide median lobe, gradually narrowed toward wide, rounded apex; parameres long, significantly exceeding apex of median lobe, distinctly narrowed in apical portions, with two apical and two preapical setae; internal sac moderately narrow and short ( Fig. 3 ). Lateral aspect of aedeagus as in Fig. 4 .

Female unknown.

Comparative notes. Based on the length of the body, elongate antennomeres, and the shape of latero-apical parts of the pronotum, distinctly protruded anteriad, A. alesi sp.n. is similar to A. makranczyi Shavrin & Smetana, 2020 . From this species it can be distinguished by the paler body, different shape of the galea, longer elytra, and longer parameres, with narrower apical portions.

Distribution. The species is at present known only from the type locality in Nepal.

Bionomics. Specimen was collected at elevation 2000 m a.s.l. The detailed ecological data are unknown.

Etymology. Patronymic, the new species is named after Aleš Smetana† (1931-2021), one of the collectors of the holotype.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus (Fig. 1), left maxilla (Fig. 2) and aedeagus (Figs. 3–4) of Anthobiomorphus alesi: 1–dorsal view, 2–ventral view, 3–parameral view, 4–lateral view. Scale bars (Fig. 1: 1.0 mm, Figs. 2–4: 0.1 mm).