Aleomallus yaque Rainey and Ivie, 2023

Rainey, Jordan J. & Ivie, Michael A., 2023, New Genus and Species of High-Altitude Flightless Diestotini from the West Indies (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 77 (3), pp. 365-374 : 370-371

Aleomallus yaque Rainey and Ivie , new species zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FC158815-0718-416E-9B12-2CA43FB64D2F ( Figs. 1–6 )

Type Specimens. Holotype. 1 Male: DOM.REP: Prov. La Vega; 19.0714°N 70.5826°W; 05SEP1997, P. W. Kovarik; 1040m, bracken fern litter; roadside forest/ WIBF 091996 . From the WIBF, to be deposited in the Field Museum . Paratypes. 34 DOM.REP: Prov. La Vega; 19.0714°N 70.5826°W; 05SEP1997, P. W. Kovarik; 1040m, bracken fern litter; roadside forest WIBF 091997 through WIBF 092030 . 8 DOM. REP.: Par. Nac. Armando; Bermudez, PicoDuarte Trail ; 1900m, 06SEP1988, tree-fern; & hardwd. Litter, M.A. Ivie,; T . K. Phillips & K.A. Johnson / 19.030274°N 70.906934°W / WIBF 092031 through WIBF 092038 . 16 DOM. REP.: Par. Nac. Armando; Bermudez, PicoDuarte Trail ; 1850m, 06SEP1988, mixed; forest litter, M.A. Ivie,; T . K. Phillips & K.A. Johnson / 19.032238°N 70.906008°W / WIBF 092039 through WIBF 092054 . 6 DOM. REP.: Par. Nac. Armando; Bermudez, Cordillera Cent.; slopes of Pico del Yaque ; 06 Sep 1988, 2115m; fern & leaf litter/ M.A. Ivie, T . K. Phillips; & K.A. Johnson colrs./ 19.026673°N 70.912601°W / WIBF 092055 through WIBF 092060 .

Paratypes will be deposited in the following collections in addition to the WIBF: American Museum of Natural History , New York, USA ; Field Museum of Natural History , Chicago, USA ; Florida State Collection of Arthropods , Gainesville, USA ; Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Profesor Eugenio de Jesús Marcano , Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic ; National Museum of Natural History , Washington, DC, USA ; Natural History Museum , London, UK ; Natural History Museum , University of Oslo and Zoological Museum, Oslo, Norway ; and Natural History Museum of Denmark , University of Copenhagen , Denmark .

Description. As described for the genus, with the following additions relating to expected species-level characteristics. Body dark brown to reddish brown; apex of tibiae and tarsomeres usually lighter (light brown), antenna usually slighter lighter (reddish brown); antennomere 11 usually lighter than others ( Figs. 1 ). Punctures on head very close and coarse, punctures on thorax and abdomen moderate and sparse, on sternites moderate and close, all punctures setiferous and body covered in thick, long, light brown setae. Moderately developed reticulated microsculpture all over surface of body. Secondary sexual characteristics: Males—posterior margin of sternite VIII forming triangular projection, rounded posteriorly ( Fig. 2f ), glabrous along apex; posterior margin of tergite VII straight ( Fig. 2g ). Females— posterior margin of sternite VIII bisinuate, median portion truncate with row of very short pubescence ( Fig. 2b ); posterior margin of tergite VII concave ( Fig. 2c ). Aedeagus: Paramere ( Fig. 4b ) with apical lobe of paramerite short (ca. 0.3× length of paramerite), bearing 4 long setae, 3 setae clustered near apex, 4 th on lateral projection on main body of the lobe. Aedeagus ( Fig. 4c ) median lobe copulatory piece strongly curved, apex extruding, apical lobe truncate. Spermatheca ( Fig. 4a ): Basal bulb elongate with rounded apex, neck bent at ca. 90° angle.Spermathecal tube long and tightly double coiled.

Distribution. Known from moist high elevations 1,035 –2,115 m in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic ( Fig. 6 ). Specimens were taken 1.6 km west of Ébano Verde Scientific Reserve, and from three localities in Armando Bermúdez National Park: twice along the Pico Duarte trail and once on the slopes of Pico del Yaque. As far as we know it is endemic to this region.

Biology. Aleomallus yaque has been collected from tree fern litter, mixed forest litter and hardwood litter at high elevation areas. Larvae and food associations are unknown. Konstantinov et al. (2023) discussed the general aspects of endemism and morphology of beetles found in this area and habitat.

Etymology. This species is named after the Rio Yaque del Norte and Pico del Yaque. Yaque is a Taíno word given to the river that drains its known habitat and part of the series was collected from the slopes of Pico del Yaque.

Figures

Fig. 1. Aleomallus yaque, new genus and species. a) Dorsal aspect, b) Ventral aspect. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 2. Aleomallus yaque, new genus and species. a) Female, sternite VII, b) Female, sternite VIII, c) Female, tergite VII, d) Female, tergite VIII, e) Male, sternite VII, f) Male, sternite VIII, g) Male, tergite VII, h) Male, tergite VIII. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 3. Aleomallus yaque, new genus and species. a) Dorsal aspect of labrum, b) Ventral aspect of labrum (epipharynx), c) Ventral aspect of labium and mentum, d) Ventral aspect of left mandible, e) Ventral aspect of right mandible, f) Ventral aspect of maxilla. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 4. Aleomallus yaque, new genus and species. a) Female, spermatheca basal bulb with long spiraled spermathecal tube, b) Male, paramere lateral external aspect, c) Male, median lobe of aedeagus, lateral aspect. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 5. Aleomallus yaque, new genus and species, left elytron, dorsal aspect. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

Fig. 6. Map showing known distribution of Aleomallus yaque, new genus and species on Hispaniola.