Neolindus luciamans, Assing, 2012

Volker, A., 2012, Two new species of Neolindus from Peru and Venezuela (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Cylindroxystina), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 62 (6), pp. 291-297 : 292-294

Neolindus luciamans sp. n. ( Figs 1-10 )

Type material:

Holotype : “ Peru - Huanuco Prov., Panguana Station at Rio Llullapichis , 9°37'S, 74°56'W, 260 m, at light, 1.-23.X.2010, G. Riedel / Holotypus  Neolindus luciamans sp. n., det. V. Assing 2012”.

Etymology:

The specific epithet is composed of the Latin noun lux (light) and the present participle of the Latin verb amare (to love). It refers to the fact that the holotype was attracted to a light source.

Description:

Body length 7 mm; length of forebody 3 mm. Coloration: head and pronotum reddish; elytra reddish-brown; abdomen brown with reddish apex; legs and antennae pale-reddish.

Head ( Fig. 2 ) strongly transverse, 1.35 times as broad as long, widest across eyes; posterior angles moderately marked; dorsal surface only laterally with few setiferous macropunctures, median portion extensively without macropunctures, but with relatively dense micropunctation; microsculpture absent; on either side with only one trichobothrium (for illustrations of this structure see Herman 1991) near antero-dorsal margin of eye. Eyes strongly convex and moderately large, approximately twice as long as postgenae and distinctly shorter than distance between posterior margin of eye and neck. Antenna with antennomeres II and III distinctly elongate and of subequal length; IV with dense pubescence, distinctly shorter than III, and weakly oblong; V-VII approximately as broad as long; X weakly transverse; XI little longer than X.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) 1.1 times as broad as long and 1.12 times as wide as head; posterior angles weakly marked, broadly rounded; punctation moderately coarse and moderately dense; on either side of the broadly impunctate midline without distinct dorsal series of punctures (i.e., dorsal series not separated from lateral punctures); interstices without microsculpture.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) slightly (1.05 x) longer and distinctly (1.15 x) broader than pronotum; humeral angles marked; punctation coarser than that of pronotum, defined, randomly distributed (except for sutural series), and moderately dense; interstices in central portion approximately as broad as diameter of punctures and without microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I distinctly longer than II.

Abdomen slightly narrower than elytra; punctation coarse and dense on anterior, much finer and sparser on posterior tergites ( Fig. 3 ); posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly and obtusely produced in the middle ( Fig. 4 ); sternite VII strongly transverse, posteriorly with pronounced emargination, on either side of this emargination with distinct process ( Fig. 5 ); sternite VIII ( Figs 6-7 ) approximately as long as broad, posteriorly with conspicuous modifications: in the middle with small excision, laterally with pronounced process, and with acute tooth-like process between lateral process and median excision; tergite IX ( Fig. 8 ) with anterior portion in the middle much longer than posterior processes and than tergite X, anterior portion without median suture; aedeagus ( Figs 9-10 ) approximately 0.9 mm long, strongly sclerotised, and of distinctive shape.

: unknown.

Comparative notes:

The similarly modified male secondary sexual characters, the similar general morphology of the aedeagus, and similar external characters suggest that N. luciamans is closely related to N. dichymus Herman, 1991 , whose description is based on a single male from Ecuador. It is distinguished from this species by slightly larger body size, the posteriorly produced male tergite VIII, the much broader posterior excavation of the male sternite VII, the differently shaped posterior modifications of the male sternite VIII, as well as by the basally constricted aedeagus with differently shaped apical structures. For illustrations of N. dichymus see figures 213-217 in Herman (1991).

Distribution and natural history:

The type locality is situated in Huanuco province, central Peru, near the junction of the Llullapichis and Pachitea rivers. The holotype was collected with a light trap at an altitude of 260 m in October .

Figures

Figs 1-10: Neolindus luciamans: forebody (1); head (2); abdominal tergites III-VII (3); male tergite VIII (4); male sternite VII (5); male sternite VIII (6); median posterior portion of male sternite VIII (7); male tergites IX-X (8); aedeagus in ventral and in lateral view (9-10). Scale bars: 1-3: 1.0 mm; 4-6, 8-10: 0.5 mm; 7: 0.1 mm.