Eupines (Byraxis) coalita, Shen & Leschen, 2020

Shen, Jia-Wei & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2020, Revision of Eupines King of New Zealand (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Goniaceritae), Zootaxa 4777 (1), pp. 1-84 : 17-19

Eupines (Byraxis) coalita sp. nov.

Fig. 9 ; map Fig. 49

Diagnosis: Head with vertexal foveae punctiform; antennae 10-segmented with 2-segmented antennal club; A4, A5, A6, A7 and A8 unmodified, A9 longest, slightly longer than A10, strongly impressed from middle to apex at ventral side, inserted with long spine within impression, A10 bean-shaped, slightly impressed near base at ventral side. Abdominal ventrite 2 with single fused small discal protuberance, inserted with strongly curved minute apical setae; ventrite 6 with pair of long and acute median struts, about one-third of ventral length. Protrochanters with small ventral spine, about one-third of protrochanteral width; protibiae and mesotibiae unmodified.

Description: Body length 1.71 mm; body colour reddish brown with lighter coloured tarsi. Head wider than long; frons not narrowed at end, about three-fourths width of head at eye level; eyes moderately developed, slightly prominent in dorsal view, with about 27 facets; vertexal foveae punctiform; antennal tubercles weakly developed; lacking postantennal notches; postantennal cavities large, about as long as antennal tubercles in dorsal view; antennae 10-segmented with 2-segmented antennal club; A4, A5, A6, A7 and A8 unmodified, A9 longest, slightly longer than A10, strongly impressed from middle to apex at ventral side, inserted with long spine within impression, A10 bean-shaped, slightly impressed near base at ventral side. Pronotum as long as wide, about as wide as head at eye level; lacking lateral antebasal foveae. Elytra slightly longer than wide, widest at middle; humeral calli moderately developed, distinctively prominent in dorsal view; sutural stria barely visible. Abdomen with tergite 1 about 1.3 × longer than tergite 2; ventrite 2 with single fused small discal protuberance, inserted with strongly curved minute apical setae; ventrite 6 with pair of long and acute median struts, about one-third of ventral length. Legs with protrochanters modified with small ventral spine, about one-third of protrochanteral width; protibiae and mesotibiae unmodified. Aedeagus about 0.35 mm long, with long and slender parameres, curved towards each other and bent downwards in lateral view, with three pairs of short subapical setae and two pairs of short apical setae; median lobe large, with two large median sclerites twisted together near apex, about as wide as parameres, left side of median lobe with three small sclerites in dorsal view, left one curved outwards, right two short and straight.

Comments: This species is characterized by having ventrite 2 modified with a single fused protuberance ( Fig. 9F ), which can separate it from all congeners.

Distribution: North Island. ND.

Etymology: This specific epithet is a Latin adjective meaning ‘grow together’, referring to the fused protuberance on ventrite 2 of this species.

Type material ( NZAC): Holotype. ♂, specimen entire, glued on card, aedeagus + proleg + antenna on acetate card: “ NEW ZEALAND, ND, Puketi Forest Waipapa R. Tk., E. Branch, 30 Jan 1995 // J. Klimaszewski Sifted litter”. Paratypes . 4 ex.: ND : 2, FMNH, Waipoua State Forest , Wairau Summit, 400 m, 27/xi–6/xii/1984, hdwd.- podocarp forest, A. Newton / M. Thayer 687 // berl., leaf & log litter forest floor; 2, FMNH , Waipoua SF., Yakas Tree Tr. 350 m, 11–14/iv/1980, broadlf.-podocarp A. Newton, M. Thayer, 710 // berl, litter at bases of Metrosideros robusta trunks .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Diagnostic characters of E. (B.) coalita sp. n. A) Habitus. B) Antenna, in dorsal view. C) Same, in lateral view. D) Same, in ventral view. E) Protrochanter. F) Ventrite 2. G) Ventrite 6. H) Aedeagus, in dorsal view. I) Same, in lateral view. J) Same, in ventral view. Scale bars: A = 1 mm, B–F = 0.2 mm, G–J = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 49. Geographic distributions of E. (B.) anisarthra (Broun, 1914), E. (B.) bisulcifrons (Broun, 1914), E. (B.) brevis sp. n., E. (B.) caesta sp. n., E. (B.) carinata sp. n., E. (B.) coalita sp. n., E. (B.) complector sp. n. and E. (B.) conspicua (Broun, 1893) in New Zealand.