Baeocera seiugata Löbl, 2021

Löbl, Ivan & Smetana, Aleš, 2021, On the Baeocera Erichson (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) of Sabah, Malaysia, and a tale on mystified biodiversity, J. Insect Biodiversity 23 (2), pp. 23-42 : 34-36

Baeocera seiugata Löbl , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8720EDB9-ED89-40EF-8A10-86CF4BD8307D

( Figs 16–19 )

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, SABAH: Crocker Ra. 1270 m, km 60 rd. Kota Kinabalu – Tambunan , 17.V.87 Burckhardt – Löbl ( MHNG). Paratypes: 1 ♂, Poring Hot Springs, Langanan River , 850 m, 14.V.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 2 ♂, Mt. Kinabalu, Liwagu Trail , 1430 m, 22.V.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, with the same data but 1500 m ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, with the same data but between Headquarters and Liwagu River , 25.IV.87 ( MHNG) ; 3 ♂, Mt. Kinabalu, Headquarters , Liwagu River 1490 m, 10.VIII.88, Smetana [B97] ( CNC) ; 1 ♂, with the same data but 1490 m, 5.VIIII.88 [B84] ( CNC) ; 11 ♂, with the same data but 1520 m, 12.VIIII.88 [B106] ( CNC, MHNG) ; 2 ♂, Mt. Kinabalu, 1560–1660 m, 24.IV.87, Smetana ( CNC) ; 2 ♂, Mt. Kinabalu, Liwagu Trail , 1540 m, 29.IV.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 3 ♂, same data but 1540 m, 28.IV.87 ( MHNG) ; 2 ♂, same data but Silau-Silau Trail , 1550–1650 m, 23. and 24.IV.87 ( MHNG) ; 3 ♂, same data but Liwagu Trail , 1750 m, 27.IV.87 ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, same data but 1420 m, 22.V.87 ( MHNG) ; 3 ♂, same data but 1430 m ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂, Mt. Kinabalu, Headquaters , Liwagu Trail , 1520 m, 12.VIII.88, Smetana [B106] ( CNC) ; 1 ♂, Mt. Kinabalu, X.1990, G. de Rougemont ( MHNG) ; 4 ♂, Crocker Range, 1200 m, km 63 rd. Kota Kinabalu-Tambunan , 19.V.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 4 ♂, Crocker Range, 1550–1650 m, Kota Kinabalu-Tambunan , 16.V.87, Burckhardt & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 3 ♂, same data but 1270 m, km 60 rd. Kota Kinabalu-Tambunan, 17.V.87 ( MHNG) ; 5 ♂, same data but km 51–52, 1600 m, 18.V.87 ( MHNG) .

Description. Length 1.30–1.40 mm, width 0.88–0.93 mm. Body reddish-brown to blackish, femora and tibiae reddish-brown, tarsi and antennae yellowish. Head with interocular distance slightly larger than dorsoventral eye diameter. Lateral contours of pronotum and elytra continuously arcuate. Pronotum not microsculptured, with punctation very fine, hardly visible at 40 times magnification, lateral margin carinae not visible in dorsal view. Exposed tip of scutellum minute, triangular. Elytra not microsculptured, with lateral margins rounded, lateral margin carinae exposed near bases in dorsal view, sutural striae parallel with suture, curved at bases and extended along basal margins to form basal striae joined with lateral striae; adsutural areas flat, distinctly punctate in basal halves. Discal punctation coarse, comparatively sparce and very irregular anterior elytral mid-length, punctures well delimited, mostly smaller than puncture intervals. Punctation very fine on apical halves of elytra, few coarse punctured extending posteriorly elytral mid-length excepted. Hind wings fully developed. Hypomera appearing impunctate. Mesoventrite without mesal ridge, irregularly punctate. Mesepimera nearly about three times as long as wide and about two times as long as intervals to coxae. Centre of metaventrite flat, with scattered, fairly coarse punctures, to part impunctate. Lateral areas of metaventrite densely and coarsely punctate, punctures round, much larger than puncture intervals and larger than punctures on centre of metaventrite. Submesocoxal areas 0.02 mm long, densely margined by round punctures as large as those on centre of metaventrite. Metanepisterna fused with metaventrite. Tibiae straight. Ventrite I lacking striae, with punctures margining base not or hardly elongate, smaller than most punctures on sides of metaventrite, not interrupted at middle. Remaining abdominal punctation very fine and sparse, hardly visible at 80 x magnification.

Male characters. Protarsomeres I to III hardly widened. Aedeagus ( Figs 16–19 ) 0.37–0.42 mm long. Median lobe in dorsal view abruptly narrowed apically, with tip acute and bent; apical process moderately inflexed, somewhat shorter than half of basal bulb, ventral contour of apical process in lateral view nearly oblique. Articular process not prominent. Parameres fairly wide anterior mid-length, narrowed at mid-length, bent in dorsal view, nearly straight in lateral view. Internal sac with apically widened and bent flagella-guide sclerite conspicuously short, not joined basally with flagellum, at apex overlapped by flagellum, joined proximally with large, transverse, strongly sclerotized process. Accessory transverse sclerite strongly sclerotized long and narrow, at proximal end bulbous. Membranes lacking denticulate or squamous vesicles, section of ejaculatory duck anterior entering flagellum not vesicular.

Differential diagnosis. This species may be distinguished by the shape of the proximal accessory sclerite and the short flagellar guide-sclerite from its similar congeners that share entire sutural striae and coarse punctation limited onto anterior elytral halves. The aedeagal characters suggest relationship to B. sarawakensis Löbl which may be distinguished by a long flagellar-guide sclerite and a membranous vesicle.

Distribution. East Malaysia: Sabah.

Etymology. The species epithet is a Latin adjective meaning removable.

Figures

Figures 16–23. Baeocera spp., aedeagi; (16, 17) B. seiugata sp. nov., in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (18) ditto, paramere in ventral view, scale = 0.05 mm; (19) ditto, internal sac in dorsal view, scale = 0.05 mm. (20, 21). B. semirufa sp. nov., in dorsal and lateral views, scale = 0.1 mm; (22) ditto, paramere in ventral view, scale = 0.05 mm; (23) ditto, internal sac in dorsal view, scale = 0.05 mm.