Kenotyphlus creticus, Assing, 2018

Assing, Volker, 2018, On the Staphylinidae of Crete III. The first records of endogean fauna (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Leptotyphlinae, Aleocharinae, Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 7-15 : 12

Kenotyphlus creticus nov.sp. ( Figs 14-19 )

Holotype ♂: "GR - Crete [25], SW Malia, Gonies env., 35°14'43''N, 25°25'34''E, 220 m, soil washing, 1.I.2018, V. Assing / Holotype ♂ Kenotyphlus creticus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2018" (cAss) . Paratypes: 3♂♂, 3♀♀: same data as holotype (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from Crete.

D e s c r i p t i o n: 1.1-1.3 mm (abdomen extended), length of forebody 0.4-0.5 mm. Forebody as in Fig. 14 . Colour of body yellowish.

Head with a pair of black ocelli in postero-median portion, without microsculpture; pronotum with an oblong impression on either side of midline, without microsculpture; elytra with microsculpture composed of large and irregular meshes; abdomen with pronounced microsculpture composed of relatively large and more or less isodiametric meshes.

♂: posterior margin of tergite VIII weakly convex; sternite VIII distinctly oblong and with rather large and deep, nearly U-shaped posterior excision in symmetric position ( Figs 15 ); median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 16-18 ) 0.18-0.19 mm long and slightly asymmetric, parameres strongly asymmetric.

♀: tergite VIII similar to that of male; sternite VIII with strongly convex posterior margin.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: This species is reliably distinguished from its congeners only by the shape of the aedeagus. For illustrations of the four previously known species of the genus see COIFFAIT (1972, 1973).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The type locality is situated to the southwest of Malia, East Crete. The specimens were washed from soil in a site with old oak, grass, and Rubus undergrowth surrounded by arable land ( Fig. 19 ).

Figures

Figs 19: Type locality of Kenotyphlus creticus nov.sp.

Figs 14-18: Kenotyphlus creticus nov.sp.: (14) forebody; (15): male sternite VIII; (16-18) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 14: 0.2 mm; 15-18: 0.1 mm.