Lomechusoides przewalskyi Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař, 2023

Jászay, Tomáš, Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the myrmecophilous genus Lomechusoides Tottenham, 1939 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Part II. The revision of the strumosus species group, Zootaxa 5343 (6), pp. 539-593 : 557-558

Lomechusoides przewalskyi Jászay, Hlaváč & Baňař sp. nov.

Figs 43–49

Etymology. the species is named after Nikolay Mikhailovich Przewalsky (*1839–†1888), a well-known russian explorer and geographer, who collected this species.

Material studied. HOLOTYPE, ♁ (missing right mesotarsomeres IV–V): CHINA (Xizang): (h) N.-O.— Thibet: Kuku-nor- Gebiet 18/IV–11/ V Przewalsky. 1884. / (h) Zaidam, Butkhan-Gudda 18/IV–11/V 9-11000 / (h) det. E. Reitter! Cf. Horae S. E. R. XXI. 1887. p. 203 / (h) mongolica Wasm. (p) det. Bernhauer / red label (p) HOLOTYPE ♁ Lomechusoides przewalskyi sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( ZIN) . PARATYPE: 1♀: (missing: left antenna, antennomeres III–XI of right antenna, left foretarsi II–IV, left midtarsi II– V, right midtarsi I–V, whole right hindleg): CHINA: (h) N.-O.—Thibet: Kuku-nor- Gebiet 18/IV–11/ V Przewalsky. 1884. / (h) mongolica Wsm. (p) det. Bernhauer / red label (p) PARATYPE ♀ Lomechusoides przewalskyi sp. nov., det. T. Jászay, P. Hlaváč & P. Baňař det., 2021 ( ZIN) .

Description. Body light reddish-brown ( Fig. 43 ); head except antennae and except unbounded spot on frontal median impression, anterior margin of visible tergites II–V, larger part of anterior margin of visible tergites VI–VII and lateral part of visible sternites III–V, posterior margin of visible sternite V and larger part of anterior margin of visible sternites VI–VII, metaventrit except anterior part and except narrow posterior margin, episternal and epimeral sclerites brown.

Head slightly rectangular, slightly longer than wide, ratio HW/HL ♁ 0.87, ♀ 0.80, with deep, narrow V-shaped frontal median impression which is microsculptured, and with few large shallow punctures in posterior part, dull; disc of head microsculptured with large shallow punctures, dull; length of eyes 0.25x of length of head; eyes slightly protuberant; temples behind eyes slightly narrowed and convergent posteriad.

Antennae long, scape ♁ 1.80x, ♀ 1.71x as long as wide and ♁ 2.70x, ♀ 3.00x as long as pedicel, pedicel ♁ 1.00x, ♀ 0.95x as long as wide, antennomere III: ♁ 1.50x, IV: ♁ 1.25x, V: ♁ 1.63x as long as wide, antennomeres VI–VIII oval elongate, terminal segment slender and acute, ♁ 1.18x as long as scape, relative length of antennomeres from base to apex: ♁: 27: 10: 18: 15: 18: 16: 16: 15: 15: 15: 32; ♀: 24: 8 (other antenomeres on paratype are missing).

Pronotum ( Fig. 44 ) trapezoidal, ratio PW/PL: ♁ 1.60, ♀ 1.67 with concave anterior margin, anterior corners obtuse, lateral sides in anterior three fourth broadly rounded, in basal fourth slightly narrowed posteriorly, posterior corners rectangular, bearing deep lateral microsculptured and punctate impressions, pronotal disc microsculptured, with sparse, uneven puncturation, tubercles and median line well-defined, narrow; in lateral view lateral margins in anterior half thick, in posterior half sligthly evenly thinned and slightly curved posteriad, lacking visible sharp edge; maximal width of pronotum just before posterior corners, here slightly narrower than elytra at humeri; pronotum with macrosetae, anterior margin with about five macrosetae, lateral margins with about five–six macrosetae.

Anterior margin straight, lateral margins of metaventral process ( Fig. 47 ) concave, anterior margin with transversal groove, lacking lateral lines, anterior part elevated, posterior part in median line with small lentil-like impression, metaventral process microsculptured and punctate; disc of metaventrite with broad shallow impressions on sides of median line, metaventrite microsculptured and unevenly punctate, discal setae long, setae exceeding margin of adjacent puncture.

Elytra with dense large shallow punctures, 0.92x as long as pronotum, ratio EW/EL: ♁ 2.04, ♀ 2.04, with about seven macrosetae in anterior part and two macrosetae in humeral part, distance between punctures on disc of elytra about as long as diameter of puncture.

Abdomen with visible tergite II densely punctate and setaceous, visible tergites III–V with sparse puncturation, with setae only on posterior margin, anterior part with very fine and sparse punturation, visible tergites VI–VII with sparse and large punctures on whole surface, puncturation denser on lateral parts, visible tergites II–VII unevenly microsculptured, well-visible only on posterior and lateral margins.

Aedeagus ( Figs 45–46 ) with robust median lobe, apical lobe tube-like, slightly shorter then basal bulb, apex of apical part longer and sharper, with poorly scattered pseudopores, from lateral view ventral side slightly convex, lateral sides of apical lobe in ventral view markedly narrowed from middle and subparallel-sided to apex. Apical lobe of parameres subparallel ( Fig. 48 ), hook-shaped and bent backwards, apex with about 4 setae and with few pseudopores.

Spermatheca ( Fig. 49 ) with apical part 1.55x as long as basal part and 1.80x (on widest part) broader than basal extended part, 2.50x as long as wide, apical part coniform-shaped, apically convergent, apex pointed.

Measurements. (♁, Holotype): TL 6.40 mm; FB 3.40 mm; HL 1.00 mm; HW 0.87 mm; antennal length 3.00 mm; PL 1.25 mm; PW 2.00 mm; EL 1.15 mm; EW 2.33 mm; FTL 1.25 mm; MTL 1.65 mm; HTL 2.00 mm. (♀, Paratype): TL 6.25 mm; FB 3.30 mm; HL 1.05 mm; HW 0.85 mm; PL 1.20 mm; PW 2.00 mm; EL 1.15 mm; EW 2.35 mm; FTL 1.20 mm; MTL 1.60 mm; HTL 1.92 mm.

Differential diagnosis. see the differential diagnosis for L. mongolicus .

Host ant. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Xizang).

Figures

FIGURES 43–49. Lomechusoides przewalskyi sp. nov., 43–48, male holotype. 43, dorsal habitus; 44, pronotum in dorsal view (L: 1.25 mm, W: 2.00 mm); 45, aedeagus, lateral view; 46, aedeagus, ventral view; 47, metaventral process; 48, apex of paramere; 49, female paratype, spermatheca. Scale bars in mm.